Review by Booklist Review
As a child growing up in the desperately poor quarter of Brightmist, Kazimyrah was known as Ten, a nickname she earned by becoming a thief so prodigiously skilled that she kept all of her fingers. Now she is a Rahtan, one of the queen's elite guard but Kazi is still a thief, and the queen needs something stolen. Jase Ballenger grew up surrounded by a self-governing outlaw family that is a nation unto itself. When his father, the leader of the Ballengers, dies unexpectedly young, Jase becomes the Patrei, and life-altering decisions fall suddenly into his hands. When Kazi and Jase cross paths, years of tumultuous political relationships come to a head. Kazi and Jase are drawn to each other, but love may matter less than their responsibilities. The slow-burning, seductive romance never overwhelms the intricate plot, which is built with layers upon layers of twists, reveals, and double-crosses. Fans of Pearson's Remnant Chronicles will find some familiar names here, but this new series stands alone. An intricate, action-packed adventure.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in the same fantasy world as her acclaimed Remnant Chronicles series (and featuring guest appearances and politics from those books), Pearson takes up the story of Kazi, a fierce Rahtan warrior and talented thief, and Jase, the head of a ruling family in the kingdom's outer regions. The two, thrown together in dire circumstances, find themselves in a star-crossed romance. Kazi and Jase's relationship is layered, with intriguing and difficult pasts that provide necessary character-building and enough momentum to compel readers forward. Told in alternating chapters by Kazi and Jase, the lovers' tale is set amid a larger political story about competing kingdoms, warring territories, and changing loyalties, the threads of which can become difficult to follow. Nevertheless, Pearson is a gifted storyteller and spinner of eminently satisfying romances and fantasy. Fans will thrill at these newest protagonists, especially the women warriors, who are equal partners in the play for power. Ages 14-up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Set in the same universe as "The Remnant Chronicles," but well after the fall of the Komizar, the region is now under the control of Queen Zezelia. When it is discovered that the Ballengers, an outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations and doesn't recognize the sovereignty of the Queen, has forcibly removed people from their land and is trading with known enemies and slavers, three soldiers, led by Kazimyrah (an orphan and former street urchin), are dispatched to investigate. They arrive at Hell's Mouth only to find that Ballenger senior has recently passed away and his irrepressible oldest son, Jase, is now in charge. When both Jase and Kazi are snatched by slavers, they are forced to set their animosity aside and work together to escape. Unwillingly, they find themselves drawn to each other despite their disparate loyalties. This novel has it all-romance, conflict, danger, and humor. VERDICT A must-have for all fantasy YA shelves.-Jane Henriksen Baird, formerly at Anchorage Public Library, AK © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Pearson returns to the world of her Remnant Chronicles (The Kiss of Deception, rev. 9/14, and sequels) in this story set six years after that series bloody events. The tale is told in the alternating voices of Kazimyrah, one of the queens premier guardswomen, and Jase, newly named patrei of the Ballenger familys outlying territories. Kazi has been sent to arrest Jase for treaty violations; things go awry when they are both kidnapped by labor hunters. Chained together, the two manage to escape. While trying to make their way back to a settlement, they call a truceand fall in love. However, deception, tricky allegiances, and sacrifices await their return to civilization, and most of the story follows the characters navigation of changing loyalties and shifting emotions. Pearson creates fully rounded protagonists whose backstories, slowly revealed, help shape readers understanding of their choices and motivations. The supporting cast is well-developed, with Kazis fellow guardswomen deepening the emotional connections and providing links to previous books (along with occasional, and brief, comic relief). The world-building is dense and detailedfamiliarity with the Remnant Chronicles helpswith complex politics and twisting allegiances driving the story line. This book has an ending (one that should satisfy romance fans), but several of the plot points remain unresolved, leaving ample room for a sequel. elissa Gershowitz (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An elite soldier and the head of an unacknowledged dynasty fall in love while telling each other lie after lie.Six years after the war described in The Beauty of Darkness (2016), the queen of Venda sends three top soldiers to hunt down a war criminal. One soldier is 17-year-old Kazi, formerly "an invisible street rat" of Venda, who honed her consummate thieving skills after her mother was kidnapped into (probable) sex slavery. The war criminal may be hiding at Tor's Watch, where the ancient Ballenger Dynasty is newly led by 19-year-old Jase Ballenger. Tor's Watch is politically unrecognized by the other kingdoms, and although the Ballengers refuse to demarcate their borders, they're fiercely territorial. There are ongoing, possibly rogue, threats to their home, city, and trade arena. Kazi and Jase's meet-cute is a meet-slam (her knife at his throat), and, of course, while chained together by kidnappers and deceiving each other incessantly, they fall in love. The action and reveals have strong content but little punch, and the romance is overwritten ("I was dancing with fire and hoping not to get burned"). However, Pearson's plotting is solid, and the last section picks up steam, ending on a cryptic cliffhanger that begs the sequel to hurry. Kazi and Jase seem white by default; a few characters are noted as brown-skinned.Questions of trust, trauma, loyalty, and territory, for readers who enjoy lie-infused romance. (Fantasy/romance. 14-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
