User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
ughhh. i am obsessed with this. but after how BKs
cursebreakers series turned out, i dont quite trust her and im going to be beyond upset if she ends up ruining this series, too. but i want to try to remain optimistic for right now.
because this is such a great first book and i love how some of the content felt more mature than what i am used to with BKs writing. it suits the characters ages and the overall situation that is filled with death and illness, political mistrust and desperation.
in the acknowledgements, BK cites robin hood and zorro as the inspiration for her characters and i totally see that. i think the story does a great job at presenting all sides of the situation in a grey light, showing that not everyone is completely good or completely evil, that everyone is just trying to do what they think it right, even though that means different methods. its great complex characterisation for those in the kingdom and the rebels outside of it.
again, this is a really amazing start to a series. wonderful characters, an engaging plot, and fast pacing had me falling in love with this. so BK better have learned from her mistakes and not screw this up. lol.
↠ 5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Here is my Spotify Book Playlist! “I think that very few people truly deserve what they get, Tessa.” He pauses, and for the briefest moment, sadness flickers through his eyes. “For good or for bad.”
~ Rating- 3.5 stars ~Note- 22/9/21- After some thinking I am lowering my rating from 5 stars to 3.5 stars. I still really enjoyed the book but I didn't completely consider its flaws, which is why I am lowering it. I think I was a bit too biased while rating it the first time. Sorry.
This review is very long and it is spoiler free. You can skip to the 'pros' & 'cons' if you don't want to read the full thing.Content/ Trigger Warnings- Alcohol, Betrayal, Blood, Being chained, Biting lip and drawing blood, Crying, Dying, Death of a mother, Death of a father, Death of parents (recounted), Dead bodies, Death of a friend, Death of children & Murder of children, Possible Depression, Execution, Eyeball trauma, Epidemic, Faking a pregnancy, Fire, Grief, Guilt, Guilt over death of a friend, Locking yourself in a Cupboard, Murder, Nightmares, PTSD, Panic-attacks, Prison, Rebellion, Sickness & Illness, Self-harm (digging fingers into palms), Suicidal Ideation (mild), Suffocation, Several Mental Breakdown Scenes, Threat of Rape & Sexual Assault, Mention of Sexual assault occurring, Torture, Urine, Vomiting, Violence
Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.-Mention of some of these in the review- ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
“True strength is not determined by how brutal you can be,”
Defy the Night, by Brigid Kemmerer is a dark, atmospheric YA fantasy with morally grey characters.
I was hoping this would be a 5 star read, and was very happy that my prediction came true and was happy with the book even though I lowered my rating, though I
might am a little bit biased considering Brigid Kemmerer is one of my favourite authors.
“It’s easy to love your king when everyone is well fed and healthy. A bit harder when everyone is not.”
In the
kingdom of Kandala, sickness stalks the streets.
The cure is Moonflower, a rare and expensive flower only the richest can afford.
King Harristan and his brother Prince Corrick are forced to
rule with an iron fist, and show no mercy.
“When there are calls for revolution,” I say to him, “we should be riding at the front, not hiding in the shadows.”
Tessa Cade is a masked outlaw,
who robs from the rich to help the poor by distributing food and medicine to those who need it most, along with her friend Weston. When it becomes clear that the only way to save her people is to assassinate the King,
Tessa must face a deadly mission that will take her to the dark heart of the kingdom to work with the very people she intended to destroy.
“I hate the king,” I whisper. “I hate the prince. I hate what they’ve done. I hate what Kandala has become.”
The plot of the book was entertaining. It is
fast-paced, despite being so long. There isn’t a dull moment, it hooks you from the start. It does take some time for some important things to start happening though and the plot takes a while to progress. There were a few
plot twists which were good and foreshadowed well, but I had predicted them quite early on.
The main flaw in the plot is the amount of clichés and tropes it has. Having read a lot of YA, I knew the exact direction in which this book would go in when I was about 50 pages in. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing considering I was still invested regardless of this, but
there isn’t much in this book that makes it very different from the other YA books that exist.We have several
overused tropes like
‘the morally-grey prince who doesn’t really want to be cruel’, ‘a king who isn’t really ruling’, ‘an orphan girl looking to rebel and get vengeance’ and
clichés like
‘the male character getting flustered when the female character enters in a gown’ and ‘the female character getting flushed when the male character takes his shirt off as he is injured’ etc.
These don’t bother me as much, but if they bother you I think you will be annoyed by this book.Apart from all of this, I liked the plot a lot and
the other elements of the story do make up for these stereotypes in YA. 
“There are too many layers here. I thought it was as simple as right or wrong . . . but it’s not.”
The world building of
Defy the Night was excellently done. It
isn’t info-dumped (thankfully!) and the map was a great addition to the book. We don’t really explore much apart from Kandala, but I am expecting to see more of the world in the sequels.
“All this time I’ve thought that the people within the gates were the most powerful, but maybe I was wrong. We all have power.”
The writing was my favourite part of the book. Brigid Kemmerer’s writing and her ability to tell a great story has never failed to amaze me, and
Defy the Night was no exception. The pacing in Brigid Kemmerer’s books are always wonderfully done and
the 500 pages didn’t feel like a drag at all. The writing isn't over the top or filled with purple prose, but its not dry either. It's subdued, which is perfect for this book and the tone it is going for.
“We buy what we can from the taxes we collect, and we distribute it among the people. But there is never enough: not enough silver, not enough Moonflower.”
The characters were properly-written, and I would say they are three-dimensional.
The side-characters didn’t really play any big role though, which was quite disappointing.
➼Tessa “I’m not a killer. I heal people; I don’t harm them.”
Tessa is an apothecary, and also the one who steals Moonflower for the sick and poor of the village, along with her friend Wes. They are
the Robin Hood’s of Kandala, and rob from the rich to give them to the poor.
“I keep notes in my father’s notebooks of what cures the fevers—the Moonflower—and what doesn’t: everything else.”
I liked Tessa as a character.
She is strong, rellistant and kind. I liked the role she played in the book, but despite all of this I felt
something was lacking about her character arc. There is a lot of character development, but
my main problem was the lack of relationships she has with other people. I know not all people are that social, but when the only relationship Tessa has is a romance, it isn’t a good look.
“We don’t discuss what could happen, because I’m right. The king wouldn’t care that we’re stealing to help people. If we’re caught, we’ll be executed right next to the smugglers.”
Tessa doesn’t interact with many people apart from her love interest, and she only has one friend who she says she doesn’t trust.
She essentially doesn’t communicate with that many people on page, and I wish that wasn’t the case. I understand why it must have been hard for her to make friends, but Tessa has the kind of personality that is very open and loving, so this is quite contradictory to how she is portrayed.
“I wonder if this is why it’s so easy for the royal elites to ignore the people outside the walls of this sector. Are we all invisible to them?”
In fact, everyone says they trust her a lot (rightfully so, as she is one of the main reasons they are not dead yet) but we don’t get to see much of that on page, though we do get some moments. I guess it would have been difficult to portray all of that on page,
but it would have been a lot more interesting if Tessa had friends and relations apart from the romance as well. Apart from this, I enjoyed reading about Tessa's character.
“Kindness leaves you vulnerable, Tessa. I learned that lesson years ago.”
➼Corrick “I have heard every manner of scream without flinching. I have listened to promises and threats and curses and lies—and occasionally, the truth.
I have never hesitated in doing what needs to be done.”
Prince Corrick is the King’s Justice, the one responsible for bringing justice to the kingdom and enforcing order in Kandala.
“to my face, I’m Your Highness, or Prince Corrick, or sometimes, when they’re being especially formal, the King’s Justice.”
