THE HEART OF BETRAYAL is a second book in the 'Remnant Chronicles' series written by the wonderful storyteller - Mary E. Pearson.
You all know how much I was blown away with the first book in this series - THE KISS OF DECEPTION. I read it earlier this year and I absolutely loved it. And I wasn't the only one. All over the world, bibliophiles fell under the spell of Pearson's story-telling. We all have been counting down the days till the next instalment - THE HEART OF BETRAYAL - was published. And that day came in July 2015. We had finally held the sequel in our hands. But the question on everyone's mind was : "Will it be as good as the first one?" Let's find out.
*****
Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save Lia's life, her 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 savages. Now that she lives among them, however, she realises 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.
*****
Let's start with the easy part first. The edition. The sequel's design as beautiful as the first one. Dark blue colours. Silver writing. On the front cover there is a picture of Lia in red dress staring towards what I think is the kingdom of Venda and it's city. When you take of the sleeve, you find a hardback pack in dark blue cover and silver writing. 470 pages divided into 64 chapters. A beautifully design edition.
Now let's talk about the story. The story is told from 3 points of view: LIA, RAFE & KADEN are the tellers of this story, same as the last time. The tale picks up right where we left it. Kaden brought Lia & Rafe to Venda and they all start to play a dangerous game of power and deception.
Again, I have to express my gratitude and admiration towards Pearson's imagination and creative writing abilities. She have created a beautiful world I can get easily get lost in. I actually love spending my time in a world of old traditions, magic, unexplained gifts.. It's a wonderful fantasy world and makes you fall in love with Fantasy YA all over again.
Now, as I said, I have been a little worried about the sequel. You all know my history and my scepticism when it comes to sequels. Most of the time I hate them. But The Heart Of Betrayal is an exception to the rule. It's as good as the first one. Some might even say that it's even better. I disagree. I love them both equally.
This book is packed with heart-breaks, backstabbing, a lot of lies, deception, hunger for power, desperation for escape and love. Seriously, there are so many twists and turns you don't see coming. When you start to think that there cannot be possibly more to come, you are surprised again. There is another unexpected twist thrown into the mix. And you are left with your mouth wide opened. I just cannot believe how much the story has develop. The betrayal and Venda's hunger for power runs even deeper than we initially thought. And what you discover will blow your mind.
Absolutely stunning. Compelling. Mesmerising. Exciting. Thrilling. Emotional. I cannot even begging to describe how much I loved this sequel. Some new friendship has been made, alliances has been forged and broken. People disappointed and left hurt. I just cannot imagine what Pearson has in story for us in the last part. I cannot even start to think of possible predictions. One thing I know for sure though. I am #TeamRafe. I want Lia to end up with him as they love each other so deeply. Of course, I don't want Kaden end up heartbroken and alone. I wish for him and Pauline to get together. There I said. Sue me!!!
All in all, it was the perfect sequel. I, now, cannot wait to see how this story will end. I am looking forward to the epic conclusion in the last part in this series. THE BEAUTY OF DARKNESS is coming out on July 5th 2016. Mark your diaries!!
Another well done Ms Pearson. You have truly touched my heart with your beautiful, absolutely spell-binding story. I cannot wait to read the epic conclusion.
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