| Title | : | A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Audible Audio |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published January 7, 2020 |
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?
The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places.
A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers, #2) Reviews
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I enjoyed the first ACSDAL book and Grey was my favorite character, so I was optimistic coming into the sequel, knowing that the second book would mainly be focusing on him. Unfortunately I found this to be a slump to get through; much of it felt like filler since the story just comprises of Grey traveling between two different kingdoms. I was looking forward to meeting the new female character, but ended up not being a fan of her, since so much of her story centered on her inferiority complex. While it’s understandable for her to deal with insecurities considering her upbringing, I think the book would have been better off with a more assertive female protagonist to balance out Grey, otherwise this book ends up with two passive leads that don’t really have tension or challenge each other. I also wish her character development in realizing her strength didn’t have to hinge on a man validating her. The most glaring issue I have with this sequel, though, is that many of the protagonists acted out-of-character for the sake of having conflict. Those who loved Harper and Rhen in the first book may be disappointed by how their characters are portrayed in the sequel: Rhen becomes unnecessarily awful and cruel, and Harper is so dismally passive without ever challenging him. We never saw these types of behaviors in the first book, so this was very jarring. So much of the conflict also depended on the characters being stubborn against each other, which felt forced considering that they’re supposed to have been such good friends and built all this rapport. I think there are lots of ways the sequel could have been more exciting even if it were filler, like having Grey transport between different worlds, but we didn’t see those opportunities get seized. I’m open to reading the third book of the series to see how the author concludes this trilogy and salvage some of these characters.
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#1
A Curse So Dark and Lonely ★★★★★
#2
A Heart So Fierce and Broken DNFDNF @ 20%
No rating, obviously, because I didn't read nearly enough of this to really give a thoughtful opinion on it... but ow, my heart.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020! Curse was one of my favorite reads of 2019, I loved Harper and Rhen and Grey so freaking much, I loved the plot, everything. My hopes were SO high — and then the mere first few chapters of this book snatched them up and threw them off a cliff into a rocky cesspool below. *sigh*
On one hand, the pacing is good and the first 20% definitely flew right by. On the other hand, that's probably because nothing happened besides a bunch of backwards character developments, some obnoxious new characters, and a new direction for the plot that I absolutely hate. Despite all of that, I was still torn — do I cut my losses here while I can still love the first book, or keep trying and risk hating the whole series by the end? — but after I started reading reviews, I realized I just couldn't bring myself to bother. I hope others have a better experience with this one, but I'll be over here quietly pretending that Curse was a stand-alone with an open ending. Really, it's better this way.
Edited to add: Because a few people have told me I would like this book more if I had continued it, I probably should mention that, after choosing to "officially" DNF it where I did, I skimmed forward and read chunks of the rest of the book here and there to see if I might be more intrigued by what was happening. I then also skipped ahead and read the last few chapters (I know, blasphemy, but this is something that has convinced me to continue a boring or disappointing book many times in the past, so I was hopeful). Unfortunately, not only did I find the plot line predictable enough that literally NOTHING about the end surprised me, but I was even more frustrated by the characters by the end that I can safely guarantee nothing that happened between the sections I read would have redeemed AHSFAB for me. :( /end edit
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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oh wow. im quite conflicted about this one. this is my most anticipated sequel and release of 2020 and i am happy with this, but im also really let down by it. hear me out.
by the second chapter, it was quite evident this was going in a direction that i didnt like or support. although this picks up quite recently after the events of ‘a curse so dark and lonely,’ i feel like all of the characters went through some massive unseen change. they just didnt feel like the same people, with the same cares or motivations. its really bizarre. i even began hating a character that i so dearly cared for. it also doesnt help that this sequel is told by two different POVs. i understand the need to focus on them in order for the story to progress in the direction it went, but its such a dramatic shift from the first book that it took me awhile to get used to it.
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.
the writing is phenomenal. the pacing is top notch. the characters are so complex. talk about a fierce and broken heart - i couldnt help but empathise with grey and everything he was going through. i really appreciated the new characters and how their personal backgrounds and stories give depth to everything that is happening (iisak is sooo cool and tycho is a little cinnamon roll). one thing is for sure, the next book is going to be absolutely wild.
