The Kiss of Deception Book Review
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 3-12-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 8.9/10
Book Cover Rating: 4.6/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: The Kiss of Deception
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Pages: 492
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Subplots: Politics
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Publisher: Henry Holt
Published: 2014
Number of Editions: 49
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audio
Awards Won: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction, Gateway Readers Award Nominee
Goodreads Rating: 3.92
# of Goodreads Ratings: 152,341
Amazon Rating: 4.4
# of Amazon Ratings: 6,872
Movie/TV Show?? : No
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Multi, First Person
Pacing: Slow-Mid
Generally: Princess betrothed to stranger, runaway, prince and assassin sent to catch her, slower mid-book action, character DEVELOPMENT
My Review
Going Into It:
Going into this book…. I have to admit… I’ve kinda had book two of this series for over a year and not bothered to read it or book one. Oops. 😬 Also, I was looking on Goodreads for some reviews of this and it seems to me like people are split. Some LOVE this book, some HATE it. That definitely makes me a little nervous…..
Main Characters:
Arabella Jezelia- Lia is betrothed to a prince she has never met. She is rebellious and does NOT like the thought of not having say in her future. So, she decided to take her future into her own hands.
The Prince- The prince is betrothed to Lia. He is sent to go ‘rescue’ her and marry her.
The Assassin- The assassin is sent to kill Lia. He is from a hostile country.
This was super interesting. We were introduced to Lia, Rafe, and Kaden from the beginning. But the book didn’t immediately tell us if Rafe or Kaden was the prince or the assassin (and obviously I’m not going to spoil that for you). These characters were AMAZING!! I loved the main three characters, but also all the side characters. And in some cases (Lia in particular) there was MASSIVE character development. Though, at a few points a couple of things felt cliche.
Character Rating: 9.1/10
Setting:
This book takes place in a kingdom called Morrigham.
I feel like this setting had a bit more potential than was used, but wasn’t a disappointment. Fantasy settings usually have so much freedom to embrace something new, and this book didn’t do that for me.
Setting Rating: 6.5/10
Plot:
Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! I LOVED everything about this plot!! It was slower paced but still exciting (but it wasn’t very ‘battle and adventures’ exciting), and it kept me worried about the characters.
Plot Rating: 9.9/10
Writing:
I loved this writing!! I’ve heard a few people say parts of the book are confusing, but I didn't have that problem. I thought this book was written in an engaging way.
Writing Rating: 8.9/10
Ending:
Wow!! This HOOKED me!! This ending was so suspenseful that I IMMEDIATELY needed to run to the bookstore and buy the next book (at this point I had already gotten rid of it 😫). It didn’t really wrap up book one; it more so pulled me into book two looking for answers.
Ending Rating: 9.9/10
The Overall:
Overall I LOVED this book!! It was fast paced with an AMAZING plot and ending. (Note: I do think the older of a reader you are, probably the less you will like it and the more holes you could poke in it). I loved the amount of deception and how the reader was partially left in the dark. This made a GREAT path forward into the next few books.
Overall Book Rating: 8.9/10
I would obviously recommend this book
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Mary has written over eight books.
She loves to garden and spend time with family.
She was always a fan of fantasy books growing up.
Her books have been translated into a variety of languages.
For more information, view Mary E. Pearson’s website: marypearson.com
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