What a SATISFYING end to this trilogy omg. Talk about a new favourite. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Every timeWhat a SATISFYING end to this trilogy omg. Talk about a new favourite. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Every time I thought I knew how the story was going to go...Sarah Fine threw me another curveball AND I LOVED IT.
I haven’t been this passionate about a couple since Karou and Akiva from Daughter of Smoke and Bone. In fact, Lela and Malachi reminded me A LOT of them. Both couples literally defied life and death in order to be together. Talk about relationship goals. This trilogy is reason #2828317273 I’m going to die alone lmao.
I highly recommend picking up this criminally underrated, yet BRILLIANT, trilogy. Although book two arguably comes across as a filler book, books one and three definitely make it worth the while. Now, how long is long enough before I binge this trilogy again? ;)...more
"Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, but the willingness to stay the course in spite of it."
It’s a good thing that Varsha and I decided to randomly b
"Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, but the willingness to stay the course in spite of it."
It’s a good thing that Varsha and I decided to randomly buddy read this!!! Who knows when I would’ve gotten to it, otherwise? Talk about a happy, albeit unexpected, surprise!
Why aren’t more people talking about this amazing book??? I mean, it has faeries, ogres, Feeding Trees, witches, curses, and faery gifts!!! What’s not to like??? This was also such a great adventure!!!
There was some false advertising though. Whilst this story felt like a faery tale, this is not a Sleeping Beauty retelling. In all honesty, if you go into this book with that mind-set, I guarantee you that you’ll be extremely disappointed.
In fact, if I were to call it a retelling of anything, I’d say it’s a retelling of the movie, Princess of Thieves (2001) with Keira Knightley! Have you seen it? It’s so good! The premise is a feminist retelling of Robin Hood, where Gywn uses her swashbuckling skills to save Robin Hood (her father), Will Scarlett, and even England itself from the dastardly Prince John, with the help from King Richard the Lionheart’s illegitimate son, Prince Philip. Let’s see…
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The title is the Princess of Thieves Thorns? The daughter of the nobles royals, Robin Hood and Lady Marian Prince Stephen and Princess Rose? A girl named Gwyn Princess Aurora? A girl disguised as a boy to conceal her identity? A girl talented with a bow and arrow faery staff? A girl helping Prince Philip Niklaas, who wants to gain royal power? A girl whose motive is to save her father brother from execution? A girl who needs the prince’s help to fight Prince John Queen Ekeeta? A girl with a close, brother-like best friend, Froderick Thyne? Etc…
"Because they are strong enough to know the truth, and proving that to themselves will make them stronger." Ror sits up straighter in the saddle. "And perhaps, if men were brought up to be gentler people, women wouldn't have need of protectors. Have you ever thought of that?"
I shake my head. "Men aren't going to change, Ror. Men are what they are."
"And women are more than what you allow them to be. Women can be strong, Niklaas. If given the chance, they can handle the world, maybe even handle it better than a man. "
Princess Aurora was such an empowering protagonist. Not only was she very capable in a fight (what a bad-arse! :P), but she was also a true heroine, willing to sacrifice herself in order to save her people, as their future Queen. She was completely believable, whilst masquerading as a boy, and had to deal with the internal struggle of how truthful she should be with her traveling companion, Niklaas.
Prince Niklaas spent the majority of the novel bantering and sparring with Aurora (or Ror), much to my delight. <3 He was such an amazing person, who only wanted to be loved and have the opportunity to live without a curse looming over his head. He was also quite selfless, willing to put himself into dangerous situations, regardless if there’s a personal benefit to him, or not. He’s quite protective of the people that he cares about and I found him to be quite a sweet prince.
Needless to say, these two were wonderful characters and greatly contributed to my enjoyment of this novel.
I highly recommend this to those who enjoy faery tales, fantasy adventures, and the girl-dressed-as-a-boy trope! :D...more
Whoa. I did not expect that! THAT’S what’s in the crystals?!!! :O Oh myyy...
Yay! My ship is sailing whooooo hooooo! MRe-read, part three, with Alison!
Whoa. I did not expect that! THAT’S what’s in the crystals?!!! :O Oh myyy...
Yay! My ship is sailing whooooo hooooo! Magneo for life!!! It’s about time Magnus recognised how he really felt about Cleo! My babies!!! <3
Also, Jonas. Grrr. Can’t he do anything correctly?! So bloody USELESS. I felt worse for Felix, rather than Jonas. Eek. And I’m STILL indifferent to Lucia. I find her entire plot line to be rather tedious, if I’m being honest.
“I will find you. In the farthest corner, I will find you.”
AHH!!! I loved this so much more the second time around, but of cours**spoiler alert**
“I will find you. In the farthest corner, I will find you.”
AHH!!! I loved this so much more the second time around, but of course that might be because it was a fun buddy re-read with the lovely Diana! Fair warning, this is your last chance to turn back because this will be a spoiler-filled review!!!
If you had seen my first review after reading this novel, you might remember that I had originally rated this 4 stars...but considering that this is the first YA high fantasy novel that I have so genuinely enjoyed since Six of Crows, I decided to increase my rating to a 4.75, so I rounded it to 5 stars. The only reason that this isn't a full 5-star read is because for a high fantasy novel, as is the case with Throne of Glass and Shadow and Bone (among others), I found the world-building to be rather lacking.
