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

Title: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Released: December 6, 2012
Source: Library
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

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 flees 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.

The Kiss of Deception was such a pleasant surprise. I have been getting burned by the books that I had really been looking forward to lately. Not many have quite lived up to my excitement. I have to say, though, that this one definitely did. The only draw-back is that I want more and I want it NOW.

This was fantasy, which I have just began to really get into, with a bit of romance mixed in. This is what made the book really work for me. I read this by the pool, turning pages like crazy, forgetting where I was, and thus getting sun-burnt. But it was so worth it.

The characters are what really made this story. Lia, Pauline, Rafe, Kaden, Berti. I loved them all. I have read some reviews were a love-triangle has been a concern. In my opinion, I didn't find it much of a triangle. I truly think our main character, Lia, only has feelings for one of the guys. So maybe not quite a full-triangle. I was never sitting there wondering who she was going to pick. It was pretty obvious, to me at least.

Another thing I highly enjoyed is the rich, vivid, imagery. This world they are in is not hard to imagine at all. I was also highly intrigued by the world's history and all its little secrets. Like I said, I flipped the last page craving more!

So I am very picky with my five-stars. This book wasn't quite an all-time favorite, but it was an excellent, solid, read that I highly recommend. Enjoy!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars