Review of The Offering by Kimberly Derting

Review of Kimberly Derting's The Offering

Release Date: December 31st, 2013

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:


True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.

Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.


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This series has been a mash-up of multiple different genres for me. There has always been a feeling of historical fiction, but there is also a cross between steam punk and dystopia with a splash of fantasy... all rolled up in to one Young Adult book.


In the dramatic conclusion to the Pledge series, Queen Charlaina (Charlie) will fight in an all out war with not only her enemies (Elena, Queen of Astonia, Sabara, the Ex-Queen of Ludania whose Essence is stuck inside of Charlie, and Niko, the once lover of Sabara), but also with herself and the choices she will have to make to save the ones she loves.


While Charlie & the people of Ludania are attempting to rebuild after the destruction the last Queen made to their country, they are also hoping to make a peace treaty with the neighboring country of Astonia. But seeing as how, Elena was behind the assassination attempts on Charlie's life, things are not looking well. War is all but guaranteed.


After the events of the 2nd book, everyone knows that Charlie's body houses the Essence of Sabara and that they are fighting for control at all times. It takes everything she has to fight off the Evil Queen from taking over. What the reader knows, from the Prologue of the book, is that Niko has become a traitor to their cause and is now working with Elena to over throw Charlie's reign and maybe find a new host for his long lost love.


From the very beginning of The Offering, you know that this book will have casualties. It is always hard to lose characters and when you lose an important one in the beginning, you know the rest of the book is going to be game changing.