The Kiss of Deception (Remnant Chronicles, #1)

by Mary E Pearson

[mary]

I thought this YA fantasy novel was quite different from most YA and that is the main reason I enjoyed it immensely (or maybe I haven't read enough YA yet to make this statement haha).

OVERVIEW

In this first chapter, we learn that Lia, Princess of Morrighan, is about to be married to a prince whom she has never seen, from Morrighan’s neighboring kingdom of Dalbreck. Lia is a first daughter and therefore is supposed to have a gift for knowing the future which is something she will bring to her marriage. However, Lia has never seen evidence of this gift and she is being forced by her parents to marry under false pretenses.

The main reason for the marriage is that the barbarians from Venda are a threat to both kingdoms, Dalbreck and Morrighan. Neither nation can defeat the Vendans alone, but united by this marriage, they would be able to accomplish it.

Lia has other ideas though, and she escapes with her lady-in-waiting Pauline. They arrive in Terravin, a village where Pauline knows an innkeeper who once took her in. In this town Lia feels at home. She decides to take on a new life as a commoner and works as a maid at the inn.

However, Lia does not realize she’s been followed by two men. And this is where the story gets good. One is the Prince of Dalbreck. Injured pride and curiosity cause him to follow Lia alone and incognito.The other man who follows Lia is a young assassin who hails from Venda sent out to kill the princess.

REVIEW

The assassin and the prince’s names are given, but due to occasional chapters in their viewpoints initially titled “The Prince” or “The Assassin,” many readers may not guess which of the two is the assassin and which is the prince for quite a while into the book– a technique that generates considerable suspense when Lia later begins to fall for one of them. And it is up to the reader to guess which is which, and the answer to later revealed in the story. I've never truly seen this in YA before and I really enjoyed reading the views of the men without truly knowing who was who.

At first, I hated the idea that there would be a love triangle in this book, but then things unfolded near the end and all I can say is good job to Pearson for pulling a fast one on the reader.

But I think one of my favorite parts of this book was the main character Lia, who is a dynamic character. I am looking forward to the rest of the series just to see what happens to her. In addition, another favorite part of the novel for me was the very relatable theme of finding oneself – especially in a world that has already decided who you are, and knows that version of you that they themselves invented

On the other hand the weakest area of the novel was the world building (which seems to be the case for most first books in a series). While the world itself was very rich in sensory imagery and language, the back story of the world – the world building itself, essentially – had holes. What caused the events that lead to the Remnants themselves, and the creation of Morrighan and its neighboring nations?

And finally, the best part of this novel – the sensory language and imagery. This is what really drew me in, aside from Lia’s character. This is what the world rich, the main cast great, and generally, made me want to stick around.