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    The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book One
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    The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book One
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    The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book One
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book One

    Written by Mary E. Pearson

    Narrated by Emily Rankin

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    The Kiss of Deception is the first audiobook in Mary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 7, 2014
    ISBN9781101892169
    Unavailable
    The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book One
    Author

    Mary E. Pearson

    Mary E. Pearson is the international and New York Times bestselling author of the Dance of Thieves duology, the Remnant Chronicles trilogy, the Jenna Fox Chronicles, and more books for young readers. The Courting of Bristol Keats is Mary’s debut novel for adults. She writes from her home in California.

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    Reviews for The Kiss of Deception

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Actual rating: 3.5 starsFor more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.My experience with Mary E. Pearson’s novels has been heretofore a mixed bag. The Adoration of Jenna Fox impressed me, but the sequels that came later very much did not. Still, I knew that Pearson was capable of good things and I couldn’t resist her fantasy offering, because it sounded like everything I love. As with my earlier Pearson readings, I was missing out on the emotional aspect, but this is by far the most fun to read out of the books I’ve read and shows a lot of promise for improvement in later installments of the series.The fact that The Kiss of Deception is above par became apparent early on. The opening is common enough, with a princess running away from her arranged marriage, willing to marry only for the deepest love. Where this differs is in Lia’s attitude. She feels bad about leaving. Her emotions are complex and she does worry about her family. Not only that, but she continues to worry and wonder if she’s made the right choice even when her new life working in a tavern is going so well. Though she chooses to be without her family, she does so with a heavy heart and she never forgets them.Much has been made of the love triangle aspect of The Kiss of Deception which is honestly a bit misleading. The way that the book is set up, with multiple points of view, does make it feel that way a bit, but Lia’s pretty consistent about where her romantic interests lie. Of course, you don’t actually know which guys she’s interested in, because Mary E. Pearson is a clever trickster. The romance didn’t enter major shipping levels for me, but I definitely do not think anyone should let the idea of a love triangle scare them away from this one.My favorite aspect of The Kiss of Deception is Pearson’s storytelling. First of all, Pearson does an excellent job with the different first person perspectives. I was able to easily distinguish whose head I was in at any given point. Plus, she writes the story in such a way that you cannot tell for sure which guy is the prince and which the assassin. Though I knew Pearson was messing with me, I was left guessing and theorizing and totally obsessed with the book to find out who was who. This gambit was quite effective at keeping the pace fast and the mood tense. I could have done without a single chapter from Pauline’s POV, but I suppose if it’s important in later books, it makes sense to include now.On top of that, I really do admire Lia’s character arc. From a pampered princess knowing little of the outside world, she becomes an incredibly strong woman. She always had the bones for it, of course: curiosity, intelligence and daring. Now, though, she finally has the freedom to figure out what she can really do. She goes through really intense situations and she always emerges stronger and more determined. I don’t generally believe that what doesn’t kill you really makes you stronger, but that definitely applies to Lia.For what I didn’t like, that’s hard for me to really put my finger on. There’s a semi-spoilery plot with Lia’s best friend Pauline, which so far I do not care for in the least. The romance really should have been giving me some feels, but it really wasn’t. This could have been a side effect of not knowing who the guy really was, I suppose. Plot-wise, too, the novel’s pretty simple and not too much happens. That said, the stage is set for a truly epic and dark series, if the gruesomeness and death toll in The Kiss of Deception is any indicator.Mary E. Pearson’s The Kiss of Deception is a great start to a new fantasy series. Recommended for those who enjoy heroines strong in a way that’s more mental than physical or multiple points of view done well. I’m very much looking forward to the next installment, which will hopefully blow this one out of the water.
    • 5/5
      Cant wait to read the next book! I was hooked from beginning to end.
    • 5/5
      4.5 stars

      SO good! I didn't who was who or who to root for. Kept changing my mind and switching sides! Even when the reveal happened I still found myself not sure. Beautiful world, wonderful complex characters. Loved them all. I tore through this book and can't wait to read the next one.
    • 4/5
      3.5/5
      I struggle with reviewing this book only because of it's pace. As much as I loved the royal premise and fantasy elements, I just could not get over how slow the story was... It's not the fact that the book was 450 pages. Its the fact that in all those pages, barely anything happened. Cut the page count in half, delete repetitive scenes, and erase the over detail and this book would have been amazing. I'm afraid the Author just overdid it.

