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Darkangel Trilogy #3
The Pearl of the Soul of the World
All the world’s wisdom and magic resides within the iridescent depths of a small white pearl. “All my sorcery,” the Ancient Ravenna had said of the pearl. “It is left to you to save the world.” But is the pearl powerful enough to enable Aeriel to defeat the White Witch? Aeriel’s people have assembled an army--led by the redeemed darkangel Irrylath--and are soon to attack the Witch and her darkangel sons. But their cause is hopeless unless Aeriel can unlock the mysteries of the pearl . . . and of her own destiny.
301 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
29 people are currently reading
1554 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Ann Pierce
19 books641 followersMeredith Ann Pierce is a fantasy writer and librarian. Her books deal in fantasy worlds with mythic settings and yet overturn standard expectations, frequently featuring young women who first wish only to love and be loved, yet who must face hazard and danger to save their way of life, their world, and so on, usually without being respected for their efforts until the end of the story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
December 4, 2007
I waited for YEARS for this trilogy to be complete. I pestered the librarian weekly, "Is it out yet?" When it finally arrived, we were both excited.
Great until the last 20 pgs which were a big WTF.
Great until the last 20 pgs which were a big WTF.
February 2, 2010
I'm kind of devastated, actually.
I started reading this series about a year ago, gave up halfway through The Darkangel, then started up again really recently. I remembered the story, it's dreaminess and potential love story intruiging me.
After finishing The Darkangel, I was pretty hooked - the whole fantasy world Pierce created definitely wasn't one of the most compelling or well-written I have ever read, but it was original all the same. As I read on to A Gathering of Gargoyles, I began to feel a real hope that Aerial could have the ending she (in my mind) so richly deserved. I was convinced Irrylath really did love her; that after her seemingly endless trials and tribulations, they'd be together.
Instead, I get Aerial ending up right back where she started, a slave to someone else, without her heart's desire, alone save for her most loyal friend - and come on, that's hardly a comfort, is it? :L
I actually feel pretty cheated at the moment. I'd really grown to like Aerial, and this series - it was confusing, with large plot holes, and a lot of it I had to muddle through, but it had real glimpses of greatness. I know some people say they appreciated the ending not being a typical HEA, liked how Pierce broke away from the expected. Usually, I'd agree.
Something similar happened for me once I'd finished the last book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, The Sweet Far Thing - the ending wasn't what I was ideally hoping for, tragic really, yet it had hope. Some might say the end of The Pearl... has this, with Irrylath pledging his undying love at last, blah blah blah. Personally, I really disagree. With TSFT, I felt like the hope for a reunion, for love triumphing in the end, was there, and would eventually come to the heroine - the reader wasn't kept in limbo, not knowing whether or not the promise of a HEA would come true because another book would've been needed for that to pass. This is how I felt in TPOTSOTW. Aerial's suffering for her love of Irrylath, even when he spurned her, was admirable, if a little unrealistic. So naturally, after everything she'd been through, all for him, I wanted her to get her man. But no.
She ends up basically enslaved to the 'goddess' Ravenna who had seriously went down in my estimation by the end of the book, leaving Irrylath and taking Erin (consolation prize anyone?).
The ending left me like this. I can either create a fantasy in my head that Irrylath did find a way to get Aerial back; or I can believe what probably happened, that his bitchface cousin Sabr married him and they lived (I hope) unhappily ever after. It was like a giant book of self sacrifice and martyrdom, qualities in a story that irk me often yet I usually don't mind if it's FOR A REASON. Yes, the ending was written beautifully anyway, but for an admitted sap like me, it just wasn't what I wished for. And, I suspect, even for those who are not general saps out there, the ending was still a source of bewilderment and disappointment; a nonsensical end that was unfair and unrealistic. I felt like Aerial was always designed as this character who had to give up everything, and that left me wondering at the point in the series. What was the point in getting the readers to like her, hope for her future, root for her in her pursuit of her very human love for Irrylath, someone who could be so immature and annoying I often wanted to hit him, if she was just going to end up a martyr?
Another series with an original idea that could have turned into something marvellous, but ended up just falling short. Sigh. So, at the conclusion of my desperation-filled rant, I will probably go away blocking out this book and pretending like Aerial ended up happy like she deserved - that, in my mind, is how this story should have ended, and therefore will for me. (:
I started reading this series about a year ago, gave up halfway through The Darkangel, then started up again really recently. I remembered the story, it's dreaminess and potential love story intruiging me.
After finishing The Darkangel, I was pretty hooked - the whole fantasy world Pierce created definitely wasn't one of the most compelling or well-written I have ever read, but it was original all the same. As I read on to A Gathering of Gargoyles, I began to feel a real hope that Aerial could have the ending she (in my mind) so richly deserved. I was convinced Irrylath really did love her; that after her seemingly endless trials and tribulations, they'd be together.
Instead, I get Aerial ending up right back where she started, a slave to someone else, without her heart's desire, alone save for her most loyal friend - and come on, that's hardly a comfort, is it? :L
I actually feel pretty cheated at the moment. I'd really grown to like Aerial, and this series - it was confusing, with large plot holes, and a lot of it I had to muddle through, but it had real glimpses of greatness. I know some people say they appreciated the ending not being a typical HEA, liked how Pierce broke away from the expected. Usually, I'd agree.
