missart

Mary E Pearson

Release date: July 2014

I’m not familiar with any of Mary Pearson’s previous work,  but this upcoming YA is filled with tropes I’m a sucker for:

 - daring sword fights 

 - magic spells 

 - a prince in disguise! 

 No wait, that’s another story.

But close enough. Throw in a run away princess for good measure, and I was bound to sniff this one out eventually.

Set in what is an assumedly post-post-post-post-post-post apocalyptic age, it was enjoyable exploring an eerily familiar yet distant world with Princess Lia on her willing and ultimately unwilling adventure. Her growth as a character is smooth and believable, and her trials the kind the adventuresome crave and the dramatic cling to. Her dueling love interests are not overly played, though they are definitely at the heart of the story. As the title suggests though, this love triangle is full of DECEPTIONS as much for Lia as for the reader. 

I mentioned magic as being a part of the premise, but magic in this story treads the line between fantasy and reality. What is magic but something we don’t yet understand? Can something remain natural and mysterious and not be magical?

Overall, this is a fun story with real tread, populated by believable characters, colorful settings, and plenty of swoony moments to delight any young (or less young) romantic. I find myself looking forward to the next volume, I feel it will only get better.