What do you think?
Rate this book
The Painted Maidens Trilogy #2
The Betrayed
Two separate worlds; the Undine of The Deep and the Wolves of The Dry. A history muddled in war but thick with family bonds blur the lines of right and wrong. The youngest members of each race unite, trying to steer their people away from the brink of disaster. Serena and Liam must work together to resolve the problems of their people before the pressure tears these twin siblings apart. But the betrayed are angry, and are out for revenge.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Terra Harmony
21 books239 followersTerra is author of The Painted Maidens Trilogy ('The Rising', 'The Betrayed', and 'The Taking', the Akasha Series ('Water', 'Air', 'Fire', and 'Earth'), and 'The Kindred Curse Anthology'.
Terra was born and raised in Colorado but has since lived in California, Texas, Utah, North Carolina and Virginia. Terra has served a 5½ year enlistment in the Marine Corp, has earned her bachelor's and master's degree and presently runs the language services division of a small business.
Terra currently lives in a suburb of Washington, DC with her husband of sixteen years and three children.
Terra was born and raised in Colorado but has since lived in California, Texas, Utah, North Carolina and Virginia. Terra has served a 5½ year enlistment in the Marine Corp, has earned her bachelor's and master's degree and presently runs the language services division of a small business.
Terra currently lives in a suburb of Washington, DC with her husband of sixteen years and three children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 5, 2021
2.5 Stars
Full review to follow!
Full review to follow!
March 21, 2015
This book picks up where the rising ended. Serena is still trying to deal with the responsibilities of being queen, her secret love for Kai (one of my favorites in this series), her twin brother being a werewolf and now Cordelia’s child being borne and making sure it is safe. Add that to her kingdom’s home is dying and that is a lot for a Queen of 18. Oh and let’s not mention that LIam has found out their is a traitor who is talking to Alaric from the Deep. Not good for Serena
This book is Serena trying to work with Liam to save her life and get her people peace and a chance to be able to use the beach again.
Liam is awesome. He shows his loyalty and kindness. Tries to do what is right and really needs to start to believe more in himself. He is a fierce wolf who understands politics of things and knows how to work the system when necessary. Watching him fight for his people and protect Serena is wonderful. When he is used as a pawn by alaric and in a way Kai I was heartbroken. He so didn’t deserve that. He is well loved by his pack as well.
Kai is just as great as ever. A solid foundation for Serena who loves her like no other. He is patient and kind and protects her with everything he is. He is Serena’s strength.
Murphy is just as stiff but showing signs of softening. He is a good character for he shows the old ways of her kingdom and also the desire to see the change for the good. he is understanding and yet firm.
the story at the end is just wow. The battle against Alaric and how it ends is really incredible. I was sad about the way Cordelia’s story played out. But Darcy and Colin are awesome and loving. They are very accepting as well so that was a good choice.
This is a fast paced action packed and revealing of many obstacles to be faced story of Serena and Liam and how they protect Serena’s life and handle alaric while helping their people. they show compassion and loyalty and that family is everything. So is the love of your people who are family in a different way. We see the story of Serena and Kai be seen more and it puts a smile on your face for they really are cute together. You see the stories of struggling mermaid society and why Serena faces the choices she does. So artfully written and captivating that when you get to the end you just want the next part right away
This book is Serena trying to work with Liam to save her life and get her people peace and a chance to be able to use the beach again.
Liam is awesome. He shows his loyalty and kindness. Tries to do what is right and really needs to start to believe more in himself. He is a fierce wolf who understands politics of things and knows how to work the system when necessary. Watching him fight for his people and protect Serena is wonderful. When he is used as a pawn by alaric and in a way Kai I was heartbroken. He so didn’t deserve that. He is well loved by his pack as well.
Kai is just as great as ever. A solid foundation for Serena who loves her like no other. He is patient and kind and protects her with everything he is. He is Serena’s strength.
Murphy is just as stiff but showing signs of softening. He is a good character for he shows the old ways of her kingdom and also the desire to see the change for the good. he is understanding and yet firm.
the story at the end is just wow. The battle against Alaric and how it ends is really incredible. I was sad about the way Cordelia’s story played out. But Darcy and Colin are awesome and loving. They are very accepting as well so that was a good choice.
