That assumes there is some absolute idea of virtue and morals handed to us from the almighty. Best evidence against this? Read the first four books of the Old Testament, not just the ten commandments, and then tell me you would want to live in a society that allows you to sell your daughter into slavery and stone your spouse for adultery.
Clearly our ideas of morality evolve and continues to evolve Sociology see social values as originating to unify people and protect themselves from their own savage natures. But if this is true why do people often choose an altruistic stance even when it goes against cultural edicts. Along comes the science of evolutionary psychology which states our morality is not from societal causes but our own genes.
As genes originates physical changes, they also originate behaviors that help us survive through generations. The author illustrates, not just through human examples but other mammals, how certain moral behaviors have developed to insure survival, which in the sense of natural selection means to reproduce and leave lot of descendents. Not only are we genetically predisposed to behave in certain ways but we often go out of our way to deceive ourselves about this.
Evolutionary Psychology EP is the new kid on the block. While evolution is an established fact, EP is young enough that the author of this thought-provoking book is often left to speculation, and he freely admits to this. However there is a lot to digest and ponder in these pages. Much is controversial and not just to fundamentalist Christians. Some have accused EP as condoning sexism and even rape. While Wright clearly states natural selection is only interested in survival not morality, he also realizes that if we understand the reason we do what we do, the more we can use this information for our own betterment.
I personally think EP is too much in its infant stage to accept wholeheartedly but I must say I'm impressed with this excellent introduction to EP. Certainly this healthy examination of morals and mankind is a better choice than blindly accepting "God-dictated" edicts that have justified persecution and suffering through the ages. Mar 22, Rob rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: It ranks up there with E. Wilson's Sociobiology and Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene though I'll admit that I know those two primarily by reputation, having read excerpts and not their entireties.
It would be very easy to find yourself getting defensive about the material presented in here; especially if you believe humans to be some special exception among animals. Meanwhile, with a more cr First and foremost: Meanwhile, with a more critical approach, you'll find that you cannot get Robert Wright's text out of your head: Plus, you will find that it informs a great many all?
Don't ask about their intentions though; we need to remember that evolution is goal-less, after all. We are built to be effective animals, not happy ones. What Robert Wright sets out to do with The Moral Animal is to take Darwin's life and oeuvre primarily The Origin of Species , frame them with two other important contemporary writings John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism and Samuel Smiles' Self-Help , and use that lens to execute a thorough analysis and discussion of Darwinism and evolution, how human civilizations evolved as a consequence of "reciprocal altruism", and capsulize all of this as the basis for what Wright calls evolutionary psychology.
For every page that cites Robert Trivers or Richard Dawkins, there is another that quotes Darwin's personal correspondence or illustrates the backdrop of Victorian society. Wright's is an interesting and compelling approach that makes that text very engaging and approachable. Which is not to suggest that the material is easy to follow; Wright does not shy away from getting denser and heavier as the work progresses -- there were many instances were I found that I needed to double-back over certain passages to "get it".
Again, for as dense and technical as much of Wright's writing is, he throws himself whole-heartedly into the text and makes the material come to life. There is something strangely erotic about his in-depth scientific analysis of mate competition, cuckoldry, and evolutionary strategizing.
There is something perversely amusing about his apples-to-oranges comparisons of Darwin and Freud. There is something appropriately voyeuristic about reading letters from Darwin to friends and seeing how they reflect elements of his own theories. In many ways, Wright's eloquent prose is currency for getting us through some very challenging material.
As I've already discussed, there is the implicit challenge of reading technical literature especially as a layperson. More so however, is the explicit challenge that Wright lays out early in the text: Wright spends the first half of the text building up to the discussions that give the book its title. By the time we get to Part Three: Social Strife , it is no small wonder why Wright keeps circling back on the example of bluegill sunfish and the equilibrium between "nest builders" and "mate poachers".
The cornerstone of the second half of The Moral Animal is reciprocal altruism, a theory introduced in the early s by Robert Trivers. Wright gives reciprocal altruism the thorough treatment: At first glance, Wright's exposition may appear cynical and determinist: Swing such a cynical evaluation around to the other end and you are using these postulates for justification of extramarital affairs, for rape and for genocide, or for whatever other Twinkie Defense you might conjecture.
