The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Title: The Kiss of Deception
Author: Mary E. Pearson
ISBN: 9780805099232
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Released: July 8, 2014
Page #: 489
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"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 of the brink of unlocking perilous secrets - even as she finds herself falling in love."
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First Lines: (quote from the galley - see final version for edits)

"Today was the day a thousand dreams would die, and a single dream would be born.
The wind knew. It was the first of June but cold gusts bit at the hilltop citadelle as fiercely as deepest winter, shaking the windows with curses and winding through drafty halls with warning whispers."
Page 3
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Review:

It's possible that this book has just claimed the spot for my favorite book ever, right now. This is me... attempting to write a review without gushing. Go!

Princess Lia is about to get married to a prince she has never met before. Her family is trying to create an alliance with a nearby kingdom, so it is her duty to marry this man and move away from everything she knows. She's never been much for royal protocol, so it's not surprising that she doesn't want this life. On the day of her wedding, she runs away. With the help of her friend Pauline, Lia finds a new home and a life she had only imagined. And one thing she wants the most - the possibility of love that is not forced on her.

This book was... in a word... brilliant. I mean, seriously. I love the kickass princess who defies her duty and finds a new life for herself. I love that she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. I love how fiercely Lia protects and takes care of her friend Pauline. I love that family is still important to her - even though she has run away from them. I love her devotion to her brothers and their families. I love how she's not willing to give up - even when she's facing probable death. She's just... amazing. And I want to know everything about her!

So, yes. She's got these two guys who arrive on the same night to the tavern where she is now working. They're very different and she cannot place why they stand out so much. But they both catch her eye. They are our two dashing love interests. Unfortunately, one is an assassin and there to kill her. Then there is the prince she just avoided marrying. She finds herself torn between the two and starts to really fall for one of them.

Honestly, about halfway through the book, I got the biggest shock when I realized that I had the guys figured out all wrong. There isn't a point before then that tells you exactly who is who... just hints as you go along. You can only imagine my shock when I realized which one was which. I think I actually exclaimed out loud and startled some coworkers at lunch. :) That alone made me think this book was brilliant - it had me going down the wrong path, only to turn the tables on me. Loved that!

The whole second half is sort grueling. Things seem dire... life is horrifying... Lia is on the trek of a lifetime - and may not make it much longer. It's seriously intense. Plus, there are still people out there trying to kill her. She's now in a world she doesn't understand in a situation she doesn't know how to get out of. This book ends on a serious cliffhanger. You really don't know whether she's going to make it much longer. I'm totally sucked in by the whole thing and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. In a word, this book is breathless.

I've already recommended this book to many, many people. It was actually recommended to me first by one of my coworkers. I can't believe I put it off as long as I did. I really think lots of people will love this story as much as I did... and I imagine the next book is going to be just as amazing. _________________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews: 

Books YA Love
Rainy Day Ramblings
Ink and Paper
There Were Books Involved
Writer of Wrongs
Loving the Language of Literacy
The Lit Bitch
M. Kircher
In Case of Survival
Read. Breathe. Relax.

Out This Week (December 7-13)

There are some amazing titles coming out this week in the YA world. Take a look... 

 12.9.14 For Real by Alison Cherry

12.9.14 Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

 12.9.14 Little White Lies by Katie Dale

12.9.14 Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

 12.9.14 King Dork Approximately by Frank Portman

12.9.14 Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

12.9.14 Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdom #3) by Morgan Rhodes

12.9.14 Zodiac by Romina Russell

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
ISBN: 9780062278968
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: November 04, 2014
Series: Firebird #1
Page #: 357
Source: My own copy

Summary:
"Marguerite Caine grew up surrounded by cutting-edge scientific theories, thanks to her brilliant physicist parents. Yet nothing is more astounding than her mother's latest invention - a device called the Firebird, which allows people to leap into alternate dimensions.

When Marguerite's father is murdered, all the evidence points to one person - Paul, her parents' enigmatic star student. Before the law can touch him, Paul escapes into another dimension, having committed what seems like the perfect crime. But he didn't count on Marguerite. She doesn't know if she can kill a man, but she's going to find out.

With the help of another physics student, Theo, Marguerite chases Paul through various dimensions. In each new world Marguerite leaps to, she meets another version of Paul that has her doubting his guilt and questioning her heart. Is she doomed to repeat the same betrayal?

As Marguerite races through these wildly different lives - a grand duchess in a Tsarist Russia, a club-hopping orphan in a futuristic London, a refugee from worldwide flooding on a station in the heart of the ocean - she is swept into an epic love affair as dangerous as it is irresistible."
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First Lines:

"My hand shakes as I brace myself against the brick wall. Rain falls cold and sharp against my skin, from a sky I've never seen before. It's hard to catch my breath, to get any sense of where I am. All I know is that the Firebird worked."
Page 1
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Review:

Dimension jumping to find your dad's murderer? Could you get anything more intense??

Marguerite's parents are scientists. Physicists, to be exact. She's always lived in a home with big thinkers... students of life... and some actual students of her parents. Her mother has found a way to allow a person to jump dimensions, but it's been used for evil. Marguerite's father was just murdered and the man responsible has stolen one of the dimension jumping devices (a Firebird) and he's lost to them now. She teams up with one of her parent's students set out to see if they can find him and bring him to justice.

