The Laughing Listener
September 2018
Format: Paperback
#KissOfSeptember buddy read!

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Ahhhh the final conclusion to the EPIC Remnant Chronicles series. *Sniffles* This has been such an excellent series and I’m sad to see it come to an end because Lia is THE FREAKING BEST. I do have some minor gripes with parts of this book, but it was still an excellent conclusion to an excellent trilogy.



This book picks up right where the second novel leaves off (THANK GOD) and we get the same amazing characters we did before. Lia is incredible. She’s one of my all-time favorite female heroines now and I could never get tired of reading about her. I’m in love with Rafe too. He’s a complete idiot in this book and makes some bad decisions, but I forgave him and he’s still one of my fictional husbands. And Pauline!! Honestly, I’ve been feeling pretty blah about Pauline the entire series, but she really stepped up her game this book and I loved it! I can’t stress enough how amazing the character arcs are in these novels. Everyone has grown and evolved so much, Lia most of all, and it’s been such a great journey.

"Truth is as free as the air and we all have the right to breathe as deeply of it as we wish. It cannot be held back in the palm of any one man.”

Plus, I know I say this every review I write, but I continue to be stunned by the world building. Each kingdom has a different history, language, religion, culture, etc. and it’s been amazing to read about. I love when they go to new places and I get to learn new things about this universe because it’s so rich! Definitely something I’m looking forward to in [b:Dance of Thieves|35796008|Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #1)|Mary E. Pearson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505930101s/35796008.jpg|55233885] as well.

“It is good to have many strengths, Natiya...Do not sacrifice one kind of strength for another”

The story was pretty great too and I LOOOOOOVED how it ended! It started off strong in the beginning and it was really interesting seeing Lia and Rafe go back to their kingdoms. Being gone so long had its consequences and they both had a lot to deal with when they got back. It was nice seeing that in action and I’m glad Pearson didn’t make everything magically fine upon their return. But the battle scene at the end of the book was… odd. I can’t really talk about it without getting spoilery, but it all happened so fast?? We’ve been building up to this battle for AGES and then it’s over in just a few pages. It all just felt kind of anticlimactic for me after all the tension that had been built up.

“Choice is powerful and can lead to great things if not held in the tight fists of a few.”

But the very very end was AMAZING and I’m so fangirlishly happy with how everything turned out. I would definitely consider this #KissOfSeptember buddy read complete success!!

FINAL WORD

Loved it! Admittedly this wasn’t as great as it’s two predecessors, but it’s still and awesome conclusion to a fantastic series!!

#1 ↦ [b:The Kiss of Deception|16429619|The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1)|Mary E. Pearson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389804901s/16429619.jpg|22617247] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#2 ↦ [b:The Heart of Betrayal|21569527|The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, #2)|Mary E. Pearson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1414932049s/21569527.jpg|40901894] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#3 ↦ The Beauty of Darkness ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