This is a fast paced action packed and revealing of many obstacles to be faced story of Serena and Liam and how they protect Serena’s life and handle alaric while helping their people. they show compassion and loyalty and that family is everything. So is the love of your people who are family in a different way. We see the story of Serena and Kai be seen more and it puts a smile on your face for they really are cute together. You see the stories of struggling mermaid society and why Serena faces the choices she does. So artfully written and captivating that when you get to the end you just want the next part right away
May 26, 2019
Great book especially loved the narration from Liam's point of view.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2020
actual rating- 3.5 stars
the end was so crazy the last half was way better than the first half too many werewolves not enough mermaids
the end was so crazy the last half was way better than the first half too many werewolves not enough mermaids
June 12, 2015
[Full disclosure: I requested and received an ebook copy of the whole trilogy on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
With that doozy of a cliffhanger at the end of The Rising, I just had to read The Betrayed almost immediately after. I mean, finding out that not only the King is Serena’s father but that he sacrificed himself to save her and the Undine? That’s a pretty steep cliffhanger to end the first book in a trilogy on. It didn’t make the first book unsatisfying, though. It just made me want to read the second book as soon as possible!
So now Serena is Queen and the problems that were her father’s are now her own. Not only is the ocean not getting any less acidic where the Undine are situated, the werewolves are still a huge problem after the mini-war that broke out at the end of the last book. Werewolves were killed and Undine were killed; in the end it brought everyone no closer to a peace deal. Serena’s father’s sacrifice should have ended the war between werewolves and Undine but Alaric (the leader of the werewolves) is still demanding that the Undine hold to the king’s bargain and surrender Serena for him to experiment on. That’s obviously not going to happen now that she’s Queen, but Serena has more than herself to think of: only one of the women who were able to mate in the last book has been able to conceive and now the werewolves are blockading the beach again. Cordelia, the woman in question, now has nowhere to give birth to her child and that’s a major problem for a child who might be the new hope for the entire Undine species.
Serena really is going through a lot. First she learns that her father isn’t dead and is in fact the king and then he dies to save her and his people. She loves one of his guardsmen, Kai, but has to pretend to be mated to Murphy, the Captain of the Guard for political reasons so that the older generation will accept her. On top of all that, the supply of food for the Undine is dying out with the rising acidity of the ocean where they live. Things really aren’t looking good for Serena but I was really impressed with her character. She truly does rise to the challenge, even if things start out a little bumpy. Of course she makes mistakes and isn’t the best politician yet but she’s only 18. I shudder to think of most 18-year-olds (or 80-year-olds for that matter) trying to tackle all of those problems at once. And some of the solutions Serena comes up with aren’t popular; still, she sticks to them.
The plot in The Betrayed is a lot more fast-paced than the previous book and some of the plot twists are far less predictable. There was a lot of intrapersonal conflict on Serena’s part because of all the pressure placed on her but it was interesting since I’ve come to care about her character, particularly in this second book. She has a tough job and she’s doing the best she can, especially since she was never raised as royalty and never even suspected that the king was her father and she was the rightful heir to the Kingdom of the Undine. Yes, there’s also a little romantic intrigue because of Serena’s inability to express her love for Kai in the open but that’s sort of a background to the still-simmering tensions between werewolves and the Undine. The way Serena resolves the conflict is brilliant, if a little messy and while the book ends on another cliffhanger it’s nowhere near as dramatic as the cliffhanger of the first book.
If you enjoyed The Rising I think you’ll enjoy The Betrayed just as much, if not more. It’s a great second book that doesn’t really drag on and on because of how Terra Harmony makes you care about her characters. You really do worry about what happens to them and Serena is a very memorable character in her own right. Basically, if you read and enjoyed the first book you need to pick up this second book. You won’t regret it and you’ll be just as eager as I am for the third and final book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
With that doozy of a cliffhanger at the end of The Rising, I just had to read The Betrayed almost immediately after. I mean, finding out that not only the King is Serena’s father but that he sacrificed himself to save her and the Undine? That’s a pretty steep cliffhanger to end the first book in a trilogy on. It didn’t make the first book unsatisfying, though. It just made me want to read the second book as soon as possible!
So now Serena is Queen and the problems that were her father’s are now her own. Not only is the ocean not getting any less acidic where the Undine are situated, the werewolves are still a huge problem after the mini-war that broke out at the end of the last book. Werewolves were killed and Undine were killed; in the end it brought everyone no closer to a peace deal. Serena’s father’s sacrifice should have ended the war between werewolves and Undine but Alaric (the leader of the werewolves) is still demanding that the Undine hold to the king’s bargain and surrender Serena for him to experiment on. That’s obviously not going to happen now that she’s Queen, but Serena has more than herself to think of: only one of the women who were able to mate in the last book has been able to conceive and now the werewolves are blockading the beach again. Cordelia, the woman in question, now has nowhere to give birth to her child and that’s a major problem for a child who might be the new hope for the entire Undine species.
Serena really is going through a lot. First she learns that her father isn’t dead and is in fact the king and then he dies to save her and his people. She loves one of his guardsmen, Kai, but has to pretend to be mated to Murphy, the Captain of the Guard for political reasons so that the older generation will accept her. On top of all that, the supply of food for the Undine is dying out with the rising acidity of the ocean where they live. Things really aren’t looking good for Serena but I was really impressed with her character. She truly does rise to the challenge, even if things start out a little bumpy. Of course she makes mistakes and isn’t the best politician yet but she’s only 18. I shudder to think of most 18-year-olds (or 80-year-olds for that matter) trying to tackle all of those problems at once. And some of the solutions Serena comes up with aren’t popular; still, she sticks to them.