He is also
the morally-grey character that dreads all the violence he has to do, yet he has no choice but to do everything and ~follow orders~. I know, you are thinking
'Bhavya, this trope has been done so many times before!' Yes it has, but this is one of my favourite tropes in books and I always have a soft spot for this kind of character, but I only like it if it is well done.
“Because despite all outward appearances, I’m not cruel. I don’t delight in pain. I don’t delight in any of this.”
Corrick’s character arc was so well written and was so subtly done. The whole
“i am pretending to be cruel and heartless when in reality i am a sweet cinnamon roll who means no harm, but i will hurt you if you mess with me or my loved ones’ wasn’t rubbed in our face.
Corrick’s mental dilemma isn’t filled with petty angst. It didn’t bore me at all. Instead we get a beautiful blend of court politics, betrayal and a desperate man doing what he needs to do for everyone to survive. He was definitely my favourite character and I loved him.
“I’ll never be free of this. Of who I am. This will be my life as King’s Justice: Cruel Corrick, the most feared man in the kingdom, and somehow also the most alone.”
Character Dynamics
➼Wes & Tessa Wes and Tessa had such a sweet bond, and I was smiling every time they were on page.
“I wish Weston were here. I’m better with the medicines, with the dosages and the treatments and our patients, but he’s better in the face of violence and danger. He’s cool and reserved when I’m hot and rattled.”
I don’t have much to say about them without spoiling something, so I will just say that they were a moment of light in a much darker book.
➼Corrick & Harristan I loved the
brotherly bond between Corrick and Harristan. “They respect my brother—as they should.
They fear me.
I don’t mind. It spares me some tedious conversations.”
It was so well written. Corrick and Harristan love each other very much, and it was wonderful to read about how they supported and trusted each other.
There is another great character dynamic in this book, but I won’t be talking about it here to avoid spoilers!
“But we’re still taking action. We’re not backing down from that horrible king and his awful, cruel brother. We’re saving the people who need saving.
Fight back. We are.”
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
➼Analysing Pros & Cons ➡Pros ◙ Good Writing.
◙ Interesting Characters.
◙ An engaging plot.
◙ The romance is well-written.
◙ The character dynamics.
➡Cons ◙ The writing is not really quotable.
◙ The lack of 'diversity'.
◙ The amount of clichés and typical YA tropes.
◙ The world isn't really a fantasy as there is no magic.
◙ Predictable plot-twists & the side-characters don't play a big role.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
“I did what I could,” I say to her now, and my voice almost breaks. I have to take a shuddering breath. “I do what I can. And every day, I regret that it’s never enough.”
In short,
Defy the Night is an action-packed YA fantasy novel- with a twinge of romance and court politics. While it has its flaw- like the tropes and clichés, it also has its strengths- like the incredible writing and good characters.
I binged this book in a day and I can say I loved the experience. I’m hoping the sequel comes out soon! Until then, we all have to wait and
‘mind our mettle’. :)
“Mind your mettle, Tessa.”
Buddy read with Nashita. Thank you so much for reading it with me! Review written and uploaded on 15th September, 2021.
Review edited on 11th November, 2021. P.S.- I tried something different for this review. Feel free to me know your thoughts on which format you prefer!Storygraph Review. Storygraph. Spotify Book Playlist. Spotify. Youtube. Pinterest. Linktree.
DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
............................................
And another 5 star read from Brigid Kemmerer. Review to come.
………………………………………
Going to start this today!
..............................................
I AM WAITING. 11 MORE DAYS.
………………………………………..
OMG WE GOT A COVER AAAAAHHHHHH
It looks nice, but I liked ACSDAL covers more...
Rating: really liked it
Imagine a kingdom plunged into chaos by a strange fever that has reached epidemic proportions. The only cure is a tea made from the petals of the moonflower. 
