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Deception Pawn Princesses of Myth Esther Friesner Books

Download As PDF : Deception Pawn Princesses of Myth Esther Friesner Books

Deception Pawn Princesses of Myth Esther Friesner Books

Esther Friesner is an incredible historical fiction author. I've read every book in the Princesses of Myth series, but lately the stories have felt lacking. The loves story seemed predictable, and the action ended up being secondary to the drama that was unfolding. I found myself skipping pages and long conversations yet not feeling like I missed anything. I was more satisfied when I finished, put the book down, and imagined an alternative ending.


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Deception Pawn Princesses of Myth Esther Friesner Books Reviews

I realize that “Deception’s Pawn” is set long ago, in centuries past when mores and customs differ from today, but I didn’t realize sense and reason were confined to a certain time period.

There were two instances of “reasoning” in this novel that didn’t make any sense to me the first was when Maeve hid the fact that Ea was “her” falcon. Maeve reasoned that she didn’t want to have to explain about Odran, but would have to if she confessed to knowing the kestrel, and it was too soon for her to face the hurt and anger she still felt over losing Odran. That just seems a lame and weak reason to me for Maeve concealing her prior knowledge of the bird. She seems a clever enough gal to find a way to explain personal knowledge of Ea without mentioning her lost love, if she was that desperate to bury her feelings about what happened with Odran in the first novel, “Deception’s Princess”.

The second instance of failed logic involved her father hiding communication from Maeve’s older - and beloved sister Derbriu. The reason given was that if the loving relationship between the sisters continued, Maeve might want to run away to visit her married sister. WTF?! Thus, Maeve’s father pretended Derbriu never had any messages for her little Maeve, hoping to foster ill feeling in the latter so she wouldn’t leave home. Are we really to believe that back in the day, a sister can’t be happy for another without wanting to leave home just so she can hew more closely to her departed sister? In what world does that make sense?

At least we still have kick-ass, spunky Maeve. I’m glad that she wants more out of life than to just be a wife and mother, which, frankly, was what women were relegated to back then. The message of Girl Power which began in the first novel “Deception’s Princess” (and truthfully, is also found in the whole series of Freisner’s books) is as relevant back in the olden days as it is now. Thankfully, society has progressed to the point today’s women aren’t resigned to a certain life or fate – at least in the more enlightened parts of the world.

Although it definitely brings authenticity to the story, I had trouble with the Celtic names and places in this novel. Nothing new here, as I recall having the same problem when I read “Deception’s Princess”. Yes, a glossary was provided at the end of the novel, but it gets tiring having to switch back and forth just to see how a certain name/place is to be read. But, this was only a minor quibble. As I stated, those names lent realism (and showed the author’s prodigious research) so I just learned to live with such tongue twisters as Dun Beithe or Caer Ibormeith.

At one point, I thought I fell into a bizarro world of the film Mean Girls. Large parts of the novel were given over to the mean-spirited, vile words and actions of the fostered girls towards Maeve, led by Bryg – the Regina of the bunch. I really felt the author overdid this aspect of the novel. The spiteful, hateful actions of the girls went on much too long, and in the long run, didn’t serve much purpose. Yes, towards the end of the novel, Maeve sought to ensure those girls wouldn’t be hurtful to anyone else, foster or not, in the future. But did Esther Friesner really need to devote as many chapters as she did to this 18th? 17th century version of The Plastics?

Although it’s been some time since I read the first novel, I can’t recall if Maeve was presented as a Very Special Snowflake in that first book the way she was in this sequel. Give the author credit, the MC’s special status is usually presented early in a novel, but in “Deception’s Pawn”, it happened mostly in the middle and latter parts of the book. We are told via other characters how beautiful, how brave, witty, compassionate, etc. etc. Maeve is. We get it – Maeve is the most special, wonderful princess that ever was.

In fact, she’s so wonderful, not one, not two, but three guys love her! Of the three, my favorite was Odran since we were introduced to him in the first novel and his actions there cemented his swoonworthy status. As for Kian, guy number two, I guess he loves Maeve just because she’s beautiful and is the High King’s daughter. I’m glad Friesner didn’t pair him up with Maeve since we never got the sense there was much romance between the two. Also, he didn’t have the personality that would have been deserving of such a person as Maeve. He was too whiny and judgmental at times. Finally, there’s Conchobar. He was somewhat the anti-hero. He was snarky and cynical at times, but also comes through as a true champion when necessary. There were hints throughout that he might end up being Maeve’s One True Love. I didn’t mind that Friesner didn’t end her novel with Maeve and Odran as a couple [even though I shipped them], but I felt there was still unfinished business between them. Yes, they had “broken up”, but it didn’t feel as though the couple said everything that needed to be said to truly bury their romance. While it’s common that most people don’t live HEA with their first love, I didn’t get the sense there was true resolution to their relationship. I don’t know if this is the final novel featuring Maeve, but I’m fine with how the author left our heroine at novel’s end – with the exception of Maeve and Odran.