Something similar happened for me once I'd finished the last book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, The Sweet Far Thing - the ending wasn't what I was ideally hoping for, tragic really, yet it had hope. Some might say the end of The Pearl... has this, with Irrylath pledging his undying love at last, blah blah blah. Personally, I really disagree. With TSFT, I felt like the hope for a reunion, for love triumphing in the end, was there, and would eventually come to the heroine - the reader wasn't kept in limbo, not knowing whether or not the promise of a HEA would come true because another book would've been needed for that to pass. This is how I felt in TPOTSOTW. Aerial's suffering for her love of Irrylath, even when he spurned her, was admirable, if a little unrealistic. So naturally, after everything she'd been through, all for him, I wanted her to get her man. But no.
She ends up basically enslaved to the 'goddess' Ravenna who had seriously went down in my estimation by the end of the book, leaving Irrylath and taking Erin (consolation prize anyone?).
The ending left me like this. I can either create a fantasy in my head that Irrylath did find a way to get Aerial back; or I can believe what probably happened, that his bitchface cousin Sabr married him and they lived (I hope) unhappily ever after. It was like a giant book of self sacrifice and martyrdom, qualities in a story that irk me often yet I usually don't mind if it's FOR A REASON. Yes, the ending was written beautifully anyway, but for an admitted sap like me, it just wasn't what I wished for. And, I suspect, even for those who are not general saps out there, the ending was still a source of bewilderment and disappointment; a nonsensical end that was unfair and unrealistic. I felt like Aerial was always designed as this character who had to give up everything, and that left me wondering at the point in the series. What was the point in getting the readers to like her, hope for her future, root for her in her pursuit of her very human love for Irrylath, someone who could be so immature and annoying I often wanted to hit him, if she was just going to end up a martyr?
Another series with an original idea that could have turned into something marvellous, but ended up just falling short. Sigh. So, at the conclusion of my desperation-filled rant, I will probably go away blocking out this book and pretending like Aerial ended up happy like she deserved - that, in my mind, is how this story should have ended, and therefore will for me. (:
January 4, 2011
I remember waiting ages for the library to get this to me via inter-library order, very many years ago. I was obsessed to the point of being able to quote that awkward "prophecy" poem. And I remember how utterly disappointing the final 20 pages were, which I read and re-read, trying to find some trace, any trace, of a resolution to this essentially 3-volume romance between Irrylath and Aeriel. After ALL THIS TIME, and ALL THIS SACRIFICE, she gets to sleep with him ONCE and finds that she has to go away FOREVER. Worse, there is this other chick, basically a female version of him, a bandit queen and therefore wild and confident and free as Aeriel hadn't been as a servant, waiting with hands out-stretched to take over.
WHY????????
It's not as though this series was written in the vein of -- personal love lessens in the face of saving the world; duty trumps feelings, etc. -- it began and continued as this chick trying heroically to SAVE her CURSED dark angel man. And THIS is how Pierce fulfill the unspoken contract with her readers?! One night in the sack, one declaration of love... separation forever ... THE END??
I am not saying I expected some simplistic HEA, as Aeriel has indeed grown and seen much since her humble beginnings -- but this conclusion came out of no where. As others have mentioned, Aeriel ended up once more a slave, except now to a greater Mistress, with even less freedom than before. If she had to go save the world, why can she not bring Irrylath? If his oath was so binding and her duties so pressing, why can they not work out some kind of compromise? She could travel off to do what she must do for 9 months of the year, and stay with him for the remaining 3, and this would still be a subversion of fairy tale tropes...
I have never been interested in another Pierce book since.
WHY????????
It's not as though this series was written in the vein of -- personal love lessens in the face of saving the world; duty trumps feelings, etc. -- it began and continued as this chick trying heroically to SAVE her CURSED dark angel man. And THIS is how Pierce fulfill the unspoken contract with her readers?! One night in the sack, one declaration of love... separation forever ... THE END??
I am not saying I expected some simplistic HEA, as Aeriel has indeed grown and seen much since her humble beginnings -- but this conclusion came out of no where. As others have mentioned, Aeriel ended up once more a slave, except now to a greater Mistress, with even less freedom than before. If she had to go save the world, why can she not bring Irrylath? If his oath was so binding and her duties so pressing, why can they not work out some kind of compromise? She could travel off to do what she must do for 9 months of the year, and stay with him for the remaining 3, and this would still be a subversion of fairy tale tropes...
I have never been interested in another Pierce book since.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2013
Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers
**WARNING: This review contains unavoidable spoilers for The Darkangel and A Gathering of Gargoyles, books 1 & 2 in the series. If you have not read these books and would like to remain unspoiled, LOOK AWAY! You have been warned.**
Review:
Aeriel has cut out her heart and given it to her husband and beloved Irrylath, saving him from a horrible fate as a true Darkangel. She has travelled the vast sand-filled seas to solve an ancient rime in the hopes of saving her husband and her world from the snare of the White Witch. Now, she has helped Irrylath amass an army to bring the Witch down, but faces her greatest challenge yet when she is run through with the Witch's cruel pin and her memories are robbed. Aeriel must travel to the great city of NuRavenna, and bear a precious pearl to stop the Witch and save her world from the slow death of entropy.