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.
↠ 4 stars -
harper, princess of disi, love of my life, protector of my heart, giver of my rights, you deserved more than one pov chapter and five appearances in almost 500 pages where your only purpose is to serve the character development of your male counterparts
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"Fear makes people act in ways we'd never expect."
Kicking of 2020 with a 2 star review of one of my highly anticipated releases for the year was not how I imagined things going....but here we are. We're just going to dive right into this one because whew Lord, I have a lot to say. If you have not read the first book then definitely read this at your own risk as there are some pretty big spoilers for A Curse So Dark and Lonely in this review!
What I Liked
📈 Transition and pacing. One of the things I can say that honestly did not disappoint in this book was the pacing. Sometimes fantasy novels fall into the trap of having a lull in the middle of the story up until the end but this kept me engaged when I was reading it...even if I didn't actually like what I was reading. And the transition from book one to book two flowed super well in my opinion. The author does a great job of recapping book one without ever making it boring or redundant.
👯♀️ Sister love. I can't say much without spoiling anything, but I really do love books with siblings who start off on not the best foot but admire each others strengths and come together when it matters.
And uhm yeah, that's about it.
What I Didn't Like
🤷🏻♀️ No point. My biggest reason for not liking this was because essentially.... it's pointless. A Heart So Fierce and Broken basically takes the plot from book one and lights it on fire. Literally, the plot of this book makes the first one feel like everything Harper and Grey went through to help Rhen be "the good guy" was all for naught. Which brings me right to my next point.
👹 Rhen. Character growth? We don't know her. Every ounce of growth Rhen made in book one is so far gone out the window that it's not even funny, he was absolutely awful in this book. I get that his throne and people are all he cares about but the fact that he tried SO DAMN HARD to not be the villain in book one only to become the villain in book two....no ma'am. Not on my watch.
👑 Princess Harper of Disi. The one and only is NOWHERE to be found. A true tragedy. One chapter from her POV and then maybe five quick appearances? Are you kidding?! I understand that this is Grey's book so she would be in it a little less but what I did not expect was for her scenes to be so scarce and the only time she's really in the book she's all "hey guys, I know Rhen is being trash right now but he's scared and under a lot of pressure. So, I'll help you guys sneak out of the castle but I'm gonna stay put with him." Having Harper be the silent little puppy who trails along after Rhen instead of the fierce take no shit type of gal she was in book one was a pretty bad move in my opinion.
🤰🏻 The pregnant lady. So, this is basically a personal issue and maybe it won't bother most people but it did NOT sit well with me given the events of my life this past year. Rhen obviously sends his guards out to hunt down the heir, and there's one scene where Grey and his new group of friends are trying to get away from Rhen's guards, however, in the midst of all that a pregnant lady gets stabbed directly in the stomach. And then Grey, a newbie to his magic, is miraculously able to heal her and everyone is all "THE BABY IS KICKING AGAIN!" after the knife is pulled out the ladies stomach. That was truly a hard no for me, like, did we really need to take it that far? Again, it's a personal issue but like, break an arm or cut off someone's leg for God's sake. Okay, rant over.
🙄 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.
🛑 The end. Whew Lord, my blood boiled. After sitting through almost 500 pages of not liking it but trying to be a good sport and stick it out the ending really pissed me off. Just scroll back up and everything I said about Rhen is 100% confirmed, he is TRASH. At this point I'm not even sure if I want to continue the series come next year.
All in all, I think it's safe to say that this was a fail for me. I think it suffered from whatever is worse than second book syndrome if I'm being totally honest. I know a lot of people are excited for this one, so I hope it works out much better for you than it did for me if you plan on picking it up!
Thank you Bloomsbury for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review!
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GOT MY COPY! DESERVED A LOOONNNNG NAP! (Caffeine stocks left the building!)
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A cross between an epic fantasy and a legendary romance.