Ultimately, I really liked the Girl Power message found throughout this novel. Friesner pushed the special snowflake status a little too much for me, but I do like my heroines to have brains, beauty and spunk and that’s exactly what we find here. Parts of the novel didn’t work for me (already detailed in my review above), but overall, this is still a worthwhile read.
Warning contains some spoilers from the first novel in the duology.

I loved Deception's Princess because it stepped out of the constraints of the brave, independent, kickass girl trope that is all too common in YA lit today. While Maeve is a courageous young woman who isn't afraid to fight for herself, she has proven to be clever and relational-oriented. She uses a daughter's wits to fight when she cannot use a son's weapons, and she has been shown to be close to her friends and family. In Deception's Pawn, however, the character that has been built for her in Deception's Princess falls apart, and Maeve becomes another foolhardy girl who charges recklessly into situations and somehow gets through tough situations that could have easily gone bad.

Determined not to be her father's pawn, Maeve has entered fosterage to gain greater freedom. Whereas I found Maeve a mature character in the first novel, Maeve feels youthful and headstrong in the sequel. She often acts based on her emotions instead of relying on the wits that she espoused in the first novel. For example, despite the gossip floating around, she continues to hang out with a young man alone outside of the walls because of her personal desires (to learn how to fight and to hang out with Ea, the kestrel she loves). She is also hopelessly naive in her interactions with the foster girls and continues to consider them her friends for much of the novel in spite of their contradictory behavior.

The characters and their relationships lose depth. The foster girls are extremely shallow and focused on (1) self-preservation and (2) getting a guy. If they take an interest in the other girls, it's because they have their self-interests in mind. Considering how the novel is told from Maeve's perspective, I would understand if Maeve taking a superficial interest in the other girls led her to portray them shallowly, but she actually takes an interest in them. Furthermore, Maeve doesn't interact consistently with any one character; as a result, the other characters tend to come and go at random. There isn't a consistent plotline that involves any one character. I find it problematic that the guy who forces a kiss on Maeve ends up being the most reliable character at the end. Other guys (and girls) that ought to have been reliable end up being shallow, cowardly, and inattentive. I'm especially disappointed in Odran. I understand that his love with Maeve in the first novel was youthful and naive, but his reaction to the changing dynamics of their relationship was poor. This was very, very disappointing.

The ending was very cheesy and unrealistic. First, Maeve resolves conflicts with different people rather quickly and unsatisfactorily. I know things won't always wrap up cleanly in reality, but the way things stand at the end of the novel, the characters remain superficial. Second, given his actions thus far, I highly doubt that Maeve's father would go and give her what she wants especially without her having to bring it up. What it is I won't say because I don't want to spoil the ending. He's a guy who does things because he has an agenda, not because he wants to do someone a favor. (Third) What I did like is that Maeve stands up for herself and gains the freedom and independence that she desires. Furthermore, she is shown to be a strong woman who does not need a man but rather stands equal to men in a traditionally patriarchal society.

While Maeve's pursuit of freedom is admirable, her character is too youthful and naive to make her "success" realistic. While she wants to be independent, she does not exhibit the wisdom and skill set necessary to be a leader among her people. That said, she is a young woman in the process of learning more about the world, and I do believe that she has the charisma to be a strong leader. I just wish that she showed more growth in this novel, for she showed a lot of potential in the first novel. As it is, Deception's Pawn is a disappointing follow up to the first novel.

Content (contains potential spoilers)
- Maeve runs away from fosterage to live with Odran. They make out with fiery passion, and it is implied that they have sex. Some of the other foster girls have lovers; it is implied at least one of them has sex with her lovers.
- The foster girls can be very mean. The bullying among the foster girls gets pretty bad. For example, some of the girls sit on top of Maeve so that it is hard for her to breathe, and they stay there until she cries. In the past, the bullying got so bad that a girl ran away never to be seen again (it's highly likely that she died out there).
- Two guys get into a (physical) fight over Maeve.
Entertaining read. Well-developed characters and relatable way of dealing with conflicts.
Esther Friesner is an incredible historical fiction author. I've read every book in the Princesses of Myth series, but lately the stories have felt lacking. The loves story seemed predictable, and the action ended up being secondary to the drama that was unfolding. I found myself skipping pages and long conversations yet not feeling like I missed anything. I was more satisfied when I finished, put the book down, and imagined an alternative ending.