The plot in The Betrayed is a lot more fast-paced than the previous book and some of the plot twists are far less predictable. There was a lot of intrapersonal conflict on Serena’s part because of all the pressure placed on her but it was interesting since I’ve come to care about her character, particularly in this second book. She has a tough job and she’s doing the best she can, especially since she was never raised as royalty and never even suspected that the king was her father and she was the rightful heir to the Kingdom of the Undine. Yes, there’s also a little romantic intrigue because of Serena’s inability to express her love for Kai in the open but that’s sort of a background to the still-simmering tensions between werewolves and the Undine. The way Serena resolves the conflict is brilliant, if a little messy and while the book ends on another cliffhanger it’s nowhere near as dramatic as the cliffhanger of the first book.
If you enjoyed The Rising I think you’ll enjoy The Betrayed just as much, if not more. It’s a great second book that doesn’t really drag on and on because of how Terra Harmony makes you care about her characters. You really do worry about what happens to them and Serena is a very memorable character in her own right. Basically, if you read and enjoyed the first book you need to pick up this second book. You won’t regret it and you’ll be just as eager as I am for the third and final book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
November 4, 2014
Serena is slowly falling into her new role as Queen of the Undine. The deadline of her birthday, where she is to give herself over to the Werewolves as a sacrifice to amend their differences, looms. Serena is willing to do anything to save her people, but Liam isn't so willing to allow his sister to die. Together, they search for a way to help both of their races thrive without anyone needing to be sacrificed.
This book picks up within a few weeks of where The Rising left off. The story was really easy to jump right back into. I found the story here to be slightly more interesting than the one in The Rising, however, it dragged a bit more. I had trouble connecting to it, which had me turning the pages with a mild interest but little dedication. It felt like I was reading a "rainy day" book that I barely cared about instead of a continuation in a series I was completely curious about.
I think the characters were the biggest blemish in the story for me. I had trouble connecting to them with The Rising and it's only made worse here. Even though the writing is smooth, I couldn't get too emotional about them. The one time I did get completely emotional, was with a side character who, depending on your point of view, hardly mattered.
The character that I got emotion about the most was Cordelia.
This book suffered from the Sophomore Slump, there is no way around that. It tried to be strong, and it did advance the story fairly well. It wrapped up a few things a bit too cleanly, leaving you wondering what will happen in the third book, but it was handled well in general. The lack of Liam in the final pages was enough to latch me onto the third book, but other than that, this book suffered. I truly believe that the third in the series will make up for it, but then, I generally have low expectations for sophomore novels in a series to begin with. This series is worth continuing, even if this book wasn't as entertaining as I had hoped it would be.
Read this and other reviews at my blog.
This book picks up within a few weeks of where The Rising left off. The story was really easy to jump right back into. I found the story here to be slightly more interesting than the one in The Rising, however, it dragged a bit more. I had trouble connecting to it, which had me turning the pages with a mild interest but little dedication. It felt like I was reading a "rainy day" book that I barely cared about instead of a continuation in a series I was completely curious about.
I think the characters were the biggest blemish in the story for me. I had trouble connecting to them with The Rising and it's only made worse here. Even though the writing is smooth, I couldn't get too emotional about them. The one time I did get completely emotional, was with a side character who, depending on your point of view, hardly mattered.
The character that I got emotion about the most was Cordelia.
This book suffered from the Sophomore Slump, there is no way around that. It tried to be strong, and it did advance the story fairly well. It wrapped up a few things a bit too cleanly, leaving you wondering what will happen in the third book, but it was handled well in general. The lack of Liam in the final pages was enough to latch me onto the third book, but other than that, this book suffered. I truly believe that the third in the series will make up for it, but then, I generally have low expectations for sophomore novels in a series to begin with. This series is worth continuing, even if this book wasn't as entertaining as I had hoped it would be.
Read this and other reviews at my blog.
October 7, 2014
so after reading the first book I was excited to read the second. I completed the second in a day! however there were a few errors in this book especially towards the end. certain details were completely missed and parts didnt make sense. in saying that I'm excited to read the third book when it becomes available.
December 4, 2015
Much faster paced than the first book and reading from Liam's point of view was interesting. I am also glad to say that the writing is much improved. I am still not a huge fan of writing in the present tense, but it wasn't as distracting this go around.
July 19, 2016
Better than the first book however still didn't surpass a three for me because I could move through it rather quickly without paying much attention. Still definitely recommend the series and have already started the last in the trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews