The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce
Books: The Darkangel, A Gathering of Gargoyles, The Pearl of the Soul of the World
Published: 1998-1999
Recommended if you like: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin / The Chronicles of Narnia / The Ancient Mariner / Gothic mysteries in general
Rating: 8.5 / 10 – Recommended!
The Ancient Ones created the world, and disappeared. The wicked White Witch took advantage of their disappearance, and enslaved and bewitched the Wardens of the kingdoms. Her evil magic has caused the planet to become a barren, perilous desert.
The Witch’s vampyric sons, the Icari, also trap the souls of human women in order to become immortal. One of them, Irralyth, kidnaps a human bride and the bride’s slave girl, Aeriel.
Book 1
The first book, Darkangel, was rather predictable in that Aeriel falls in love with Irralyth and trying to redeem him. In fact, she is such a veritable Mary Sue in the first book that I want to hit her. She spends much of her time sighing over Irralyth and his misfortunes, and figuring out the nature of the Witch’s curse. The book has a gothic tone that works very well.
Book 2
Things take an interesting turn in the second book, A Gathering of Gargoyles. Aeriel sets out to find the Oracle, to learn how the Witch’s curse can be broken and the world can be saved. This second book is very fast-paced. Events unfold so quickly that Aeriel (and readers) don’t get time to think through the ramifications. Aeriel is really put through the wringer. She also finally realizes that Irrylath will never love her. And thank goodness — because Irrylath so far has not showed a single redeeming feature and has not a shred of gratitude for Aeriel.
Book 3
There is a stunning finale in The Pearl of the Soul of the World. We find that the Ancient ones had saved away their magic, “the soul of the world”, into a single pearl. That pearl is the only way to destroy the Witch’s curse, and now it’s Aeriel’s task to look for it. There were so many twists in this book I kept lurching in my seat throughout.
Overall
I’m sorry to say that Irrylath continues to be an absolute idiot throughout the series. At first he can’t love Aeriel, then he hates her for rescuing him, then he falls in love with someone completely unsuitable… and so the cycle goes on. As per Pierce, Irrylath is the devil in the song Silver Dagger who bewitches Aeriel into loving him, and then dashes her hopes cruelly. About time that Aeriel really “woke up”.
Meredith Pierce’s prose is lyrical and old-world, and the mysterious otherworldly setting of her story has amazing world-building. Ultimately, finding it in your heart to have compassion for all creatures great and small — like Aeriel does — is what The Darkangel Trilogy is all about. And did I mention that I love the ending? Because I do, because it was perfect.
Have you read the Darkangel Trilogy too? Which books did it remind you of? And if you know of similar recommendations, let me know please!
6 replies on “The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce”
I’ve really liked older fantasy in the past and I think I would enjoy these books.
Likewise! I’m always on the hunt for the older or more obsure SFF — it’s really wonderful when I manage to find a gem in there. Darkangel Trilogy has a lot of elements similar to Greek/ Roman mythology, so I think you’d like these books.
This is an interesting premise, which really worked well in the end — even if Irrylath was an idiot through the series. I always appreciate good worldbuilding.
Haha. Some of the fun comes from Irrylath’s self-centred angst — and resolving that angst is what Pierce managed in that ending. That’s why it’s perfect 🙂
This does sound like a good series…especially with such a great ending.
I think some readers may not like the ending, there are sacrifices to be made and some things lost can never be recovered. But Irrylath gets his just desserts, so that works out well. 🙂