Betrayal #2 by Lee Nichols

Genre: Ghosts

Paperback: 288 Pages

Published: March 1, 2011

Series: Haunting Emma

            1. Deception

            2. Betrayal

            3. Surrender

Rating: ★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

       Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive-one a snarky teen

boy, the other a British scholar-Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.

As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor.

My Review:

             So you think you have a ghost living in your house? Well you wouldn't call the Ghost Busters! No. You would call Emma Vaile! She is 17 years old, but she is the most powerful ghostkeeper in generations. She can summon, dispell, communicate, and of course see ghosts at will. She is kind of like Buffy just minus the vampires.

            In Betrayal, most of the mystery has been revealed. We know what a ghostkeeper is, what powers Emma has, we know about the Knell and their shady involvement in Emma's life. Besides these mysteries, Emma struggles in her relationship with Bennett. If they touch too much the stronger of the two absorbs the weaker ones powers. And of course that's Emma. Putting aside these issues, we find out that Emma's classmates now call her The Quarterback Killer after an incident in the first book regarding Coby's death. And to top it off, Neos is determined now more than ever to get Emma's powers. To keep herself, her friends, and her family safe, Emma must learn to fight and stop Neos before he causes more damage and succeeds in stealing Emma's powers.

            I had some trouble connecting with the characters. I felt like there was too much drama and not enough solutions. Surprisingly, Bennett got on my nerves a lot. Supposedly, he was in a relationship with Emma, yet he seemed to be away for most of it. Emma might as well be dating her self. Bennett would appear and disappear without thinking about Emma's feelings. I felt like he should have told her how he felt instead of toying with her emotions. When she called Bennett after something frightening happened to her, he didn't even pick up the phone. Instead he called a few days later not considering the fact that Emma might have felt alone and afraid. But she had wonderful, supportive friends who were there for her 24/7. I didn't like this book as much as I liked the first. Hopefully, the third book has more character building and is able to hold the readers interest.