      While the scenic descriptions added to the overall feel of the book, I did not need to hear about the water 10 times. I also didn't need to know everyone's every move. I like mystery in my stories and with this one you get burdened by each character's inner battles. You also get a major twister that will make you scratch your head and think wth? I'm not sure where it came from or if I missed hints leading up to it, but it blindsided me and I was confused to say the least. Assassin... Prince... ?

      Besides the tedious overkill, I enjoyed the love triangle and the dialogue. With that being said... I needed MORE dialogue. When the characters interacted the pages flew by. I was intrigued by attitudes and consumed by the passion of words. I loved the interaction between all of the characters. I really connected to the story as I read their conversations. The dialogue is sparse though... As stated before it's a lot of first person emotional thoughts and feelings. It didn't kill the story for me, but it didn't make it any better either.

      I think I struggle with this one because I've read so many similar reads... Can I say this one stands out? No. Can I say I'll read the sequel? Yes. I liked where the story was going and still have a cravings that need met. I need to know what happens to Rafe and Lia. Kaden could go MIA though. His character is meh at most.

      All in all. It was a slow read that pulled you away from reality and dropped you into a high fantasy world with lots of descriptions. I liked the plot and am interested in the romance. I recommend it to readers that like slow build stories with a intricate fantasy world.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! Lia is the perfect protagonist. She's strong, spunky, and independent. In addition, Pearson does a fantastic job keeping the reader guessing almost right to the end as to the identity of the prince. We have no idea who the assassin might be and who the prince is, even though we are reading both their thoughts. This is done absolutely masterfully. It is there to create tension and hook the reader, and, boy, was I hooked.The novel ends on a cliffhanger but guess what - there is a sequel (thank goodness). Buy this one, you won't be disappointed!
    • 4/5
      Good read.

      I really enjoyed this book. As a mom I would say it was safe for teens to read. It had a little language in it but not too bad. There is a lot of religious undertone throughout the book but it did nothing but confuse me. I will talk about this with my girls if and when they read this book. My fav and least fav part of the book was not knowing who the prince was. When it is finally revealed I wanted to go back and reread parts.
    • 2/5
      1.5-2 STARS

      halfway through this book and I was like: isn't this supposed to be a high fantasy novel? what is happening ? why is she still in that town?