In this retelling of the legend of the heroic Prince of Thieves,(aka, Robin of Sherwood Forest), Tessa Cade is dispensing elixirs made from contraband moonflower petals to the less fortunate inhabitants of her village in the Wildes sector of Kandala. Tessa's father, a master Apothecary, taught her everything he knew before he and his wife were brutally executed by the Kandala Night Patrol for smuggling moonflower petals and unlawfully distributing the cure in their district. (Moonflower petals were a tightly controlled commodity in Kandala.)
Traumatized by their deaths, Tessa secretly continued her parents' crusade. Tessa would sneak into the more affluent parts of Kandala, steal from the hording rich, and then redistribute the medicine to the suffering poor. Wes Lark had saved Tessa from certain death on the night her parents were killed, and has been her accomplice for several years now. They each wear masks so that, if they are captured, they will not be able to disclose the identity of the other if they are tortured.
When Wes is captured, Tessa - wild with grief - invades the royal palace, intent on some vague/half-formed notion of revenge. But before she can even catch a glimpse of the King, she is almost immediately captured by the ruthless Prince Corrick - the King's Justice! He is notorious for the slow torture and brutal extermination of all smugglers and traitors. Tessa is prostrate with fear and prays for a swift death!
Imagine her mounting terror when she is taken to Prince Corrick's private chambers! No spoilers here, but instead of her immediate execution, Tessa is given her own rooms at court and finds herself under Prince Corrick's protection!
The rest of this wild tale kept me up until the wee hours of the morning because I just had to find out what was going to happen to Tessa, Corrick and the rest of the characters of this madcap kingdom!
(Tessa's transformation from village waif to a lady of the court:)
I was highly entertained! There was a fair amount of violence, but it was not overly prolonged and graphic - for which I was very grateful! I approved of the redemptive themes in this novel. The King and Prince Corrick were as much victims of the power struggles and violence of those uncertain times as the rest of the inhabitants of Kandala.
Kind-hearted, brave Tessa was the voice of reason, reconciliation and the hope for peace: messages that I will support and uphold each and every time! Applause, Applause! A 5 out of 5 star rating for this stirring melodrama! My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Kandala's only hope: moonflower petals.... or is it!!?!!Note: I've been a long-time fan of Brigid Kemmerer's YA novels. The exotic realm that Kemmerer takes us to in
Defy the Night is not totally removed from present day society - with the exception of the long Disney-style princess gowns and courtly attire.
(By the way, morning glory SEEDS are toxic, if taken in large quantities so treat this plant with caution, especially near children and small animals.)
Rating: really liked it
This is promising, action packed, engrossing, thrilling brand new series from one of my favorite authors who can write both brilliant and addictive romance and fantasy novels!
I have to admit I loved this new installment more than A curse so dark and lonely trilogy the author recently published. If you ask me why? I can honestly say I’m all time favorite fan of Robin Hood and his remarkable philosophy: stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
So I always enjoy to read any new version story inspired by Robin Hood philosophy. And honestly portrayed, so much likable vigilantes / outlaws Tessa and Wes stole my heart since the first action packed opening the book.
Let me tell you more about the blurb:
The story takes place in Kingdom of Kandala divided by different sectors which have problematic relationships between each other because of outburst of contagious disease ravaging the land. Royal Palace barely holds it the control by negotiating with the consul members who are representatives of each sector demanding more power they can hold and King Harristan rules the entire kingdom with the help of his brother Prince Corrick who is designated with the most compelling title : King’s Justice. He takes the role of brutal killer, merciless punisher who triggers night terrors of entire folks of the kingdom.
He never chose to be brutal person and he was reluctant to deal with the shitty hand the faith dealt with him after their parents died before their eyes when they were young boys who were forced to rule the entire kingdom before dealing with their griefs.
Now the contagious sickness threats the entire land and only cure is made by moonflower petals which are limited, not equally shared by the sectors. As the richest and wealthiest consume more they can absorb, the poorest always suffers from lack of medicine.
Tessa Cade is apprentice apothecary who is so sick of seeing the inequality about sharing the medicine at entire land so she starts following the paths of her dying parents by stealing moon petals for concocting a powerful elixir and distribute them to the poor people who cannot afford. Her partner in crime Wes, wearing his mask and join her to lurk in the Wilds, helping the miserable people heal and give them enough hope to survive.
But the rumors spread so fast telling the cure is not effective enough to heal people and the rebellious attracts start arising. And a sudden tragedy changes everything in Tessa’s life, forced her to sneak around the palace to confront the cruel King and his merciless brother prince. But she finds out more secrets and she realizes nothing as it seems in the kingdom.
She may be forced to make a deal with her worst enemy to find a solution to stop her own people’s dying and the rising revolution can destroy the peace of the kingdom.
I loved genuine, honest, brave, hot tempered Tessa and tormented, charismatic, powerful, mysterious Corrick a lot.
Remarkable characterization, surprising twists, blossoming sweet romance, enthralling action packed adventure earned my four blazing stars!
I’m looking forward to read the next installment ASAP! This is freaking amazing start to unforgettable brand new fantasy installments!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Rating: really liked it
A THOUSAND PERCENT YESSSS 😍
I haven’t been reading fantasy books lately so this was my jump back into the genre and MANNNN, it didn’t disappoint!
This is a story told through two POVS—Tessa and Corrick’s.
AND YKNOW WHAT—I didn’t expect to tear up?! But I got so attached to them and there are chapters here that really TRY YOUR HEART 😭
It’s a story that’s easy to follow along. You won’t get bogged down by the world building. I have such an attachment to not just Tessa and Corrick, but to Harristan and Quint and even Rocco!
I loved the Cursebreakers series (I always say that’s one of my favorite YA fantasy series, hands down) and I found Defy the Night to be just as great!
I was hooked from the start; I liked the flow of the plot, I LOVED the romance, and it reads fast for a book over 400 pages!
I had theories as I went through the book and the beginning literally took me through a rollercoaster because I thought I had it, then I didn’t, but then I thought I did and UGH. Also I genuinely dropped my jaw in surprise.
I loved it. 1000% recommend for when this releases. Great cover, great story. I can’t wait for book boxes to release special editions because I’m IN THERE LIKE SWIMWEAR BYEEEEE ENJOY!
Rating: really liked it
This book is a beautiful edition that came in my Fairyloot box. It has purple stained edges and a purple ribbon. I might show it later.
Anywayyyyyy, I’m going to leave this at a 4. I’m on the edge because her last trilogy I was moving until the last book. I mean I gave it a three star which isn’t bad, but I traded those Fairyloot editions in to. the used bookstore and I’m hoping this isn’t going to happen with this trilogy 🤨
Fingers crossed!
Mel 🐶🖤🐺🐾
Rating: really liked it
sigh.....
this whole book for me was
empty head, no thoughts, not even good vibes. watch my recent reads video here for my full thoughts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myv3U...
2 STARSTwitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |
Rating: really liked it
3.5*
—————————
I'm in big trouble if I've started adding books that come out in 2021.
Rating: really liked it
FRIENDS TO ENEMIES TO LOVERS. That's a pretty good reason to read this. (👍 ͡❛ ᴗ ͡❛)👍
Rating: really liked it
Nobody is more surprised at how much I enjoyed this than me. I’ve read the first book in Brigid Kemmerer’s
Cursebreakers trilogy, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and I did…….not love it. So when Madison suggested
Defy the Night for our Fantasy Frenemies book club I wasn’t sure I would be into it, but I’m so happy to have been proven wrong!
A deadly illness has been ravaging the kingdom of Kandala for years, the single cure being rare Moonflower petals that grow in only a handful of locations. After their parents death, King Harristan and Prince Corrick have been doing their best to deal with the contagion, though the cracks in their hold seem to be showing. Nobody knows how it’s spread, only the rich and powerful have access to treatment and the leaders of the two sectors that supply the flower are constantly at odds with the rest of the realm. And on top of the political and logistical tensions, there has been an uptick in smuggling of the precious petals….and whispers of rebellion amongst the common folks.
