The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson Review

The Kiss of Deception
By Mary E. Pearson
Publication date: July 8, 2014
Henry Holt, 492 pages
Source: Publisher

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

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.

— Goodreads.com description

“What? What?! WHAT??!?!??” — me reading The Kiss of Deception.

Okay, so…I read a lot. That’s probably an understatement. I read CONSTANTLY. So it’s sort of hard to surprise me as a reader. I get a little jaded, like “Been there, done that.”

So for me to react to a book that strongly? Gosh, I love it. It’s like crack.

Thank you, Mary E. Pearson.

You guys. This book was so creative. Okay, I suppose a slight warning: It’s a slow fantasy, with buildup and not a ton of action. I guess if I had to pick anything, that might be a slight holdup for some of you. But, whatever, if you like fantasy at all, read it anyway.*

But DON’T read any other reviews or really look very closely at the book description. Just dive into it. Trust me. I used all caps on that “don’t,” so you know I mean it.

*Sigh. I can see why I’m never blurbed in books because I get all crazy and ineloquent, but hey at least I have passion!!!

Anna Reads