The Kiss of Deception - A Book Review

THE KISS OF DECEPTION
- Author: Mary E. Pearson
- Publication date: July 8, 2014
- Tags: YA, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Dystopian

THE KISS OF DECEPTION, I read this book back in 2015 while I was away on holiday, and I absolutely gobbled it up. The story was very unique, and there were plot twists galore -- the kind that has you set down the book for a solid 5 minutes and reevaluate your entire life... you know those kinds?

For starters, I'll tell you about Lia, the main protagonist of this story. I think Lia is the exact type of protagonist that I love to read about, and this is for many reasons. In this book, you get to know that Lia is just a good person through and through. Sometimes with YA characters, you get the good and bad traits, and they tend to (hopefully) overcome those bad traits / decisions at the cessation of the novel. In THE KISS OF DECEPTION, I think the only selfish decision Lia ever makes is the one at the very beginning of the story.

So Lia is the Princess of the Morrighan Kingdom, and as a means to an end, she is offered for marriage to a Prince she has never met, for the sole purpose of forming an alliance between their kingdoms. In the first chapter, the inner turmoil is clear at the prospect of marrying a man she doesn't know, and ultimately giving her life away. So we soon see she had plotted to flee her kingdom on the day of her wedding, with her best friend and then settles in a small, humble village where she starts to make a new life for herself. Now this is the greatest thing about Lia -- she has grown up as a wealthy, learned, doted upon Princess, and now she has put herself into this situation where no one knows who she is, what her true title is, and she becomes a tavern matron. And ya know what? She freaking loves it. She works hard, is grateful to be where she is, and doesn't complain an inch for what she gave up. She's my freaking idol.

Now - the other more interesting plot in this book is the fact that she is not as inconspicuous as she would like to believe. Lia happens across two strangers in the small fishing village she settles in - and these two strangers happen to know exactly who she is. One is an assassin, set upon Princess Lia to kill her and destroy any chance of her marrying the aforementioned prince to form the alliance. The other is the Prince himself, scorned and wondering why his bride never showed on his wedding day, he follows Lia to the small town and settles in himself, pretending to be someone he isn't, in order to better understand the woman who left him standing at the alter. Intriguing, yes?

Not only do we see the story unfold from Lia's POV, but we also have alternating chapters of the Assassin and the Prince, so we not only understand their motivations for tracking the Princess down, but we also get to see Lia through each of their eyes, which is super interesting, and one of my favorite aspects of this book.

And my oh my. The plot twist? Just you wait.

FAVORITE QUOTE

.... And I'm sure that it did. *SWOON*










MY RATING

- THE KISS OF DECEPTION is a solid 4.5/5 stars. I adored this book. I rarely give out 5/5, so 4.5 is AMAZING. Would I recommend this book? YESSSSSS.

DESCRIPTION (as at Amazon.com)

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 assassin 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.

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