Perhaps he is so explicit about this because he wishes to avoid being damned in the same way as E. Wilson when he published Sociobiology. Wright suggests that if anything "separates" humans from animals, it is self-reflection, the capacity that we have to evaluate our actions and the actions of others and consequently judge those actions. Wright asserts that even if the content of our judgments and our abilities to make those judgments are evolved tendencies, that we can on some level make choices about the "rightness" of a given action; that our memes though he eschews that word and genes interact and we express agency in our evolution.
Of course, he also appears to caution us that there is a great deal of cultural transmission going on in human evolution right now and that meme transmission is fragile and tenuous even under the best conditions. Hyperbolic though it may sound, Wright appears to suggest that we are one catastrophic event away from being free agents in the game of evolution. Underlying all of this is the assertion that reciprocal altruism is a non-zero-sum game where each player i. Each organism is playing life and evolution as a game where sometimes the best move is to take a short-term loss, where sometimes the best move is to take a little more than what you're owed but not as much as you could exploit.
In a way, this is a hopelessly romantic view of evolution -- that even despite the ubiquitously short half-life of any pleasure, that an organism might still "choose" a small short-term sacrifice for a greater long-term gain. In reading the entirety of Wright's argument however, it is certainly reasonable to assume that this is a pragmatic trait, that it's a complexly evolved response system for economies of scarcity -- that there is in fact nothing romantic about charity or sacrifice or romance or the outlaw exploiter.
Mechanistically, we are all cogs in the perpetual motion machine of evolution's equilibrium. And as such, our morals or lack thereof are the motions of that machine balancing itself. I could see how some, perhaps many might find this thought is unsettling. With his re-telling of Darwin's tale, Wright illustrates a Copernicanian re-centering of humankind, its origins, and even its humanity.
As mentioned above, it can be easy to carve out portions of this hypothesis and serve them in cynical isolation. Taken as a whole, it is a strong composite view of humankind's genetic and cultural make-up, the forces that drove us to where we are, and the agency we may express over our destiny. Feb 18, Leslie rated it it was ok Shelves: It also seems to be based largely on a few papers written in the '70s, constantly bringing up the same papers. Note the number of times the author mentions Trivers' papers. Additionally, the tone of the book or train of thought of the writer seemed to change a lot, which made for kind of awkward transitions when reading multiple sections in one sitting.
On a side note, I did find the anecdotes about Darwin's life and relationships pretty interesting, and a funny choice for use as examples of evolution in social behavior. Even though I didn't particularly like much of this book, I hope people that do read this can read it with a grain of salt and a little thought: Feb 04, Tara B rated it did not like it Shelves: Evolutionary psychology has been used far too much to excuse men for raping women and fucking up our society with wars and patriarchy.
I refuse to respect it; I think it's working to excuse us for the things we should be able to rise above. Wright does fight the absolutists and say this science is not an excuse for how much we hurt each other, but if he is so enlightened, can't he see that he is at the same time validating a science that is increasingly and more aggresively being used as fuel fo Evolutionary psychology has been used far too much to excuse men for raping women and fucking up our society with wars and patriarchy.
Wright does fight the absolutists and say this science is not an excuse for how much we hurt each other, but if he is so enlightened, can't he see that he is at the same time validating a science that is increasingly and more aggresively being used as fuel for the anti-anti-rape movement? He is saying, "I like this science and think it explains us," first and foremost.
His fails to remember that simply calling it "science" attaches a term to it that, as history shows, leads people to use any of its findings for their own benefit, treating them inescapable laws. His one- and two-sentence scoldings about how we should rise above his "science's" findings fall short of undoing the damage for readers who will use this book for evil. View all 17 comments. Nov 20, Joe rated it it was ok Shelves: I'm less than half way through this and I still can't find out what the author's focus is.
He started out with a description of some of the different ideas about evolutionary psychology. Then he shifted to the biography of Darwin. Then to early childhood development. Now he is drawing conclusions, loosely based on Darwin's personal history and some of his letters, that I seriously question. I hope that this book gets better and a little more focused. This is just a bunch of notes some totally unrelated. I'll not finish this book. The title and description are very misleading. Apr 14, Josh rated it really liked it.