There are mentions of the countries of Morrighan, Dalbreck, and Venda...but we do not really find out anything about them in the first instalment of this trilogy. What is the climate? How big are they? What does the majority of their citizens look like? What currency do they use? What is the social class system like? What kind of professions are prevalent there? We learn about the languages they speak, the religious practices they follow (I want to know more about their mythology!!!), and the prejudices that they hold, but not much else. I really hope that this is remedied in The Heart of Betrayal. Having said that, I do get the sense that this is a post-apocalyptic story, told after the world is re-born, which explains a lot of the similarities to our world.
And now to what I like! My absolute favourite aspect of this novel is the character development interwoven with the theme of identity...as well as deception. All of our three protagonists have such strong personalities, but undergo so much growth simultaneously. For me, as a reader, plot and world-building is extremely important, but I will always be more drawn to well-written characters who overcome various trials and tribulations, in order to become even better versions of themselves. This is the first love triangle since Clockwork Princess that I actually didn't mind, because we see that she had completely given her heart to Rafe since the beginning of the novel. She might have cared somewhat about Kaden as the plot progressed, but her heart belonged to Rafe, and she never seemed to waver from that.
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“We all have our different skills. You’re patient to a fault, which sometimes doesn’t work to your advantage. I, on the other hand, have the patience of a wet cat. Only on rare occasions does that come in handy.”
The basic plot, of course, is that Princess Arabella Celestine Idris Jezelia, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan, or Lia, is about to be forced into an arranged marriage with a Prince that she's never met, from a country that she's never been to. She is also believed to have "the gift", a magical gift of knowing passed down from the Ancients. In order to avoid having to live a life forced upon her, she flees the kingdom with her trusted (and pregnant) friend, Pauline, in tow. She ends up in Terravin, a small village where she works happily as a barmaid, content with the knowledge that she can now choose her own fate. All Lia that ever wanted was to be allowed the right to choose her own path. She's also an absolutely phenomenal character. She's capable with a knife, protective of the ones she loves, determined to write her own story, resourceful enough to take care of herself, and caring enough to help those who had hurt her. I also love her funny and snarky attitude!!! She's easily one of the best YA heroines that I've read about in a while.
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“Some things last.” “Really? And just what would that be?” “The things that matter.”
Next, we have Prince Jaxon Tyrus Rafferty, Crown Prince of Dalbreck, or Rafe, which is the pseudonym that he uses to gain Lia's trust. He can’t present himself as the Prince of Dalbreck, which could be construed as an act of war, considering that he was a guest on Morrighan's soil. So, the snubbed Prince tracks down the Princess that he didn't even want to marry, in the first place. He was curious about the girl who was brave enough to spurn two kingdoms in pursuit of her own happiness. Rafe turns out to not be the "old toad" that Lia assumes he will turn out to be. In fact, he is brave, romantic, and protective, even riding out to an enemy country in order to rescue his "future Queen." #TeamRafe
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“I rubbed my chest, feeling the scars anew now that she had seen them, thinking how they must look to someone like her. Maybe they just completed the image of an animal. I was afraid that was all I was to her now.”
And finally, Kaden, is the assassin from the barbarian country of Venda. He is tasked with making Lia's murder look like Dalbreck ordered the assassination in order to further wedge the kingdoms apart, thus preventing the planned alliance through marriage. Unlike the rest of his fellow assassins, he does not seem to be as comfortable with killing innocent people, but he resolves to do it as an act of loyalty for his country. Over the course of the novel, his resolve slips and he does whatever he can to save Lia's life, even taking her alive as a prisoner. Out of all of the characters presented in this novel, I felt the most for Kaden. He's had an awful upbringing, is forced to do horrific things, and is covered in scars. I just want him protected at all costs!!!
All in all, I truly enjoyed this novel. Mary E. Pearson is a splendid writer, who gave spectacular descriptions, and wrote so many flawless and philosophical quotes. The book flew by so quickly, despite being nearly 500 pages with 72 chapters. Once Kaden takes Lia prisoner, the plot is full-speed ahead until the very end. AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. This was an amazing beginning to what I hope will be a brilliant trilogy. For anyone wanting a fantasy novel with a brilliant heroine, lovely friendships, and romantic love interests, I would highly recommend The Kiss of Deception....more
Let’s face it...who here — who knows me — is actually surprised by this rating? I have an obsession and that obsession is called Books Written By LainLet’s face it...who here — who knows me — is actually surprised by this rating? I have an obsession and that obsession is called Books Written By Laini Taylor. xD
This is one of the most epic conclusions that I’ve ever read to a series. Talk about an amazing ending! My ships sailed and my babies lived happily ever after. ...So, that’s good enough for me! ;) I seriously hope that Laini will choose to write more books about this phenomenal world (maybe even cross over with Strange the Dreamer?) and these lovely characters because a mere three books is not nearly enough! <3...more
✨ Helena ✨
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Books:
best-of-2014
(10)
