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 … 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.
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Well that was interesting, It took me way to loon to finish this book , I think it has something to do with the hate/love relationship I had with this book.
On the one hand I really liked the story or maybe the potential behind the story. I did like the writing and I think that was one of the things why I kept reading this book. On the other hand there were so many things that made no sense to me or even the story. I thought given the situation and the synopsis we will get more action, but we didn’t, what we did get was a lot of talking, sneaking around ,playing mind games and oogling each other.. Everyone was playing a game, I liked that part that I never knew what really is going to happen…. For the most part anyway.
But there were some other things that made no sense to me … first of they keep saying how the Vendans take no prisoner. But she is the one they take and not only her but also the Prince, who plays his own little game and again is not a “prince”. Anyway… she is their prisoner, but yet , she gets around everywhere , first sneaking then almost openly . She gets into places she shouldn’t have and always fools the guards, which also made no sense, since they knew her face.
That alone was weird enough, but then she is supposed to be the enemy swine, that everyone hates but of course with the exception a very few, everyone likes her and even helps her out.
Then to top of my annoyance list … the big bad,the villain of this story also seems to be falling for her…… like the two others were not enough.
Overall I liked some things and the story and the end was interesting and I kind of want to see where it goes from here on, but I’m not sure when if ever …really.
I liked Lia fir the most part but Rafe and Kaden I couldn’t not really connect to even worse in this book where I thought I actually get to know more about them and will finally be able to connect and care about them but that never really happened.
I rate this book 2.5
Book 2 in ‘The Remnant Chronicles’, The Heart Of Betrayal, picks up right where Kiss Of Deception left off. The intricately woven suspense, ample danger and sparks of romance, had me devouring this book in no time flat.
PLOT:
As I mentioned above, it began where book 1 left off, and it never lagged for a moment. There were always nuggets of information being shared, little by little, or dangerous suspenseful moments where it was near impossible to put this one down once I began. The plot was masterminded, and while I knew it was complex in book 1, I was able to more fully comprehend and appreciate how intricate it really was. As the dots were connecting, there were so many “aha!” lightbulb moments. I personally love those.
CHARACTERS:
In book 2, they become more vibrant and complex than in book 1. These characters really did jump off the page, and didn’t feel even for a moment like they were any less real than if they were standing in the room with me.
I have come by few authors who create such lifelike paper people, and Pearson did so, quite superbly in this series.
Ok this book is SO much better than the 1st one! The Kiss of Deception had me interested in reading but this second one was a page turner! I literally couldn’t keep the book down and when I did all I thought about was what would happen next! I really love how all the characters have grown from the beginning and the turn of events. The details also in the story is so much better in this one where you can really visualize where you’re at! That being said I’m so excited for the last book!!!
I loved this second installment of The Remnant Chronicles. I love this heroine and how strong she is. I love the adventure and the romance. Wonderful.
This review MAY contain spoilers.
This book was truly magnificent! I almost feel bad for having qualms about the first book. This book has solidified this series as a definite favorite on my bookshelf.
What a turn this series has taken. Seriously. From characters that I could not connect with in the slightest to ones that I adore and are extremely passionate about. Pearson has really stepped up her game. No kidding.
The first thing that pleasantly surprised me was the extreme character growth. We get a deeper glance into Lia, Kaden, and Rafe. Where they felt almost bland to me in the first book, they are now vibrant and compelling. They have their own agendas and histories. We find out so much more about them in this book. Lia really grew on me in this one. I felt her to by whiny and selfish in the first book, and now she is brave, determined, and courageous. I simply adored her in this book. We see more into Kaden and Rafe as well. Kaden’s conflicting emotions between his loyalty to Venda and his feelings for Lia. Rafe’s determination to save Lia no matter the cost. I also felt that the Komizar was a really great villain. He resonated with me so much. I liked the new side characters introduced in this one as well.
The political intrigue gets even better in this one. We get to step inside the enemy kingdom and see their way of life. I like how Pearson differentiated between the Komizar and his reign to the simple countrymen of Venda. They had different priorities, and it showed how very different they were. It was easy to see why Lia fell in love with Venda’s people and hated the Komizar. We find out that there are betrayals running rampant, with traitors in Morrighan.
I loved the additional world building in this. I didn’t fully understand “the gift” and the religious aspects of the different kingdoms, but they worked. They were fully worked through and brought so much to the story. I liked seeing the nation of Venda. The descriptions of its terrain and of the devastation left behind from the time of the ancients were intriguing. I am hoping that we find out that their world is just a far-off future from our own. The more that I read the more it sounds like a nuclear war wiped out most of the world, and the scavengers and remnants left behind are what their kingdoms spring from.
I liked how some things really surprised me in this. I did not see the scholars from Morrighan and their betrayal coming. I loved how Pearson kept things hidden and exposed them at just the right time. So many shocking things come to light in this book, and it was such a great journey finding them all out. I love when a book keeps me guessing.
I think that what I liked most was Lia and Rafe’s journey as being captives. They endure so much at the hands of their captors, and the drama that ensued during their time in Venda was highly entertaining.
Overall, I was blown away by this book! Just wow! I implore you to read this series if you have not already. Following all the chatter about this series, most either love it or hate it. I had some issues with the first book and almost stopped reading the series, but decided to continue it. I am certainly grateful that I did, because this series is so intense and so, so good! I implore you to give this one a chance, but don’t listen to me, and don’t listen to the hype or the haters. Make your own decisions about this series. If I had listened to all the haters, I would have missed out on a new favorite series! Sometimes you just have to trust your gut. I so look forward to the next book in The Remnant Chronicles!
WOW!!! The second half of this book was truly epic! I loved every minute of it! It had so much action, plotting, scheming, etc. Such an interesting read. I will say, the first half dragged a bit for me. I felt we spent too much time describing things, in a character’s head playing out too many different random things, etc. I kept wanting to skim over parts just to get to the “good stuff”. It wasn’t terrible by any means, just a bit too slow paced for me in the beginning.
The characters blew me away in this one. They had so much depth to them. I loved the villains as much as the heroes. The author has an impeccable talent for creating such great characters good or bad. I also loved how we were never quite sure about the intentions of each person. They had a way of making you believe they were both good and bad at the same time.
As far as the two men go….without spoiling anything…..I love them both!! Gahhhh, can’t we just have separate conclusions where she ends up with both? Lol! I literally went back and forth with who I liked more for Lia. For myself, I’m Team Kaden *googly eyes*, but for Lia….I can’t decide. You’ll have to read the book/series to decide what you think and to see how it all ends! I highly recommend it!
Overall, there’s so much I want to say BUT I do not want to spoil anyone. This is a can’t miss series. It’s so good and will leave you wanting the next book asap!!