The third and final book in Meredith Ann Pierce's Darkangel trilogy, The Pearl of the Soul of the World is powerful, climactic stuff. This is Aeriel's final showdown, and she is tested more sorely than she has ever been before - still, she harbors an unrequited love for her husband (in name only), Irrylath, and still she hopes to win his heart once she has freed him from the talons of the Witch. But, truly, The Pearl of the Soul of the World is so much larger than just Aeriel's yearning for Irrylath - it is the story of a world created and forgotten, of a daughter bent on revenge and power against her mother, and a prophecy that can guide a planet back from the brink of cold death. When I started The Pearl of the Soul of the World, it was with great trepidation. I've heard from many different people that this was their least favorite of the books, and have read reviews that were similarly underwhelmed. But you know what, fellow readers? I think this was a perfect, fitting end to a beautiful, wonderfully strange series. In fact, The Pearl of the Soul of the World is my favorite of the trilogy.
As with A Gathering of Gargoyles before it, this volume expands on the history of Aeriel's world (which is our own moon), this time explaining in depth the ancients that came from Oceanus (Earth), who brought life to a barren rock and crafted creatures to inhabit it and do their bidding. I love the beautiful integration of science fiction with fantasy in this book and series overall -this intersection of my two favorite genres is always welcome, but so rarely does it come off as effortlessly and effectively as it does with Pierce's writing. In this third book, we also learn the truth of Ravenna and Oriencor the Witch, their bond and the madness that drives the Witch to her cruel acts - I won't spoil, but it's a resonant and heartbreaking truth that is revealed, and gives us more insight and understanding of Oriencor as more than just a single-minded monster. We see familiar faces including Irrylath and Erin, my favorites of the cast - Irrylath because he is not magically in love with Aeriel and such a conflicted, dark character; Erin because of her devotion to a true friend, as protective of Aeriel as Aeriel is of her husband (in truth, I consider the love between Erin and Aeriel the true love story of this trilogy - but maybe that's just me).
But most of all? Most of all I loved watching Aeriel on her quest - first as the unwanted slave who defies and redeems a Darkangel, then as a messenger across the sands and seas, and finally, the woman on whose shoulders the weight of the world rests. It is Aeriel's strength, her choices, and her love that defines and saves her world - small, unassuming Aeriel, who is neither powerful nor some preordained-by-the-stars savior. I truly admired the gutsy, heartbreaking strain Pierce places on her heroine and the ultimate choice she must make at the end of this book. And while it might not be popular opinion, I think the ending is just as it should be: sad, yes, but ultimately hopeful and ever so powerful.
What else can I say except that I loved this book dearly, and I feel bereft now that I have finished the trilogy?
If you love fantasy, if you love science fiction, if you love stories and beautiful writing and heartbreaking characters, The Darkangel awaits. Please read it.
**WARNING: This review contains unavoidable spoilers for The Darkangel and A Gathering of Gargoyles, books 1 & 2 in the series. If you have not read these books and would like to remain unspoiled, LOOK AWAY! You have been warned.**
Review:
Aeriel has cut out her heart and given it to her husband and beloved Irrylath, saving him from a horrible fate as a true Darkangel. She has travelled the vast sand-filled seas to solve an ancient rime in the hopes of saving her husband and her world from the snare of the White Witch. Now, she has helped Irrylath amass an army to bring the Witch down, but faces her greatest challenge yet when she is run through with the Witch's cruel pin and her memories are robbed. Aeriel must travel to the great city of NuRavenna, and bear a precious pearl to stop the Witch and save her world from the slow death of entropy.
The third and final book in Meredith Ann Pierce's Darkangel trilogy, The Pearl of the Soul of the World is powerful, climactic stuff. This is Aeriel's final showdown, and she is tested more sorely than she has ever been before - still, she harbors an unrequited love for her husband (in name only), Irrylath, and still she hopes to win his heart once she has freed him from the talons of the Witch. But, truly, The Pearl of the Soul of the World is so much larger than just Aeriel's yearning for Irrylath - it is the story of a world created and forgotten, of a daughter bent on revenge and power against her mother, and a prophecy that can guide a planet back from the brink of cold death. When I started The Pearl of the Soul of the World, it was with great trepidation. I've heard from many different people that this was their least favorite of the books, and have read reviews that were similarly underwhelmed. But you know what, fellow readers? I think this was a perfect, fitting end to a beautiful, wonderfully strange series. In fact, The Pearl of the Soul of the World is my favorite of the trilogy.
As with A Gathering of Gargoyles before it, this volume expands on the history of Aeriel's world (which is our own moon), this time explaining in depth the ancients that came from Oceanus (Earth), who brought life to a barren rock and crafted creatures to inhabit it and do their bidding. I love the beautiful integration of science fiction with fantasy in this book and series overall -this intersection of my two favorite genres is always welcome, but so rarely does it come off as effortlessly and effectively as it does with Pierce's writing. In this third book, we also learn the truth of Ravenna and Oriencor the Witch, their bond and the madness that drives the Witch to her cruel acts - I won't spoil, but it's a resonant and heartbreaking truth that is revealed, and gives us more insight and understanding of Oriencor as more than just a single-minded monster. We see familiar faces including Irrylath and Erin, my favorites of the cast - Irrylath because he is not magically in love with Aeriel and such a conflicted, dark character; Erin because of her devotion to a true friend, as protective of Aeriel as Aeriel is of her husband (in truth, I consider the love between Erin and Aeriel the true love story of this trilogy - but maybe that's just me).