There’s also people like Tessa and her partner Wes, who steal and redistribute the life-saving elixirs to people with the least means who need it the most. They may not be smugglers, but the ruthless crown under the iron grip of Prince Corrick, the King’s Justice, makes no distinction between stealing for profit or survival. But desperate people make desperate choices, and after Tessa suddenly finds herself on her own there’s even fewer options for this apothecary turned
Robin Hood if she wants to keep providing relief for her people.
I did go back and read my
A Curse So Dark and Lonely review to try pick out some of the differences between my experiences with the two. And wow, I forgot how mad I was after reading that book. My biggest issue seemed to be the two main characters, namely that the male love interest was terrible and irredeemable and the female lead was a typical ‘nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs’ protagonist. I’m also going to throw out there that I hate
Beauty and the Beast retellings so that may not be entirely on the author.
I think, though, if you’re someone who had issues similar to me then you’re probably going to like
Defy the Night much better. One of the most interesting things about Tessa Cade is just how common she is. There’s nothing ‘special’ about her in a fantastical chosen-one sense, she just deeply cares about other people. She sort of fell into the life she’s living through circumstance and having limited options, but does absolutely everything in her power to help her community that’s struggling. In this way she’s so much more relatable than some vague description of intangible superiority I’ve seen attached to other young, female main characters.
*See: Harper (ACSDAL), Bella (Twilight), Feyre (ACOTAR), etc*And as far as love interests go, I’m not going to spoil anything here, but I will say that while there’s some moral greyness the character is not irredeemable. I think Kemmerer does a good job generally at writing each character in a way that is easy to, if not sympathize with, then at least understand where they’re coming from. Personally I found a few of the issues described that the king, prince and nobility were having to be a little, ehm,
whiney in comparison to what the rest of the populace was dealing with. Harristan in particular seemed like a pretty lame king if he wasn’t allowed to *seize* things during an epidemic in his country. (even the US army could, like, march into Nebraska and take all their corn if it cured COVID so???? idk)
I enjoyed the romance in this book much more than Harper and Rhen in
Cursebreakers, not like that was a super high bar to clear, but still. I bought into the struggle Tessa was having reconciling her past with her present and thought the relationship she has in this book was well-developed. And okay, I’ve got one petty complaint I’ll put under spoiler tags (view spoiler)
[Yeah it might be difficult to start thinking of Wes as Corrick after years of knowing of them as two different people but OMG, the moment she starts saying his real name CAN SHE NOT FUCKING STOP???? You are in front of an angry mob that *hate* him!!!! She literally got his ass kicked, almost killed them both because she couldn’t stop going ”Oh, Corrick!” for five fucking seconds!!! TESSA. SHUT UP!!!!! Shut up before I shut you up you dummy (hide spoiler)]Overall, I loved this. It’s not a perfect book, and I’ve liked other ones more this year, but it was still a great read. I am so excited for the next in the series and clearly any misgivings I had about Kemmerer’s last book are more about that specific story and not her as an author. I love seeing how much her storytelling and characters have evolved with her as time has gone on and am expecting the sequel to be even better!
*Thanks to Bloomsbury YA for an advance review copy!**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
Rating: really liked it
This was absolutely magnificent! I really did not like Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreaker series, but I still had high hopes for this new book because of all the great reviews I've been seeing, and it did not disappoint!
✅
THE PREMISE FELT VERY relevant to the state of the world with the current pandemic, but still had a fantastical flare that allowed it to feel fictional and not too similar to the current COVID crisis.
✅
THE ENTIRE CONFLICT and everyone's motives were completely explained and realistic. This is so important to me because I hate when characters are either good or bad "just because".
✅
I LOVED HOW THE BROTHERLY relationship between King Harristan and Prince Corrick was portrayed. It felt so real and so raw. While there was conflict between the two at times, it was still always obvious how much they both cared about each other and their relationship was just so well done.