      It is very and painfully slow that could not finish it

      I'm sorry but certainly can't read another page. it's too torturous for me... -_-'
    • 2/5
      The main character is not believable. The plot is unrealistic.
    • 3/5
      Predictable, still a good read.
    • 4/5
      A thoroughly enjoyable YA fantasy. Believable characters with unexpected twists and turns. If you enjoy YA fantasy complete with intrigue and magic, I recommend this one!
    • 4/5
      The start took a while to get into it's stride but once Lia and Pauline got into their stride and got to the town they settled in, things picked up, keeping the suspense of who was the prince and who was the assassin was interesting but it started to feel too much like authorial cleverness before it was revealed who was who. It was interesting to see how Lia grew and realised her responsibilities as well as her abilities, I think it will be interesting to see how this progresses.
    • 4/5
      A fair offering in the fantasy world of young adult literature, The Kiss of Deception is a 2015 Lone Star pick. While it is not as breathtaking as A Court of Thorns and Roses and its ilk, The Kiss of Deception does include some amazing and lush world-building. An overworked love triangle mars the enjoyment, however.
    • 4/5
      Distinguished from it's ilk by strong characters making human choices, I enjoyed this book. The only notable exception, a seemingly forced plot point.
    • 5/5
      Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson is fantasy novel about secrets and their consequences, strength of character, and loyalty.Lia is the First Daughter and her father's kingdom, Morrighan. Her father has negotiated an important alliance with Lia marrying the Prince of Dahlbreck. Lia, raised with her brothers, prefers independence to a woman's role and doesn't want to be a pawn between countries. Furthermore, she is supposed to be gifted as all First Daughters are, but she has no magical gift. The thought of marrying some old prince who does as his father requests and doesn't come to meet her beforehand makes Lia realize that she can follow her own path. Her maid, Pauline, convinces a young stableboy to hold horses for them. When left briefly alone, they flee to Pauline's hometown. The Prince of Dahlbreck desires to meet this princess who ran off. He considered it himself, but he didn't have the courage to do so. He decides he wants to meet her, so he tracks her. Meanwhile, an assassin from Venda, another country who doesn't want Dahlbreck and Morrighan to have an alliance, also tracks Lia. They both arrive in Terravin, Pauline's hometown, and find Lia as a tavern maid who is happy. She's not the spoiled princess they both expected. Taking on other identities, the two men "court" Lia, but Lia is drawn to Rafe, not Kaden. They discover Lia is smart and strong. The idyllic life they're all living has to come to an end. At some point Kaden has to kill Lia and Rafe will have to reveal who he is. The novel is a page turner and it's easy to like each character. Often in YA literature, the female characters are stupid and things turn out because the author manipulates the plot. Lia is smart and believable; the plot unfolds at a nice pace, allowing the reader to get to know each character. These three people from three countries who are drawn to each other will have to work together to create peace.
    • 4/5
      Princess Lia's to marry a prince from a neighboring country, to bond an Alliance between the two kingdoms. Kingdoms that are threatened to be overrun by the Barbarians. The night before their wedding, she flees with her handmaiden, Pauline, to a small town by the sea where she becomes a barmaid. All she thinks she wants is a simple life, but fate would have it otherwise.Two men are after her. One is her betrothed prince who she spurned and who she's never met and the other's an assassin. What she finds is a budding romance with a man whom she believes is a farm hand.I certainly enjoyed this story about this strong, intelligent and tender-hearted girl, who comes to find her gift, grows and matures into a true Princess in a world where countries are at war, and assassins run amok. The pacing was pretty slow in the beginning but it picks up and I enjoyed how Lia's character develops,as she comes to have feelings for both these two strangers who have come into her life and is trying to find who she is and is there someone out there who can love her. I enjoyed the way the story is told in the first person by each of the main characters. I couldn't put the book down and look forward to reading the next book in the series Jack Murphy
    • 3/5
      The first in a series about a princess who runs from an arranged marriage. Taking a job in a tavern, she meets two men, neither of whom really seem to belong in the small town she has fled to. She claims not to have the power of a first daughter, but secrets abound in her parents' house and among those she has met on her journey.
    • 4/5
      Ah, love triangles. They are a stupid pain-in-the-ass. here, a pretty-pretty princess runs away from her arranged marriage to live among the simple folk in a small village. There she meets two equally gorgeous but very different boys: one dark, one blond, one who is a prince, and one who is an assassin.Both fall in love with her. Duh.
    • 5/5
      Loved this! I really liked not knowing who was who for the romance interests and trying to match up the different identities and figure out who was who. For the first time ever I couldn't decide who I would rather have the MC end up with. They were both wonderful options. It was great not knowing which on was the prince because if I had known, it would have tipped the scale in his direction. The characters were well defined and relatable, and the setting was vivid without being overly descriptive.

      I've always enjoyed Mary Pearson, but this has got to her best one yet. I will be desperately waiting for book 2.
    • 5/5
      This book was nothing like I'd thought it'd be. From reading the synopsis, I thought, Okay. Standard, love story, girl of priviledge wanting to be free of that life, etc etc etc. Nothing new here, completely predictable, but I can accept that if the author can make me connect with at least one, preferably more, characters. Yes, my expectations were extremely low.

      About a quarter of the way through, I was thinking, okay well things are progressing along as expecting. Yes it's predictable, but I wasn't thoroughly set on which one she'd choose. I mean, she seemed to have made her choice, but it didn't seem cemented. And what was better, it didn't seem like an easy no brainer for once! While the characters were all likeable enough, what I really connected with was the history of this world and their kingdoms. Typically, I'd get frustrated with a tiny morsel of backstory given here and there at the beginnings of random chapters, in the form of song or poem stanzas etc, like breadcrumbs leading hansel and gretel through the woods toward a big unveiling. I don't have much patience for that. But Ms. Pearson still managed to captivate me with the themes of hunger and magic and the eery nonsense from an unknown land. I happily read on.

