Waiting on Wednesday (14) - The Heart of Betrayal

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson 

(The Remnant Chronicles #2)

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Publication Date: July 7th, 2015

Goodreads Summary:

Intrigue abounds in this hotly anticipated sequel to The Kiss of Deception!

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia's 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 barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes 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.

Why The Heart of Betrayal?

I read the first book in the series, The Kiss of Deception, and I absolutely loved it! It is the first 5 star I gave to a book in a long time (you can read my review here), so no doubt I am looking forward to reading the sequel. I also really want to meet the Vendan Komizar that was spoken of by the Vendans in the first book; he seems like an interesting character. Of course, I also want to see how the relationships between Rafe, Lia, and Kaden play out.

[Review] The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Rating: 5 Stars

Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1

Release Date: July 2014

Goodreads synopsis:


A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

The first few chapters were interesting and it got me right in, but after that, things were so draggy and slow to the point where I put it down for a day and started another book. However, I heard that the second half is better and overall, I've heard great things about this book so I really didn't want to give up on it. I continued it and boy, am I glad I did! It gets so much better in the latter half. Everything happens pretty fast and I felt so bad for Lia and teared up. :-( There are good books and then there are the books that move me to tears...and this was one of them! Mary Pearson does a great job making it seem as if I was not only reading it, but rather I was actually there watching the action unfold.

Some aspects of the world that Ms. Pearson has created remain pretty unclear and sometimes confusing, like the religious aspects and the magical elements. At the same time, however, the world of The Kiss of Deception is truly unique and I find myself wanting to know more about each Kingdom. I'd even say that this series is on the verge of being high fantasy.

As for the characters, I love Lia; in fact, I'd go so far to say that she is probably my favorite YA heroine ever. She takes her fate to her own hands while acknowledging forces beyond her control, she's caring without being unrealistically selfless, she's talented without being unrealistically excellent in everything, and she's kickass without being annoying. Bottom line, she's a realistic and easily likable character. I also love both Kaden and Rafe and I thought it was interesting how the author doesn't make it clear who's the assassin and who's the prince until halfway throughout the story; I actually thought they were the other way around based on their physical descriptions.

Normally, I'm not too fond of love triangles since the girl tends to dilly dally and lead both of them on an that annoys me to no end, but this love triangle is different. Despite both men clearly having feelings for her, I knew and Lia herself knew who she loves based on her actions and thoughts and there is no hesitation.

I will be eagerly awaiting the second book, The Heart of Betrayal, which cannot come sooner.

Happy New Year!

We wish you a happy and healthy year, and may all your dreams come true in 2015!

In 2015, we hope to improve upon this blog! But we need your help and input - complete our End of the Year Survey here.

In 2015, we will be attending BookCon again and possibly BEA in the spring, as well as other bookish events.

In 2015, we hope to read and review many amazing new books! And to kick that off...

Our first read of 2015 is...

Alice:

The Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson

Yiling:

The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare



xoxo