The Pearl of the Soul of the World (Darkangel Trilogy, #3)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Pearl of the Soul of the World (Darkangel Trilogy #3)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 2,203 ratings · 136 reviews

The spellbinding conclusion to the Darkangel Trilogy!

Armed with a magical pearl imbued with all the sorcery and wisdom of the world, bestowed upon her by the Ancient known as Ravenna, Aeriel finally comes face-to-face with the White Witch and her vampire sons. Backed by her husband, his army of good, and a throng of magical steeds, she must unlock the power of the pearl t...more

Paperback, 255 pages

Published February 1st 2008 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published 1990)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Kick-Ass Female Characters From YA and Children's Fantasy and Science Fiction

319th out of 1,129 books — 4,657 voters

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Best Books of 2008

376th out of 1,210 books — 6,529 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 04, 2007 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: way-back-when

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.

like 21 likes · see review

May 13, 2013 El Nguyen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Celé bych to shrnula do dvou vět, , která řekla Erin: " Musíš mi prominout, že tvého prince z Avaricu považuju za pořádného pitomce, když tě nemiluje. A tebe za ještě většího, když o něj i tak stojíš." Přijde mi, že autorka přímo vyanucně a přiškrceně chce, aby Aeriel chtěla Irrylatha.. a podle mého vnímání, to co bylo mezi nimi, láska nebyla.. Na konci série, u mě Irrylath klesl ještě níž, než je to vůbec možné..vůbec jsem mu tu otočku citů o 360 stupňů nevěřila.. nejhorší byl konec, ten se po...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Lauren Schumacher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(view spoiler)...more (view spoiler)

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.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Mar 10, 2011 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great finish to a wonderfully written trilogy beginning with "The Darkangel". This was written before the recent wave of fantasy books flooding the market, and the capacity of the writer shows in the care she has for the world that she has built and the characters that she's flushed out over three books. The vocabulary that the writer uses shows a mastery and creativity for the craft. Here we meet Ariel half-starved and wandering the tunnels under the surface on the planet. The witch has pinne...more

like · see review

Jan 03, 2011 Princessjay rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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...more

like 7 likes · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the final book in the Darkangel trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce. It was written in much the same style of the previous two books. I found the ending very disappointing though and didn't think this book did a very good job wrapping up the series.

Aeriel has found all of the Guardians and is on her way to decipher the rest of the prophecy. Will her and her friends be able to defeat the water witch? In this book we finally meet the Ravenna and Aeriel finally faces the water witch.

This book wa...more

like · see review

Feb 02, 2010 Gemma rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

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 fee...more 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. (:(less)

like 11 likes · see review

May 29, 2012 Lainey rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 e...more

like · see review

Apr 17, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gothic, fantasy, if-you-love-someone-set-them-free, roadtrip, supernatural, what-a-witch, blood-suckers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 03, 2009 Annie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 3 likes · see review

Jul 24, 2011 Kiersten added it

It was a fabulous, completely riveting ending to the trilogy...until nineteen pages before the end. The ending sucked. It was the crowning glory of the vaguely star-crossed feel we'd been getting throughout the first two books. There definitely were worse ways it could have ended, I suppose, but it nonetheless frustrated me immensely. Up until that point , though, the book was fantastic. The reader is rewarded with a deeper exploration of the characters we have been growing to know in past books...more

like · see review

Mar 22, 2012 Idunsses rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Girls, all ages!

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

This is more of a review of the whole trilogy.

First of all, I have to say that The DarkAngel trilogy is one of my favorite series of all time, right up there with Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire. It is THAT good. The reason why I picked up this series is a picture I found on deviantart. (Link: http://www.amarys.deviantart.com/gall... ) I had never heard of this series before, which is a shame, they deserve a lot more recognition.

Over to the review.

So, the way I see it, you can divide Y...more

like · see review

Jul 06, 2011 Jessica (BookRockGodess) Bolton rated it 1 of 5 stars

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 wi...more

like 1 like · see review

Jun 29, 2009 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My foray into my teenage self's favorite book continues. I found this author because she was next to Tamora Pierce at the library. He books are much darker and on the surface seem to be fantasy novels. This, her Darkangel Trilogy, contains a fair amount of fighting, death, monsters, vampires, virgin sacrifices, poetry and mystery. Everything a teenager can ask for in a good fantasy novel. By the end of the series the science-fiction edge begins to reveal itself a bit, as the origins of the world...more

like · see review

Mar 11, 2011 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This book just blew me away, going many places I was not expecting from this series. Admittedly, the unique elements of the books leading up til this should have been some sort of clue, but this book really took it up a notch. Aeriel is in more danger, and the stakes are higher than they have been in the series thus far. The ending of this book is a much maligned thing. it gives neither comfort nor joy, but this is what makes it so powerful, so real. I really and truly loved reading a fantasy no...more

like · see review

Feb 02, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: notable-reads-of-2013, romantic-fantasy, scifi, strangely-compelling, hidden-gems

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...more

like 1 like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Crystal Carroll rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I waited many years for this final book in this series that I read in Junior High. This fantastic journey across a fantastic moonscape. Golden in the light of the Solstar. Erie in the light of Oceanus, lost earth. I had to wait till college, which may have been a good thing.

