The Heart of Betrayal Book Review
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 5-05-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 8.3/10
Book Cover Rating: 6.3/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: The Heart of Betrayal
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Pages: 496
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Subplots: Romance, Politics
Romance Level: 2/3 (no spice, but prominent part of plot)
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #2
Publisher: Square Fish
First Published: 2016
Number of Editions: 43
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audio, CD
Awards Won: Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.16/5
# of Goodreads Ratings: 89,685
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
# of Amazon Ratings: 6,328
Common Sense Media Age Recommendation: 14+
Movie/TV Show?? : No
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Multi, First Person
Pacing: Medium (because I found the pacing uneven, some fast parts, some slow parts)
Generally: Trapped in foreign country, continues book one, love triangle, political unrest
My Review
Main Characters:
Arabella Jezelia- Lia is a princess. After she ran away from a forced betrothal, she was captured by a hostile country. She is rebellious and does NOT like the thought of having no say in her future.
Rafe- Rafe is the prince Lia was betrothed to. Now, he is a prisoner as well. He is devoted, loyal, and protective.
Kaden- Kaden is an assassin for the country that kidnapped Lia and Rafe. Kaden had a troubled childhood, and struggles with loyalties to people he knows are evil.
I loved these characters SO MUCH again!! They had amazing personalities, and I loved seeing how they did under pressure. They were unique and driven. I noticed even more character development in this book, and was happy with how the characters were growing.
Character Rating: 9.5/10
Setting:
This book takes place in the kingdom of Venda
Wow!! This was such a well detailed and described setting. It had great contrast in comparison to book one. This book was atmospheric, tense, and unique. I loved how unrefined everything felt, and loved the depth it added to this book.
Setting Rating: 9.4/10
Plot:
To be completely honest, I liked this plot, but it completely lost me near the middle. The pacing was way off for me, and worse than book one (though, I’ve been reading other reviews and many people disagree saying this book was MORE captivating, engaging, and with better pacing, so this clearly isn’t a problem for everyone). I still enjoyed moments here and there, but think it could have used more uniform pacing and excitement overall.
Plot Rating: 5.4/10
Writing:
I definitely feel that this writing fit the book well. It’s clearly written as a young adult book, and would likely be lacking for someone with higher expectations. For a young adult book though, it’s written in an enjoyable way.
Writing Rating: 7.8/10
Ending:
This ending gave me EXACTLY what I was looking for, and CLEARLY led into book three. There were a TON of loose ends and unresolved problems, but there’s still plenty of room to wrap them up in book three. If you’ve made it this far into the series, I think it would be near impossible to stop reading here.
Ending Rating: 9.8/10
The Overall:
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as book one. The characters and setting were FABULOUS, but the pacing and plot lost me near the middle. I still really enjoyed this young adult fantasy book, and can’t wait to read book three!!
Overall Book Rating: 8.3/10
I would obviously recommend this book
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Mary has written over eight books.
She loves to garden and spend time with family.
She was always a fan of fantasy books growing up.
Her books have been translated into a variety of languages.
For more information, view Mary E. Pearson’s website: marypearson.com
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What did you think of this book??
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