THE BEAUTY OF DARKNESS

"Bitterness rose in my throat. I hated it being" better this way. "It was never better that way. That was a phrase that put a coating of sugar on the crumbs left over from our options. (Princess Lia, The Beauty of Darkness , page 470). What is very clear in Lia's mind is that she needs to return to Morrighan and warn her father that a huge army will march towards her kingdom, with the old Komizar or whoever takes his place. What the girl does not know is that Rafe does not have exactly the same plans, since his first commitment is to Dalbreck and he is long enough that this has been reflected in uncertainties with his people. Both, for their own reasons, must race against time and overcome old and hidden enemies to achieve their goals and fulfill their duties with their kingdoms. But what weight will love have in the midst of this war?Reaching the end of any story always causes that chill in the belly of what the conclusion will bring us. It would be no different with the Love and Hate Chronicles. After a first book that I loved and a continuation that, in my view, left something to be desired, The Beauty os Darkness arrived to end this journey in the lives of many readers. There was a lot to be explained and a lot to be done to make it all fit together. The book skated a little at the beginning, but managed to align and deliver a satisfying ending. Even though I didn't answer all the questions, I believe that the way the author sent the final act left the feeling of conclusion more encouraging. "Her story had seams that I had never noticed; it was colored with fabric in shades that I had never used; it had hidden pockets, heavy with worry; it was a story that counted not only with my fears, but also with her fears, whose threads were pulled and got tighter each day. " (The Beauty of Darkness, Princess Lia, pg 432) At the beginning of this story we have an extremely misaligned Lia and Rafe. What should have been conflict in the second book, where there was mistrust, they still knew each other little and there was all the drama of the revelation of identities, which was ignored, was on the agenda here. Rafe took a macho and overprotective stance. Your Lia shouldn't be anything but a lovely princess in trouble, which is in no way consistent with the character's posture, much less his, who in the last book basically did nothing while she carried the whole plot. Arabella starts the story out of hand. Her beloved and her loyal friends do not believe in her gift and any sign or premonition she has needs to be explained and is always doubted. This also ends up hampering the progress of the narrative, because everything generates conflict. As if this were not enough, other intrigues and revelations outside the point end up generating endless fights between the central couple, locking the narrative.In my opinion, all of this should have been explored in The Heart of Betrayal, bringing a unified front here. What would remain would be Rafe's reluctance to let Lia go to Morrighan, after all in her realm she is a traitor and there is a price on her head. However, this ends up being the smallest of details and there is an avalanche of small things that clash with the climate that the second book has endeavored immensely to establish with all the votes of love and escapes. Fortunately, near the middle of the book there is a drastic change in postures and the characters finally focus on what they are there to do. Lia has a duty. Rafe has another. Problems will not solve themselves and they will have to give up things that they want so that the greater good is not sacrificed.Kaden is, for me, without a doubt, the loveliest character in this book. His gift, which was a part that he really wanted to see, was unfortunately forgotten. It's like it didn't even exist. Well, and let's talk about the gift. Explanation? We do not have. Logic? We do not work. The feeling I have with the whole story and its secondary and tertiary elements is that the author thought it was cool to insert, but then she didn't know what to do with things and left everything floating. Instead of explaining what needed to be said for there to be logic in these elements, Pearson chose to tell the story of characters that did not interest us, such as Gwyneth, for example. Your contribution to the story is minimal, but there is an entire page dedicated to explaining your life. Kaden's life was also explored, but where something spectacular should have come from only the realization of the suspicion that had already been in the second volume. "I told the story of the worlds I had seen, of entire cities destroyed, no matter how far and widely they spread, and of cities ascending into the skies of immense magic, which could not withstand a furious storm. I told them about exalted temples that melted into the earth and the valleys that shed the blood of generations like tears. " (Princess Lia, The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson, page 244) In addition to Rafe, Lia and Kaden, we also have Pauline's point of view, and a huge break in the rhythm of the narrative. She is in Civic and, once again, her point of view adds very little. I really liked Pauline in