Review: The Heart of Betrayal (#2, Remnant Chronicles) by Mary Pearson

My Thoughts

Suspenseful, surprising and scintillating,
this highly anticipated sequel is as wonderfully addictive as the first.

• Related Posts: 2015 Favorites | Fantastical Adventures | I Love YA

Synopsis

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape . . . and even less of being together.

Desperate to save her life, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komisar that she has a magical gift, and the Komisar’s interest in Lia is greater than either Kaden or Lia foresaw.

Meanwhile, the foundations of Lia’s deeply-held beliefs are crumbling beneath her. Nothing is straightforward: there’s Rafe, who lied to her, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom she always believed to be barbarians but whom she now realizes are people who have been terribly brutalized by the kingdoms of Dalbreck and Morrighan. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her very sense of self, Lia will have to make powerful choices that affect her country, her people . . . and her own destiny.

My Review

Do not read further if you have not yet read The Kiss of Deception.

“There are no rules when it comes to survival.”

The much-anticipated second novel in The Remnant Chronicles totally delivers. Rife with suspense, intrigue, magic, mystery, murder, romance and a whole lot of emotion, The Heart of Betrayal packs some unexpected surprises. Our fierce heroine Lia, has been deceived by Kaden, one of the men she trusted the most, and now, she’s a prisoner being shipped off to Venda… the brutal barbarian kingdom. Meanwhile, the man she’s fallen for, is left behind and unaware. And as magic whispers around her, the weight of her decisions (and their consequences), becomes all too real.

After a harrowing journey to Venda, Lia arrives in a place that is as violent as she anticipated, but at the same time, nothing like she expected. So many people are hungry, so many children forced to accept situations even adults shouldn’t face. Myth and magic twine together, and the secrets Lia has uncovered begin to make sense in a way she never anticipated. Unfortunately, despite the goodness of some of the people of Venda, she’s held captive by the barbarous and merciless leader, the Komisar, who takes pride in humiliating her in his prideful position of power.

The longer Lia is in Venda, however, the more she begins to feel an affinity with the people, a responsibility burgeoning inside. The kingdoms of Dalbreck and Morrighan are largely responsibility for the dire situation in Venda, something she never could have surmised. The people welcome her and her desire to escape becomes more complicated.

In an attempt to rescue her, however, Rafe too is held captive, and now it’s his life that she must safeguard. And to make matters more difficult, the Komisar realizes he can use Lia as a political pawn, despite the protests of Kaden, who battles between his loyalty to Venda and his feelings for the Princess.

Matters of the heart and matters of allegiance war as betrayals run deep, and the only certain truth is that Lia must embrace her destiny… even though that destiny is still somewhat murky. Her own heart dithers emotionally between Kaden, Rafe and the Komisar, as each character betrays differing and often conflicting sides of self. And as her feelings search solid ground, the fate of her country, her family, the people of Venda… of Morrighan… of Dalbreck, precariously hang in the balance.

I couldn’t put the novel down, driven by the need to find out what would happen. There are several evocative, gut-wrenching scenes and I didn’t expect that, but I loved them and the emotional depth they contributed. Pearson does an impressive job of twisting the plot suspensefully, concluding the book in quite the epic, heart-pounding way. There’s more to come and I for one, am ready to devour the next book!

“We had a terrible start… doesn’t mean we can’t have a better ending.”

Reading Order

Connect with Mary

Goodreads | Twitter | Website

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads | Subscribe by Email

Subscribe for Updates: