One of the first things I noticed about this book was its cover. The soft colors, the dark clouds, and the summary caught my attention. Sooo promising. And what a great book it was. Everything that the blurb promised, action, intrigues, emotions, and romance – all that was given. I am still feeling all the confusion; the secrets and how slow Lia starts to unfold the myth behind all the traditions and starts to see.
The Kiss Of Deception*
by Mary E. PearsonThe Remnant Chronicles #1
Publisher Henry Holt and Co on July 8, 2014
Genre Children 14+
Pages 489
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*
✶✶✶✶½
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.
Story
Lia is right in the middle of her wedding preparations and drowning in traditions. Traditions she doesn´t like or wants. She flees and finds a new home at Berdi´s Tavern. But even a Princess can´t leave her life behind, as much as she even wants it. At some point, she has to face her destiny and do what she is supposed to do. Even when that means that she must leave the man she loves.
Style
Mary E. Pearson´s writing style is soft, thoughtful and she uses every word as kind of a weapon – in a good way. Even during the bloodiest and cruelest scenes, her style is great. And the atmosphere very captivating. No matter how bloody things become, or how cruel, you will never get the feeling that it is too much. Every scene, everything that happens or every dialogue fits perfectly into the story. And the author has such an interesting way of describing scenes, the landscape, or what happens that you can actually feel the rough tree trunk or smell the plants and fruits. Yes, everything is in place, to the point, and yet there is enough space for your own imagination and fantasy.
Characters
Don´t expect with Lia a beautiful princess which has no brain and does everything her family and the country expect from her. Oh no! Lia is a strong-willed and very self-confident young woman who knows exactly that within the palace live people who hate her. She only doesn´t know why they hate her so much that they would do everything to get her out of the kingdom. And why her mother forces her to live a life she actually doesn´t want or why she wants her to marry that unknown prince in the first place. But all those things slip into place when she flees and starts to discover the mystery in the ancient documents and gets to know the world outside the palace.
I found it very intriguing that the author has given her characters not only a brain but also some badass attitude. Lia is smart, copes with the different surroundings and circumstances she has to face, and learns very easily and soon that she will have – one way or the other – to fulfill her destiny.
Conclusion
That end! How in the world can an author do that? I am not happy with that cliffhanger though I do understand that she had to come up with a way that leads the reader into the next book. I really hope that the story will continue in the only way that makes sense.
Happy reading
*I read the German edition new release by One on February 16, 2017
Mary E. Pearson
Mary E. Pearson is the author of bestselling, award-winning novels for teens. The Miles Between was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox was listed as a Bank Street Best Children´s Book of the Year, an IRA Young Adult Choice, NYPL Stuff for the Teen Age, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She is also the author of A Room on Lorelei Street, David v God, and Scribbler of Dreams. Pearson studied art at Long Beach State University and worked as an artist before earning her teaching credential at San Diego State University. She writes full-time from her come in Carlsbad, California, where she lives with her husband and two dogs.
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