** spoiler alert ** 
 Between Kiss of Deception and Queen of the Tearling, which have eerily similar premises of a fantasy feudal world arising out of the post apocalyptic demise of our world, I think I prefer Kiss of Deception. There are certain world-building elements that are more intriguing in Queen of the Tearling that I liked. Overall it was only ok though. This book functions much more as a first in the series, while Kiss of Deception can standalone for most of it, except at the end where it's a crazy cliffhanger. I was warned beforehand, but I found the "rape and pillage" type language a little over the top and the casual mentions of sexual assault seem used more for shock value rather than for plot purpose. Probably more like 2.5 stars.