Book: The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant
Chronicles Book 3)
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, YA Fiction,
Romance
Blurb via Amazon:
Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path
before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and
final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.
My Summary:
WARNING: DO NOT READ unless you have read Books
1 & 2 of the Remnant Chronicles or are VERY curious about the book.
SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!
Last we saw them, Lia had been gravely wounded after barely escaping Venda. Rafe found her by the bank almost lifeless yet he believes that they would both survive and return to his kingdom of Dalbreck.
This book begins with
Rafe’s friends and fellow soldiers Sven, Orrin, Tavish and Jeb finding Lia and
Rafe. They then make their slow
(due to Lia’s injuries) trek back to Dalbreck, on the way capturing two
unexpected eventual allies, Kaden and Griz.
The animosity between Kaden
and Rafe is still very much alive.
And though Rafe knows Lia loves him, he still has doubts as to what
exactly Lia feels for Kaden the assassin and what happened between them in her
captivity.
Lia’s gift of sight grows
strong with more frequent whispers and messages from beyond. Her fate is set it seems and she
believes strongly that the Komizar, if not stopped by her, will destroy her
home, Morrighan. Rafe fears for
her life as the Morrighan court has been infiltrated by traitors who have
placed a bounty on Lia’s head. One
of these is a high ranking official whose connection to Kaden is one he
loathes.
On Rafe’s shoulders now lie
the burden of running the kingdom of Dalbreck as in his absence, his parents
passed away. And since he spent
months trying to save Lia from the Komizar and the vipers in the Vendan sanctum,
the people of Dalbreck do not know whether he lived, died or has
abdicated. His position is in jeopardy. He has to fight not
just to make Lia stay with him, but also for his birthright, his throne.So what weighs more for Rafe? Is it love for Lia or love for his people and his kingdom of Dalbreck? And what is Lia prepared to sacrifice? Her Prince or Morrighan?
My Review:
Months. I have waited months for this book to
come out. I tore through the 1st
two books over and over again in anticipation of the last in the series. And though The Beauty of Darkness is
quite long and does dwell on the political upheavals in both kingdoms of
Morrighan and Dalbreck plus the visions of Lia a tad much, I still enjoyed
the book.
I deeply love the
relationship of Rafe and Lia. For
me it is the strongest point of this series. And much as I like Kaden, it was always Rafe who had my heart. The romance here is tempered but
not necessarily lacking in that the few romantic scenes they did have were intense. Heart pounding, squeal
inducing intense.
I appreciate that the
author played with Kaden’s character that as a reader, I vacillated between
loving and loathing him every few chapters. But in the end, there was no longer any doubt as with whom his
loyalty lies, which is not the same as who he ultimately loves.
As for Rafe’s friends, I
fell in love with each one’s strength and personality. Their loyalty to Rafe as a fellow
soldier, friend and Prince is solid.
I love that every one of the four characters, though minor in a sense,
were fully developed and that each had their moment before the end came.
Mary E. Pearson has woven a
tale so well thought out that all possible angles are covered and since, as I
have said before, I am a sucker for happy endings, this was a good read for me.
That said…
For all the build up about
the Komizar and his power, his last moments with Lia were lacking. It was too sudden….too clean….too
easy. I felt a bit cheated. Like the anticipation had been for nothing. More heart pounding action between the
Komizar and Lia would have been better.
As for the ending, that
scene with Lia and Rafe…much as I liked what ultimately happened between them,
it was also too abrupt. I wish
that it was longer, more heart felt.
For all they have been through, I believe they deserve so much more than
the short ending they got. Perhaps
this calls for an epilogue? Or an
e-novella? I can definitely do
with more Rafe and Lia in my life.
In all, I still highly
recommend The Remnant Chronicles.
Of the three, the 1st book, the Kiss of Deception, remains my
favorite. Read and find out
why. Happy Reading!
For the curious, here is
the link to my review of the first book, The Kiss of Deception
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