But most of all? Most of all I loved watching Aeriel on her quest - first as the unwanted slave who defies and redeems a Darkangel, then as a messenger across the sands and seas, and finally, the woman on whose shoulders the weight of the world rests. It is Aeriel's strength, her choices, and her love that defines and saves her world - small, unassuming Aeriel, who is neither powerful nor some preordained-by-the-stars savior. I truly admired the gutsy, heartbreaking strain Pierce places on her heroine and the ultimate choice she must make at the end of this book. And while it might not be popular opinion, I think the ending is just as it should be: sad, yes, but ultimately hopeful and ever so powerful.
What else can I say except that I loved this book dearly, and I feel bereft now that I have finished the trilogy?
If you love fantasy, if you love science fiction, if you love stories and beautiful writing and heartbreaking characters, The Darkangel awaits. Please read it.
January 26, 2013
This story is everything Twilight wanted to be, and failed to be. A girl finds love from a tortured soul who we're repeatedly shown is completely wrong for her--even to the point of endangering her life--and chooses to walk away. A bitterly sad, devastating, and lonely ending; I wouldn't have it any other way.
Meredith Anne Pierce is a genius, a writer of the very highest caliber. I'm not too surprised to see many "but i hated it becuz she didnt get teh boi!!!" reviews; it truly is a devastating ending if you're invested in Aeriel at all. But this is what adulthood looks like: sometimes you follow a river for years looking for a bridge, and instead you find where the river meets the ocean. Don't cry for the bridge you never crossed--you just found something new, something so big you couldn't have imagined it when you first set off. Embrace it and always move forward.
July 7, 2009
Can there please be a fourth book? Maybe one with a happy ending?
October 17, 2012
Be alarmed by the one-star rating. After loving the first two books my expectations could not have been higher.
I have been blinded by the unsatisfactory ending and am completely blank on the quality of the writing or thoughts on the characters.
After reading this book years ago I spent nearly a year trying to write my own - better - ending, but to no avail, I am nowhere near as good a writer and that horrible ending is lodged in my brain and cannot be undone no matter how much I want it to be. Up to that point in my life I have never been more enraged by the ending of a book (Jo and Laurie in Little Women notwithstanding) and have given up on the author altogether.
I have been blinded by the unsatisfactory ending and am completely blank on the quality of the writing or thoughts on the characters.
After reading this book years ago I spent nearly a year trying to write my own - better - ending, but to no avail, I am nowhere near as good a writer and that horrible ending is lodged in my brain and cannot be undone no matter how much I want it to be. Up to that point in my life I have never been more enraged by the ending of a book (Jo and Laurie in Little Women notwithstanding) and have given up on the author altogether.
April 8, 2014
If you haven't read the first two books,
https://31.media.tumblr.com/4bc2baf14...
You have been warned.
Nope.
Don't do it. Don't read it.
It will ruin EVERYTHING.
I was really enjoying this series, it had beautiful writing, an amazing world, and I loved almost all of the characters (it's pretty darn hard to find a book I can say that about). But this book... Terrible. Dreadful. Horrid. Pick a word. Or several words. The majority of the story was as wonderful as the first two books, but the ending spoiled everything. The ending was like drinking coffee with milk, and not realizing that your milk had spoiled until you took a (big) drink of it. So, so bad. Maybe this was just me, but I felt like Aeriel was right back where she started. At the beginning she was a slave. At the ending she was a slave, just to a different master. Wasn't her goal to not be a slave? And to be loved?? She deserved a happily ever after. The only way I can feel good about the ending is knowing that Aeriel and Irrylath would have found a way to be together, had the story continued.
https://31.media.tumblr.com/4bc2baf14...
You have been warned.
Nope.
Don't do it. Don't read it.
It will ruin EVERYTHING.
I was really enjoying this series, it had beautiful writing, an amazing world, and I loved almost all of the characters (it's pretty darn hard to find a book I can say that about). But this book... Terrible. Dreadful. Horrid. Pick a word. Or several words. The majority of the story was as wonderful as the first two books, but the ending spoiled everything. The ending was like drinking coffee with milk, and not realizing that your milk had spoiled until you took a (big) drink of it. So, so bad. Maybe this was just me, but I felt like Aeriel was right back where she started. At the beginning she was a slave. At the ending she was a slave, just to a different master. Wasn't her goal to not be a slave? And to be loved?? She deserved a happily ever after. The only way I can feel good about the ending is knowing that Aeriel and Irrylath would have found a way to be together, had the story continued.
April 18, 2012
As I was expecting the ending of the story was sad and bittersweet.
I wasn't surprised though because it was set-up in 'The Gathering of Gargoyles' that she couldn't be with Irrayalth.
Even with the best of intentions people won't always give what you've given back to them.
My favourite singer growing up was Sting so I learned that lesson early on. I listened to the wise old sage that possession is not a healthy way to love someone. I took those love songs to heart.
Aeriel dealt with jeaously and the bitter truth [learned from that other old sage in my youth Fitzegerald] that sometimes when you've helped someone out or seen their worse they aren't comfortable in your presence. She couldn't force anything more lest she end up like the witch.
Irrayalth squandered her precious gift because his capacity to love just wasn't as great as Aeriel's. She saw the bigger picture. Plus she had Erin. That friendship was the real love story in this series.
