Name: The Beauty of Darkness
Rating: 4.15 (280 reviews)
ISBN: 9788594540270

Mary E Pearson

The Beauty of Darkness

Mary Pearson

The Komizar has been killed, Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda, and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now?

The Remnant Chronicles #3

I was okay with the ending but I think the battle could have been sooner and longer, and there should have been more post-battle. it would have been more satisfying, after almost 500 pages of build up, to have more conclusion. the parts where this series shines are the relationships between characters, and I think some of the actual plot and court politics falls flat. there are some parts of this book that just feel unbelievable and take me out of it; for example, SPOILER theres no way that after the old king and queen have fallen ill and died and the new king has just gotten back from rescuing a foreign princess that the king would be allowed to just go off on another adventure and send all his troops there with no real concrete reason like there’s actually no way, marriage contract with the general or no. but overall, pacing and plot issues notwithstanding, this was a fun read and I’m glad I read it!

fris🐝

Mary E. Pearson

The third and final book in the New York Times-bestselling Remnant Chronicles. Lia has survived Venda—but so has a great evil bent on the destruction of Morrighan. And only Lia can stop it. With war on the horizon, Lia has no choice but to assume her role as First Daughter, as soldier—as leader. While she struggles to reach Morrighan and warn them, she finds herself at cross-purposes with Rafe and suspicious of Kaden, who has hunted her down. In this heart-stopping conclusion to the Remnant Chronicles trilogy that started with The Kiss of Deception and The Heart of Betrayal, traitors must be rooted out, sacrifices must be made, and impossible odds must be overcome as the future of every kingdom hangs in the balance. New York Times-bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance, and action makes this a riveting YA page-turner for teens. Praise for The Remnant Chronicles: A New York Times Bestselling Series “Fantastical.” —USA Today for The Kiss of Deception “A sumptuous fantasy.” —Chicago Tribune for The Kiss of Deception “In The Kiss of Deception, a new realm is masterfully created, featuring court intrigue, feuding nations, breathtaking landscapes, and the gift of sight. Fans of the Game of Thrones series will enjoy the magic and fantasy in this timeless dystopian world.” —VOYA for The Kiss of Deception

The Remnant Chronicles: Book Three

4 of 5 stars

----- 


SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Though I loved the second book more, I can't deny the fact that this book was a great and solid conclusion in this wonderful trilogy. This was a full roller-coaster ride of war and emotions. And I can't believe this book stabbed my heart more than I expected. So much has happened within this massive book, so much loss and sacrifices. 

Now I understand why there are some who wanted Lia to end up with Kaden. For the duration of this trilogy, she surely spent more time with him than with Rafe. That I can obviously see. But I still choose and prefer Rafe over Kaden. Why? Because with those short moments and guarded emotions between Rafe and Lia, it was no doubt deeper and more meaningful, full of raw emotions, compared to her time with Kaden. Even with their arguments, there's still the undeniable tension exuding between them even if they're at the opposite side of the room, or hell, even if they're kingdoms away. I know that romance was not really the center of these books. This was more of the political intrigue and the war between kingdoms. But I came to be so attached with the romance sub-plot here. That romance played with my emotions. And I can feel the pain they felt after sacrificing their love and own happiness so they could do their duties as leaders of their respective kingdom. I thought the author would continue to break me. I was so convinced that there's no more hope for their love but I am glad the last page proved me wrong. 

A way for us.
Impossible.
But that hadn't stopped us before

Even with that short indication, I am still glad their love wasn't exactly sacrificed until the end. 

The ending felt kinda bit rushed(?) to me. The intricate world building was a huge part of this story and I admired it so much, but the ending felt so sudden. I don't know. But it was still a solid ending. Overall, this is still so worth it. I enjoyed the whole journey of this trilogy. I highly recommend this for everyone!

“Truth is as free as the air and we all have the right to breathe as deeply of it as we wish. It cannot be held back in the palm of any one man.”

Unfortunately, this book disappointed me quite a bit, it really didn't hit like I was hoping it would. It was an odd journey to get through The Beauty of Darkness, and the whole series. When I started The Kiss of Deception I wasn't completely sure I would continue but The Heart of Betrayal pulled me back in and convinced me to keep going, sadly though, the ending didn't give me any of the feelings I hoped it would and it didn't do any of the things I was hoping it would do.

