Spoiler Free Review:
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. PearsonMy rating: ❤❤❤❤
Readers will be will be kept guessing and on the edge of their seats throughout the engrossing fantasy novel that is The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. Princess Lia is a first daughter being forced to hold up centuries of tradition by having an arranged marriage to a Prince she has never met. In an attempt to live the life she always wanted she steals away to a small town on her wedding day. But Lia isn't the only one in disguise both the prince she was arranged to marry and the assassin sent to kill her are there for her both with their own missions, but can they follow through when romance starts to bloom? I loved how many plot twists this book had, and there were so many events I didn't see coming. The dramatic irony in this book was spectacular and the way the readers were kept guessing about who was the prince and who was the assassin kept the book very interesting. I especially loved the overarching theme of deception because it made the book feel almost like a mystery. I was disappointed in the lack of romance in this novel, but overall I felt that it was a very good read. I would recommend this novel to anyone of the young adult age range.
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Recommended Mindset for Reading
I would recommend reading this if you are in the mood for a fantasy that you have to unravel. With an overall feeling of mystery this book is perfect if you are the kind of person who loves to be kept guessing and hates predictable endings and characters. With strong female main characters all over the place readers who love to see women fight for their rights and have minds of their own will be very happy with this story. While the mild romance might not be for me it is perfect for readers who like romance to be in a book without the book revolving around it and getting to mature. This book is very fast paced so be prepared with the other books in the series because you will not want to wait to read the rest of the story!Full Review:
Initial Reaction
I truly liked almost everything about this novel. The plot line was compelling and unique and the characters were unpredictable and real. I loved all of the deception and lies and I actually spent most of the book thinking that Rafe was the assassin and Kaden was the prince. I am usually very good at predicting how characters are going to act and the ending of books but this novel took me completely by surprise. I was disappointed at how much build up there was to the romance in this book when got so little actual romance. But I did enjoy how Lia's story isn't dependent on romance. Overall I am so happy I picked up this book.Character Analysis
With all the deception and disguises in this book it was hard to see character development until you actually knew who the character was. Until Lia was kidnapped I was under the impression that Kaden was the prince and Rafe was the assassin. I think that this is what Mary E. Pearson wanted us to think because the characteristics of Rafe and Kaden matched the stereotypes of an assassin and a Prince. Things like Rafe being hot headed and hot and cold too Lia gave me the impression that he was the assassin. And Kaden knowing the words to the prayers made me assume that he was educated such as a prince would be as well as the fact that he was calm and most of the time sweet. When I found out who was really who it was like their personalities had switched. Kaden became the gruff hot headed one and Rafe became very sweet and selfless. With both Kaden and Rafe I think most of their growth as characters was spurred from their love for Lia. Before he met Lia, Kaden had no trouble killing, but after he becomes softer and his biggest turning point was sparing Lia's life. Rafe just wants to confront Lia and has his heart set on hating her but once he falls in love with her he will do anything to save her. While I loved both Rafe and Kaden as love interests I have to say I favor Kaden because I am a sucker for the misunderstood villain. Kaden's personality reminds me of Aaron Warner from the Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi. They both have very strong loyalties and make others see a different person than they really are. I can't wait to see how Kaden and Rafe evolve over the next books.Lia had the most amount of growth out of all the characters. Her realization of her gift and role in the "prophesy" were spurred by growth in confidence and self-acceptance. I loved how Lia's growth as a character isn't because she found someone to love her but because she loved herself. Lia felt that she could not accept herself and that she was not truly herself because she did not have the gift. There were many examples of how Lia tried to be someone else or change who she was such as when she tried so hard to scrub off her wedding kavah even when only one part was left.
"You'll always be you, Lia. You can't run from that."This reoccurring quote really embodied Lia's journey and how she can run as far as she wants but she will always be herself. And this really rings true because even when she was in hiding she was still herself and that was why her gift started to surface. Because I don't have anything in common with Lia I didn't feel super connected to her. The one thing I really related too was her desire to see the good in others. While she is quick to judge, Lia tries to see the good in people and this is seen when she helps Eben kill his horse because she believes that no child should have to do that.
