Book Review: The Beauty of Darkness
**This is a spoiler free review, but may contain some information from the first two books in the series**
I finally finished the third book in the Remnant Chronicles. I had read the first two, but stopped to read A Court of Wings and Ruin before moving on to this book. I was in a bit of a reading slump, but this book eventually pulled me out.
There's lots to love about this book. Lia is such a strong female character and I love how she stands up for herself and what she believes in. She deals with a lot of sexism from army commanders and politicians, and I think that makes her struggle relatable to a lot of female readers in particular, even if they aren't a princess trying to help nations avoid a war.
Overall this book was more descriptive, and moved a little bit slower, especially compared to the first book. This wasn't a huge deal because I was already invested in finding out what was going to happen to the characters, but it felt like things could have moved a little faster.
I also wanted more back story for Rafe. He kind of had his crazy 'moment' and I wanted to know more about him and his homeland, but we never really got much. Kaden also seemed to fade into the background a little bit, and I didn't feel as though I had as much closer with him and his relationships as I would have liked. Basically, more details please!
I did really enjoy this book and I will be forever grateful that it pulled me out of my ACOWAR slump because after finishing that series, as I was struggling to read anything else. I did, generally, feel satisfied with the way things ended and I have a lot of love for this series and would highly recommend it if you're looking for a new trilogy to dive into. The characters are amazing, and the plot twists and turns. In the first book, there was a twist I did not see coming, and having read a lot of books, I feel I normally see things coming. That in itself made this series really enjoyable, and I'll probably re-read it at some point.
If you like fantasy, YA, and/or strong female characters, then you'll definitely enjoy this read!
7/10 stars
You'll like this if you enjoyed: Divergent (Veronica Roth); Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins); Queen of the Tearling (Erika Johansen); Glass Sword (Victoria Aveyard); Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo); The Selection (Kiera Cass); The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer); Red Rising (Pierce Brown)