Review of Guardian of Deceit

[Soshell Williams-Witter]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles tells the story of Darwin Hastings, a seventeen-year-old orphan whose dream was to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor. His aunt in Pittsburgh took him in after his parents passed away, but due to circumstances, he was sent to New York to live with his cousin Luther Pinnelli. Luther was a famous and wealthy football player with problems of his own. He denied Darwin access to the inheritance left to him by his parents, put him to live in a storeroom and forced Darwin to do odd jobs for him to earn some money. Darwin manages to make it to medical school with the help of his mentor, Dr. Malverne, a surgeon living in the neighbourhood. The journey to medical school, however, was not without its challenges.

I liked that the author gave a little backstory about each of the characters, allowing the reader to form a connection with them and better understand the reason behind their actions. I also liked that, even when I thought there were no mysteries left in the story, the author introduced a plot twist that piqued my interest. For example, when I felt that the characters’ lives were becoming dull and predictable, the author made a shocking revelation that aroused my interest. In addition, the novel seemed to have been well thought out and written.

On the other hand, I disliked that halfway through the novel, it felt like the book had come to its end, but it kept going. For instance, the author gave the impression that the characters’ lives were being concluded, but then the book continued with seemingly unimportant facts and events. As a result, I became confused because I felt as if the book had ended emotionally. Another aspect of Guardian of Deceit that negatively impacted my reading experience was that it felt like vital facts were left out in the last half of the novel. For example, a wedding occurred between two people I didn’t even know were dating.

I rate Guardian of Deceit 3 out of 4 stars. Despite the aspects I found negative, it was a good read. Most of the time, my interest was piqued and I was excited to find out what happened next. The novel was very well written and seems professionally edited, as I found no errors in my reading.

I would recommend this novel to teens and young adults because I think these groups will relate well to Darwin’s experiences.

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Guardian of Deceit
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