Title: The Kiss of Deception
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Square Fish
On-Sale Date: June 2nd, 2015
Length: 512 pages
Format: Paperback
Title: The Heart of Betrayal
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Square Fish
On-Sale Date: August 2nd, 2016
Length: 496 pages
Format: Paperback
Title: The Beauty of Darkness
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
On-Sale Date: August 2nd, 2016
Length: 679 pages
Format: Hardcover
*I was as
careful as I could be, but it was impossible not to include some spoilers
since this is a series review. Spoiler alerts are included, but I may have
missed one.*
The Kiss of
Deception: Princess Arabella…she goes by Lia, runs away from a political marriage
taking her friend Pauline with her, because she desires her own life and real
love. She doesn’t know that the prince she’s supposed to marry and an assassin
follow her—both with very different intentions. There is a rivalry between Rafe
and Kaden immediately, but Lia intrigues them both. When it comes time, the
assassin can’t bring himself to do his job, so he does the next best thing.
SPOILER ALERT:
The Heart of
Betrayal: Lia and Rafe are taken prisoner in Venda, a place across the
continent, and forced to play a dangerous game with the Komizar—ruler—if they
want to make it out alive.
The Beauty
of Darkness: Lia and Rafe escape the Komizar’s clutches only to
find many problems ahead of them, one in the form of Kaden. Can he be trusted?
What state are the kingdoms in now? The answers leave Rafe and Lia running to
their home kingdoms of Dalbreck and Morrighan. They haven’t seen the last of
the Komizar and the princess, prince and assassin are going to have to work
together if they want to survive. END
SPOILER.
The
greatest part of my day these past couple of weeks have been when I updated my
friends and family about what was going on in these books. I told everybody.
I’ve had so many conversations where I couldn’t contain my words and was yelling
about what I’d read. I was so exuberant with my storytelling that everybody was
dying to know what happened with the princess, the prince and the assassin. It
was the best feeling to talk about these books, because they made me so happy.
The surprises were endless and I couldn’t believe what was happening next or
why or how it was going to work out, but I had to find out. I cared so much
about what happened to these characters and the series was so exciting to read.
The
Kiss of Deception tricked me more than any book I had ever read and I'd never
been more impressed. SPOILER ALERT:
I thought the prince was the assassin and the assassin was the price, so when
the assassin threated Lia I was confused because I didn’t understand what the
prince was doing ONLY TO REALIZE HE WASN’T THE PRINCE IN THE FIRST PLACE. I
can’t even explain to you how I felt; I scream just thinking about it! I had to
go back and reread all the male point of views and I'm convinced this was done
on purpose! END SPOILER.
The
story was about so much more than a princess who ran away from a political
marriage. Love was very important to Lia and she was going to find it on her
own terms. Lia also found herself part of a centuries-old prophecy that
foretold a battle between her and an unquestionably powerful enemy. So, a
princess who wanted to choose her own path and find real love was predestined
for something much larger than herself. This aspect of the storyline unfolded
over time; it wasn’t rushed, Lia changed and grew into her role because of
every thing that was thrown at her. Pearson weaved intricate histories alongside
Lia’s storyline that explained Lia’s role as the story progressed. While Lia
was the focal character it was good that the story used multiple points of
view—Pauline, Kaden, and Rafe—because it gave clarity to certain situations and
made the boys more likeable when you saw the reasons behind their choices.
Lia
was the hero and she shined. She was headstrong and the belief she had in
herself was beautiful, but it took time for her to completely trust herself. All
Lia wanted was to be listened to and loved, and she changed when she received
those things. Lia became an even brighter character because she took that
attention and affection and passed it on to others. She was incredibly
empathetic and kind, and people gravitated toward her because of those
characteristics. Throughout the series Lia learned to make herself heard
instead of waiting for someone to listen to her. She practically never played
it safe or took the easy way out; she made the difficult decisions that needed
to be made and didn’t care if she chose the more difficult path as long as it
was the right one. She put herself in danger because she recognized that other
things were more important than what she originally wanted at the beginning of
The Kiss of Deception. Amongst everything, Lia found the love she longed for
and it was wonderful to read. Their relationship was effortless; they connected
so quickly, and even when they fought, they fit together. I was on the edge of
my seat when the series because I didn’t know how this relationship was going
to work out, and I desperately wanted it to.
