[Review] Deadly Sweet Lies (The Dream War Saga #2) - Erica Cameron

Summary: Nadette Lawson knows when you're lying. Every night for the past two years, the Balasura have visited her dreams, enticing her to enter their world. And every night she's seen through their lies. Now, they're tired of playing in the shadows and they begin to stalk her in the waking world. It's no longer just an invitation; if Nadette doesn't join them, they'll take her family. Forever. She needs help, and the haven she's seeking may be just out of reach.
Julian Teagan is a master of deception. To survive, he has to convince the world his mother isn't useless, that everything's fine, otherwise he'll lose what little he has left in this life. He knows the lying won't be enough to keep him and his mother in the shadows, but it's all he knows. The only light of truth is Orane, a Balasura who sees past Julian's facade and challenges him to face the darkness. Then Orane is killed, and Julian learns his mentor was far from innocent. The Balasura have hunted children like him for centuries, and their next target, Nadette is his one chance at finally being a part of something real. If Julian can just convince her to trust him. (Pub Date: Dec 17 2015)

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Many thanks to Spencer Hill Press for trusting me with the task!


Terrible creatures named Balasura predate on young people with special powers to gain their trust and cultivate their abilities before taking them, leaving the user in eternal coma. Nadette has always been able to see through lies and thus she was never fooled, and suffered for that, being stalked inside her mind, receiving threatens to her whole family. Finally, she has a chance to escape and find refuge with a community of victims just like her. On her way, she meets Julian. He has the ability to convince people, and is the first person who is able to lie to Nadette. Until recently, Julian had considered the balasura his mentor but now he is gone and a new one has appeared, revealing his mentor's true nature and asking him to help Nadette be safe from her pursuers. Can Julian really help when it seems the safe community is at the verge of an invasion?

This is the second book in the dream war saga and I should start by noting I haven't read the first part. I considered also requesting it on Netgalley but the summary for this one sounded so much more interesting, I wouldn't have had the patience for the first anyway.

The story is narrated in alternate first-person-POV of Julian and Nadette, who come from such different places but are united by the balasura element. I think the style is my greatest complaint. I can see how it is difficult for an author to give voice to narrators but I can't remember a book giving me such headache as this one when it came to keeping track of who was telling the story. Except for when Julian would say something related to Sinatra, I would have to go a few pages back to make sure who it was or else I forgot.

About rhythm, I can't complain. Being the middle book of a trilogy is the hardest thing, it's all about anticipation while anything will only happen in the last page. Maybe because the characters were different from the first, however, I didn't find it anything close to boring. The world she built was already enough to keep me turning pages.

Many characters participate here and it can be a rain of names but it was easy to get to know the main players and even to relate to them.

This is not exactly dark. The themes are, and there was room for a lot of drama but after the beginning, when I was afraid all that desperation both from Nadette and Julian would suffocate me, the mood improves considerably and we get to enjoy a very good time despite the impending doom.

Plot-wise, I think it was predictable to a point I crossed my fingers to be wrong. I'm not sure I can say there was much character development but there is a lot of room for that in the last piece. The climax happens right before the ending, so we'll only know the consequences in the sequence.

This can be read without the first part but it isn't a stand alone. The book mentions a battle and the whole story prepares you for it but it should only take place in the future release. Also, there are many mysteries I would love to know the solution, so I do want to read the next one.

Even though it was more of an average reading, it was entertaining and I should say I appreciated the characters.  didn't fall in love with any of the main ones, I reckon my favorite is Aisling, the one recruiting all the people in the community.

I should say I recommend the story but with a warning this is nothing new and nothing too memorable. However, the book is still good. Not being big on fantasy, I'm always wary of this type of story—it can derail pretty badly. This one didn't let me down even for a moment. 

Rate: 3 out of 5