✅
THE ROMANCE was also incredibly well written. It was small things like pretending to read a book when they were actually just stealing glances at each other that made their crushes so cute and relatable. It was obvious they were both pining for each other, but they had some things to work out before they could be together. Even though the romance wasn't steamy, there was still a lot of heat and tension because of how much you could tell they cared for the other
✅
PRINCE CORRICK DESERVED a big hug 🥺🥺 Seriously, he had so many layers and he is now one of my favorite male characters ever. His internal conflicts were so emotional but relatable that my heart was bleeding alongside his as I read 😥 My bby better be getting a HEA at the end of all this!
Overall, this book exceeded my expectations in every way possible! I kind of made the mistake of spoiling myself with some of the key twists by reading other reviews, so I tried to keep mine as vague as possible 😅 If you are looking for a book that has emotionally conflicted characters, a good combination of political intrigue and action, and a swoon-worthy romance then you really need to read this book!
Steam Scale: 🔥/5
Swoon Scale: ❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Rating: really liked it
No blurb, no cover, no problem.
YA Fantasy and
Brigid Kemmerer is apparently all I need ?
Rating: really liked it
Bookstagram | Facebook
This book was more remarkable than I expected it. It's the first book of Brigid that I read, and I'm positively surprised.
I didn't start this book earlier because I was wary about the virus theme, since it reminded me of coronavirus, but it was still cheery and captivating enough to compare the virus in the book with coronavirus, thus comparing the situation in the book to the reality we've been through to better understand the plot and the character's motives/feelings, without dwelling in the negative parts of it.
The pace is correct and steady during the whole book, and the world building is incredibly well-written and broad without losing the reader's attention.
I love how Brigid's prose is full of detail about the vast but interesting world, the complexity of the situation and the realistic characters without entering into tedious infodumping
Tessa, Corrick and Harristan are remarkable characters anyone could relate to at some point , but so it is with other more secondary characters, like Karri, Jossalyn or Lochlan, that are deep and round in terms of personality too.
Brigid has the talent to portray the convoluted emotions of unique, round and complex characters in a way that the reader can understand easily, without telling too much and showing exactly what's needed.
The romance was quite strong in this book, accurately depicted and not rushed, demonstrating the deeper, prettier and more pure meaning beyond it besides the superficial looks and infatuation, the evolution the characters in love suffer through the ups and downs of friendship, animosity and a possible courtship (so swoon worthy during many scenes). Basically, it is one of the best elaborated slow-burn romances I've ever read, I want to see how it will still develop in Defend The Dawn.
Brigid has the magic to turn things that would normally bore the readers into captivating elements of the story. I tend to avoid political books, even if I'm interested in politics, due to the extreme political discourse that plagues media and makes me want to avoid discussion, but this story weaves politics around the plot in a way that everyone, regardless of age, can enjoy and reflect while being entertained by the action, the mystery, the humor, the romance and the characters in general, in a youthful and approachable way. We can see the differences between social classes and their priorities while not being weighed down by it, but having hope for a better Kandala.
Brigid reminds us to open our minds to different perspectives apart from our own, since the lack of perspective will blind us and prevent us from seeing the whole picture, the significant piece that will aid in the solution of the problems the people of Kandala suffer, if we also add compassion, respect and equity to the equation.
The revelation wasn't so surprising but well justified. The ending, an elaborated and good comma for all the problems to finally be solved in the second book.
What can I say more? This book was fascinating and I can't wait to read the continuation. 5 ⭐️
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
When you reaaaaalllllyyyy want the person you like to make a move and then you realize they probably won't because:
1. They're not a royal in disguise
2. You aren't in the midst of a kingdom-wide rebellion
3. You aren't extremely wounded by rebellious officers trying to take out the monarchy and they probably aren't extremely wounded either
*please read this book now because this was so good*
Full RTC
Rating: really liked it
So good!
