I read The Kiss of Deception as an ARC in 2014 and got involved with the characters and adventure. Although I planned to continue the trilogy, somehow--you know how it goes--I missed the follow up books.
When I finished Dance of Thieves, rather than wait a year for the next adventure, eagerly ordered The Heart of Betrayal.
The Remnant Chronicles in order:
The Kiss of Deception
The Heart of Betrayal
The Beauty of Darkness
In The Heart of Betrayal, I was once again immersed in the lives of Lia, Rafe, and Kaden and to a lesser extent Griz, Pauline, Ebon and a few others. Yes, it is a YA fantasy, and there is a love triangle. But the political machinations, the greed for power, the world-building, and the suspense! There is plenty of deception going on in Venda.Mary E. Pearson is a skilled writer--her descriptions are excellent, and I could visualize so many of the scenes. I love that she does this without giving you too many details of the characters' appearances. No washboard abs, although muscles are mentioned (the guys are trained as soldiers or in Kaden's case, as an assassin, so muscles are OK).
Lia's description is also limited; we know she is dirty and ragged after the terrifying journey to Venda, but no emphasis on details of her eyes or hair or figure. Thumbs up on that. One problem I find with so many YA books is the cliche descriptions--as if young adults are incapable of visualizing better images of the characters.
Even the love triangle isn't really a triangle. The Heart of Betrayal is escapism and entertainment mixed with apprehension and suspense. The villain is chilling, but even he has a bit of a backstory that makes him, not sympathetic, but more understandable.
Short chapters made it difficult to put down. "Just one more chapter" kind of thing, and I didn't get much done on any of the mundane household chores until I finished! A great follow-up to The Kiss of Deception.
Purchased.
YA Fantasy. 2015. Print length: 470 pages.
I want to know how well Pearson wraps up this series before I commit to starting it. (Isn't that bookishly cowardly of me?) ;D
ReplyDelete:) Ends well. The trilogy is complete. The next book, The Dance of Thieves, is set in the same world, but with different main characters. I assume it will be a trilogy as well.
DeleteOh, good! Now I can add these books to my list. :)
DeleteTotally agree on the over-load of descriptions in books; just give us a sketch and we can fill in the rest! Especially when those details don't jive with the picture I have in my head!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great series and proof that tropes aren't necessarily the problem, but rather the writing.
So many descriptions sound like cartoon or manga characters. I don't mind a basic description--tall or short, fair or dark, etc., but I do prefer to use my imagination and be interested in more than the characters' appearances. Especially those frequently used in YA books. :)
DeleteLove it that it is not cliché as in so many YA fantasy lately. Sounds like a great series to follow. :)
ReplyDeleteI have several other YA authors that I really enjoy: Sarah J.Maas, Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, Jeff Wheeler, Megan Whalen Turner, and Intisar Khanani. Sometimes, I am in the mood for just this kind of escapism and adventure.
DeleteI really want to read these books as well. I love the cover. I do find short chapters a little too easy to keep reading when I should be setting the book down to get back to work or eat. :-)
ReplyDelete