It was alright. The characters were okay. The plot was good enough. I wasn't excited to pick it up at any point, but I also didn't want to give up and move on, so all round, a completely 3 star read. ( )

I was deceived with this book! ( )

Summary:

Deceived is a book about Darth Malgus's life after the attack on the Jedi Temple. The book begins with two parallel stories, with Zeerid Korr and Aryn Leneer in one and Malgus in the other. Malgus attacks the Jedi Temple and kills Aryn's mentor Ven Zallow in a duel. Aryn feels his death through the force and seeks revenge on whoever killed him, turning her back on the Jedi order to do so. After the temple is captured by the Sith, they use it as leverage to try to negotiate a peace treaty, much to Aryn and Malgus's irritation. Malgus wishes to continue the conflict, as he believes that only through this conflict one can fully understand the force. Aryn needs a pilot to get to the newly captured Coruscant, and she gets the help of Zeerid Korr, a former Republic soldier and now spice runner. Their ship gets shot down as they try to get through the Sith blockade and they crashland onto Coruscant. Aryn decides to instead kill Malgus's lover to make him feel what she felt when Zallow died. Aryn decides against it when the time comes because it isn't what Zallow would have wanted. Malgus and Aryn have a second fight, this time Malgus wins but spares Aryn because she spared his lover Eleena. Malgus kills Eleena himself as he sees her as a weakness. The book ends with Malgus plotting to take over the Empire and Zeerid and Aryn settling down on a farm.

Thoughts:

This is one of my favorite Star Wars novels that I have read. I absolutely loved Malgus's character and how his ideologies clashed with that of his Sith leaders. I feel like that is something you only really see in stories about Jedi so it's a bit refreshing. I didn't find Aryn and Zeerid's romance to be annoying, it was actually quite wholesome. The story felt like it ended as a win for both groups, as Aryn and Zeerid got a peaceful farming life and Malgus got the opportunities to take over the Empire, so there wasn't really a winning side. All of the scenes where Zeerid is piloting a ship are super good. I know that it sounds oddly specific, but it's just something I remember specifically enjoying. I would recommend this book to any Star Wars fan looking to delve a little deeper into the lore and history of Star Wars. ( )

Touches on the continuity b/n the dark and "light" sides of the force and questions whether love can be had on either "side" ( )

And this is why I've been reading Star Wars chronologically: to prep for The Old Republic MMO. Malgus was decent (and I wanted to read more) and the ending was a bit sugar-coated and traditional, but all and all, I'm glad I read it, if only to better understand the released game trailers. ( )