      About halfway though Ms. Pearson pulled the rug out from under me with a twist I never saw coming. I'm usually pretty good at suspecting these things, or maybe most other authors are just horrible at planting them. I don't know, but she got me. At first, I thought maybe these were typos. I did get an ARC, so maybe it was a mistake. But they just kept coming... how could this many be missed?! I had to accept the fact that I'd been fooled. I was so convinced that at some point, she said something that confirmed my beliefs and it had to be wrong. It had to be incomplete. How could I have been so thoroughly convinced of one thing and then HALFWAY THROUGH THE BOOK find out I had assumed wrong and everything I thought built on that?! I started reading backward, chapter by chapter until I was convinced that Ms. Pearson had Jedi-mind-tricked me, but that I had walked right into it. Oh, so well done. *roung of applause* I loved it. And the result suited my sensibilities better.

      I read on and on and on and on. Despite the fact that I was sick, despite the fact that my head was pounding and I had class in the morning. I could not put. it. down.

      There were a lot of profound statements in this book, mostly due to their simple truths, like: "It can take years to mold a dream. It takes only a fraction of second for it to be shattered."

      I was really surprised that the love triangle seemed to grow and intensify as the book went on. It seemed that the choice should be obvious, why continue to develop an unrequited love? But Ms. Pearson did. And she continued to develop characters and make them make hard choices, she allowed them to grow and to change, naturally. All of the characters seem to have so many layers of depth, the lies and betrayal, I never get to the point where I can safely say I've got them figured out. I can't remember the last time I felt so invested in so many characters' story lines, and then, being a history lover like I am, I can't wait to unravel the mysteries and ancient stories of the people as a whole. It was such a kick to the gut to learn that the next book is not going to be released until 2015. oh, but I cannot wait!

      Up until the first half I had intended to give this book 4 stars because it really held my attention and I enjoyed it. But the second half really sold me. This book gets 5 stars, a 10 out of 10 because it is one I will have to own for myself in physical format, so that I can read it again and again and again, each time, seeing things from a different point of view and learning more about their world and my own.
    • 5/5
      THE KISS OF DECEPTION was a breath-taking beginning to an epic fantasy series. Lia, who is First Daughter but without the First Daughter's gifts, runs away on the morning of her wedding rather than become a political pawn of her father's. She flees with her good friend Pauline to a seaside town where she works in a tavern.Lia is pursued by the prince she rejected (but has never met) and an assassin from Venda who wants her dead to prevent an sort of alliance between the prince's country and Lia's. We get the story from the viewpoint of both the assassin and the prince as well as from Lia's point of view. The two young men come to the tavern and introduce themselves as Rafe and Caden. We also get points of view from Rafe and Caden. It took until about 2/3 of the book to find out which of the young men was the assassin and which was the prince.The last third of this story has Lia captured by the assassin who is determined to bring her back to Venda to his political leader. Along the way Lia sees all sorts of country she has never seen, suffers hardships, and meets and learns from people along the way. Lia's world has a history and a magic that she is just learning.The story was filled with action, adventure, magic and romance. It is set in a well-crafted world. I can't wait to read the next stories set in this world.
    • 5/5
      Lia wants nothing to do with her planned marriage. Instead of walking down the isle she flees in her wedding attire with her best friend for a distant village and a new life. Little does she know that her intended followed her to her new life, he's hiding in plain site, and just might have stolen her heart along the way. THE KISS OF DECEPTION was so much more than I was expecting. Although it is told in more than one POV at times, you mainly follow Princess Lia. Lia is determined to live her life the way she wants instead of being her fathers pawn. She does a really good job of taking care of herself and her friend as they journey to freedom from her old life. I found her to be down to earth and in no way stuffy like you would expect a princess to be. There is a bit of a love triangle going on in THE KISS OF DECEPTION. We have the Prince who wants to meet the bride who didn't want him. He does not tell Lia who he is and although he wants to hate her, she is nothing like he expected and he finds himself being drawn to her instead. Then we have the Assassin who was sent to kill her. He also doesn't in any way reveal who he is, finds out she is nothing like he expected and then finds himself hesitating when he has the chance to kill her like he was supposed to. The triangle and romance is done well and I didn't find myself annoyed with it one bit.THE KISS OF DECEPTION is 489 pages long and a LOT happens in between those pages and it's only the beginning of the story. I found the pace quick and the reading smooth. I was really able to connect with not only Lia but with the Prince, Assassin and best friend as well. I couldn't seem to put the book down and by the end I was completely and utterly exhausted (in a good way). Any fantasy fan should jump aboard The Remnant Chronicles express.* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      Right off the bat, let me say this: THE KISS OF DECEPTION almost got a 2-star rating from me. I thought, until about 3/4ths of the way through, that it was predictable, sappy, and eye-roll worthy. Then something happened that knocked it up a star rating. Still, for a book that's been raved about by people I really trust, THE KISS OF DECEPTION had a lot of flaws and quite a few holes in it.Read the rest of this book at The Lost Entwife on July 17, 2014.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did because I love a lot of her earlier work but this wasn't one of my favorites. It had a lot of potential that just didn't get actualized.
    • 5/5
      I received an ARC of this novel from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. OMG! Where to start? It has been over a week since I finished this book, and I am still reeling from it. That doesn't happen to me very often, I admit, so that is saying something about how good it really was. I don't give descriptive reviews, in part because I don't want to give anything away. I, myself, may read someone else's review, but unless it has a bad rating, I usually go on my own instinct about a book. THIS IS A BOOK YOU COULD NOT GO WRONG WITH!!!Pre-order it, buy it, whatever, but make sure you get this book!
    • 5/5
      ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

