Monday, July 7, 2014

Review: THE KISS OF DECEPTION by Mary E. Pearson

Title: The Kiss of Deception 
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Published: July 8th, 2014
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
POV: 1st person, multiple
Pages: 492
Publisher: Henry Holt
Format: printed ARC
Source: Publicist / Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

While I previously enjoyed Pearson's Jenna Fox Chronicles, I never completely fell in love with her writing style or stories. But, with The Kiss of Deception, I was swept away to a new land, relishing every single word, and enjoying every aspect of this story fully, all from the first page. Pearson's novel defies being defined by one genre – it is a light fantasy with a dash of magic, plenty of mystery, romance, and even has a bit of a historical vibe, too. The settings range from barren to lush, and through Lia's eyes, the world springs to life.

From the summary alone, The Kiss of Deception initally sounded like a familiar story to me. Defiant princess, a prince, an assassin, and a romance. But through the three 1st person points of view – Lia (who narrates majority of the chapters), the Prince, and the Assassin – Pearson quickly shows readers that there's more happening within the story. These characters have quite a few secrets and tricks up their sleeves, and it was a thrill to see them revealed. Lia's a fierce and determined protagonist with a sharp tongue, and I was rooting for her from the first chapter. The Kiss of Deception is a smart and wonderfully written story with plenty of surprises to make it stand out.

Highlights: The multiple POV's are not only well written, but they work. I never felt like a POV was unnecessary, and Pearson even manages to create a bit of a trick with them (which I fell for completely). Pearson's writing is lush, fluid, and lovely. I kept backtracking every now and then, to reread certain lines. While the story seems set up for a love triangle, Lia's interest is only in one1. Some fascinating information is revealed, and the actual ending is quite a spot to conclude. All in all, Pearson's The Kiss of Deception is simply marvelous and it delivered everything I could have hoped for in a novel.

Lowlights: I have to wait for the sequel, and I need it now. That is a definite lowlight!

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. This book? It should be on your TBR list. 

1 I approve of her choice, and the way the romance is building slowly. *swoons*


12 comments:

  1. Wow- what a glowing review! I will need to get my hands on a copy of this book then. I sort of love everything about this book…fantasy, magic, romance, mystery and a historical vibe? This definitely sounds like my kind of read. Thanks for putting it on my radar! Going to go check it out now! Great review, Lea!

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    1. It's a fantastic story! Very slow-moving, but the writing style + story makes it enjoyable.

      Hope you enjoy TKoD! :)

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  2. So glad you loved this one so much! I've read mixed reviews, but have been seeing a lot more positive lately. I am definitely going to read Kiss of Deception as soon as I can, especially after reading your glowing review!

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    1. It seems to be a love it or hate it kind of a book. Hope you end up enjoying it, if you read it!

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  3. The new setting and the multiple POV working for the story sounds great

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    1. The settings are fantastic, and the POV's are wonderfully written!

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  4. I really enjoyed this one too. My review goes up later this week. I was TOTALLY tricked. I was so tricked and flabbergasted that I had to go through and read portions in the beginning again. I even messaged with a friend to see if I was an idiot. I think I was more tricked because I didn't pay as much attention and made assumptions but it's nice to know I'm not the only one!

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    1. Glad I wasn't the only person who fell for the trick! I definitely made assumptions...I didn't even think to pay close attention. So fun that Pearson wrote it that way though, it was kind of nice to be fooled ;)

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  5. I have heard nothing but praise for this book! That and the summary makes me so excited to read this one!! And because I just bought this book I can now actually read it instead of just saying I will.
    Great review :D

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  6. Meh. I mostly hated this book :( But I'm glad you managed to love it. <3 Though I don't get it, lol :D But it makes me happy you enjoyed it, either way. <3 Amazing review sweetie :) Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Oh, I'm sorry it wasn't your cup of tea. We can't love everything, though!

      Thanks for stopping by :)

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