Monday, August 25, 2014

Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16429619-the-kiss-of-deception
The Kiss of Deception
(The Remnant Chronicles #1)
by Mary E. Pearson
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Publication Date: July 8th 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pages: 486
ISBN: 9780805099232
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Source: ARC from Publisher

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A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love. (Goodreads)
I received The Kiss of Deception a few months ago, and sadly it sat on my shelf for longer than I care to admit. When I finally had a chance to get caught up, it was the first book on my list to read. After finishing the book, I felt like kicking myself for not having read the book sooner, especially since I had already heard so many great things about the book. I loved this story; it was beyond excellent.

After fleeing in secrecy on her wedding day, Lia sets out to find a new life for herself. A life that is free of arranged marriages and political alliances. When she starts her new life in a new town, she finally believes things have changed for the better. Until two new strangers show up in town and threaten to unravel the new life she has begun.

The main character in the story, Lia, is one of those super strong characters that I always love in my books. Of course she wasn’t always this way. She was always told what to do and how to act, not even allowed to choose her own husband. But there was a rebellious fire burning inside of her, and she finally decided to act on it. I liked that while she was a princess, she put all of that aside when she started her new life and did what she had to do to survive. It was very admirable.

I really want to go on and on about the two strangers that show up in Lia’s life, but I really think you should read the story yourself and form your own thoughts about them. Let’s just say that they were both swoon-worthy and hard to resist, and each for different reasons. While it was set up to be a bit of a love triangle, it really didn’t feel that way to me. I did, however, pick a side pretty early on in the story.

The story is told from mainly from Lia’s point of view, but every now and then we get a chapter that is from someone else’s point of view. While the chapters were titled for everyone but Lia, it’s titled in a vague way that will keep you guessing on whose point of view you are actually reading from. I LOVED THIS! It made the mystery even sweeter as you go through the book.

I loved the storyline and setting for the novel. Not only was the world building intriguing, but the character development was as well; and not with just one specific set of characters, but with ALL of the characters in the story. Also, it almost felt like there were two different parts of this story, and the story changes about halfway through the book. So really, it’s like you get to go on two different adventures instead of one.

I have a super short attention span, so sometimes when reading a really long book I find myself getting bored and wanting the book to end already. That was not the case with this book. Even after reading 486 pages, I did NOT want this book to end!  And now I’m dying for the next book to be released. I must find out what’s going to happen next!

Overall; if you’re into fantasy reads, I definitely recommend that you check out The Kiss of Deception. It was just what I needed to pull me out of my reading slump. I was completely taken in by the story, and now I’m longing for the next book in the series, The Heart of Deception! Add both of these books to your to-read list today!



6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review! I'll be adding it to my TBR pile!

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  2. I'm happy that you enjoyed this one (and that it pulled you out of a slump)!

    I wonder what will happen in Heart of Deception!

    Amber Elise @ Du Livre

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  3. I'm happy you like this one (and that it pulled you out of a reading slump).

    I'm curious as to what's going to happen when Lia arrives, there's gotta be another side to the story!

    Amber Elise @ Du Livre

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  4. OOoh great review! Have read many positive reviews on this one and it's in my TBR mountain, I just haven't had time to read it yet! Hoping to do so sometime this year! LOL! Doesn't sound promising, but I am in the midst of finishing a challenge with my current read and then I need to read all the review books that piled up pre-challenge time!

    Again, great review! Sooooo cannot wait to read this one!

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  5. So happy you loved TKoD! It was definitely an excellent story, so well-written.

    Fabulous review :)

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  6. Hm, this is almost funny because the only other review I have seen on this book was a completely negative one! Maybe it really depends on the person who is reading it as to whether or not they will enjoy the book? I am not sure what I feel yet, but maybe I should read more reviews! Thanks for your opinion, and I am glad you liked it so!

    http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/09/top-10-things-to-do-when-back-from.html

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Thanks for stopping by! :)