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Morality, you could almost say, was designed to be misused by its own definition. This book started slow for me but after the first chapter or so it starts to rock. Wright does a clever bit here, using Darwin himself as a subject for explicating the processes of natural selection " Wright does a clever bit here, using Darwin himself as a subject for explicating the processes of natural selection and evolutionary psychology.
So like two books in one, the biography being a freebie. Plus Wright's an engaging and witty writer; there are deep considerations throughout the book and a genuine laugh every few pages. Wright really wins, though, when he's at his most thoughtfully provocative. In a freak example of truth in advertising, the back cover declares: Pretty much wherever you stand on the atheist-agnostic-believer spectrum, the rug's yanked out from under you.
This goes for you too, nihilists. One of Wright's main assertions, boiled way down, is that everything we believe in our deepest heart of hearts, the moral code we claim to live by and whatever we're dead certain is our Core Truth, is just a trick of natural selection; a device to further evolution's aims. And he's really damned convincing.
Whether you buy Wright's arguments or not, I submit it's a worthy exercise to try standing outside our own biases; to submit our beliefs to the skeptical scrutiny we apply to others' opposing beliefs; to question our behaviors and motives as witheringly as we would our most outrageous opponent's.
Like trying to park your brain outside your skull and leave it there , watching. Reading The Moral Animal, I felt as though a gauntlet had been thrown. The challenge inherent here -- as I'm choosing to take it -- is to strip away all I take as self-evident, plus all the rationalization and corner-cutting and anything even remotely conveniently self-serving, and see what I can make of what's left.
If you like this kind of angel-wrasslin', this book's for you. Aug 23, Ian19 rated it it was amazing. If critics of evolutionary psychology ev psych agreed to read just one book of my choosing, this certainly would be the one. The Moral Animal brilliantly illustrates ev psych's vast explanatory power over human behavior and its tremendous potential as a guide to future research in the social sciences.
It's a masterpiece of science writing that deserves the exuberant gratitude of the academic community and the general public alike. Being an outspoken liberal radical and an apt pupil of social co If critics of evolutionary psychology ev psych agreed to read just one book of my choosing, this certainly would be the one. Being an outspoken liberal radical and an apt pupil of social constructivist theories of psychology at one of the most far-left colleges in America, I myself was extremely skeptical of ev psych around the time I read this book.
It wasn't exactly my idea to read it. A friend of mine who was only a Sophomore in high-school at the time! It spent about a year on my shelf before I peeked between its covers. James Thompson, a psychiatrist and lecturer for the Richard Dawins Foundation. Books can change lives. It made me dedicated to the mastery of evolutionary biology Darwin, Dawkins, etc.
But, overall, this is a wonderful book that possesses the rare ability to do something very special: Sep 10, Amy rated it did not like it. Dear Evolutionary Psychology, You are bullshit. Most sciences evolve from get-your-hands-dirty research-discovery-more-research cycles, but evo-psych evolved to meet the need of the media to have a constant influx of stories justifying sexism through "science.
Jan 22, Jenn rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Because of its technical nature, at times it was hard getting through it all, but anyone with an interest in psychology would absolutely be fascinated by this book. I actually believe that EVERYONE should read this book, only because it gives you incredible insights as to who we are, why we act the way we do, and how we can make better decisions for our actions in the future. May 23, Kurt rated it really liked it Shelves: Probably my favorite quote from this book comes from the chapter in which the author discusses whether or not we are truly moral animals.
He concludes that we are almost: We are potentially moral animals -- which is more than any other animal can say -- but we aren't naturally moral animals. To be moral animals, we must realize how thoroughly we aren't. The Moral Animal is a very thought-provoking and interesting book. It answers, but mostly it just attempts to answer, so many questions about why Probably my favorite quote from this book comes from the chapter in which the author discusses whether or not we are truly moral animals.
It answers, but mostly it just attempts to answer, so many questions about why humans are the way we are, mostly from an evolutionary or genetic standpoint. It outlines the entire life of Charles Darwin in the process and compares events and examples from his life story that illustrate the points made by the author.
