{Review} The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 7th, 2015
Finished Date: July 11th, 2015

Publishers: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 470
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Intrigue abounds in this hotly anticipated sequel to The Kiss of Deception!

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia's erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny.

The Review: YA fantasy has fast became a favourite genre of mine over the last two years and the more fantasy books I read, the more I want to discover new books. It was only last year when I discovered The Kiss of Deception and it was an instant hit and so, I’ve impatiently been waiting for the release of the sequel, The Heart of Betrayal and even though the wait was torture the book was so worth the wait! 

After Lia was kidnapped by Kaden and taken to his home land in Venda she is now being held captive by the Vendan Komizar who looks at using her for his own game. But when Rafe followed Lia he is also being held captive and so Lia must do everything in her power to not only keep herself safe but also Rafe’s. But while Lia is in Venda she realizes that not everyone is as brutal as the Venda warriors or the Komizar. It’s there that she makes friends who open her eyes to the Venda way of life. But as Lia’s life is ruled by the Komizar and she is trying to understand her gift she knows one thing, she must escape Venda and the only person who can help her is the one she’s trying to protect the most. 

I love this series and I was so pleased that The Heart of Betrayal is a worthy sequel to The Kiss of Deception. It has a slow start just like its predecessor but it’s one that held my attention all the way through because of how invested I am in the characters stories. I loved that there were still chapters from the three main leads and this time we also had Pauline’s chapter – small as it was – but it’s a welcomed addition to the series. 

I love how much Lia grows through-out this book but overall, she’s still the same strong and feisty girl. Being in Venda helps her see things from a different perspective but she still knows deep down what’s right and wrong. I’m glad Rafe and Kaden were still a part of the story. The love triangle in my eyes is none existent. Lia has time and time again stated her choice throughout this book – I’m just hoping she doesn’t change her mind! 

There so much going on in this book with Lia trying to figure out her gift, to trying to escape while trying to keep everyone she loves safe. But most importantly because this book is set in Venda we are introduced to a new country and a new way life including it’s people that live there. It was a nice change from Terravin. And I enjoyed getting to know it’s culture but, if I had to choose, I’d choose Terravin over Venda. See that this book took place in Venda and seems we’ve already saw Terravin, does this mean that we will see Dalbreak next? I hope so! I’m intrigued to know more about this country. 

It’s easy to say The Heart of Betrayal is a great read. It’s rich in detail and well written with a fantastic set of characters and love story to root for. Me personally, I would love to see Lia come into her gift more in the next book. But otherwise I have no qualms with this book whatsoever. 

Amazing! And I can’t wait for more. #TEAMRAFE 

{Review} The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 8th, 2014
Finished Date: December 27th, 2014

Publishers: Henry Holt and Co.
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 486

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

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.

The Review: Fascinating, gripping and highly entertaining, The Kiss of Deception is a YA fantasy at its best! 

Princess Lia is the First Daughter of the House of Morrighan and is promised to the Prince of Dalbreck by her parents against her wishes. Leaving Lia no other choice, she flees on her wedding day knowing that once she leaves, she can never return. Now living out her life with her friend Pauline in a quite village Terravin, it’s there that Lia tries to forget about her old life and try to become someone else. But what Lia doesn’t know is that people are hunting her for their own goals and soon it brings the arrival of two strangers to Terravin who both have their eyes of Lia. Drawn to both of these men, Lia quickly realises that they both have secrets but can Lia risk getting close to them when she’s trying to hide who she really is? 

I had my doubts before starting this book just because I’ve seen so many mixed reviews. So I tried to go into the story without any expectations and you know what? I’m glad I did because this just proves that if I had listened to the other reviews, I probably wouldn’t have read this story and then I would have missed out on such a beautiful read!

I completely fell in love with The Kiss of Deception. It’s quite a lengthy book, just fewer than 500 pages and although no real action happens towards the midway point, there was always something going on to keep me completely engrossed by the story. And yes, I’m talking about the love triangle. The most frustrating love triangle I’ve read in a long time but it was also the best I’ve read about too. 

The story is told from Princess Lia point of view but we also get The Prince and The Assassin's point of view. This adds to the mystery of the boys because Mary E. Pearson writes this story so cleverly that you don’t know who is who out of the two love interests because soon you get chapters from Rafe and Kaden – but who is The Prince and who is the Assassin? I absolutely loved trying to figure out who was who. It was so suspenseful that I thought I would burst and I couldn’t make my mind up. I was rooting for one guy from the start and I just didn’t even want to imagine if Lia ended up with the other one. So, well done Ms Pearson for writing a fantastic love triangle! 

The story isn’t just centred on the romance though. It’s about a Lia trying to have a life that it hers and I loved her for it. She’s very head strong, stubborn and in my mind, a perfect fit to be Queen. I admired her determination throughout the story and loved how independent she was. You won’t get no sulking from this girl! Not only that, the plot of the story is also surrounded by political issues between the different kingdoms and there is an ancient prophecy that has been foretold. As these issues come closer to the end of the story, by the time I’d finished, I was left wanting more. And be prepared for a killer ending, talk about amazing! As soon as I’d finished this book the sequel – The Heart of Betrayal – was put straight on my wish list. The release cannot come soon enough! 

In all, take a chance on The Kiss of Deception and I promise you won’t be disappointed but left completely captivated by Ms Pearson’s work. 

4.5 flowers!