They could have been but as in life ego and one's own opinion of themselves sometime get in the way. He was shown to be vain and self absorbed from the first book so I believed his truth love looked exactly like himself. The metaphor of returning his heart was poetic.
My older sister would be furious they didn't get together if she read the series.
I wasn't surprised though because it was set-up in 'The Gathering of Gargoyles' that she couldn't be with Irrayalth.
Even with the best of intentions people won't always give what you've given back to them.
My favourite singer growing up was Sting so I learned that lesson early on. I listened to the wise old sage that possession is not a healthy way to love someone. I took those love songs to heart.
Aeriel dealt with jeaously and the bitter truth [learned from that other old sage in my youth Fitzegerald] that sometimes when you've helped someone out or seen their worse they aren't comfortable in your presence. She couldn't force anything more lest she end up like the witch.
Irrayalth squandered her precious gift because his capacity to love just wasn't as great as Aeriel's. She saw the bigger picture. Plus she had Erin. That friendship was the real love story in this series.
They could have been but as in life ego and one's own opinion of themselves sometime get in the way. He was shown to be vain and self absorbed from the first book so I believed his truth love looked exactly like himself. The metaphor of returning his heart was poetic.
My older sister would be furious they didn't get together if she read the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2016
Like the previous two stories in this trilogy, I would have given this book 4 stars until
January 31, 2023
Third read: Aerial is so quietly badass, and I love her. I love all her moments of weakness, and the way she makes the hard, tough calls, even when she doesn't want to. And I love the way this book still makes me sob through the last thirty pages, even though this is the third time I've read it. And I fucking love her friendship with Erin, and the way they fiercely, openly love each other. It's beautiful to see female friendships depicted thusly.
Second read: UGH. DEVASTATED. I remember why 17 year old me hated this book, and I don't blame her. You guys, this series is just so fucking beautiful and wonderful and heartbreaking. It's totally glorious, and I'm so glad to have read it again (as an adult who can appreciate the wondrous beauty of a devastating ending). If you like lyrical, lovely prose, you'll enjoy this.
Also,
Second read: UGH. DEVASTATED. I remember why 17 year old me hated this book, and I don't blame her. You guys, this series is just so fucking beautiful and wonderful and heartbreaking. It's totally glorious, and I'm so glad to have read it again (as an adult who can appreciate the wondrous beauty of a devastating ending). If you like lyrical, lovely prose, you'll enjoy this.
Also,
March 9, 2016
The end of the trilogy left me with mixed feelings. I was right, Aeriel does have to make sacrifices in the end, but not the kind I had anticipated. Like I wrote before, I liked her because she was not driven by destiny, but by human desires. The things she worked so hard for, though, like love and family, she ultimately has to give up for destiny. I can appreciate the grandness of this, but it didn't seem fair. She was a heroine because of those impulses, not because she was a sorceoress, so why should she be cut from them in the end?
Not saying that I didn't appreciate the grey areas, the ways the characters of the witch and Aeriel overlapped, or how Aeriel in the end has been turned into a creature comparable to the Darkangels she has fought so long. I just wish she could have held happiness over a grand fate to save the world.
The most heart-wrenching line I have read in a while: "Two years were all we had, love," she whispered, "and we squandered them."
Not saying that I didn't appreciate the grey areas, the ways the characters of the witch and Aeriel overlapped, or how Aeriel in the end has been turned into a creature comparable to the Darkangels she has fought so long. I just wish she could have held happiness over a grand fate to save the world.
The most heart-wrenching line I have read in a while: "Two years were all we had, love," she whispered, "and we squandered them."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2025
As you can plainly see from the level of controversy present in the reviews for The Pearl of the Soul of the World, readers either loved the ending of this trilogy or hated it with every fiber of their being. For me, the ending was pretty close to perfect!
Without giving anything specific away, I think it’s important to remember that this story was never meant to be a love story, in any of the books. It’s always been about Aeriel, and the ending reflects that, as well as expanding on many of the themes present in the first two books. I think it’s a fitting end to the series, and a brave choice for Pierce to end it the way she did! This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy series of all time.
Without giving anything specific away, I think it’s important to remember that this story was never meant to be a love story, in any of the books. It’s always been about Aeriel, and the ending reflects that, as well as expanding on many of the themes present in the first two books. I think it’s a fitting end to the series, and a brave choice for Pierce to end it the way she did! This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy series of all time.
September 1, 2016
It's been a while since I've felt so divided in my feelings for a book. On the one hand, I really think that the third and final installment of the Darkangel trilogy is the best one. I've always been a sucker for drama and adventure and all that, and this book had me hooked from the first page. Although it originally confused me, the first few chapters when Aeriel didn't even know herself and was little better than one of the wraiths she'd saved in the first book was a nice touch. It got the action going right away and had me constantly questioning just what had happened between the relatively happy ending in the second book and this bizarre beginning to the third. And let me just say, it was well worth the wait in finding out! Drama by the bucketful!
But the ending - and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so - felt a bit... disappointing. It's not the happy conclusion I was hoping for, and actually, after everything else Aeriel went through, it was a bit of a punch in the gut. That's not to say I dislike unhappy endings, it's just that I'd become so fond of Aeriel and - through her - Irralyth, that I really did want a happy ending for them. I was traumatized when I finished the book, and even after mulling it over for a few days and coming to the conclusion that, sad as it is, the ending wasn't that bad, I think I'd have been happier with a fairy tale ending.