Kaden
was a remarkable character; he was loyal and lost, loving and aggravating. He
was a threat that I never viewed as a threat. He was broken, waiting to heal,
because he was lied to and betrayed by those he cared about most. I didn’t want
to like Kaden after his actions in The Kiss of Deception, but I couldn’t hate
him. I felt that there was something more to him, and there was so much more
revealed about him in the later novels that added even more dimension to
his character. I couldn’t have anticipated how Kaden would change throughout
the series. He always believed that he fought for the right side, but Lia made
him question that. The uncertainty changed everything for Kaden. It was through
Lia that his kindness shone through. SPOILER
ALERT: However, when he joined forces with Lia in The Beauty of Darkness I
didn’t trust him right away, because Kaden was torn in the previous two books
about where his loyalties lay. He flipped between love and his sense of duty,
but he had opened his heart to Lia in such a way that he couldn’t go back. END SPOILER.
THIS ENTIRE PARAGRAPH IS BASICALLY
FULL OF SPOILERS: Kaden and Lia’s romantic relationship added so much
trouble to each novel, because there was an uneven love triangle from the
beginning. There was only a short time when I thought that Kaden and Lia would
possibly be a couple, because it was always obvious that Rafe was the one in
Lia’s heart. But Kaden had feelings for Lia too and this caused turmoil for
everybody because Kaden battled between two parts of himself—one that loved Lia
and one that was loyal to someone who posed the greatest threat to her. Kaden
didn’t have much of a choice in who he sided with at the end of The Heart of
Betrayal, because things happened so quickly that he acted before his mind
caught up to his actions. I didn’t think that Kaden chose who he wanted to be
until the final book, and I thought Lia’s friend Pauline played a big part in
that. Pauline was someone who trusted Kaden and he destroyed that trust early
on in the series. Kaden wanted to build that trust up again after he saw
himself through her eyes, and he didn’t like what he saw. Kaden continued to
make choices about what kind of person he wanted to be throughout the rest of
The Beauty of Darkness, and the outcome was superb.
Rafe
did stupid, reckless, wonderful things for Lia in every single novel. He loved
fiercely and he amazed me countless times. Rafe had so much faith in his
soldiers and there was great comradery between them. I loved his men almost as
much as he did, because they were always there when you needed them. They
served as pillars of strength for Rafe and Lia, and added some lighthearted
moments to otherwise dreary times. Rafe had such a strong resolve and determination;
however, he was prone to making quick judgments that put him in precarious
situations. Rafe made many difficult and unpopular decisions throughout the series
out of devotion [SPOILER ALERT] to
his country and to Lia. He placed himself in the middle of all the madness
because it meant he could protect her. END
SPOILER. Rafe’s comrades informed him that he was crazy, but he thought
with his heart, and I couldn’t ever fault him for that. SPOILER ALERT: He was wonderful with Lia; he joked with her, fought
with her and treasured her.
Rafe
and Lia had survived so much together, but at one point in The Beauty of
Darkness they had to go their separate ways, and I was miserable and
aggravated. I yelled at them, but they didn’t listen to me. I was so mad when I
was reading, because I knew something bad was going to happen, but it wasn't
what I expected. I sympathized with both arguments, but I was mostly frustrated
with Rafe because he was so thickheaded. I wanted them to be together—they
lived through hell and they deserved to have each other—and it bothered me
because I couldn’t comprehend either Lia or Rafe leaving the other behind even
when duty called. However, for that very reason, they were strong characters
because neither would sacrifice their beliefs for the other person. END SPOILER. They wouldn’t sacrifice
themselves to be what the other person wanted, but they made other sacrifices
to defeat the Komizar and uproot his evil.
The
Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal and The Beauty of Darkness couldn’t
have been more captivating and addictive with shocks around every corner. I
read on my lunch breaks and when something catastrophic or amazing happened, I ran
back into work and told everybody because I couldn’t contain myself.
I
felt a lot of conflicting emotions at the end of The Beauty of Darkness. The
very last moment of the series was one I had highly anticipated, but the mood
felt different because I was reminded of the losses that occurred throughout
the books. I felt that there was a lack of passion missing in that final moment
that I wanted to be there. I was swept away by what had happened previously,
and was overwhelmed by the choices that were made and the sacrifices that
occurred. I wanted it to be a completely happy ending but knew it had to be at
least partially bittersweet. Still, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to any of the
characters.
My
heart was (and still is) so full of admiration for Lia, Rafe and Kaden. Their
experiences made them incredibly strong and thoughtful people, because they
lived through perilous situations, insurmountable loss, navigated countless
deceits, and still rose to every challenge. Not only were they complex individuals,
but they were also compassionate and I treasured them.
