The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Be ready to launch in a world of tradition, arranged marriage, strong religious convictions and magic. Lia is promised to a Prince she's never met because her parents want to create an alliance between their two kingdoms. The relation between the two has been strained, and with the barbarian's treat being stronger than ever, they need to unite and present a strong front. Lia won't have any of it though and  runs away with her maid to a faraway seaside village on her wedding day. What she doesn't know is that the prince and an assassin managed to track her there and they've both decided to intrude, undercover, in her new life. Which of the boys will earn her heart and trust?

This is the first novel from miss Pearson I've read and I absolutely loved it! I don't know if her other novels are just as good, but I'll definitely have to find out. I just love high fantasy and I was definitely served with this one. It was also very unique because it is set in a dystopian world! It's the first novel I've read that combines both genre, and I was happily surprised! The world that once were was destroyed by the gods to eliminate corruption of the heart. The survivors, called Remnants, built the world has Lia knows it, along with their religious beliefs. I found it was highly original, and I hope we discover more about it in the following novels.

The characters were a real treat. Lia isn't your typical noble woman. She is capable, strong and determined. She is also loving and compassionate and I just loved every aspect of her. She strives hard to build a life for herself away from the court and politics and she proved to be very resourceful. Kaden and Rafe were both very interesting but I can't tell you more about each without spoiling anything, so I won't say!

My favorite aspect of the book is how easily Mary led me astray. See, the novel is told from three perspectives: Lia's, the assassin's & the Prince's. The only problem? We don't know which of the boy is which! Pearson leaves breadcrumbs all along and there is two distinct trails, which leave us to decide for our own which boy is the prince and assassin. I dove in head first, convinced boy A was the assassin, not realizing my mistake until the big reveal (at about 60% of the novel).  I was so convinced I was right that I thought the author had made a mistake (it was an eARC after all..), going as far as going back to re-read some parts and realized I was fooled. It was then that I realized that there were clues leading to the truth but I was so engrossed in my perception that I had ignored them. Sheer genius if you ask me! I wanted to re-read the whole thing now that I knew the truth!

I was also completely engrossed in the plot. I loved watching Lia acclimate to her new life, see her interact with the boys, and witness her determination after she was kidnapped and dragged across the world.  I left involved in every step of her journey, wondering how she would get herself out of this or that situation and I loved it.

Pearson was cruel enough to end her novel on an epic cliffhanger and I have no idea how I will survived until the next installment! I read Kiss of Deception in March (even though you are just seeing it now, to respect publisher's request) and I guess book 2 will be released in July 2015. It's one hell of a long wait! I would suggest this read to fans of Maria V Snyder & Kristin Cashore, I'm sure you'll love it!



 

Posted by Tynga at 01:48

 Dystopian, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Henry Holt amp; Co., High Fantasy, Macmillan, Magic, Mary E. Pearson, Netgalley, Review, The Remnant Chronicles, young adult  7 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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