Sadly, fairy tale endings rarely happen in real life, so I can appreciate the 'harsh reality' element Pierce was trying to incorporate (even if, given the rest of the story, it seems a little misplaced).
Overall I enjoyed the book; the whole trilogy even. The style of writing was a bit older than I'm used to, but I got over that quickly. It's an odd story in many ways, and it's that oddness that makes it - in my opinion - such a breath of fresh air. Well worth a read.
But the ending - and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so - felt a bit... disappointing. It's not the happy conclusion I was hoping for, and actually, after everything else Aeriel went through, it was a bit of a punch in the gut. That's not to say I dislike unhappy endings, it's just that I'd become so fond of Aeriel and - through her - Irralyth, that I really did want a happy ending for them. I was traumatized when I finished the book, and even after mulling it over for a few days and coming to the conclusion that, sad as it is, the ending wasn't that bad, I think I'd have been happier with a fairy tale ending.
Sadly, fairy tale endings rarely happen in real life, so I can appreciate the 'harsh reality' element Pierce was trying to incorporate (even if, given the rest of the story, it seems a little misplaced).
Overall I enjoyed the book; the whole trilogy even. The style of writing was a bit older than I'm used to, but I got over that quickly. It's an odd story in many ways, and it's that oddness that makes it - in my opinion - such a breath of fresh air. Well worth a read.
July 21, 2009
Well I like the series but I absolutily(I think I spelled that wrong) without a dout, hate the ending in this book. There is no happy ending whatso ever and it is a cliffhanger that leaves a lot of questions(to me)unanswered. I wish that there was another book to sequel this one but it's a triology so my wish is pointless. And if anyone thinks this is a good ending then you need to get hit in the head...hard.
May 1, 2009
great but ending sort of sucked.
July 26, 2009
really liked the trilogy, disappointed in the ending...
May 30, 2012
As a whole, I really liked what Pierce did with the Darkangel trilogy. It had all the elements of a good fantasy series: a dauntless heroine, seemingly impossible quests, supernatural creatures and a dash of epic romance. And there's a little bit of sci-fi thrown in. Therefore, it's pretty cool.
But I had a lot of problems with this last book and most of it has to do with what happens to the characters in the end (and also that thing about East and West).
Aeriel
One of my biggest issues with the ending is that Aeriel had her choices taken away from her. She has spent most of her life as a slave which means she never had any choices until she ran away to save Eoduin. Now after basically saving the world, she is once again forced into a life she never wanted.
It would have been okay if she chose to be self-sacrificing (and for Aeriel, that is a realistic choice) and decided she would rather become the new guardian the world rather than be with Irrylath (which is what she had been fighting for all along) for the greater good. Ravenna asks her in the end to choose between Irrylath and the world but it is a total lie because there is no real choice. The pearl is already part of Aeriel's blood and because of something that was done to her, she is no longer completely mortal. She can never walk away from this duty even if she wanted to. She might get a fancy crown and some cool powers but basically it is slavery all over again.
Erin
Erin was such a great character in this book, she said the things that needed to be said, especially about Irrylath's treatment of Aeriel. But I hate what was done to her in the end and what makes it even worse is that she chose it. She chose to become Aeriel's shadow. Why can't Erin be her own person? Why does she have to be a "shadow" of someone else?
Erin was also a slave who was about to served as a human sacrifice before Aeriel rescued her. So I get that she's grateful and I get that she is fiercely loyal to her best friend but it's not like she doesn't have a life outside of Aeriel.
However what really bothers me is the idea of it. Erin is black and she is always referred to as the "dark girl" or the "shadow" while Aerial is the "fair girl". So now the black girl, who can go anywhere she wants and do anything she wants, just chooses to follow the white girl around and play second fiddle to her? That is just so wrong.
Westernesse and Esternesse
I don't understand why every significant thing that happens in the trilogy happened only in Westernesse. Only the lands in Westernesse had lons and the Witch only released her darkangels in the the West (for every lon, there is a darkangel). The final battle with the Witch also happened only in the West and the only reason an Esternesse army was present was because Irrylath's mother was from there.
This does not make sense at all because it was explained in this book that their planet was never intended to be self-sustaining and is therefore dying. The problems in Westernesse such as drought and the thinning atmosphere would presumably be happening in Esternesse because they share the same planet. From how everyone acts in this book, it makes it seem as though the only future worth caring about is that of Westernesse.
I know I'm making this sound like I hated the book but the reason I find all these things very problematic is that I really liked the Darkangel trilogy and wanted it to end on a better note than this.
But I had a lot of problems with this last book and most of it has to do with what happens to the characters in the end (and also that thing about East and West).
Aeriel
One of my biggest issues with the ending is that Aeriel had her choices taken away from her. She has spent most of her life as a slave which means she never had any choices until she ran away to save Eoduin. Now after basically saving the world, she is once again forced into a life she never wanted.
It would have been okay if she chose to be self-sacrificing (and for Aeriel, that is a realistic choice) and decided she would rather become the new guardian the world rather than be with Irrylath (which is what she had been fighting for all along) for the greater good. Ravenna asks her in the end to choose between Irrylath and the world but it is a total lie because there is no real choice. The pearl is already part of Aeriel's blood and because of something that was done to her, she is no longer completely mortal. She can never walk away from this duty even if she wanted to. She might get a fancy crown and some cool powers but basically it is slavery all over again.
