Vow of Thieves

 The second book of the Dance of Thieves series by Mary E. Pearson. 

Can I just say, "Wow." 

Kazi and Jase make their way back to Tor's Watch. New hope and a love of life in their wings. But when a mysteriously dead bird falls from the sky with a note from Jase's sister saying that their home is under attack and their brother is dead, everything starts going wrong. They had only been gone for a month, maybe two and suddenly everything Jase knew is gone. They make their way to town which has had parts of it demolished and then comes the arrows. Kazi orders Jase's horse to run, but she's unable to get away. Both wounded, Kazi under arrest and dying, and Jase.... His case is unknown. Who's taken over the city? Where are the Ballengers? Who's survived? Who hasn't? 

This was very well done. I've not had any real problems with any of the books I've listened to by Mary E. Pearson. The characters are great, the worldbuilding is awesome, and the moments of who to trust, who not to, and questions of "How crazy is this guy!?" It was great. 

The only thing I wish had been revealed (better) than it was is the age of the King. I honestly thought he was a lot older (when I was reading the first book). Nope! He's a young guy (because of course he is). Not knowing how old he was changed a lot of things in my mind as I was listening to the book. 

I really enjoyed the way Ms. Pearson had Kazi skirt around the King and dive in and out of situations. I enjoyed the people we didn't particularly like in the first book, but got a moment to prove themselves. Wren and Synove are some of my favorite characters throughout the series and I like how "family comes first" is a big theme. 

It is a great book and a good series that I very much enjoyed. 

Dance of Thieves

The sequel series to The Remnant Chronicles  by Mary E. Pearson  and it was done very well. There were many twists and turns that I didn't see coming, which I think is a marvelous point in all of Mary E. Pearson's books. 

With a new Queen on the thrown of Venda, Kazi is sent with her Ratan crew to find a certain traitor who has escaped Vendin justice. The small clan city where they believe he is hiding out has also come under new leadership with the death of their Patre. Jace (the new Patre) and Kazi have a confrontation right before they both get knocked out and shackled by slave runners. Chained together and finally escaping, they must find their way back to civilization and not kill each other on the way. Between political interreges and secrets they won't tell each other, complications arise and they must skirt around each other while falling in love. 

The best thing about this series are the two main character and the natural development of their own individual character growth. The supporting characters are fantastic as well and do so much to build each other up to make it feel like a naturally functioning people. The Ratan and Jace's family are fantastic. Sometimes, because there are so many, I did get a bit confused, but many of them have such stark attributes that it's easy to tell what each character is like. I also listened to the audiobook and it helps a lot as well because the readers for this series did such a good job with characterization as well. My favorite is particularly toward the end when Synove fires her blunted arrow at a traitors back. That was perfect. That was amazing and so well set up. 

There are misunderstandings, but not in the cliché "it's going to run the plot" kind of way. They intentionally keep secrets from each other because "national security." With it being intentional instead of happenstance, it makes the story and the dance that happens real and much less the cliché. 

The world building that Mary did for The Remnant Chronicles and this series is amazing. It is top notch, even through it is in a basic "fantasy setting." There is so much time taken into the history of both series that makes it seem alive, seem real. No good story has no history. The histories, the ruins, the monuments, the rivalries all stem off how important history is to many of the cultures in this world. World building is my favorite thing in stories next to good characters. And this book is no exception to that. 

I'm loving it and am listening to the second one animatedly. The cliffhanger at the end of this book, demands that the second book is picked up quickly. So, on we read. 

The Beauty of Darkness

 The last book in the The Remnant series and a great ending it was. 

Lia is saved by Rafe from the river as they had tried to make their escape. But dressed like a pin cushion and dying, the cold journey to safety is long, hard and torturous. With help from Rafe's men and a persevering princess, they make their way to safe territory with their vital information of a coming siege. Kaden finds them and is "invited" into the party with shackles. Now, to convince generals of the hostilities coming and to weed out corruption from her own government while not getting captured or assassinated by the officials who work as spies for the Komizar. 

I ended up actually putting this one down for a while, and wasn't super keen on getting back to it. The beginning, getting away, even the romantic escapades between certain characters were fine, but as the story went on toward the middle, Lia rather annoyed me. There was a lot of angst and an exorbitant amount of aggression between characters. In the previous books, it made sense because there were kidnappings and hostage-ness going on, but now trying to save all the kingdoms it seemed unnecessary and a lot. 

I still really enjoyed the ancestral parts of the series. All of the ruins and lore and the fact that histories are different depending on where you're reading them from. Perspectives change as you jump from culture to culture and interpretations change and waver depending on situations. I do wish there was a little more history when it came to the ruins and cities that they passed through, but I know there are those, especially when it comes to Young Adult stories, that don't like going lore heavy. It is something that I very much enjoy and drink up wholeheartedly. 

Aside from angsty-teenagery-ness I did enjoy the characters. Particularly side characters for this book. They were given more time on the center stage and I think they are what pulled me back into the story. Pauline especially,  because you don't often get older, pregnant teenage girls who also have a baby in stories in general, especially in a fantasy setting. I enjoyed the fact that Pauline and Kaden didn't get a long and he was forced into midwifery and that he stood up for her later when she was being harassed. It was sweet and actually made me like Kaden more. Other characters bloomed too throughout the series and culminated here at the end. 

Lia and Rafe's relationship was very apparent. They did make love and none of it was described physically . It was all emotional, which I think is a good, healthy way to be describing it--especially in a Young Adult book. It worked and it worked well. 

I did enjoy the climax of the story. * spoilers *  The war parts were well written and the fact that Lia was able to use her Gift to help was pretty cool. Though, with all the point of "sacrifice" in the prophecy, I was thinking she Mary Pearson might do something truly cool and kill of characters, an ending like the Divergent series or something. But it was a different kind of sacrifice which I guess was okay.... Fine. Mary Pearson isn't so bold as to kill of her main character in a dramatic, story driven way. Makes the girls who are squeeing about the story really happy. 

All in all, it was pretty good. I enjoyed the series and would recommend it for people who are wanting a good series to read. 

The Heart of Betrayal

Wow. This is a great book. 

Lea, Princess of Morrighan, finds herself in enemy territory. After being kidnapped by the Assassin and carted across country to Venda, she must find a way out of this inescapable city. The Prince has lies and says he's an emissary of the Prince wanting to make a treaty with Venda. With her precarious position, lies and secrets deep in the Sanctum, and her world view shifting from seeing everyone here as barbarians to survivors, Lea has quite a path ahead of her. Their plans for escaping seem ludicrous with four, not four thousand or even four hundred, soldiers to help. How do they get out? How is this woman that Lea keeps seeing that seems invisible to everyone else? 

This was a very well written book. Had me sucked in the whole time and I can't wait to get into the third book. SUCH A CLIFFHANGER!!! 

Lea, I think, grows quite a bit in this book as her understanding of the people she once saw as her enemy are now seen through new eyes. I wish Kaden and Rafe had more growth, though Kaden by the end of the story does take a big step forward we only hope he isn't dead because of it. 

I also really like the world that this is in. Venda, where we spend most of the book, is a city built upon ruins. Ruins with libraries beneath it. Libraries of knowledge that only very few people can read. I liked how we got to see a bit of the ruins as she was toured around the city. It would make for a great graphic novel, that I would love to read. 

I think it was also fun how we know there is a prophecy and she's "the chosen one" kinda thing, but that so many people don't know about it or don't believe it is real. But that there are many people who know the old stories and give shifty eyed glances to one another because "they know" more than what the bad guys do. It made the little things they did that much more precious and important. 

The ending was very well done and I can't wait to get into book 3. 

The Kiss of Deception

 The first book in the Remnant Chronicles was one I was suggested on a social media group and, boy, was I astounded on how much I liked it. 

Lea is a princess and is forced into an arranged marriage to a prince she doesn't know. She doesn't like the idea of being tied down to a old man for the sake of diplomacy, so she runs away with her ladies maid. Leaving false leads and trails, the two girls flee to another nearby country to disappear all together. But leaving behind her past is far harder than she thought. Her marriage cavah (henna tattoo) on her back which was supposed to fade after a few baths, seems to becoming more vibrant and colorful. And the Gift she was supposed to have but never able to tap into starts to bloom in her.  Becoming a tavern waitress and starting a fresh and anew, Lea finds that her past is still very close at hand. Unknowingly, the Prince she was supposed to marry and an Assassin sent to kill her follow her trails and board at the tavern she works in. And slowly, she finds that she is falling in love with these two men and whom they portray. But then when news from home spurs her to head back and turn herself in as a traitor for running away, she finds herself kidnapped by this Assassin who can't quite bring himself to kill her so instead takes her back to his home country, across desserts and plains, through ruins of the ancient and canyons; all the while the Prince is hot on their trail to find her and kill him before they are out of reach. 

I'm not much one for love triangles, but this one isn't so bad. I think the thing that makes this  love triangle okay is that the characters are their own. They are full, deep, and lively characters that push the story on more than just pining over "my love for you" and whatnot. A good part of the second half is the knowing that the Assassin lied to her and he keeps lying to her because he's loyal to his country and yet still doesn't want to kill her, he's saved her--yet obviously this is a bad thing because he's still kidnapped her. Their relationship is very twisted and dependent on one another even if she doesn't want it to be. 

I also liked at the beginning we don't actually know who is the Assassin and who is the Prince. There is enough ambiguity between the two men that the reader is constantly guessing who is who and if this guy is going to kill her by throwing her off a cliff or dagger in the night or other instances. 

The character development for Lea is great and you can see the turmoil that happens for the boys (though I wish there was more of them in the story--specifically Rafe). 

I also really like the Ancients and the ruins and the stories/remembrances that are threaded importantly throughout the story. Lea is "The Chosen One" and has a prophecy about her that we find out more about as she does. I want there to be ghosts in the ruins. I want there to be more that others understand about the prophecy as they nod knowingly. I want more information about these ancient civilizations, specifically the truths behind why and how they collapsed more than just "The Gods did it." And what's fun (because I started listening to book two already), we do. 

I've really enjoyed this series.