Book Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

11/6/2017

SYNOPSIS

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 escapes 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.

Synopsis from Indigo.ca

PERSONAL REVIEW

One of my favourite Mary E. Pearson books is called “Scribbler of Dreams”. I first read it when I was in high school (wow, not to age myself, but that was over 10 years ago!) and have been waiting for another book from her to grab me as much as that one did. So I was really excited to read the Remnants series but a bit nervous that it would let me down.

I ended up falling in love with these characters – as much as I hate love triangles – and can’t wait to see where the series goes!

What I Liked:

Strong Characters: Lia is awesome. Full stop. But if you need more explanation: she is a strong character who refuses to let her gender and social position define her, and is more than willing to take on any challenge that comes. The fact that she is so willing to (literally) get her hands dirty is one of my favourite things about her. She is strong, but not brittle, and incredibly adaptable and relatable.

The male characters aren’t bad either. While I’m partial to Rafe, I really liked both him and Kaden. I can’t wait to read more about them in the next book now that I know who they are!

Excellent Storytelling: I love the way Pearson weaves the story; there’s such an organic feel to it that doesn’t feel forced or rushed. She has a great writing style and I really fall into her stories. I liked how when chapters change POVs, we don’t actually know which boy is the prince and which is the assassin for a while, even though we are in each of their heads. Every POV moves the story forward while giving each character a strong voice.

Difficult to Understand When It’s Set: I was very confused as to when this book was set, but I found it actually didn’t matter. Pearson built a great world that could – at this point – take place in an alternate past or in a dystopian future and it’s good either way. I have a ton of respect for an author that can convince me that a timeline doesn’t matter because it’s the characters themselves that we should focus on.

I loved this book (and the book cover ;D) and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

FINAL RATING: 4/5