A review by rosreads
The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

5.0

“Love didn’t end all at once, no matter how much you needed it to or how inconvenient it was. You couldn’t command love to stop any more than a marriage document could order it to appear. Maybe love had to bleed away a drop at a time until your heart was numb and cold and mostly dead.”

5 evermore stars


If you haven’t read the previous books, it might be better if you don’t read this review because every book in this series has an unexpected ending and very much a cliffhanger. By reading this review you will know exactly what happens after that cliffhanger.

Did you see myself trembling? Yup, that’s me.
The Beauty of Darkness is a perfect closure for The Remnants Chronicles series. You’ll see how complex the world in this book actually is and how Mary wonderfully takes us all inside into this fantasy. Every time you turn the pages, there’s always something there that will remind you with the story from previous books. And sometimes it makes me teary eyed how these characters have come so far from the beginning.

The story picks up exactly where it left us hanging in The Heart of Betrayal where Rafe and Lia escaped Venda with Lia in critical condition (you know what I mean). He carried her for twelve miles and sometime later four of Rafe’s company caught up with them. They tended to Lia during this journey back to Dalbreck. Lia always said that she had to go home to Morrighan to warn everyone about the attack that would come from the Komizar and his huge army, plus about the betrayal of Morrighan’s scholars in Venda, but Rafe always insisted that they only had to reach the outpost where Dalbreck’s soldiers make a camp in Cam Lanteux then they would discuss it again.

Along the way, Kaden and Griz caught up to them and offered to help them in case the Rahtan that were sent to hunt them appeared. *I actually am suspicious about Kaden’s motive because seriously, you can’t trust anyone in this series. They always have hidden motive and most of the time when the truth is out, it stings badly.* After they reached Marabella or the camp, the story started to unfold. Truth after truth will be uncovered and there are heartbreak everywhere. Lia and Rafe began having argument every time, Kaden still wrestling with his confusing feeling toward Lia, and in Morrighan there’s Pauline who confronted her baby’s father. Finally Lia and Rafe settled the confrontation and decided that they had their duty in their kingdom. Oh my.. The heartbreak when they parted way.

My friend once told me after reading The Heart of Betrayal she didn’t understand everything revealed in the book. After I finished The Beauty of Darkness, I know how complicated the problem is. If you haven’t read Morrighan, the novella that accompany this trilogy, you might be a bit confused about what is the true story about Gaudrel, Morrighan, and Venda (and my baby Jafir too!). But I read it and I understand the story better. So I recommend you to read Morrighan before reading this final book.

Each character has a wonderful development. They finally find their purpose in the story. Honestly, even though I ship Lia and Rafe very hard, my absolute favorite character is Kaden. I just feel that he’s been through a lot since he was a child, almost everyone he met and finally care about betrayed him. You will meet his father, his cruel and abusive father, and he has a very important part in this book, in the bad guy side of course since he’s a monster. You all team Kaden out there will get a lot of him in this book, he has his own story and his own decision to make, and he gets his own happiness *sobs* finally!

As for Lia, our fierce princess, she becomes a warrior in this final book. I think her character has the most awesome development. I know that she has been an unstoppable force from the beginning, she obeys no one and defies every fate thrown her way, but in this book, she thinks differently. She thinks about all the kingdoms that will be affected by the war between Morrighan and the Komizar, she thinks about the Vendan clans and the tribes, she even sacrifices her relationship with Rafe to face her fate as Jezelia. She is one of the best heroines you can find in a young adult book.

Rafe is everything you need in a love interest. He lets Lia make her own decision, let her decide her own fate. Even though along the way when they have confrontation in Marabella Rafe becomes like some blonde fae warrior (do you know who I mean? :D), controlling and demanding, he constantly fears for Lia’s safety, but in the end, he knows that he doesn’t have the right to define her and to hold her back, and for that I’m very grateful because Rafe is such a perfect match for Lia.
Other characters like Pauline, Sven, Orrin, Tavish, Jeb, Griz, Eben, Natiya, and even Malich have their own story. I love the way Mary makes all of the characters’ story collides with each other. You have to read this book slowly and absorb every fact and detail because those little things will make you understand the enormity of the story. I absolutely love this series and very sad to finally close their fantastic journey. The ending is absolutely made my day,
even though honestly I want more of Lia and Rafe, what will happen with them since now they rule in two different kingdoms.
But boy.. What a great series.
For anyone who has finished this book, or who just started reading the series really, I'd like to fangirl with you al because this series is A-WE-SOME!



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GUYS WE HAVE A TITTLE!!!!
You know how it feels to be left hanging after finishing The Heart of Betrayal, heck, The Kiss of Deception also left me crying like a baby.
Now book 3 is called The Beauty of Darkness. Hmm what kind of darkness that probably waiting? I can't totally wait to read this must-be-awesome sequel!