Erin
Erin was such a great character in this book, she said the things that needed to be said, especially about Irrylath's treatment of Aeriel. But I hate what was done to her in the end and what makes it even worse is that she chose it. She chose to become Aeriel's shadow. Why can't Erin be her own person? Why does she have to be a "shadow" of someone else?
Erin was also a slave who was about to served as a human sacrifice before Aeriel rescued her. So I get that she's grateful and I get that she is fiercely loyal to her best friend but it's not like she doesn't have a life outside of Aeriel.
However what really bothers me is the idea of it. Erin is black and she is always referred to as the "dark girl" or the "shadow" while Aerial is the "fair girl". So now the black girl, who can go anywhere she wants and do anything she wants, just chooses to follow the white girl around and play second fiddle to her? That is just so wrong.
Westernesse and Esternesse
I don't understand why every significant thing that happens in the trilogy happened only in Westernesse. Only the lands in Westernesse had lons and the Witch only released her darkangels in the the West (for every lon, there is a darkangel). The final battle with the Witch also happened only in the West and the only reason an Esternesse army was present was because Irrylath's mother was from there.
This does not make sense at all because it was explained in this book that their planet was never intended to be self-sustaining and is therefore dying. The problems in Westernesse such as drought and the thinning atmosphere would presumably be happening in Esternesse because they share the same planet. From how everyone acts in this book, it makes it seem as though the only future worth caring about is that of Westernesse.
I know I'm making this sound like I hated the book but the reason I find all these things very problematic is that I really liked the Darkangel trilogy and wanted it to end on a better note than this.
July 7, 2008
This review is for A Gathering of Gargoyles and The Pearl of the Soul of the World…
Some might think that the Darkangel Trilogy is in the paranormal genre because of the vampires, but it isn’t. It is mostly fantasy and even a little sci-fi. Pierce creates worlds, new species, and terminology.
The cover quote describes the books as Heart-warming and Heart-breaking and it truly is. Aeriel is a good heroine who follows the path of self discovery. She learns that to do great things it requires sacrifice. Nothing comes easy. Anything worth having is worth working for. I love that message.
The other main characters Prince Irrylath and Erin are very relatable. At first, Prince Irrylath seems uncaring and indifferent towards Aeriel. Aeriel even calls him her “husband in name only.” Through the battle and eventual victory over the White Witch, Aeriel realizes that Irrylath does love her. Erin is a dark girl from Bern who Aeriel saves from a Darkangel. She is the truest friend anyone could ever have. Some of the secondary characters did not come off the page well. I was hoping to feel more for Ravenna and the White Witch.
My biggest criticism is that Pierce uses words that do not exist in the English language. If they do exist there is not modern meaning and not in the dictionary. I understand a new vocabulary is part of the “world creator” mentality, but it irks me to not know words on a page. Pierce also uses a couple different names for the Darkangels (vampire, icari, birdman) and the White Witch (lorelei, oriencon, sorceress). It just gets confusing. Anyway, when you’re reading this prepare to concentrate.
Overall, I think this is a good read. It will exercise your imagination and take you away if you let it. Very creative. Enjoyable.
Some might think that the Darkangel Trilogy is in the paranormal genre because of the vampires, but it isn’t. It is mostly fantasy and even a little sci-fi. Pierce creates worlds, new species, and terminology.
The cover quote describes the books as Heart-warming and Heart-breaking and it truly is. Aeriel is a good heroine who follows the path of self discovery. She learns that to do great things it requires sacrifice. Nothing comes easy. Anything worth having is worth working for. I love that message.
The other main characters Prince Irrylath and Erin are very relatable. At first, Prince Irrylath seems uncaring and indifferent towards Aeriel. Aeriel even calls him her “husband in name only.” Through the battle and eventual victory over the White Witch, Aeriel realizes that Irrylath does love her. Erin is a dark girl from Bern who Aeriel saves from a Darkangel. She is the truest friend anyone could ever have. Some of the secondary characters did not come off the page well. I was hoping to feel more for Ravenna and the White Witch.
My biggest criticism is that Pierce uses words that do not exist in the English language. If they do exist there is not modern meaning and not in the dictionary. I understand a new vocabulary is part of the “world creator” mentality, but it irks me to not know words on a page. Pierce also uses a couple different names for the Darkangels (vampire, icari, birdman) and the White Witch (lorelei, oriencon, sorceress). It just gets confusing. Anyway, when you’re reading this prepare to concentrate.
Overall, I think this is a good read. It will exercise your imagination and take you away if you let it. Very creative. Enjoyable.
April 17, 2024
Edited 2024: I was a lot nicer back 7 years ago when I read the book for the first time. This time, I am just mad. Look, there's a lot of cool stuff here, and I still think book one is great, but this book is just ... No. A clustermess of bad ideas and sketchy execution tangled up with some actually great ideas that fail to land because see above, and the least emotionally satisfying ending I've ever slogged my way through. A new reader to the series would be better off enjoying book one, feeling vaguely sad at the soft cliffhanger, and pretending the second two books don't exist. Or better yet, write your own ending! It can't possibly be as bad as this one.
[original review follows]
Hmmm...
So, I loved book one and thought book two was good despite its flaws. Then there's book three...