This book was everything I hoped it would be and more! I definitely recommend it to everyone who likes Fantasy, Fairytales, Adventure and Romance. It surprised and delighted me in that it was not any sort of retelling. Though I did think A Curse so Dark and Lonely was one of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast, even better than the Disney versions, since it dealt with a genuine beast that killed people.
A Heart so Fierce and Broken was truly a continuation of the original story, after curse was broken. It focuses on the character of Commander Grey instead of Rhen and Harper, though they both make appearances and we see what “Happily Ever After” looks like in the Kingdom of Everfall. I think readers will find it interesting to say the least.
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.
Grey was always loyal to Rhen and then to Harper as well. He and Harper became great friends, and when he disappeared they both thought he was dead. In AHSFAB, Grey is still the noble and formidable warrior, but also intelligent and relentless in his drive to do what he thinks is right. He is still loyal to the Kingdom and to Rhen despite everything he has learned and gone through. Grey is a true Hero.
He meets some wonderful characters and they journey together throughout the majority of the story. Brigid Kemmerer is an excellent writer and makes each of the characters come to life. I could picture each one of them and though they start out as strangers and foes, the travelers become united and even friends. The love interest Lia Mara, is one of them.
Lia Mara is the firstborn daughter of Karis Luran of Syhl Shallow which is over the mountains from Emberfall. If you remember from ACSDAL, Karis Luran is the bloodthirsty Queen whose forces tried to invade Emberfall when she thought the royal family was gone and the Kingdom was at its weakest.
Though Lia Mara is the firstborn daughter, she is not the princess in line for the throne. Her mother doesn’t value her like her younger sister Nola Verin, whose nature is more like their mother. Lia Mara is not as small and beautiful as her sister and she is intelligent and caring and does not like bloodshed. While Nolla Verin is unfazed by killing others and only to happy to rush into battle.
Harper’s brother Jake and his partner Noah were brought to Emberfall near the end of ACSDAL, it was Grey who brought them with the magic cuff bracelet that he got from Lilith when she cursed Rhen. It was used to go back and forth from Emberfall and Washington DC to get girls for Rhen to try and break the curse.
Grey first used the cuff to grab Harper, then later her brother Jake and Noah who is a doctor. Now that the curse is broken Jake and Noah are stuck against their wishes. They blamed Grey for this, despite the fact that they arc traveling with him.
Another character named Tycho is a teen who ends up as Grey’s sidekick. He is a great character and it would be nice to see him get his own book. The last of the traveling partners is a scraver, a viscous creature that can slice into a person with his claws in the blink of an eye.
“I’m staring down at . . . a creature I can’t identify. It’s somewhat human-shaped, with dark-gray skin, the color of a cloudy night sky. Wings bound with rope sprout from its back, and there’s a length of tail that curls limply along the ground of the cage. It has clawed hands and feet, and a shock of black hair that’s matted with sweat. It’s not moving.”
I loved this book. It was as good or better than the first book. There were several villains and there were definitely some big surprises. Not all of them are good, but it makes for an amazing story. The ending is spectacular, there will be a third book, but it is not really a cliffhanger so much as an ending to one part of the story and the promise of a beginning of another.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
This was a buddy read with my dear,
Gabriëlle!!! -
That was super good. I’m in love with Grey. I mean that goes without saying. AND, there were normal jerkhole stuff too! That ending! Once again, have to wait and see what’s going to happen.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 -
i'm sorry
i can't review this book fully. i don't even know what to write. all i want to say is that this was highly anticipated, but it let me down so so bad. I love LOVE LOVE
A Curse So Dark and Lonely, but this one is literally boring, Grey was such a great character in the first book, but in this one he's sloppy and sulking like Rhen was in the first book and i wanted Grey to have action and a great persona. The heroine Lia Mara was a mirror of Grey (though she had so much potential), honestly Lia Mara you don't need to be a killer to be a hero sheesh. There is no story- ok maybe there is???
HOWEVER I'M GOING TO READ THE NEXT BOOK LIKE FUCK I NEED IT LIKE I NEED THE INTERNET
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pre-reading
Bye Mom! Bye Dad! I'm off to Emberfall to live in the kitchen where FOOD MAGICALLY REAPPEARS
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https://www.formpl.us/form/282236002 -
Okay, listen - LISTEN!!
Here there be spoilers because I have a lot of feelings about this book and I CANNOT contain them okay? SORRY. And be warned that most of them are not positive - to my own surprise.
A Heart so Fierce and Broken has been one of my most anticipated releases for 2020 following A Curse so Dark and Lonely, which remains one of my absolute favorite reads for all of 2019. I devoured that book, laughed and cried and fell oh so hard for every single character. Most of all the wonderfully fierce Harper.
But boy if I did not also lose my heart especially to the man himself; Grey. His character archetype is my kryptonite. So I was overjoyed when I realized that ACSDAL was in fact not only not a standalone as I initially thought (although I would argue that it can be read as such), but that the follow up novel would actually revolve around my man Grey. So maybe this will help you understand why I feel a little let down now that I've read it.
Y'all ready? Because in
3
2
1
IT'S SPOILER TIME
**This review is based of an arc I own, not the final version of the book. But unless half the story is rewritten until pub date, my opinion stands. -
After how much I loved the first book in the series, I went into A Heart So Fierce and Broken with both excitement and caution. I know it's hard to follow up a thrilling first book with an even more so second book, especially when there are amped up expectations to take into account. But I needn't have worried, because I come away having thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I'll say right off the bat that this story is an unexpected follow up to the first. It doesn't so much extend it as it does a pivot away, both from the characters we loved as well as the storyline we were following. Going in, I was warned by many that this would be the case, so I had time to prepare myself. As a result, what I got was what I was expecting, which made the changes less startling and more palatable.
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.
What I loved about the first book is all still in the second. The characters are flawed, but also warm, kind, and courageous. We meet some new ones, and they are just as loveable as all the ones we already know. The love story is a slow burn that takes a while to come to fruition, but when it does, it feels rewarding. The conflicts and the disagreements still make sense, especially when taken in light of that most unexpected ending.
Speaking of the ending, what a setup for the next book! I am already anticipating starting the third book. I don't think I can wait very long, and can only pat myself on the back for having had the foresight to wait until all three books were out before starting this trilogy. -
Thank you to Bloomsbury for the advanced review copy!
This is so different from book one that I'm so interested to see how everyone is going to react. The first 200 pages of this were very dry and political, and I couldn't quite make sense of what was happening. It felt like the escalating drama could be solved with better communication, so I was frustrated why the author was dragging out so much hardship. In the last half, however, pieces started falling in place and the plot picked up.
I really LOVE Grey. He reminds me of Geralt from The Witcher because he's very stoic and contained but sharp and tactful when he needs to be. That combination of gentleness and wanting to do what's right mixed with absolute lethal power is so intriguing to me, so I liked it when the story focused on his development. Also, the new characters in this book were so much fun to read about. I love Lia Mara and Tycho, and even side characters from book one like Noah and Jake grew on me.
The one thing I can't figure out about this is
While I was reading this book, I couldn't shake the feeling that although I was enjoying it, I don't think I would continue with a third book. The ending of this changed my mind, though. Also I'm a bit confused and upset about the way the characters are behaving, I do really want to know how this is going to end, because I don't foresee it being pretty. -
I've had such tough time with fantasy (my favourite genre) for the last 7 or so month that getting back into this story was like a breath of fresh air! I just love Brigid's writing style so much, it's so simple yet punchy! You don't always need to go on for pages to get your point across in a meaningful and beautiful manner, you will not find paragraphs of descriptions of those 3 bushes by the river in this book!
I was nervous getting into this as I knew we will be following a different character and also having a new one to top, but I shouldn't have worried - I got back into it and fell in love with them in maybe 40 pages tops.
At no point was I bored. Characters are constantly in danger of some sort and because there's so much emotional backstory and journeys with them you actually feel invested for a change!
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.
Apart from that, however, loved it! -
I didn't expect to like this book so much because in the first book of the series I didn't like Grey at all but now he is one of my favorite characters.
