The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce

[meganbmoore]

Hrm. So. You know, as an independent book, this actually isn’t a bad book, and is even pretty good. The problem is when you remember that it’s supposed to be the conclusion of the story begun in The Darkangel and A Gathering of Gargoyles. It’s not just the storyline and conclusion. The writing style feels completely different, the world isn’t nearly as distinctive, and the way the plot plays out are all radically different from the first two books. I can’t help but think that, had the book ended two chapters earlier, it would have been a much more satisfying ending. Still not nearly as good as the first two, but a decent ending. As it is, there’s nothing before it to indicate that the series will have the kind of ending it had, and nothing in the story to indicate that it has to end that way, and an ending like that needs some serious plot justification. It’s not enough to retroactively ruin the first two books for me, or to make me swear off other books by Pierce, but I’m glad I didn’t wait years for it.

I have to say, though, that within the first 100 pages, my feelings for Irrylath went from disinterest and mild annoyance to outright dislike. I have to wonder if Pierce was actually trying to make us hate him.

So, has anyone read Pierce’s other trilogy, or other books, and am I likely to like it/them? For a quick guideline of what I have liked in The Darkangel, A Gathering of Gargoyles, and Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood: I like Aeriel and Hannah, of course (no point in reading the books if you don’t) I like the quest aspect, the travelling, the way the books seem to incorporate tons of little bits of mythology instead of relying on a sole mythtype, the magic as it relates to the heroines, the distinctive worlds, the talking animals, all the supporting characters they meet in their travels, and the mytharcs of both. I’m not, though, very impressed with her male leads so far. I don’t care for Irrylath(he had potential in the first book, but he wasted it and I thought he was thoroughly unlikable and unsympathetic by the end), and while Hannah’s prince was pretty decent and I have no problems seeing them together and happy for a long time, he wasn’t really developed at all.