The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson | Review

Discovered: Goodreads and BookRiot.com
Status: Unfinished
Purchased: Barnes & Noble
Mode: Hardcover
Goodreads Review: *

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson was recently published on July 8, 2014 by Henry Holt and Co. This is the same publisher that published the successful Shadow and Bone Trilogy. The Kiss of Deception is the first book of The Remnant Chronicles, another fantasy series that perked my fantasy-loving senses. I was really eager for this book and I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately I couldn't. The act of forcing myself to read for the sake of getting my money's worth was making me miserable. So after 250 pages I set the book aside and returned it to Barnes & Noble.

First, the plot was quite boring even after 250 pages. The most exciting part happens in the beginning when Lia runs away from her father's kingdom due to an unwanted arranged marriage. But it's not much of a surprise considering readers already know that from the synopsis. After, there are 200+ pages of Lia's new life in Trevia with her BFF Paulina. I was waiting for something, ANYTHING, to happen. Perhaps, the exciting parts are supposed to be the love triangel between Lia, Rafe, and Kaden. Yet I found their interactions trivial. It was an all too familiar love triangle scenario that could be taken out and placed into any other genre. Also, I found the world bland. There was nothing unique or captivating about Morrighan or Trevia, which reminded me of Cinque Terre or any other Italian coastal city.

Second, the writing was redundant. I agree, the writing and descriptions were nice, almost flourishing. But it was also redundant considering the lack of momentum in the plot. Yes, Lia and Paulina have an amazing friendship and Trevia is so beautiful, but I already knew that 100 pages ago.

Third, I did not respect the characters enough to take them seriously. Personally, I find something wrong with the concept of a privileged girl choosing to live the tough life of labor just to prove a point to herself and her family, compared to a girl born into such circumstances. If you think about it, Lia had it pretty good. She's a princess who had access to shelter, food, and an education. Both her parents are living and she's surrounded by loving brothers.

I won't nitpick the selfishness of the whole running away part because that would defeat the original premise of the story. I understand and even sympathize those teenage feelings of fierce independence and rebellion. But after 250 pages, I did not see any character development from Lia. For one thing, her sense of judgement diminishes as she is unable to sense an assassin right under her nose. Isn't she a skilled rider who was able to lose her pursuers? Conveniently, all except for Rafe, Kaden, and Walther. Instead, she doubts Gwyneth, who has the foresight to sense danger. This is one of the many contradictions in Kiss of Deceptions. Right before this sudden doubt, Lia had felt a close bond among the ladies after revealing Pauline's predicament.

In addition to Lia, I found the other primary characters ( Pauline, Rafe, and Kaden) to be wishy washy teens full of contradictions. True, I did not finish the book and don't know whatever deception/s came to closure. Unfortunately, I was no longer invested in the story and characters to find out.