Everything about this book blew my mind. In the best possible way. The whole concept of alternate dimensions that play out every other possible decision you've made (and everyone else in the world), is just completely mind blowing. There are dimensions where you didn't forgive that one friend and it changed the course of things. There are dimensions where your parents didn't meet - you can't visit those, you don't exist. There are dimensions where your ancestor didn't make it to America, so you're welcome to visit their lives in Russia. I mean, ANYTHING! It's crazy and the possibilities are endless. I think that's what makes this idea really cool for a book - they could literally go anywhere.

In that vein, this book is set in so many places, it was probably really fun to write. An extremely tech savvy London. An extremely backwards Russia. A legit water world. And even one dimension that was so close to her own, Marguerite had some trouble identifying the differences. Can you imagine all of those things happening simultaneously and all you need is one little device to visit them all? It doesn't hurt that her parents are brilliant and they have the ability to open up these possibilities for her.

But it's not just about jumping around to see what's happening. She's searching for the man who murdered her father. A man she trusted. A man her parents trusted. A man that she becomes less and less convinced is guilty. In each new world, they have to find each other to figure things out. There's a larger tech organization that is involved in this whole scandal as well, but how deeply? As soon as one mystery is figured out, another one pops up. This book definitely kept me on my toes.

I'm not sure if this is going to become a series. This book wrapped up nicely and everything was figured out. No real cliffhangers here - which I highly appreciate. But it makes me wonder if there will be more about the Firebird. More about the possibilities. I've seen a few places that this is listed as #1, so I am hoping for more. I honestly think this is the best thing that has been written by Claudia Gray. I'm definitely up for another installment if there is going to be one. I'm highly recommending this one as it is.
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Other Blog Reviews:

That's Normal
Snuggly Oranges
There Were Books Involved
YA Midnight Reads
All Things Urban Fantasy
Alice Marvels
Bookish Broads
The Bookshelf Intruder
The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger
Reading Lark

Out This Week (Nov 23-29)

There's not a ton of titles coming out this week, but these look amazing. 

 11.25.14 Caught Up by Amir Abrams

11.25.14 Captive (Blackcoat Rebellion #2) by Aimee Carter

 11.25.14 On the Edge by Allison van Diepen

11.25.14 Anomaly by Tonya Kuper

11.24.14 House of Robots by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

11.25.14 Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Title: Talon
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373211395
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: October 28, 2014
Series: Talon #1
Page #: 449
Source: My own copy

Summary:
"Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragonslayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey - and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the order has ingrained in him - and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons."
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First Lines:

"'Ember, when did your parents die, and what was the cause of death?'
I stifled a groan and tore my gaze from the car window, where the bright, sunny town of Crescent Beach shimmered beyond the tinted glass."
Page 11
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Review:

Undercover dragons living among humans - researching humans - trying to go undetected? I'm totally in.

Ember and Dante have been given the opportunity to live among humans and learn as much as they can until they are given their official assignments. They've been extremely sheltered until now, so this is a huge change for them. Ember greets the challenge head-on. She makes friends, meets a guy, learns to surf... until she meets a mysterious stranger who seems to know all about her. Not to mention she is trying to avoid being detected by their nemesis - the Order of St. George.

While I know the bones of this story are a little silly... this book was awesome. It's the perfect mix of light-hearted fun and surfing, but serious danger and training. The whole concept of undercover dragons is a total new one for me and I love it. There are some pretty epic battle scenes that will make this book very appealing to action lovers, and I think there's plenty of relationship stuff that will appeal to the romance lovers. Shall we say that this book has something for everyone? Maybe. :)

You get hints about where Ember and Dante have come from, but there's never a clear picture of their home. Their training. Did they have friends there? Did they have family? You get the feeling that they have come from a scientific lab... that they have never interacted with anyone. But I also find their relationship very interesting - especially if they come from that sort of background. They're very protective of each other, as twins often are. But That's not something they were taught and not something their parent organization (Talon) is a fan of. So I found them to be very interesting. I get the feeling that we'll get a lot more of Dante's side of things in the next book.

As you can imagine, there is a definite love triangle going on here. The guys could not be more opposite - one is a rogue dragon that he denounced anything Talon-related and wants Ember to join him, the other is a dragon hunter who doesn't really know who she is, but has his suspicions! I mean, how much more emotionally charged can you get? Why couldn't she just find some cute surfer boy? Alas!

Seriously, though... I totally bought into the story. I wanna know what's going to happen next. I want to see where all of the characters end up. I feel pretty invested. I will say that I don't think this is Kagawa's best book to date. I mean, can you ever live up to the Iron Fey series? I think not. :) But honestly, I think it's an original story that people will love. Especially those fans of paranormal romance. You don't get much more paranormal than dragons, right?
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Other Blog Reviews:

Star-Crossed Book Blog
Bookish Broads
The Irish Banana
Read. Breathe. Relax.
Words Read and Written
Fictional Thoughts
Musings of a YA Reader
Reading Bifrost
Icey Books
Goldilox and the Three Weres