Tagged: lia
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.
She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Lia was a hard character for me to read, if I’m honest. I’m not the type of person that’s overly self-sacrificing, but her decision to run on her wedding day didn’t sit well with me. It felt incredibly selfish, especially when the livelihoods of two kingdoms and all of their subjects were at risk. She didn’t even give her marriage a chance to work, but made a pre-emptive strike by running away and putting literally thousands of lives at risk. I can absolutely understand her motivations, though I certainly don’t agree with them. Still, Lia was not a bad character and by the end she was at least well-fleshed out enough that I actually found myself enjoying her.
My main problem with The Kiss of Deception is that it’s like a really old table: it sags in the middle. Don’t get me wrong—Mary Pearson’s writing really is amazing—but her pacing is somewhat lacking. Most of the story’s plot centres around the fact that you apparently aren’t sure which of the two boys Lia likes is the assassin and which is the prince. What really puzzled me was that there seemed to be no ambiguity in her writing so the ‘big reveal’ was somewhat spoiled by the fact I didn’t know there was a mystery to begin with. It was rather jarring, I’ll admit.
One of the saving graces of the story wasn’t just Lia’s character development, but the aforementioned quality of Pearson’s writing. It really was awesome and despite the poor pacing I found myself revelling in the world she created. It was vivid and real with some really beautiful descriptions that you don’t often find in YA fiction. In my opinion it’s hard to comment on the world-building simply because we haven’t actually seen much of the world yet. Lia spent most of her time in a small-town tavern, after all. Still, from what I’ve seen I’m pretty satisfied and it almost makes up for the poor pacing and Lia’s character in the beginning.
So overall? I’d have to say that The Kiss of Deception is more contradiction than deception but that doesn’t mean the book doesn’t have merit. The writing got better as the book went along and there was finally something resembling a plot at the end of the book so I think I will end up reading the second book. However, you do have to have a certain mindset to read this book and not feel repulsed by Lia’s selfishness at the beginning. It does get better as the book moves along, however.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
Starlet’s Light by Carla J. Hanna
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Young Hollywood actress, Liana Marie Michael, gives up the fight until she sees the light.
Isolated on set in the United Kingdom, Lia struggles through the 5 Stages of Grief while shooting her last feature film. Cancer survivor, Oscar winner, and victim of several crimes, Lia sinks into despair as her heart fails. With supportive childhood friend Manuel Biro, and the help from Swiss billionaire-heir Pierre Lambert, Lia is ‘so done’ with acting and learns that she needs more than just a man’s love to prevail.
STARLET’S LIGHT is a touching story of Lia’s struggle with trust and commitment as she shapes the role she plays in her own life.
[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
Remember how yesterday I said Starlet’s Run was better than the first book, Starlet’s Web? Well Starlet’s Light is better than both! The overall quality of writing is better, the characters are better as they mature and Carla Hanna’s message comes through loud and clear but not in an obnoxious manner.
Finally Lia sets off on her own away from Manuel for a change and she also meets Pierre. I hope I’m not spoiling too much when I say that a love triangle happens. Yes, I was inwardly cringing when I thought I knew what Carla Hanna was doing to Lia’s love life, but she had such an amazing twist on the love triangle that all was forgiven. In fact, more authors should do love triangles that way. It would certainly make for more interesting books and less one dimensional characters.
But while there is quite a bit of romance going on, Lia emerges as a character that isn’t completely dependent on the men in her life. She has her own interests, both loves and hates her career as an actress and struggles to control her life despite her failing health. Lia grew quite a bit in the first and second books in the series, but it’s really Starlet’s Light where she becomes a memorable character. She doesn’t have it easy and you can really feel her suffering, but with the help of her friends and her spirituality she makes it through to a sort of acceptance of her condition. Her realization at the end of the novel only makes you connect with her more. Lia’s far from perfect and she realizes that, making her my favourite character in the series.
As I said about the first two books, this is not a book you read for the plot. No, this is a book you read for the message as well as the characters. And believe me, the message is terrifying as we get to see even more about how horrible Hollywood is behind the scenes. I had my own terrifying realization as well while reading this: I’m fat. My dear little sister, who is described as a stick by pretty much everyone who sees her is fat. Why? Because we’re not that Hollywood size 0. Now, this didn’t make my self esteem plunge so much as make me realize how cookie-cutter the Hollywood ideal is. Seriously, Lia’s skewed view of beauty in the beginning is terrifying once it’s pointed out to you as a reader and it sends the message home better than any PSA or Dove Self-Esteem Project video.