I enjoyed everything about this book. I feel much enlightened and educated about the psychology of the human animal and I have a deeper respect and appreciation for "the reluctant Mr. Dec 27, Michael rated it really liked it Shelves: Here's the problem with evolutionary psychology: That is, practitioners take a look at features or patterns of human behavior today, then ponder about why that kind of activity might have been advantageous in "the evolutionary environment," back when we were out there gathering and scavenging and occasionally trying to take down one of our fellow large mammals.
Explanations tend to be extremely tidy, and awfully di Here's the problem with evolutionary psychology: Explanations tend to be extremely tidy, and awfully difficult to test. For all that, many of the ideas of evolutionary psychology seem to have a startling degree of explanatory power. Probably the best-known example regards the widely cross-cultural sexual behavior of men and women. Men's brains, or bodies, or genes, "want" them to sleep with essentially any woman who moves, we are told, because this is in the best interest of pushing his genetic material forward.
Women's brains, on the other hand, "want" them to snag and secure a mate who is likely to stick around and help gather food, run off predators, and do the dishes. Since these were successful reproductive strategies back in the day, the logic goes, more humans who embodied these characteristics survived to spawn the next generation. Suspiciously neat and tidy? Able to explain a nearly universal observation about human behavior in a logical and intuitively attractive fashion?
A tricky business, this evolutionary psychology. The Human Condition Robert Wright's synopsis of what was at the time still a relatively new academic discipline is beautifully written, balancing provocative arguments with careful reasoning and considerable erudition. He covers, for instance, the pros and cons of polygamy, and polygamy emerges seeming like a pretty reasonable option. The human drive to seek status, our frequent tendency to discount and reject strangers, and our peculiar habit of developing friendships are all traced to the possible genetic advantage that they would confer in the long eons of prehistory.
Some readers might be disconcerted by evolutionary psychology's apparent reduction of all human motivation and morality to pure biological self-interest. But this is hardly a new concept. Hobbes blew my mind all the way back in college, after all, with a vigorous argument that whatsoever is the object of any man's appetite or desire, that is it which he for his part calleth good; and the object of his hate and aversion, evil; and of his contempt, vile and inconsiderable. Oh, and he wrote that in I bet he wasn't the first cynic to come down the path, either. But Wright's look at the human condition is less of a bummer than it could be, anyway.
What saves us -- or could save us -- is the mechanism of "love," a genetic tic that confers a reproductive advantage by aiding the survival of the offspring and close relatives of those who possess it. Because kin groups united by love in the evolutionary environment tended to succeed at the expense of every-primate-for-itself kin groups, we have inherited the capacity to feel fond and protective of each other.
Now, living in basically the post-evolutionary environment, we can more or less choose to extend our capacity of love to people who don't share our genetic material -- friends, a community, a nation, even a stranger on the other side of the world. Ultimately, Wright's prescription for the human condition is much the same of that in Ozzie in his epic rock anthem Crazy Train: The answer, if I read it right, is that we are probably mechanistic, but it's important not to act like you think so.
So, a chapter about the evolutionary psychology of courtship will be followed by a chapter about Darwin's courtship, and how it did or didn't seem to embody evolutionary psychological principles. This structure is pretty weird, to say the least, but in practice it is not nearly as clunky as you might expect. The case-study aspect is actually kind of interesting, and Darwin left a massive-enough paper trail that there's plenty of documentary evidence of his thinking.
Plus, the continuous weaving of the modern perspective with Darwin's own development of his ideas points out areas where he anticipated ideas that wouldn't be fully developed for more than a century, where he went off on tangents that have since been discredited, and where he seems to have been afraid to tread. My only complaint about this book is that it is seventeen years old. It is written very much as a dispatch from a new and exciting area of science, and I am sure that much has happened in the interim.
Have they been bolstered and supplemented by lots of exciting new research? Meanwhile, a few details he cites in support of his arguments, in particular relating to modern hunter-gather societies and to neurochemistry, are so out of date that even a casual reader dude like myself can flag them. I imagine that someone has written a newer synthesis of the field. I just hope that they wrote it half as gracefully and entertainingly as Wright wrote The Moral Animal.
