Book Review: Kiss of Deception

 



1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pearson, M. E. (2015). Kiss of deception, the. Square Fish. ISBN: 1250063159

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This Fantastic Fiction novel is about a seventeen-year-old Princess named Lia who runs away from her village on the morning of her wedding to avoid an arranged marriage. As she settles into a new town and a new life, she meets two men whom she is intrigued by. One is the Prince she was suppose to marry, who turned out to be young and handsome, and the other is an assassin who was sent to kill her. Both men present themselves with a false identity, but they know who Lia is. As time goes by, both men begin to fall in love with her and Lia begins to fall in love with one of them, but in a strange twist, their true identity isn’t revealed until near the end of the novel. 

 3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Again, as mentioned before, this is my least favorite genre, but OMG!!! This book was sooooooo good!!!!!!! It has a love triangle, deception, lies, and suspense, I can see why this book is so popular among young adults. In all seriousness though, I thought this novel was very well written and kept readers attention keeping them guessing who the characters really were.   I for one could not determine who the prince was and the assassin was, and when I thought it had it all figured out, something happened that changed my mind.

This novel has different elements that make it Fantastical Fiction. For example, it takes you back to a world of Kingdoms with kings, queens, and princesses. The element of magic is briefly touched upon especially when they make references to the “special gift” Lia is supposed to have.  Although this novel is written in a “Fantasy World,” to me it felt more like a fairy tale. This is because you have a kingdom with a princess who runs away in search for happiness but then ends up finding her prince. That’s not to say the novel wasn’t good, I really did enjoy reading the love triangle and the characterization of Lia, I thought was great!  She started off as being almost spoiled and “privileged” but as she settles into her new life, her character really develops and grows. Lia is a relatable character, and her relationship with Pauline was genuine. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in School Library Journal: "Gripping, urgent, and highly appealing."

Starred review in Publishers Weekly: "Pearson (the Jenna Fox Chronicles) is off to an extraordinary start with her fantasy series, the Remnant Chronicles, creating an alluring world and romance that's ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore and Megan Whalen Turner."

Starred review in Booklist: "Pearson offers readers a wonderfully full-bodied story: harrowing, romantic, and full of myth and memory, fate and hope. . . . This has the sweep of an epic tale, told with some twists."

Starred in Kirkus Review: “Rich and exciting . . . a bold ending whets appetites for the next installment.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Have students create a book jacket for this novel. The front cover should have an image that represents the story, the back of the story should have a summary of the novel and students should name each chapter with a title they find suitable and summarizes that chapter.   

* Have students reflect on the events that occurred throughout the novel. Engage them in a “What if” discussion. What if Lia had married the princess instead of fleeing, how do you think the story would differ? What if Lia fell in love with Kaden instead of Rafe, would the ending be different, how would the story change?  

*Those who enjoyed this book, would also enjoy these titles.

Raasch, S. (2015). Snow like ashes. Balzer + Bray. ISBN: 9780062286932

Rutkoski, M. (2015). The winner’s curse: A novel. Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan.

ISBN: 1250056977

Review was written for SHSU's MLA course.


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