      Wow. This book was so much more than I expected! I hate that I have to wait so long until the next installment!

      I liked Lia's character so much more than I expected. She is not your typical princess. I liked that once she made up her mind she stuck with it. No matter how difficult the journey could be. She took charge of her life.

      I LOVED the mystery aspect of the book. I went back and forth trying to figure out who was the prince and who was the assassin. I would think I had it figured out only to be left second guessing myself. Over and over again I did that! I haven't seen that done before, at least not the way this was done. It still through me for a loop when everything came out! I have to admit though I liked both the Prince and the Assassin... But maybe it is because for the first half of the book I didn't know who was who!

      Looking forward to see what else is in store for Lia!
    • 4/5
      "There's no turning back. The choice was made for me," I answered. "From this moment on, this is the destiny that I'll have to live with, for better or worse."This book follows Princess Lia (her full name is long so I'll just use Lia, the name she likes to be called), whose parents have arranged a marriage between her and a prince from Dalbreck, to try and secure an alliance between the two kingdoms. Unfortunately for Lia she does not want to marry a prince that she has never met, so she runs away. While on the run she meets two men, the prince she was to marry and an assassin sent to kill her, but she has no clue as to their true identities.The first few chapters that were from Lia's point-of-view were very slow and boring to me. At first Lia just wasn't an interesting character to me but the more I read from her perspective the more I grew to like her and become interested in reading about her.I really loved reading the parts that were from the point-of-view of the prince and the assassin. They seemed to have more depth than Lia and I would have liked for their parts to have been longer than they were. There was a sort of reveal concerning them and their identities and I have to say that I spent a while thinking one thing about who was who and now I don't know if I was just stupid or if the reader is meant to think what I thought.I really like where the story has progressed to and am interested in learning more about the books that Lia has. I really look forward to reading more of this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.
    • 5/5
      I honestly wasn't expecting much from this book. I got it on a whim from Book Outlet a few months ago. It completely blew me away! I can't wait to continue on with this story in book 2!
    • 5/5
      It’s so good and I love it so much I love everything about this book.
    • 4/5
      I love that we spend a large portion of this book not knowing which is the assassin and which is the prince.
    • 4/5
      It started slow, and after a couple chapters of the plot closely following the back cover synopsis, it looked like a fast-developing love triangle. However, the book took a turn for the better when actual conflict arrived, Princess Lia developed some redeeming qualities, and some adventure made an appearance to supplement the drama. All things considered, I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel.