A Heart So Fierce and Broken: Brigid Kemmerer (The Cursebreaker Series)

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This book ranks on about the same level as the first in my eyes even though they were different stories with mostly different people. The pace of the story felt slower, but I think the romance was a little bit better. As well, this book has great character and relationship development. I made a moodboard for this book and was planning to write an elaborate review, but I’m so damn conflicted about this installment that I can’t say for sure how I feel about all of it. I think my definition of a sequel compare to this author’s must’ve been vastly different bcs this book was not at all what I pictured a continuation of a series would be like. After sleeping on it for almost two weeks, I think I’m just going to settle for a moderate rating. I feel like this book is an SJM Tower of Dawn sort of book, a little pointless but enjoyable to read nonetheless. All I'm going to say about the new otp is that: Grey and Lia Mara work so well together, I cannot deal with their brand of cuteness. Their personalities compliment each other and I'm very much jealous of Lia Mara.

A Heart so Fierce and Broken (Audio Download): Brigid A Heart so Fierce and Broken (Audio Download): Brigid

Commander Grey was such a wonderful character in ACSDAL, he had sworn his life to the Royal family and to Rhen in particular. In doing so he had to detach from all his family and to forego any future family that could possibly ever be used against him to get him to turn on he royals or the Kingdom of Everfall. Even so, the evil mage Lilith still took his 9 sisters and brothers one by one while trying to get him to turn against Rhen. This causes a lot of issues for Rhen, Lia, and Grey since they are all now inevitably tied up. You’re probably thinking at this point “Well what about Harper, she was the main character of ACSDAL?” Well, she is of no use in this book. Like she was just thrown to the side so Grey and Lia Mara and Rhen could take the shine. Harper is maybe in it a couple of times and even then she only has a few speaking lines. We don’t see much of her but when we do it’s obviously important, I still just think it’s a crime that she isn’t in it very much. You said that not every problem can be solved by the end of a sword. I have carried those words with me for days... Since you made me realize that I am no longer a weapon to be wielded by another.”

A Heart So Fierce and Broken feels like the lesser child of A Game of Thrones and A Court of Mist and Fury. It features elements of both, including the vilification of a primary character and a reluctant heir to a crown, but they are incorporated in a far clumsier manner. Kemmerer has tried but failed to transform the story from a young adult retelling of Beauty and the Beast into some sort of fantasy epic. I adored this book so much and I totally agree with you, this sequel was very unexpected. It didn’t follow any of the tropes I’m used to seeing in YA and made it more about trauma than I had anticipated! I'm not even sure what to say about Rhen. Am I truly surprised by his actions? No. That man has gone through some intense shit for literal decades, and while not an excuse, it's certainly a bit of an explanation for the way he feels and acts. No matter how I feel a character inside the book should have reacted to him in light of the aforementioned display of cruelty, I as a reader still find him compelling. Kind of like - dare I say it - Tamlin. Who, surprise, I also don't hate lol.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken | Cursebreakers Wiki | Fandom A Heart So Fierce and Broken | Cursebreakers Wiki | Fandom

Grey stands guard, and when Harper wakes up, they play with hand-painted cards and play a game called King's Ransom. Rhen comes downstairs, and Harper leaves, leaving Rhen and Grey playing cards. They talk about how Harper doesn't like Rhen and how he managed to get Harper to play cards. To that Grey responds: "I did nothing, I simply just asked." I loved getting to know Grey, Noah, and Jake a little better. I knew I loved Grey from the first book, but this one really solidified that love. He was just so strong, physically and emotionally, and encouraged others to realize their own strength. We are also able to see progress in Noah and Jake’s relationships with Grey and the other characters. They no longer feel like outsiders infringing in this little group. Although Lia Mara definitely does envy her sister, Nolla Verin, and knows that her sister can be cruel, we are constantly reminded how much she cares for and loves her sister and vice versa. I really appreciated that. It was refreshing having two sisters who are vastly different NOT hating each other. I loved seeing their love for one another, even if Nolla Verin is a horrible brat for most of the book. Grey is hiding in a small city, posing as a stable hand under the name Hawk, there he attempts to lay low to avoid the Rhen's guards who are looking for him. While here Grey befriends the boy Tycho, who looks up to Grey. Grey teaches Tycho some basic swordplay, but after Tycho catches him disappearing and then suddenly reappearing, Grey reveals the truth to Tycho, and begins to teach him more advanced moves.This was a 9.0/10 on CAWPILE so juuuuust got 5 stars, the only reason it wasn't a strong 5 is because of the last chapter. One of my least favourite tropes happened and just overall it wasn't satisfactory for me. Cliche. Book one felt like a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, this felt like too many fantasy tropes mashed together and spewed out on paper. Lia Mara is alright. She's likeable enough and there is nothing obviously wrong with her character imho. But she is not nearly as compelling as Harper. Occasionally she even felt like a lesser version of Harper and I'm just not here for that (I mean can we talk about the way she killed her mother? Is everyone proficient in knife throwing now or??) Mostly she's just kind of .. there and cries a lot. I cry a lot too, so no judgement, but that romance just doesn't feel genuine. I didn't even recognize Grey during 90% of their "moments" together. Writing secret little love notes like a school boy, REALLY? Errrrrr #notmygrey

Cursebreakers Series by Brigid Kemmerer - Goodreads

after these unfortunate and unwanted changes, i had to read this book as if it were completely unconnected to ACSDAL and essentially a standalone. after doing that, after reading this story for what it is individually and not a follow up to another half, i started to enjoy this. like really enjoy this. Grey travels through dimensions to find girls for Rhen, so one of them might fall for him and break the curse. He sighs, then moves to sit beside me on the couch. I lean my head against his shoulder, and we stare at the fire together. so even though this is not the sequel i wanted or was hoping for, once i put all of my expectations aside and just enjoyed this for what it is, i really had fun reading this. i hope other readers will be able to do the same.

Little does he know that the heir he is hunting for is Grey. All while this is happening, Grey is undercover in a town hiding from Rhen and his guards because he wants to avoid causing Rhen any trouble. Let's just say, his plan didn't work out.......... Being the middle book of a trilogy, there's a little bit of a slow down in terms of pacing. The urgency of book 1, in trying to break the curse, is gone. Instead, there is time devoted to setting up a different focus and in laying down the groundwork for what must be the big final conflict in book 3. Yet, the story still captivated me, and I was just as riveted with it as with the previous one. Being trapped in Emberfall, a country as beautiful as it is wild and dangerous, hasn’t changed my brother’s temperament. The day we arrived, he was out of place and unsure of himself, but he’s grown into his fictional role as Prince Jacob of Disi. His dark hair has grown out a bit, and he wears a sword on his hip as if he were born carrying it. No one messed with him in DC, and few people mess with him here either. It was a very bold choice to steer away from Rhen’s POV because witnessing his harsh treatment of Grey and others without the benefit of his internal voice means that an established main character who is loved by readers now appears in a very unflattering light, to put it mildly. Rhen being cast in the position of antagonist is a surprise and makes the story very unpredictable as there’s no telling how far he’ll go while trapped in the depths of paranoia with his PTSD further compounding the issue.