Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

45 reviews

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

I read the Dance of Thieves Duology first (I am a Virgo, I like to do things *in order* so I can catch the Easter eggs in the spinoff series, so I am actually annoyed that I didn’t read this first🫠). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE PUT “A SPINOFF SERIES FROM <insert series>” so I don’t make this mistake again. Yes, it’s all about me, cry about it 😂

Overall, this is a romantasy with a bit of a love triangle, and the worldbuilding is pretty loose/soft. It’s a heavier focus on the character exploration and romance. The “cliffhanger”? Ummm idk yall, I saw that coming haha. 

I will continue the series because I am mostly a completist as long as books don’t feel harmful, but let it be known that I enjoyed Dance of Thieves a lot more (so far). 
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kelly_sch29's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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ali_k0's review against another edition

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"woe is me I don't have powers"

"anyways anyone else hear those voices that often appear right before something important?"

Girly got kidnapped and keeps thinking about how attractive her kidnapper is. This could be overlooked, if not for the fact that they had the chemistry of salt and a snail. 


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jayhall's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A really interesting take to keep the character identities secret for the majority of the book. The book does a lot of heavy lifting set-up wise, and ultimately leaves little resolution for the first book beyond setting up the larger story and stakes. At the end, Im struck that nothing has really happened throughout most of the book other than give one character some backstory other than not wanting to get married. I'm curious to see where it all goes, and there are lots of questions still to answer, some of which I feel could have been answered earlier and still kept the tension.
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jadenreads99's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I don't care if it's not poetry by Shakespeare, it's 5 stars. Yall need to chill bc this book was ENJOYABLE. and the people who say they guessed the twist are LYING. AND IF I SEE YOU POSTING IN THE REVIEW ABOUT THE TWIST WITH NO SPOILER MARK IM COMING FOR YOU BC YALL RUINED IT FOR ME. Seriously read this book, don't read any other review but mine bc these people don't know how to mark their spoilers - it's not pike the ebat and greatest literature BUT I was hooked so I say do it
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ladydianna1600's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked this book very much.  I started in strong with it but near the end I thought it moved a bit slow until the last 100 pages.  Also, the reveal in the middle, I had already figured out near the beginning.  I am going to read the next book in the series.  I love the writing.  I am just a slow reader which doesn't help.  I rate it a solid 3.5 stars.
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whatbeccareadnext's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

This was a decent start to the series, I'm interested to see where this will go, but I wasn't as gripped as I thought I would be. This felt like more of an introduction to the characters, and I think the real action will likely start now that we've gotten to know them a bit better. 
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beesknees's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Kiss of Deception has an intriguing premise, but falls short with its somewhat flat characterization and near insta-love tropes. Things I enjoyed included Lia’s tendency to make questionable decisions, a cast of entertaining side characters, and a delicious twist that impressed. Some critique: the writing style felt simple even for a YA book, and the surface level girl power themes were just OK. I do feel intrigued enough to pick up book two from my local library.
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kristiacole's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Man this book was good! A little slow at times, but overall it was very exciting and it really ended with a punch that made me want to read the next one. And I was very cleverly "deceived" by the author regarding some of the characters just as Lia was. An amazing book!
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lindseyhall44's review

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I had planned on reading this book as an introduction to the world of Dance of Theives, but ended up really enjoying it. Lia is such a strong willed and remarkable protagonist. I’m very excited to see what the next installment brings 
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