If you haven’t started the series yet, I’d highly recommend it. Even for those of us who don’t like romance in general, the Starlet series is still a worthwhile read. If you like great main characters who actually grow throughout the series, you’ll love it. And, of course, if you’ve already read the first two books you’ll love the third installment of the series.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Starlet’s Run by Carla J. Hanna
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Hollywood actress Liana Marie Michael finds out that loving someone unconditionally, without losing who she is in the process, does not always have a convenient ending or an easy to memorize script.
As the path unfolds in front of her, Lia challenges the demons and destruction of her past, which had kept her like Alice in Wonderland, frozen in time and unable to escape the heavy web of expectation shrouding her heart. She needs more than the promise of true love to help her prevail. Exhausted from indecision, should she listen to what others think is best for her? What should she choose?
STARLET’S RUN is a triumphant story of Lia’s determination to step forward into a new and authentic life, taking on a role she has never before been given the chance to play–her self.
[Full disclosure: Carla Hanna sent me Starlet’s Run as part of a thank you for hosting a successful giveaway of her first two books. As always, this is still an honest review.]
I actually liked Starlet’s Run better than Starlet’s Web for various reasons. First was that we really got to see the destructive influence of Hollywood on Lia’s life and relationship with Manuel. Secondly, Lia developed far more as a character in the face of her medical problems and she really grew into her relationship with Manuel. Seeing the two of them struggle with her career, but eventually learn to strike a balance was satisfying. They’re not a picture perfect couple, but they do have a really strong bond and a healthy relationship despite outside factors. I don’t want to give anything away, but Lia’s relationships with other characters like her mother throughout Starlet’s Run also take interesting turns.
I wouldn’t call the plot fast-paced since this is a more character based novel, but it’s not like Carla J. Hanna drags the story on and on either. It’s somewhere in the middle, but mainly you should read it for the subtle messages and for the characters. You’ll want to cheer for Lia the whole time and you’ll love her even more as she grows as a character. Not only does she grow within her relationship with Manuel, she grows on her own. She has a life and friends outside of her relationship, unlike some YA heroines who have their partner and no one else.
One of the strengths of Carla Hanna’s writing is that she can get a message across without being obvious about it or preaching to her audience. She subtly criticizes the Hollywood lifestyle as well as the social expectations it places upon ordinary people, especially girls. Lia is also a very spiritual character without really being overly religious so she is also appealing to people from very different religious backgrounds.
Overall, I loved Starlet’s Run and with that awesome ending, I can’t wait to dive into the third book, Starlet’s Light.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
(Cover picture courtesy of Michelle Zink’s website.)
An ancient prophecy divides two sisters—one good…one evil…Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents’ deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don’t know whom they can trust. They just know they can’t trust each other.
This book had everything possible going for it: an unique premise, mystery, decent enough world building…I should have loved it. But “should have” does not mean “did”.
I just could not connect with any of the characters, especially Lia. Lia is someone I should have connected with not only because the book is written in first person, but because Michelle Zink has made her a consistent, normally likable sort of character. But I just could not connect to her on an emotional level. I did not really feel her grief at her father’s death, her burning curiosity to learn more about the mysterious mark on her arm, her happiness with her friends…it just didn’t ring true. It felt like it was superficial, shallow, that something was missing. I don’t know if this was just me or it was the very pared down writing style, but I could not connect with Lia and since the book is in first person POV, that tends to make it more difficult to like.
Aside from the lack of emotion in Michelle Zink’s writing I was quite impressed with her world-building and the premise of the book. Prophecies are kind of old, but I love how she adds her own twist to it by making not everything as it seems. The idea that Satan (or Samael as he’s called in this book) wants to return to Earth to unleash the 7 plagues signalling the end of time is not all that new, but the way Zink handled it was. The Spiritual Plane, the different levels of the spirit world, the ‘keys’ to the prophecy being actual people…it was all very fascinating. Sure, I would have appreciated more information in the beginning rather than having massive info-dumps and needless exposition in dialogue, but you can’t have everything.
The plot was fast-paced to the point of being rushed in some places, but it did have lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The cliffhanger at the end is great, but I don’t know if I really want to continue the series yet. But who knows?
I give this book 3/5 stars.