the beauty of darkness by mary e pearson

I give this novel 5/5 stars because though I’m sad that this series is over, it will remain one of my favourite series of all time. Lia has become the epitome of going beyond all expectations of a princess, as she participates in combat, and even doesn’t view herself as being above being a tavern maid. The individual character development and their development in their relationships with other characters in the novel is phenomenal! The reader gets to see Lia take on the role of a fearless leader, and transform herself into a complete warrior princess, which was really interesting to compare her at the beginning of the series, in the Kiss of Deception, to how she has developed at the end of the series.

I would argue that as the series goes on, the better the books get! I had high expectations for this book because the Heart of Betrayal was amazing, and this novel didn’t let me down. This novel contained political tension between kingdoms, love, romance, friendships, death.basically it had everything in it that a good book should have. Though this book is really long, 679 pages to be exact, I think this was absolutely necessary to conclude the series, and wrap up all that needed to happen. If you haven’t read the Kiss of Deception or The Heart of Betrayal, this review and discussion may contain spoilers. Hello everyone! Today I spent the entire day binge reading this novel in my favourite chair by my window watching the snow fall with coffee! It’s a bittersweet moment because I loved this book, but I’m sad that the series is over.

The beauty of darkness by mary e pearson