The end is surprise and inevitable and very made me want to read it for my Final Literature Orals. It’s that kind of end. It's complicated.

This isn’t an easy book for an easy read. It asks difficult questions. What is a soul?...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-copy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Apr 08, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yay, I'm glad everything ended out great for the world, sort of, but again, hardly any love shown between husband and wife until the VERY. END. And then ever that's not fair! SERIOUSLY?! WTF?!?!?! I HATED THE ENDED!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER! HOOOOOOW?!?!?!?!?! He finally says he loves her and she cant be with him because she needs to rebuild the world. Like seriously? The chicks done a hell of a lot for you and you still make her do more? WHY CANT YOU JUST LET HER BE WITH HER FUCKING HUSBA...more

like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Ichiume rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Nov 29, 2009 Harper rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, romance, series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 3 likes · see review

Apr 03, 2010 Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bitter/sweet, that's what came to mind after I finished reading this book.

The book begins with Aeriel wandering, a pin stuck in her head that makes her forget who she is and what she needs to be doing. She wanders to Ravenna's home and is given a mission by Ravenna, she also regains her memories and the story unfold of what has taken place since the last book.

This book does not have a happily ever after ending. There is closure, but she does all of these wonderful things and then still has to sa...more

like · see review

Feb 07, 2010 benebean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medium, could-recommend, sci-fi-fantasy, female-protagonist, cleaness-granny-frowns, cleaness-granny-approves

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Oct 17, 2012 Dd01 rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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. U...more

like · see review

Nov 16, 2010 Moemoemegami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Nov 11, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Add a dash of Robin McKinley and a dollop of Tolkein to C.S. Lewis's 'Til We Have Faces, and you wind up with a fair approximation of Pierce's Darkangel trilogy. It's a series more in keeping with classic quest literature than the teen vampire novels of today, and reads all the richer for that. (Though that probably means it bores the pants off the Twilighters.) Avoid this one if you read for romance, as these lovers remain largely star-crossed (and 3/4 of the attraction seems based in Stockhol...more

like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Kevin Fairre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-plain-and-simple

Well, don't you just hate Sabr? And this book's title?

Okay, so that last book in the Darkangel series starts off with Aeriel wandering around in durough's caves, having forgotten who she is. Three friendly duroughs find her they all find of stumble/go to Crystalglass and meet Ravenna. To be honest, I didn't ever think that they would meet her. It seems so obvious now, but I thought for the first two books that Ravenna would just be this elusive person and never reveal herself, since only her pr...more Well, don't you just hate Sabr? And this book's title?

