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Review: Design: The covers is among the most beautiful book covers that I have seen and owned myself. The interior design of the book can also keep up. As soon as you open it, You can find a great drawn map of the different kingdoms that will play a role in this fantasy series. This gives you a better overview when reading and a better feeling for the distances covered in the story. Since the story is told from several perspectives, there are quite small chapters, which I personally did not find disturbing. If the narrative perspective was changed, this was made clear by the heading of the chapter. Reading fluency: Regarding the actual writing style and reading fluency that I read the story very fluently. On the one hand, this is due to the arc of tension, which was exactly right. I actually couldn't find any tough or lengthy passages in the book. But be warned, Mary E. Pearson uses the different narrative perspectives in a very special way right at the beginning, so that you quickly get stuck on who the prince and who the assassin is. However, these assumptions can also lead you to a wrong conclusion. So always think along ;) Content and characters: First of all, about the characters. Although Lia was a princess and grew up in a family where she was never lacking in food or comfort, there is nothing arrogant and snooty in her behavior. Growing up with three big brothers, Lia was more like a "tomboy" and much more preferred to go hunting with her brothers than to attend activities that would be more appropriate for a princess, such as embroidery. That's why she hated marrying a prince she neither loves nor has ever seen. Instead, she makes the bold decision to leave her family and privileges behind and lead a civil life far from the royal court. On her trip to the fishing village of Terravin, you can see that Lia is not afraid of hard work or dirt. She sleeps with her ally and former lady-in-waiting Pauline on the hard forest floor and when she arrives in Terravin, Lia does not want to pay for her accommodation and food with the diamonds that she has taken with her, but rather earn it through honest work. That is why I liked her so much and her self-confidence is also admirable. Her friendly and almost sisterly relationship with Pauline also shows her caring nature. Lia is really a great, strong female role and I liked it very much. Regarding the two male protagonists Kaden and Rafe, one a prince and the other an assassin, it can be said that both were described in several layers. In each one you notice a dissonance between duty / pride and feelings / morals. Each of the two has positive character traits, but also negative ones, which makes them authentic and at the same time exciting, because both characters are different and at the same time very similar. I don't want to tell you more in order not to take away the fun of reading, because everything else would reveal too much and you could probably guess who is who. Both are definitely attractive to Lia, but only one manages to win Lia over. The love story between them is quite realistic and fits well into the story without being too much in the foreground. The various supporting roles also all have their place in their story, ahead of all is the inn owner Berdie, who takes Lia and Pauline in and keeps Lia's secret without comment. She brings maternal warmth to the story. And is one of my favorite characters in the book. The story itself is told in a very exciting way and contains some twists and turns that are not really predictable or can only be recognized if you have read very carefully. I am excited for Lia on her way into a new, bourgeois future. Lia is always guided by an inner feeling, which saves her from some difficulties. What this inner feeling is about becomes more and more clear in the course of the story and you learn together with Lia about the gift that is predetermined for her as the "first daughter". Although the book is part of youth literature, it is sometimes quite brutal and therefore also suitable for adults. The book ends with a cliffhanger, which definitely makes you want to read the next volume, because you really want to know whether Lia can saver herself from the situation she is in at the end of volume one and whether all the open questions in volume 2 or 3 can be clarified. Conclusion: The Kiss of Deception is a successful beginning for a fantasy triology and has a bit of everything to offer, love, mystery, tension, enemy kingdoms, special gifts and a very strong female protagonist. Reading was never boring and predictable. One could find one's way into the story and was not bombarded with excessive details. I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy with a good hint of romance. But since it lacked a special twist or that spark that totally blew me away in the story, I give the book only 4.5 out of 5 stars. I hope I was able to give you a good impression of the book :)
