The Pearl Of The Soul Of The World (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
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.
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.
What do You think about The Pearl Of The Soul Of The World (1999)?
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
—Princessjay
I found delight in not remembering that much of the story details from when i first read them more than 10 years ago.This is a terribly exciting story (the entire triology).However it is utterly killing the last rating star, the travel describtions and it is insanely annoying that we have to read a sort of "notes" about what happened in the past (= this being the gaps between the books that appears to have already happened, when the new one begins).They are tedious, dull and long! I cannot put my finger on why this is, because everything else in the books are at a fast, joyful pace to read. (you can hardly put the book down)There is a LOT of drama and you tend to fall very much in love with the characters, who she paints a very vivid picure of.The endning, I'm not quite sure what to think of, though... I can't decide wether it was sort of expected, really dissapointing or just "meh".... but even though I haven't decided.. it's nevertheless an odd, odd ending (and a bit lacking) for an otherwise great and imaginative world, that one would want MORE from!!
—Ninon
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.
—SheWunders