Where to begin? The prose is as lovely as ever, and the plot and goings on are interesting and well-told, but there's something about the book that strikes me as sketchy or rushed or somehow unfinished, as though it were an incredibly detailed outline of a novel rather than a finished work. Its dreamlike, fairy-tale qualities remain, but about halfway through it starts being hard to care about the events and characters.
Then there's the ending. No spoilers, but it has to be one of the least satisfying trilogy enders I've ever read, and I've read some doozies. I was left staring at the book in my hands going "What the hell did I just read?"
Here's my recommendation. Read this book up to the final chapter, "Crowns," and then make up your own ending from there.
[original review follows]
Hmmm...
So, I loved book one and thought book two was good despite its flaws. Then there's book three...
Where to begin? The prose is as lovely as ever, and the plot and goings on are interesting and well-told, but there's something about the book that strikes me as sketchy or rushed or somehow unfinished, as though it were an incredibly detailed outline of a novel rather than a finished work. Its dreamlike, fairy-tale qualities remain, but about halfway through it starts being hard to care about the events and characters.
Then there's the ending. No spoilers, but it has to be one of the least satisfying trilogy enders I've ever read, and I've read some doozies. I was left staring at the book in my hands going "What the hell did I just read?"
Here's my recommendation. Read this book up to the final chapter, "Crowns," and then make up your own ending from there.
July 6, 2011
I read this book like someone watching a car accident you know it is horrible but you can't look away. This was just one of those series that had potential but never reached it. I usually do not waste my time on books I don't like but the relationship between Aeriel and Irrylath just sucked me in. This book seemed to be chasing its tail at every turn. There was never any type of ending for Aeriel she ended the book basically were she started "trapped". I am not sure where the author was going with this but I don't think she hit her mark, at least not for me. I would say that I am disappointed in the book but I didn't have any expectations as far as ending or plot I just had to read until the end. I love sci-fi but this was not my type of book at all and the sci-fi in this book was just not good. I will say I have seen some of the other reviews and some people love it and that is why I feel if you are interested give it a try and decided for yourself.
May 29, 2009
This was the last in the series by Meredith Ann Pierce and I wish it wasn't. I will never tire of this story. It was another brilliant journey following Ariel and Irrylath to the conclusion of good versus evil, the Witch of the Waste versus Ravenna's lons. There were twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. I also didn't think I would be brought to tears, but the heartache and loss is so prevalent that I couldn't not. It was a great conclusion, a surprising one if I am honest. I was upset and disappointed it did not end how I wished it to, but I understood it had to be or else the world created could not be restored. Aeriel is the world's salvation, her role is more than that of Queen of Avaric and she must leave behind what her heart most desires and embrace her destiny, with her shadow for company.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2014
Arg, I don't even know how to properly rate this one! The prose is wonderful, dreamy, lyrical. The worldbuilding here is fascinating and fantastic, fleshing out the moon as a SFF setting unlike any we've seen before. But boy is that ending a tough pill to swallow.
I have a feeling this series will stick with me for a long time.
I have a feeling this series will stick with me for a long time.
October 8, 2008
This book would have been so much more convincing if the author had bothered to keep her word. The main character was supposed to do things on her own in the end. She abandoned her husband, but took her best friend with her? WTF?! There's not that big of a difference...save for potential sex partners, so why not take the guy that she'd been getting all emo over since the very beginning of the series? She should have just went off on her own. That would have been much more convincing.
This book was very choppy and contradicting at best. I have no idea what Ms. Pierce was thinking when she wrote this, or if she was even thinking at all, but this one was definately a bust.
This book was very choppy and contradicting at best. I have no idea what Ms. Pierce was thinking when she wrote this, or if she was even thinking at all, but this one was definately a bust.
October 6, 2011
I first read the darkangel trilogy in 8th grade (almost 20 years ago) and it still remains one of my favorite series. It took me until book 3 to figure out the setting is the moon (I know, I must have been oblivious). This book is wonderful except for the end. While most "happily ever after" endings feel contrived, this was a book that could have had a HEA ending and been just fine. But it isn't--and to this day I remain devastated.
July 23, 2008
*is speechless* A villain turned sympathetic, a goddess turned human, a girl becomes a woman in mind, demons are confronted and a lot of disillusionment occurs. Just watching to see how everything is tied in..brilliant!
March 11, 2009
Okay, overall best ending. There was love and mystery and loss and adventure all packed into this one book that is better than the other two.
August 4, 2010
Too weird and random of an ending for me, after reading the first two.
October 17, 2020
Fanyastisk og modig slutning❤
October 4, 2022
Sorprendente giro de acontecimientos: el tercer libro de la trilogía es bastante mejor que los dos primeros. Tiene un tratamiento más adulto de los personajes y las situaciones y, aunque es la enésima instancia del lugar común del Elegido, hay una inesperada vuelta de tuerca en la resolución del argumento. Esto no hace que la escritura sea menos apresurada porque esta autora habría hecho volar en las águilas a toda la Comunidad del Anillo hasta el Monte del Destino para no liarse mucho, pero la suma final del volumen, quizá por la falta de expectativas, ha sido positiva.
¡Es una pena que no pueda leerse por separado sin perder comprensión de lo que ocurre!
¡Es una pena que no pueda leerse por separado sin perder comprensión de lo que ocurre!
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