I would honestly call this character sabotage, because the Lia in this book is not the Lia who she should've been, who she was becoming - her character development is a full circle. She started off selfish in the first book, gained some perspective and selflessness in the second and then ended up right back where she started, acting as if only she knew what was best for everyone. The thing is, that in the first book, she was ignorant to the truth, but also brave in the face of having all of her choices taken away from her. The quote I chose for my first review was: 

“Who was this girl who thumbed her nose at two kingdoms and did as she pleased?”

, and I think that really summed up how much she was willing to fight for her right to choose her destiny. And her choice was clear throughout all three books, she wanted to return to Terravin, she wanted a quiet life with a farmer for a lover and a simply job without the responsibility of a kingdom on her shoulders and yet, she throws that all away. She let's the destiny written for her in a thousand year old prophecy dictate her life in a way that the real Lia would never have been happy with, there she is getting choices taken away from her again and she's doing absolutely nothing to fight it. She gets angry at Rafe for lying about returning to Terravin, but then never does the one thing she was so passionate about aside from saving the people she loved. At the end, there is a quote about different ways to sacrifice your life and I get that, but I just don't like it, it felt like a cop out. It felt like Lia sacrificed who she was as a person, then the author tried to push it as a feminist message when really it was anything but.

This book was also far too long, it could easily have been cut back 200 pages and still achieved what it did, especially with how rushed the ending of this book was. The entire book and series is spent building up tension and fear of this huge barbarian army heading their way, this terrifying villain called the Dragon by prophecy and then in the end, the fight only lasts for half a day and ends abruptly with Lia finding a facet of her underdeveloped "gift" right at the very last minute that sways everyone to her side? Nah, I'm sorry but that just doesn't work for me. We should've had way more of the Komizar in this book, he should've been breathing down their necks, creating terror among the people and taunting them but instead he's just some far off worry that is ultimately beaten far too easily. Don't even get me started on Lia's gift as well, it felt like we were ramping up to a really interesting third book where Lia learns how to wield her gift in powerful ways, but instead it's just a mostly unhelpful whisper in her head that Lia expects everyone to drop at her feet for. Her mother even has the same gift and yet Lia thinks only 

 interpretation of it has weight, even over the years of military training these soldiers all have, over the responsibilities other people have to their own kingdoms and over logical reasoning. I think that just feels immature to me, unfortunately.

I struggled to get through this book, it took me two weeks to read and there were points where I didn't really feel like picking it up at all. I think I only really kept going because of Rafe, his character development in this series was the best of them all, I think. I really felt for him, and this was where Mary E Pearson's writing shone through. The poor guy basically has a mental breakdown over the woman he loves demanding things of him he's not sure he can give, then accepts that he has to let her go to do what she needs to do, has to step into the role of King after losing both parents while he was away saving Lia's ass and STILL rides to Lia's side time and time again in spite of how terribly she treated him. Eugh, what a man. There were points when he said and did things to Lia I didn't agree with either, but I understood his reasons far better than anyone else's. Kaden was another disappointment for me though, I wanted to like where his story went but I just didn't feel it, there was barely in angst in his feelings towards his father, there was barely any chemistry in his new love interest, and while it tied in nicely with his own gift prophecy, it just didn't make sense to me.

Overall, I think this series had a really good idea and basis for a fantastic story but ultimately the way it was handled just didn't work for me. It was still well written and entertaining enough for the most part that I still think this is a solid 3.5 star series altogether and not completely terrible, but I just didn't love the storyline in the end or the way the characters were treated. I think I'm going to forget this ending and just rewrite my own version in my head haha. Would I recommend this series though? I'm not sure. It has its highlights and strengths but I just don't think it worked the way other YA fantasies similar to this series have worked. I think if you want to read this before Dance of Thieves, you probably don't need to subject yourself to the full three books to completely understand what's going on.

Genevieve 

“Truth is as free as the air and we all have the right to breathe as deeply of it as we wish. It cannot be held back in the palm of any one man.”

3.5 ⭐s

Unfortunately, this book disappointed me quite a bit, it really didn't hit like I was hoping it would. It was an odd journey to get through The Beauty of Darkness, and the whole series. When I started The Kiss of Deception I wasn't completely sure I would continue but The Heart of Betrayal pulled me back in and convinced me to keep going, sadly though, the ending didn't give me any of the feelings I hoped it would and it didn't do any of the things I was hoping it would do.