Okay, so that last book in the Darkangel series starts off with Aeriel wandering around in durough's caves, having forgotten who she is. Three friendly duroughs find her they all find of stumble/go to Crystalglass and meet Ravenna. To be honest, I didn't ever think that they would meet her. It seems so obvious now, but I thought for the first two books that Ravenna would just be this elusive person and never reveal herself, since only her prophecy and not really her was talked about. So I was kind of annoyed that Aeriel is dazed and confused about everything again, but she certainly makes up for it. Ravenna heals her and we find out what happened it the gap between books two and three. Irrylath and his mother are raising an army to fight the Witch now that his brothers all have steeds to ride on (Which is weird, because that seems to be the only thing holding them up from starting a war. Steeds). But in these books, you have to fulfill the prophecy, it doesn't just happened on it's own, like in Percy Jackson. So I like this take on it, but the other way is good too. So in the last book, we have found out that Aeriel is really a princess and is Irrylath's cousin or something (which is gross, but they don't really seem to care). So while they raise the army, Sabr, another one of Irrylath's cousins, who is the queen of the bandits (a crappy position compared to all of the royalty surrounding her), comes in and tries to woo Irrylath away from Aeriel. Which she is mildly successful at, to my horror. We find out that Irrylath is afraid of Aeriel and sees her almost as another Witch. Aeriel overhears them, and gets really pissed off, the most colorful her personality's been so far. Normally her character feels cold and distant, but not anymore, Pierce's writing had improved. Also, I like how Erin is the voice of reason to Aeriel. It's cool that she, Aeriel's best friend, hates (and I mean hates) Irrylath, Aeriel's husband/crush. So after hearing Irrylath totally bonding with Sabr, she stomps of into the desert and one of the Witch's crows shoves a pin in her head to make her forget everything. hence the walking around in caves. So the flashback ends and Ravenna heals Aeriel and fulls the pearl thing Aeriel got from one of those firefly things in book two with all of her magical knowledge about how the world works. The Ancients were once from Oceanus and played God by creating Aeriel's world on their moon. So they basically treat them like their sceince experiment, breed with a few natives, and eventually have to leave because of fighting back on their own planet. Their machines they built to make air and water (it almost sounds like sci-fi during this part which troubled me) are breaking down and Ravenna's the only one left. She gives the pearl all her energy which kills her and tells Aeriel that the Wich is really her daughter, half Ancient, half human and Aeriel must gives her the pearl and the Witch needs to rebuild the world using it. To which I go "No freaking way!" There's no way on Oceanus that the Witch is suddenly going to switch sides because of a pearl and Aeriel feels this uncertainty too, which was realistic and added to the intensity. Aeriel meets up with Erin and gives her a magic sword Ravenna gave to her and tells her to go back to Irrylath's army and tell them she'll meet them at the Witch's castle. The pearl gives Aeriel superpower-like senses and stuff and the sword lets her communicate with Erin. So to my surprise we find out that Irrylath has almost gone crazy now that Aeriel's gone. Sabr tries to snake her way into Irrylath's head/heart. But apparently since Aeriel's gone, she's much more interesting to Irrylath and he is really mean to Sabr (though she deserves it). I wish the author brought up the fact that he's kind of still thinking he's 10 years old still, when the Witch captured him and he lived with her for a while before getting frozen. So Aeriel goes to the Witch's castle and tries to tell her the truth and give her the pearl. The Witch doesn't accept it and that kills her. Her ice castle turns into water and Irrylath rescues her. So they finally have sex, which Aeriel was super excited about now that Irrylath isn't cursed (because he had sex with the Witch as a boy, which was creepy). But afterwards Aeriel hears the voice of Ravenna tells her that she must leave Irrylath and take the Witch's spot and restored order. She also tells Aeriel that Ravenna replaced her body with a magical creation that doesn't age like her servant when she removed the pin. So Aeriel, bound by a sense of duty and sadness about not being able to age with Irrylath, kind of agrees. She is worried that Irrylath only loves her because she traded their hearts in book one, forcing them to love her. So while he's asleep (which is weird) she cuts out their hearts and trades them back. When people find them and he wakes up, she expects him to not love her, but he still does, not realizing anything happened, which I thought was sweet. Everyone offers Aeriel a position a queen or something, but she says no and says she wants to go off on her own. Irrylath has accepted the deal to become king and is really hurt she doesn't want to go with him. Sabr seemed pretty happy, which made me mad. I love when the couple in the story finally gets together, but this was different and feminist, but depressing. Overall, this book was great and I loved the whole series. (less)

like · see review

May 29, 2009 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favourites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 1 like · see review

Jun 11, 2011 Clare rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

THE ENDING OMG WTF. The story is beautifully crafted as always - Meredith Ann Pierce has a talent for drawing out emotions and painting out vivid scenes through her words. By the end of the first book Ariel had already won me over with her courage and self sacrifice as well as her incredible strength. Irrylath's growth throughout the series also had me captivated. The ending captured the basic elements of these characters: Ariel had to undergo a tremendous sacrifice at the end, which was very un...more

like · see review

Nov 24, 2011 Dayna Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the concluding book in the Darkangel Trilogy. Aeriel has gathered the army Prince Irrylath and his brothers will need to battle the White Witch. She has found the ancient Ravenna and been given a pearl that holds the magical power to save her world. She must now come face to face with the White Witch and defeat her. Can she unlock the power of the pearl, save her world, and find her destiny? Not the ending I would have liked, but realistic and powerful. True love is about sacrifice and t...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (10)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

238 users

Young Adult

93 users

Paranormal > Vampires

39 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

13 users

Romance

11 users

Science Fiction

11 users

Young Adult > Teen

10 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

9 users

Fantasy > Dark Fantasy

8 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

6 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Meredith Ann Pierce

Meredith 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.

More about Meredith Ann Pierce...

Books by Meredith Ann Pierce

A Gathering of Gargoyles (Darkangel Trilogy, #2)

Birth of the Firebringer (Firebringer, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Pearl of the ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Pearl of the Soul ...

“Two years were all we had, love," she whispered, "and we squandered them.” — 18 people liked it

“Oh, Irrylath,Irrylath, we squaundered our two years together.” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Pearl of the Soul of the World
avg rating	preview: The Pearl of the Soul of the World Goodreads rating: 3.96 (2203 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2254392.The_Pearl_of_the_Soul_of_the_World?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344268066l/2254392.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2254392.The_Pearl_of_the_Soul_of_the_World?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce[/url]

The Pearl of the Soul of the World (Darkangel Trilogy #3)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website