Jan 28, Manu rated it it was amazing Shelves: The last book I read in was "This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works" where leading thinkers share their favourite deep and elegant theory. An overwhelming number of them cited Darwin's theory of natural selection, and though I have not been asked, I'd say rightly so.
As someone rightly pointed out, the beauty and elegance is when one theory explains a lot of diverse phenomena, and is almost a gift that keeps on giving. Robert Wright uses Darwin's theory to explain exactly what the book's title says - why we are the way we are, using Darwin's own life to illustrate several facets of classic human behaviour. I have thus far viewed the brain as a product of evolution, and feelings and emotions as a vague result of biochemistry triggered by the environment and the brain.
My views have been shaped by some excellent and diverse books - Sapiens, Scarcity, Finite and Infinite Games - to name a significant few. This book, in many ways, is an amalgamation of the best insights that those have to offer. But the brilliance of the book is in how it goes beyond, and draws the connection between mental organs and behaviour in the modern world. The book throws light on the various behaviours we exhibit in our day to day life, many of which have their origins in the hunter-gatherer stage of our species and before.
In fact, we even share some traits with our nearest relatives- chimpanzees and bonobos. Almost all facets of our life are addressed - relationship with parents, siblings, spouse, and society in general, politics, sex, friendship, religion etc. There are some fascinating insights. How and why males are concerned with sexual infidelity while females focus on emotional infidelity, how natural selection works behind the scenes by shaping feelings and not making us conscious of the logic, on how happiness is not really the topmost agenda in the gene's scheme of things, that explains the friction!
But of all this, my favourite is the nuanced and fantastically lucid discussion on free will and determinism. I have, for years, been absolutely convinced about the former, but this book has given me some excellent perspectives on how determinism need not have anything to do with divinity, but everything to do with biological aspects - a combination of genes and environment. That "delusion of free will" could be an adaptation hidden from us by design.
And finally, on how because of of all this, we aren't really moral animals, but only potentially moral. Indeed, I now feel that the purpose of our species, and each of us individually, is to rise above evolution. And this book helps you do just that- it works like a mirror, and then some, by making us reflect on the real reason behind why behave the way we do. The answers are not always kind. May 26, Rozzer rated it it was ok Shelves: Evolutionary psychology is fine.
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In fact, I think all kinds of moral philosophy and psychology are fine. I have no bones to pick with any of the foregoing. My problem is with Mr. Wright and his style and his manner of thinking and his manner of research. There are science journalists, like Mr. Wright, who are satisfied and contented with presenting the results of their research and not going beyond the confines of the conclusions reached by the scientists for Morality is fine. Wright, who are satisfied and contented with presenting the results of their research and not going beyond the confines of the conclusions reached by the scientists for whom they speak.
Writers who understand the dangers and difficulties of stretching what has been found to be true. There is, however, for many writers, a great temptation to try to please the greatest possible number of readers and thereby increase whatever their success might otherwise have been. And then, in a rather different vein, there are writers who themselves are only comfortable if they are able to present a message in tune with their own personal values and aspirations, regardless of whether those values or aspirations are consistent with what is actually the case.
Wright appears to me to be one of the latter. A writer who personally needs to be the presenter of what he believes to be appropriately positive thoughts and opinions.
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Which is a shame. Wright is obviously an intelligent and perceptive person. He has no real need to cast himself as one of the more inanely optimistic science journalists of today. To an extent he does create the impression of wanting to be a nineteenth century Pollyanna, someone always able to draw sunshine conclusions from November data.
In other words, Mr. Wright appears to go beyond his facts, and thereby loses substantially. Of course, there are many readers willing quite happily to pay for such interpretations. Probably more than are only satisfied with restrained and obviously sensible conclusions. But whether the problem is that of Mr. Wright alone, or of he and his editor, the final result in this book is to create and sustain the impression that Mr. Wright is willing to trim his sails to the wind whatever the weather may be. For those who wish no more from their science journalism than they receive Sunday morning in the pews of a happiness church, this is an appropriate work.
