I received this book for free from Henry Holt in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Kiss of Deception
by Mary E. PearsonSeries: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Published by Henry Holt on July 15th, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 492
Format: ARC
Source: Henry Holt
Buy the Book • Goodreads
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 assasin 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
When I received The Kiss of Deception in the mail from Mac Teen I had never read any of Mary Pearson’s previous works nor had I heard of her latest, so there were zero expectations. However, about five minutes into this book, I knew it was going to be epic!
“Holy good book batman” was my reaction after turning the last page.
Completely engrossing, excellent high fantasy with lush world building, suspense and the stuff classic fairy tales are made of. The story is told from multiple perspectives which I generally do not like, but Pearson executed it flawlessly and I didn’t feel confused or put off, just intrigued and curious how this mystery would all unfold. Between a betrothed, a prince, an assassin and a ladies maid there is plenty of plot spinning.
Because we are so far off from the book release and I do not want to spoil in any way I will just say this…incredible!
I cried
I soaked in the seaside villa with bright colors and common tavern folk
I relished the scenes with travelers who roam and wander, living in tents as gypsies
I second guessed myself all the time trying to tease out who is who
I enjoyed the rich, old mythical taste of kingdom, myth and legend
I finished and entered a reading slump
I grew to feel compassion for good guy and bad guy alike
I stalked the author’s website and Pinterest looking at all the pretties
I want book two!
Similar to: Brightly Woven by Alex Bracken, Mistwood by Leah Cypess
Pre-order now!
Highlight for parental content: moderate violence, some swearing (mostly toward the end of the book), threat of assault
About the Author
Mary E. Pearson is the award-winning author of The Jenna Fox Chronicles, The Miles Between, A Room on Lorelei, and Scribbler of Dreams. She writes full-time from her home office in California where she lives with her husband and two golden retrievers.
Debz @ Debz Bookshelf
This book sounds amazing. I’ve been searching for an amazing high fantasy, and this might be just it. Can’t believe I’ll have to wait until July!