I would honestly call this character sabotage, because the Lia in this book is not the Lia who she should've been, who she was becoming - her character development is a full circle. She started off selfish in the first book, gained some perspective and selflessness in the second and then ended up right back where she started, acting as if only she knew what was best for everyone. The thing is, that in the first book, she was ignorant to the truth, but also brave in the face of having all of her choices taken away from her. The quote I chose for my first review was: “Who was this girl who thumbed her nose at two kingdoms and did as she pleased?”, and I think that really summed up how much she was willing to fight for her right to choose her destiny. And her choice was clear throughout all three books, she wanted to return to Terravin, she wanted a quiet life with a farmer for a lover and a simply job without the responsibility of a kingdom on her shoulders and yet, she throws that all away. She let's the destiny written for her in a thousand year old prophecy dictate her life in a way that the real Lia would never have been happy with, there she is getting choices taken away from her again and she's doing absolutely nothing to fight it. She gets angry at Rafe for lying about returning to Terravin, but then never does the one thing she was so passionate about aside from saving the people she loved. At the end, there is a quote about different ways to sacrifice your life and I get that, but I just don't like it, it felt like a cop out. It felt like Lia sacrificed who she was as a person, then the author tried to push it as a feminist message when really it was anything but.

This book was also far too long, it could easily have been cut back 200 pages and still achieved what it did, especially with how rushed the ending of this book was. The entire book and series is spent building up tension and fear of this huge barbarian army heading their way, this terrifying villain called the Dragon by prophecy and then in the end, the fight only lasts for half a day and ends abruptly with Lia finding a facet of her underdeveloped "gift" right at the very last minute that sways everyone to her side? Nah, I'm sorry but that just doesn't work for me. We should've had way more of the Komizar in this book, he should've been breathing down their necks, creating terror among the people and taunting them but instead he's just some far off worry that is ultimately beaten far too easily. Don't even get me started on Lia's gift as well, it felt like we were ramping up to a really interesting third book where Lia learns how to wield her gift in powerful ways, but instead it's just a mostly unhelpful whisper in her head that Lia expects everyone to drop at her feet for. Her mother even has the same gift and yet Lia thinks only her interpretation of it has weight, even over the years of military training these soldiers all have, over the responsibilities other people have to their own kingdoms and over logical reasoning. I think that just feels immature to me, unfortunately.

I struggled to get through this book, it took me two weeks to read and there were points where I didn't really feel like picking it up at all. I think I only really kept going because of Rafe, his character development in this series was the best of them all, I think. I really felt for him, and this was where Mary E Pearson's writing shone through. The poor guy basically has a mental breakdown over the woman he loves demanding things of him he's not sure he can give, then accepts that he has to let her go to do what she needs to do, has to step into the role of King after losing both parents while he was away saving Lia's ass and STILL rides to Lia's side time and time again in spite of how terribly she treated him. Eugh, what a man. There were points when he said and did things to Lia I didn't agree with either, but I understood his reasons far better than anyone else's. Kaden was another disappointment for me though, I wanted to like where his story went but I just didn't feel it, there was barely in angst in his feelings towards his father, there was barely any chemistry in his new love interest, and while it tied in nicely with his own gift prophecy, it just didn't make sense to me.

Overall, I think this series had a really good idea and basis for a fantastic story but ultimately the way it was handled just didn't work for me. It was still well written and entertaining enough for the most part that I still think this is a solid 3.5 star series altogether and not completely terrible, but I just didn't love the storyline in the end or the way the characters were treated. I think I'm going to forget this ending and just rewrite my own version in my head haha. Would I recommend this series though? I'm not sure. It has its highlights and strengths but I just don't think it worked the way other YA fantasies similar to this series have worked. I think if you want to read this before Dance of Thieves, you probably don't need to subject yourself to the full three books to completely understand what's going on.

alexys <3

i cried everywhere at the end

but def could’ve been shorter

Decent story but just a bit too predictable. The end was good however all of the loose ends were tied up too neatly and conveniently 

Soph

Mae Erceg

My opinion on this book is torn to say the least but at the end I gave it five stars because the ending was the perfect finale to such a roller coaster of a trilogy. I really enjoyed the character growth and the world building. I definitely favored the first book most of all but this third was the perfect cherry on top to a clever trilogy. I definitely recommend if you are wanting some thing intricate and exciting.

