Princess Lia herself grows from a girl seeking meaning and romance to a regent charging into battle for her country, making sacrifices for her one true love: her people. Throughout the entire series the characters all experience a maturing and sobering growth that leaves its reader both grateful for their growing responsibility and mourning the loss of their innocence. And then I got hooked on that sweet sweet cliffhanger at the end of the first book. But it was a charming story that at least had a somewhat decent love triangle, so I kept reading. Many books have tackled the subject of destiny or fate, and after the first 100 or so pages of the first book I was fairly convinced that this series just didn’t have what it takes. The Remnant Chronicles follows Princess Lia and her path to creating her own destiny apart from the one laid out for her. I fully expected to put down the first book and never touch the series again, but Pearson reeled me back in at the last second. I’m not going to lie, I had some misgivings about this series in the beginning. Basically, Pearson sent me tumbling down a spiral staircase of emotions and all lovers of fantasy need to read these books asap. It’s also one of the best-resolved love-triangles I’ve ever encountered so that was a nice change! I won’t say much-BUT I ABSOLUTELY COULD-about the villain, but I’m obsessed with how intelligent and terrifying he is. Of course, the love-triangle is also a bit of fun but I love the way it’s not the main focus of the series. I adore every excerpt from the lost texts, and the way Lia can seamlessly grow from princess to barmaid to prisoner to leader, almost imperceptibly. Pearson’s ability to pull all of her carefully laid clues together truly never ceases to amaze me. She’s knowledgeable about the workings of her people and intelligent enough to adapt to the workings of those who aren’t. Learning new rules for different kingdoms is endlessly fascinating and I adore the way Lia’s status as a princess is presented. Her world-building is also off the charts and the way Lia navigates the new worlds outside her kingdom is a joy to read. I love how clever Pearson’s style is, leaving you to make assumptions that you take for fact, then whipping the proverbial rug out from under you with her wicked reveals.

I’m getting back into fantasy and this series serves as the perfect little reintroduction to the genre. I feel like a teenager again, just devouring one book after another and forsaking reality for a few days in favour of living in this beautifully complex and compelling world.

The remnant chronicles order