Return to Book Page. After a year of preparation, eighteen-year-old Raven Smith has planned out every detail of her summer vacation in Europe. But while en route to Italy, Raven finds a letter in her carry-on telling her to turn back and that an agent of the devil plans to drag her to Hell. She dismisses it as a prank from her devout, elderly neighbor. Raven is determined to focus on feeding her love of art history and spending time with her older sister.
But the letter is right—an agent of Hell waits for her in Europe.
The Deception Dance
At the perfect time, he will claim her. Raven is, and has always been, a pawn in a very deadly game. This is the second edition. There are substantial editing changes but no plot changes. The first edition was published in December Kindle Edition , pages. Published April 30th first published December 1st The Deception Dance 1. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
To ask other readers questions about The Deception Dance , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. It was action packed with the characters finding themselves in situations that were fatal. Andras was mysterious and intense, you are uncertain even as you learn more about him. Stephen was my favourite, he was trust 5 Reasons you must read The Deception Dance: Stephen was my favourite, he was trustworthy, intelligent and had a wicked sense of humour.
Each character had their own beliefs or motives and they pursued their agendas relentlessly. This also helps the reader view events from different perspectives. Here the setting was integral to the incidents taking place, and added to the story instead of distracting me. Sometimes you can predict what is going to happen but this book kept me on my toes. I kept waiting for the story to feel familiar but that never happened.
This book was a gripping and exciting read, I could not put it down. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review I found The Deception Dance to be incredibly enjoyable - it sucked me right in and I read it off my phone whenever I had a spare moment. Do not mistake this for yet another Twilight paranormal romance: The characters are very believable and well-developed, and the plot seems to evolve naturally because of them, not from some formula. I loved Twilight too, but somehow The Deception Dance just comes across as more real to me even with the demons.
The Christisn mythology that underlines the story line is rich and complex,but delivered in an accessible and modern way. An very promising debut novel - hopefully Rita Stradling will come out with a sequel before too long! The Deception Dance was a very captivating read. One of the things that really stood out to me was how well crafted the lead character was. Rita Stradling did an excellent job of weaving her supernatural tale around characters that were believable. The second half of her novel is packed with action and shocking, even haunting, moments.
These moments were amplified for me through the delicate narration of Raven. As The Deception Dance was a very captivating read. I felt like I was living the exhilarating events through the characters as they tried to wrestle with and escape from the demonic forces of hell. I really enjoyed the vivid detail used in describing the landscapes of Europe as well as in describing the religious mythology interwoven into this tale. The plot was intricate and complex, and as the title would indicate, a dance with deception.
Like a mystery novel, the pieces began to fall into place as the action and danger ramped up. All of it led to a doozy of an ending! I am definitely intrigued by what comes next in this series and to learn more about the fates of Raven and company! An amazing supernatural adventure! Rita Stradling has proven herself a creative and spellbinding storyteller! As the plot unfolds, we are pulled in deeper with her, into the web of danger and deceit that comes to enshroud her, bringing her to apocal An amazing supernatural adventure!
As the plot unfolds, we are pulled in deeper with her, into the web of danger and deceit that comes to enshroud her, bringing her to apocalyptic scenes reminiscent of Revelations.
Stradling brings us in with all our senses activated to experience each moment and turn of events with Raven. Raven as the narrator keeps us connected to her humanity, her level of maturity, youthful thoughts and emotions, allowing a thread of vibrant reality to touch us throughout the story in this incredible fantasy! I would recommend this to teens and older as some of the scenes would be too scary and graphic for a younger audience. Once again, author Rita Stradling offers fully developed characters; both relatable and believable.
We follow Raven on her trip to Europe with her older sister and learn abut the supernatural forces of good and evil interfering in her life just as slowly as she discovers them.
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I enjoyed the supernatural elements of this tale, the authentic character interactions, and that the potential love triangle served to drive the plot forward. Stradling has brought something unique to the paranormal romance genre, and I am excited to continue reading this series. I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book.
Whilst the synopsis gives you the gist of the story and the overall outline, it could easily be thought to be YA love triangle romance but there is an awful lot more to it than that because that is just the tip of the iceberg. She is caught between two men, pulled more in one direction than the other… all she wants to do is enjoy her travel plans with her sister which unfortunately are hi jacked from the get go by Chauncey, her sisters very rich friend.
