Reviewed by Paula García Lasa for Readers' Favorite

There is always a lot of stress associated with moving to a new town. On the one hand, there is the nostalgia of leaving everything you know behind. On the other, the fear of the unknown. A new house, a new town, and a new school force you to adapt. It is not surprising that this change in your routine comes with nightmares. However, Merryn suspects there is more in hers. In Honest Dealing, Erica-Jane Battison lets us into Merryn's mind as she tries to understand. Everyone around her is kind and welcoming. She makes friends from the first day, and a guy she fancies seems interested in her. And yet she is finding it hard to adapt. The recurrent dreams worry her, and there is a persistent sense of familiarity everywhere she goes. She feels all eyes on her. No one tells her anything, but everyone eagerly waits for her to remember. They don’t want to pressure her, but she can feel it. Whatever she needs to remember is significant, but the reason for it escapes her. She feels time pressing but her memories insist on taking it slowly. What is her role in this game that is playing around her?

Honest Dealing: The Sefwarian Nyss Series had me hooked from the very beginning. Erica-Jane Battisson’s narrative traps you to a point where you are not reading anymore. I mean, you are but the story builds in your imagination with such vividness that it doesn’t seem like it. Battisson’s writing is supported by a plot and characters that hook you. When my reading device didn’t let me turn another page, I felt empty. How could the book be over so soon? Needless to say, I will be waiting eagerly for the next one, and I’m sure anyone would be too.