Justice (Deck of Lies, #1)

Justice
Jade Varden
190 pages
Released: December 24, 2011
Publisher: the author
Source: the author
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Ignore the fluffy, pink cover.  Justice is a short novel with substance and a very interesting plot.  Rain loves her family, even her annoying brother, but when it turns out her parents have been lying to her her whole life and they aren't who they say they are, Rain's world is turned upside down.  Now she's living with a new family who are the complete opposite of what Rain grew up with.  Rain desperately tries to figure out what happened when she was a baby, but finding answers seems to bring up even more questions...

I read a review of Justice that called it "predictable," but I couldn't disagree more.  Jade Varden really kept me on my toes with this one.  The novel starts with Rain starting a new school on scholarship, making the transition to a private school with very wealthy students who are nothing like herself.  So at first I thought, "So it's going to be one of those books," you know, where a less-than-well-to-do kid gets shoved in with the rich kids and all kinds of drama ensues.  Sure, that happens in this book, but it quickly turned into so much more.

As I kept reading I couldn't help but think Justice reminded me a lot of V.C. Andrews work, which is admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine.  Rain's world is turned upside down when it turns out her parents aren't who she thinks they are.  Meanwhile, Rain starts a new relationship with an attractive young man.  I couldn't believe how that turned out!  I really can't give it away, but I will tell you this quick book was anything but predictable to me, especially when the book ended with a dramatic crime.

Justice is a self-published book that was extremely well written.  There wasn't a typo or error is sight as I read.  Jade Varden really has a way with bringing her story to life, I could easily picture everything that was happening and I was never bored.

Four stars!  I think fans of V.C. Andrews will really enjoy Justice, it definitely had that same kind of vibe.  The ebook is only 99 cents right now, so you really can't go wrong, especially if you're looking for a quick, light YA read filled with intrigue and mystery.  The mystery is all set up to continue in the second book, The Tower.