Things start to go awry following their arrival, travel plans are changed and they head off with Nicholas to his magnificent house in Sweden…. Once there, things start to unravel…it looks like Andras has followed her and whilst she secretly meets with him, she begins to fall for him…. Until she finds out why he wants her so badly… until she finds out that everyone is lying to her…. Until she finds out who she really is. As a reader you can feel that there are secrets, because of the prologue you know a certain someone could be related to the story and I found myself looking to see how that fit into the story.
The romance was sweet, it was YA innocent with the potential to easily cross the line into steamier territory. I liked both options for Raven but the felt the pull towards one a bit more. I loved what followed, everything about it, I wish I could just tell everyone about it but that would spoil it for you — so, how to explain? Enough with the hints though, one thing I can tell you for definite is this book is amazing! I personally cannot wait for more. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Deception Dance is action packed from the beginning. It starts out when Raven and her sister, Linnie, go on a trip to Europe. While in Rome, Raven meets both Nicholas and Andras. Nicholas is a young I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Nicholas is a young man that seems very high class. Raven feels an instant connection to Andras that scares her. Some members are nice and accept her, others turn their noses up at her. Once again while exploring, Raven runs into Andras and they start a secret romance.
But Nicholas has also developed feelings for Raven. Why does Nicholas want to keep Raven away from Andras? What secrets are being kept? Who will Raven choose to be with? And will the truth ever be told? I loved this book. It was action packed from the beginning until the end. I was disgusted with Chauncey and the way she always had to have her way, and Linnie went along with Chauncey practically ignoring Raven.
I also loved the love triangle. Should she be with the safe dependable Nicholas or the intriguingly rugged Andras? There were several times I wanted to smack Linnie and Nicholas. I hated the way everyone made decisions for Raven and pressured her into doing what they wanted. I wish Raven would have spoken up for herself more. This book kept my attention throughout with all its twists and turns. This was kind of hit and miss for me, unfortunately! While there was a lot to like, it just didn't click with me. Neither the characters nor the plot.
I'm going to try to gather my thoughts and hopefully this review will be some what easy to follow. I hated the love triangle! For the most part, I loathe love triangles usually but sometimes they can be done in such a way that I don't mind them, but here, we not only see a love triangle, but also the dreaded insta love! I both liked and di This was kind of hit and miss for me, unfortunately! I both liked and disliked Raven.
I think I disliked her because, in my opinion anyway, how could she agree to go with Nicholas when she didn't even know him! How could she agree to go to Sweden with him? I just felt like she made extremely stupid decisions throughout. I found that for most of the book, it seemed to focus on the love triangle. It was slow going at the start and I wasn't going to finish, but I was intrigued enough with the other aspects of the book to continue on.
When we reach just over half way, the book does pick up a bit. We see some things revealed which change the way the book goes and it's the only reason I kept reading. There is more action, the plot becomes much more gripping and it really shows what the author is capable of. The world she created was unique, intriguing and all round awesome. I just wish it would have started out this way, rather than with the relationships.
I still don't know how I really feel about this book. I enjoyed the last bit of the book but didn't enjoy the rest. The world was intriguing but the MC and her relationships were annoying. Saying that, I would still recommend this as it is something a lot of people will enjoy. The author writes really well and knows how to tell a story, this one just wasn't for me. While I enjoyed Gail Shalans narration; she was clear, concise and told the story really well, I found her female voices to be very similar and had trouble staying on track as to who was talking.
I was given a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review LoP. No other way to put it. I read the whole book in a day. And it wasn't because I didn't have anything to do. A kick-butt female protagonist? Love triangle involving said protagonist, a demon and a demon hunter?
Did he just do that? And thank you so much Rita Stradling for not stopping with one book, but creating a whole series. Yes, this book was THAT good. I am stingy with my 5 star ratings but this book more than earned it. Grrr That was a Dr appt ending. Tell me she falls in love with stephen because just It was childish and whiny and mildly confusing but I couldn't put it down. Beautiful cover and fantastic story!! This book grips you from beginning till the end! I am so glad I preordered book one and two!