Setting/World
The setting was a big part of this book because one of the main things Lia wants is to find somewhere that feels like home. Lia is the princess of Morrighan and she grew up in Civica. She is engaged to Rafe who is the prince of Dalbreck and she is kidnapped by Kaden who is an assassin for Venda. While all of these characters are from different places they are united in Terravin. Lia describes Terravin as her home before she even arrives there."I knew we were close now. It was something about the air, something about the light, something I couldn't name, but it streamed through me like a warm voice. Home. Home. Foolishness, I knew. Terravin had never been my home, but maybe it could be."It is in Terravin where Kaden and Rafe fall in love with Lia and I think this is because they are able to forget about their homes for once. Morrighan and Dalbreck are already on bad terms and are most likely going to war eventually and Morrighan and Venda are already at war but the characters are able to put this aside in Terravin.
There was a lot of world building in this book that while at first was a little confusing soon became quite interesting. All of the kingdoms different histories and religions connected back to this one story of the first daughter. While we don't get to see what is believed in Dalbreck we do get to see the telling's of the tribe of Gaudrel. We are told parts of the story through little snippets before each chapter and all of it put together when Lia decodes it. One thing that I found interesting was how the story of the first daughter in Morrighan had a very happy and uplifting feeling to it while the last testaments of Gaudrel were very sad and depressing. I still do not understand the word completely as is expected for reading the first book in a series but I felt it was very creative and not like anything I had ever read before.
Themes
There were several overarching themes in this book. One of the main ones was deception and trust. All of the characters in this book are in disguise and don't know the true nature of each other. One thing that Lia states pretty early in the book is how she could never forgive someone for deception and how important trust is. Lia grew to trust Kaden in Terravin but once he betrayed her trust she gains a whole new perspective of him. Everything in this book grew into a very complicated web of lies especially when some of the lies turned out to be true such as Lia having the gift. There is a lot of lying in order to protect someone you love in this novel. Lia lies to Pualine in order to protect her feelings and Kaden lies about Lia in order to save her life. The title "The Kiss of Deception" refers to the kiss between Rafe and Lia when Lia does not know who Rafe is. But even through all of the deception the characters are able to learn more about themselves and I think that the author was trying to say that being true to yourself is the most important thing.There was a lot of female empowerment in this book. Lia being forced to marry a man she doesn't love takes off and starts a life for herself. Even when she is being kidnapped or attacked she still remains strong and never relies on a man to do all of the fighting for her. All of the legends revolve around the first daughter who was chosen and is more powerful than everyone else. Both Venda and Morrighan were named after their first queens. The women in this world don't have to rely on men and I really liked that because it is different from a lot of fantasy novels I have read.
Ending/Resolution
The ending in this book was very very well done. Because this is a series not everything is going to be resolved and there has to be some sort of hook or cliff hanger that get you to read the next book. This book managed to tie up a bunch of loose ends and still leave a cliff hanger. It felt natural to end after they reached Venda and there was no dragging in the ending. I loved how they end right as Rafe shows up because it makes you want to know what his plan is and how he and Lia are going to escape. I have no complaints with the ending only that I want to get my hands on the second book as soon as possible!
Dislikes/Confusions
There was only one thing I disliked about this book and that was the lack of romance. The title has the word kiss in it so I think I was justified in expecting a little more kissing. This is probably not a feeling that most readers share because not everyone is a romance nut like I am. That was really the only thing I was unhappy with in this book. While I did really enjoy reading this book it didn't wow me. The plot has lots of similarities with other fantasy novels and the writing wasn't spectacular enough to cover for that which is why I rated it as a solid four stars.There were plenty of things I was confused about throughout this book such as who was the prince and who was the assassin, but nothing that didn't make sense in the book and couldn't be answered in the next novel. Overall Mary E. Pearson did a good job with making the book make sense and stay organized and having her characters stay in character.
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