The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson Spoiler Review
Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save Lia's life, her 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 savages. Now that she lives among 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.
OH. MY. GOD. THIS. BOOK! I can't even. I just can't. The Heart of Betrayal is everything a second book in a trilogy should be. It was so amazingly well-written, captivating, and addicting. I could not set the book aside to save my life. In fact, this book was perfect enough that I dare say that it was better than the first one, The Kiss of Deception. There is so much I have to say about it, so I have decided to split it up into sections:
Character Development:
Every single character that had travelled from the first book onto the second grew in some form. This includes the main trio, Lia, Kaden and Rafe, who each presented a new side of them to the readers. We got to see Rafe in a more defined manner, and began to really understand him as a character. We see him as more than just the humiliated prince that he was in the previous novel. He openly professed his genuine love for Lia to her, and it's hard not to believe him when he rode out across the continent and into the enemy's den to save her. He's clearly had some major character development, throughout The Heart of Betrayal, and I will admit that I surprisingly became a fan of his, even though I strongly disliked him in The Kiss of Deception.
On the other hand, a character that I'd loved since day one, is Kaden. I had rooted for him and Lia for the entirety of the first book, and was highly disapointed when I'd found out that he wasn't the prince. I had been so sure that Kaden was the prince, while Rafe was the assassin, and I'd felt highly violated and robbed when it was revealed that it was the other way around. Knowing this newfound information, I had gone into the second book slightly annoyed with him. Fortunately, he was able to win me back. He, same as Rafe, seemed to truly love Lia, and he proved that when he chose Lia over the Komizar at the end of the book. Kaden's loyalty to the Komizar was flashingly highlighted throughout the whole novel, and I honestly was a little surprised when Kaden picked Lia. Especially since we found out that Kaden was actually Morrighese, and that the Komizar had saved him from his abusive family. Kaden had every right to despise any Morrighese, especially their princess, Lia. However, he spares her life, and to me that is the biggest sign of growth ever. He willingly put aside his justified hatred to side with a the very princess of his place of his torture and pain.
Last but certainly not least, we have Lia. She completely turns from a whiny princess to a sassy, snarky, don't-mess-with-me princess. As we all know, at the beginning of The Kiss of Deception her only problem was that she didn't want to marry a prince she hadn't met. In this book, she has much bigger problems like escaping a dangerous dictator alongside her true love (who ironically is the prince she didn't want to marry), all while trying to stay alive. This caused her to grow into a kickass character, who was much more enjoyable to read. She devised sneaky plans, broke through stereotypes, and she even killed the mighty Komizar, who we all loved to hate. She has developed into a badass character, and I can't wait to read more about her in the final book of the trilogy.
Romance:
There wasn't as much romance in this book as there was in the first. This book was more focused on survival and politics, as opposed to the first book which was all about love and choosing the right guy. Lia, it seems, has already chosen, as she spends the entire book with her heart in Rafe's hands. Rafe also spends his P.O.V. chapters obssessing over Lia. Kaden is infatuated with Lia as well, but isn't given a chance at any point of the book because Lia seems to love Rafe. I would like to point out though that that may change considering the vision that Kaden had about him and Lia standing in a balcony holding a baby. Anyways, the book does end with a cute, promising moment between Rafe and Lia, so it is hard to tell who will be the victor.
Other:
Can we just take a moment to speak about the Komizar? He was the exact definition of the word 'prick.' He was such a villainous character, who really brought depth to the series. Although at times I wanted to choke him, I would be lying if I said that I didn't find him intriguing, or even a little bit enjoyable. He brought the mysterious element to the story, as you could never tell what his reaction would be. At times he was somewhat 'nice' to Lia, and at others he was the devil incarnate (like when he forced Lia to agree to marry him). He was smart, cunning, and mysterious, and he often had me wondereing why a nice guy like Kaden would be alligned with him.
I didn't really care much for anything that happened outside of Venda, to be honest. Pauline's chapters were quickly skimmed through so I can get back to what happens back in Lia and Rafe's confinement. Though I am intrigued to find out what will happen now that Pauline has found out that her 'dead' lover/ father of her unborn child is actually not dead, but making rounds with the ladies.
Also, I would like to know if Rafe's friends make it back to the safety of Dalbreck. I highly enjoyed them as characters, and I hope that we see them all happy and alive in the final book.
In conclusion, The Heart of Betrayal is an amazing book that everyone should read if they need any happiness in their life!