I noticed this story was first published in but this is the first time I've read it! I can say I'm so glad I did! Rita Stradling I am so a fan! That ending has me extremely excited for the next book whenever it comes out. So much happened I can barely wrap my mind around it! Okay, to start off the story was intriguing. I didn't understand much of anything since no clues were really being thrown my way, but that's what kept my interest piqued.
I needed to figure out what was going on but I just It kills me to admit that but it's the truth. I made some connections as to who was who and what not but I really had no idea whe Wow. I made some connections as to who was who and what not but I really had no idea where the story was going, and I actually find that to be a good thing. I've never experienced a book that has kept me looking for answers before.
Usually I know where things are headed and they're very predictable. This was not the case for The Deception Dance and it was nice to be immersed in a story where I could feel the full effect of every word I was reading since I did not know what was to come. Once we finally started to get some answers in the second half of the book, everything made so much more sense. It turned out to be a very intricate plot. It was jam-packed full of action, deception, and so much more!
The ending alone probably had more action than anything else I have read before. It was an exhilarating experience for me. I'm a big fan of a lot of action and battles and all that jazz in my books, but I usually find myself disappointed. The Deception Dance is the first book that has surpassed my expectations in that department! As for the characters I just couldn't understand how they could possibly be okay with going off with random strangers. I especially didn't like how fast Andras and Ravens' relationship seemed to take off.
Well, turns out it wasn't the despicable "insta" love. We just don't find out about their history until much later. I did like each characters' personality though. I loved how snarky Raven was in her thought process. Honestly reminded me of me lol And for some reason, I even loved Andras' character after everything is revealed. I've always been a fan of the bad boys in stories, but this is something different.
But my absolute favorite character was Stephen. As soon as he was introduced I knew I would love him, and it turns out that I was right in doing so. Stephen was probably the most trustworthy character in the midst of all the liars in this world. He was so much more than all of the other characters. I hardly know who he is but I feel like I know him best. As this is a self-published book, there are understandably a few errors in grammar, word usage, etc. I know a lot of people who complain about these things, but I honestly would like to see them write a book without any errors.
It was a nice surprise and I found it to be very unique. I'm pretty excited for the next installment! I'm really glad I did though, because this book was awesome! I can't believe how much I loved it.
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The Deception Dance had everything I didn't know I was looking for: The book was written well, and I really enjoyed immersing myself in the world and in the story that Ms. I liked the main character Raven from the start of the book, but near to the end was when I liked her the most. I think that she really grew as a character and it was a believable type of growth, unlike times in other novels when a character doesn't change at all.
One part of the book that was really relatable and believable was how Raven didn't completely accept what was going on right away. I know that if I was faced with something like she was, I would need proof to get it into my head that what's happening is actually true. I liked that she didn't just accept it right away with no questions or thoughts about it.
I also really liked how the author wrote Chauncey. I went from disliking her, to hating her, to being confused and worried for her, and then to feeling sorry for her. It's just really cool how Ms. Stradling managed to make be feel all these emotions about one person that, at the start of the book, I was sure was going to be annoying and unnecessary.
I was wrong though. Chauncey was far from that. The guys in the book were great as well. For reasons I can't explain due to spoilers, what I though was just an ordinary love triangle turned into so much more. I also really liked that they were European. I'm tired of American guys. Thank you Rita Stradling for giving me some Swedish guys to swoon over it's not who you think I would swoon over if you haven't read the book.
One more thing that I really liked about this novel is that it wasn't superficial. Some books that you read that are in this genre are just boy meets girl, other boy meets girl, they fight for her or to protect her, something bad happens but they win, the end. This wasn't like that. The book went deeper, into the area of good versus evil and moral dilemmas, and the author wasn't afraid to take on religion.
I like that she didn't scurry around the topic, being afraid to offend anybody. Honestly though, I loved this book entirely. There isn't anything bad I can say about it and I'll probably be thinking about it for days. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to read something good, although I believe that it's more suitable for older teens and up. Rita Stradling has woven together a masterpiece that should be read over and over and over again.
I really love the cover design. Good job to whoever did that, because it's perfect.