the first book. Her and Lia's friendship was inspiring, but their role in the story completely deviated from the moment the two were separated. My feeling is that she only had a point of view here so that her outcome would not become even more cliché than it once was and that we would care more about her. But then, it doesn't need much, at the moment the characters collide with it, just add 2 + 2 and you'll know what's coming. And despite the problems with the characters' postures, what really bothered me most was the lack of explanation for the things the author invented. And the amount of things with little logic that happen or that are really questionable for the ease that they happen: serious injuries that are forgotten, people that enter and leave castles through windows like magic tricks, prophecies announced at night, and even the explanations of person responsible for machining much of Lia's life are to be desired. I did an excerpt from the video review with spoilers and commented on some of those things, so if you have already read it, you can play it and follow my reactions.Then you must be wondering, with all that you said, are you sure you liked the book? Yes, and that is where all the love we have when we cling to a story comes in. If this was a plot that had displeased me since the first book, I would probably be complaining a lot more now, but I swear I finished the book trying to be positive. I really like Mary E. Pearson's writing, because despite the holes, she manages to instigate the reader to never let go of the book and reading all three volumes for me was frantic. This was the volume that I read more calmly, because I didn't want to miss anything and, behold, the author herself let it pass. I know that for many readers the main thing is the couple or the love triangle, however, I am a fan of fantasy and world building has as much weight as any other piece. And that’s why it’s so frustrating for me not to find closure here. Everything was vague, nothing made sense and the feeling is that the author thought it was cool to insert certain things because it was going to make an impact at that moment, but then she thought it was unnecessary to go back and value it. Or logic. And that is quite wrong within fantastic literature. If you are going to create a unique world, do it well.But, after all, I think the plot closed well, leaving some points open for us to imagine the future. This also allows the author to revisit her world later and create other stories within it (and who knows, this time she explains something, right?). Even what I complained about in the second book that I would like not to happen here, had a certain value and made me satisfied. I think the relief of seeing certain things work out in the end was enough for me to hold on to this story and keep my love alive. The Darkside edition is very beautiful and matches very well with the others, but again we have problems with revision and unnecessary carelessness. I am a fast reader and if these things jump out of my eyes it is because they are not that difficult to be seen by a reviewer who has a trained eye, is it not? There are phrases without agreement and one in particular where the words are out of order, leaving everything meaningless. I also wanted to leave here the sign that seeing Princess Arabella all empowered towards the end of the book made all the difference. There are even some funny scenes involving her and the things she needs to do. It was special that the character had these moments, after all her journey was exactly because she wanted more for her life, something that motivated her and was not imposed. The Beauty of Darkness was not exactly what I was expecting, but it ended this trilogy with a positive balance, and even though I did not have 100% success with me, it has a special place in my heart. If you haven't started reading yet, I highly recommend it. It is a beautiful and inspiring story of a young woman who challenged her kingdom and her family to walk their own path.🖤📚Note: ☆☆☆☆☆| Title: The Beauty of Darkness | ISBN: 9788594540270 | Year: 2016 | Specifics: 576 pages | Editor: DarkSide Books| Genre: Fiction| Finishing: Hardcover | Measurements and weight: 23 x 16cm - 725 g | Brand: DarkLove | Translator: Ana Death Duarte | Cutting: UnpaintedBuy on Amazon (The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson)Review on GoodReads (The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson) Mary E. Pearson (California, August 14, 1955) is an American writer of the fantasy, children's and youth genre and young adults.Mary was born in Southern California in 1955. She has a brother and sister, the youngest of the family. She grew up surrounded by books and in high school she became interested in literature and writing inspired by the work of two of her teachers. Upon finishing high school, he joined the University of California at Long Beach, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.Her book The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award and is being adapted for the cinema.Mary decided to leave the classroom and today writes full time at her home in San Diego🖤📚Twitter @marypearsonWeb Page Oficial Mary E. Pearson