2 March 2016

Review #357: Sweet Liar (Candy #2) by Debra Doxer



My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

----Joe Klaas




Debra Doxer, an American author, has penned a compelling YA tale, Sweet Liar which happens to be the second book in the Candy series. This book unveils all the secrets around Candy. She learns about her father's nature of work, and all the secrets behind Jonah's past. But will the truth set Candy free? The first book unfolds Candy's love story with Jonah and we get to see how Candy gets messed up in her father's world. This book continues Candy's story of next phase, where growing up is the only option and to let go of her badass attitude.




Synopsis:

Sometimes lies are sweeter than the truth.

Beauty is alluring; it can disguise the ugliness beneath. But scarred beauty is even more potent to a girl who vowed never to let her heart be broken again. It was an easy vow for Candy to keep until she met Jonah, an arrogant boy with a face that would be too perfect if not for the scar that marred the skin beside his eye.

That imperfect boy earned her trust and won her heart, but the ties that bind people together are fragile, especially when lies are told. Trust is also fragile, and once broken, doesn’t heal like a heart. Trust has to be earned again, and Jonah desperately wants Candy’s trust back.

But Candy has more than Jonah to worry about. Her father is in trouble, and she intends to help him whether he likes it or not. People tell her he’s a bad man, and that may be true, but he’s not all bad. Deep down, she understands his brand of badness because she’s so much like him.

When Candy finally learns the truth, she’ll have to grow up fast, let go of old grievances, and realize that being vulnerable doesn’t make her weak. In fact, opening herself up may be the very thing that makes her whole again.



Candy gets snarled into her father's dirty secrets which is even life threatening. She soon learns the secrets of her father's trade and needs to make a choice on whether to trust Jonah once again. But in this sequel, things get ugly, as there's no stopping to anyone whoever tries to protect their own kin. And in the middle there is this badass girl, Candy.

The first book was a total disappointment for me, and in comparison to the first book, this turned out to be a real gem. I fell for Candy's story real hard. The author's writing style is pretty good with an equally free-flowing narrative. The pacing, though it is bit slow, but does not matter, as the story line is layered with so many dark secrets and bone-chilling adventure. Candy's quest towards truth finally kept me glued into the story line.

The story has lots of layers, and as told from an eighteen year old POV, the story is very captivating. Though at times, it bored a little with useless details. The characters, Candy and Jonah, evolves a lot from their previous demeanor. Candy is a brave girl who is out on her own on risky pathways in search of the truth behind her father's profession and the crime. The supporting characters are drawn with a bit of realism and are quite well-developed.

Overall, I liked this book and this book can be read as a stand-alone. since there is not much revealed in the first book.

Verdict: A promising YA thriller.

Courtesy: I received a review copy from YA Bound Book Blog Tours.

Read the review of first book, Like Candy
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Author Info:
Debra Doxer was born in Boston, and other than a few lost years in the California sunshine, she has always resided in the Boston area. She writes fiction, technical software documents, illegible scribbles on sticky notes, and texts that get mangled by AutoCorrect. She writes for a living, and she writes for fun. When her daughter asks when she’ll run out of words, her response always is, “When I run out of time.”
Visit her here


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