I enjoyed it the most of the trilogy, but I kept thinking it was at the last chapter when it wasn't.

Millie Roberts

Rachel Kanyid

Beautiful end to a beautiful series. ❤️

There’s something about the ending of intense books that just doesn’t do it for me. The war scene was a bit too much or not enough, I couldn’t picture everything and It was hard connecting all scenes.

It’s amazing how this series came through in not forgetting small details and links. 

Ilham Usman

There’s something about the ending of intense books that just doesn’t do it for me. The war scene was a bit too much or not enough, I couldn’t picture everything and It was hard connecting all scenes.

It’s amazing how this series came through in not forgetting small details and links. 

really enjoyed the series 

Ana Paula

don´t read this if you don´t want to go through a huge emotional rollercoaster

I knaochdsuj at these quotes (portuguese) ->
(view spoiler)["Nós tínhamos encontrado o amor. 
Agora, no entanto, eu sabia que encontrar o amor e se prender a ele não eram a mesma coisa."
------------------
"Se conseguimos encontrar uma maneira de colocar um fim em séculos de animosidade entre os reinos, com certeza, podemos encontrar um jeito para nós" (hide spoiler)]

Nour Bassiouny

** spoiler alert **
           I think it was longer than it should have been
I hated rafe for most of the book
There are some things that i really didn't like about the book like kaden and Pauline's sudden relationships and some characters' situations such as general dreager,regheena (lia's mother) ,the royal scholar, the viceregent 
I felt like they were portrayed as friends one chaper then foes in the other and i didn't like that feeling of uncertainty 

At other times it felt comforting and warm like in the ending and right before the battle when they were all getting to know each other

I usually find the battle scenes so boring but the battle scene here wasn't and the povs were divided between rafe ,lia and kaden which made it very intresting

3.5 
So where’s this dragon they kept mentioning like lowkey I was waiting for dragons. . .

Lia is such a strong-willed female character where her determination is evident and she doesn’t let anyone especially a cute boy influence her beliefs/ choices
-even with others doubting her gift, her resolute remains unwavering 
-I like that she’s not a doormat, she doesn’t cower esp when Rafe continues to yell and fight against her (and he yelled at her a lot like yikes he has a temper)
“I would attend the party just as he asked but I would attend as the person I was- not the one he wanted me to be” - YESSSS

(view spoiler)[ Kaden and Pauline !!!!
- I wonder when Kaden fell out of love for Lia tho and switched to Pauline but anyways Kadenn is such a softie for Pauline and her baby I mean THEIR BABY AHHH LOVE  (hide spoiler)]

Wow a Darth Vader moment during war
I’M YOUR FATHERRR 

You know a dragon showing up in the middle of the war would have been cool . . . 

BITCHH Lia really ended a wholeass war just from a speech. Book 1, Lia fought for her voice to be heard, and then Book 3 shows her using her damn voice ending a war - YES THE POWER 

Overall, it was a good conclusion book where everything was explained and came together nicely but there was so much filler descriptions/ details that it made me bored at times and took me a while to finish. Half of the book was Rafe and Lia fighting, and Rafe not letting her go to save her kingdom and I'm was like broo just let her go so we can move on to the next part of the plot

(view spoiler)[ My fav chapter is the last chapter hehe 
-Lia being the best QUEEN
-Kaden and Pauline being domestic CUTE
-Rafe brought her melons aahhhhh  (hide spoiler)]

marilynn

That ending 😭

It was so sweet. It brought everything in full circle. I'll never look at melons the same again.

Also, KADEN AND PAULINE?! HELL YES

Livia

What a satisfying and beautiful conclusion. It's filled with political intrigue and war and backstabbing and pain. And the ending is so hopeful.

I will say, the first 100 pages are slow. But when it hit the halfway mark, things get so interesting, it's hard to put the book down.
My one complain is why does everyone has to end up with someone at the end? I understand that they deserve to be happy, but you can be happy by being single and awesome.

Overall, love this book so much!

Lauren Tabor

Michal Stone

It was very long and way slower than the first two. 
The whole book was extremely cliche and the writing style was not my favorite. 
That being said Mary Pearson had some great and unique ideas for plots. I would love to read some of her future books where the writing style is a bit more mature and the plots are still this great.

The Beauty of Darkness

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