I can't wait for the release of the next book because that ending really surprised me. -
NOT THE SEQUEL I WAS EXPECTING - THANK GOD! 🙌🙌
Rating this one was actually hard for me, because there were things I really liked, but there were also things that bothered me. In the end I decided that the things I liked, outweighed the bothersome things, so I went with 4 stars."I keep hoping for peace. I keep longing for empathy. I keep expecting people to act as I would."
- Lia Mara
👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍
Lia Mara: I'll give you this - Brigid Kemmerer knows how to write amazing, strong women! Lia Mara was strong, compassionate and loyal. I think I might even like her more than Harper.
Jake: Harper's brother Jake was a minor character in ACSDAL - but here he takes on a more prominent role and I loved it! He is sarcastic, fierce and smart. I loved the energy he and Grey had!
Relationship: The relationship between Lia Mara and Grey was great because it didn't happen instantly and it didn't grow out of nothing. It was obvious that their attraction stemmed from mutual respect and that was an approach that I really enjoyed.
Unexpected: Honestly, this book took a very different turn from what I thought it would and that surprised me in the best of ways.
👎 WHAT BOTHERED ME 👎
Rhen: Rhen was such a great character in ACSDAL and I really disliked his arc through this one, he was pretty much unrecognisable.
Grey's reasoning: Supposedly, Grey does what he does to protect Rhen. Supposedly. Honestly, it felt more like self preservation than loyalty and I disliked that immensely.
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I M P R E S I O N A N T E
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#1
A Curse So Dark and Lonely — 3 Stars
#2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken — 3 Stars
#3
A Vow So Bold and Deadly — 3 Stars
THIS REVIEW IS GOING TO SUCK BCS I’M SPEECHLESS AND NOT ENTIRELY FOR A GOOD REASON.
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.
It took me a while to warm up to all the new characters, but I suppose they were alright. I liked the sort of brotherly relationship between Grey and Tycho. The sisters rivalry between Nola and Lia irked me at the beginning, but I’m glad with how it worked out in the end. My favorite part about the book was definitely seeing how the dynamic among these forementioned characters along with Noah and Jake slowly changed from being hostile to showing a good camaraderie. I loved seeing the transformation in Grey's character arc as well.
All in all, I’m relieved that this book was not a thoroughly horrible follow up. I’d given this book a chance bcs of Grey, and I will continue to do so. I hope that in the next book, we’ll see a reconcilitation between him and Rhen and that they’ll join forces to defeat the real enemy instead of fighting against each other. Bcs this book has taken such a drastic turn from what I assume most of us expected, I think the conclusion for this trilogy is going to be epic. I mean, that’s the least it could do considering how completely out of left field this one was. -
Me:This book is a completely unnecessary sequel.
Also me: I need to know more about Grey!!! -
If you're wondering what my heart felt like immediately after I finished this — the title of this book should be able to provide some insight.
⚠ If you have not read
A Curse so Dark and Lonely (book #1) then DO NOT read this review⚠
“Since you made me realize that I am no longer a weapon to be wielded by another.”
The curse might be broken but Emberfall is still on the verge of collapse. Rumours about the true heir are circulating and the people are starting to question Rhen's authority.
But as we know, Rhen has had bad and traumatic experiences related to magic in the past, and so he expends all his resources to root out the rumoured heir and magesmith.
Neither Harper nor Rhen know that Grey and the heir are one and the same. And both are desperate to find their beloved friend.
Grey has no intention of taking his place as King. On the run and in hiding, he is more than happy to live a simple life. But with Rhen's hunt growing more extreme, he knows that it is only a matter of time before he is found.“You trusted me once. What have I done to lose it?”
“You left.”
Lia Mara, daughter of Queen Karis Luran wishes for peace between Syhl Shallow and Emberfall. Lia Mara is different from her cruel and calculating mother and sister. She is seen as weaker for being compassionate and in her mother's eyes, that weakness is what makes her unfit to be queen. And so the title of heir is handed to her younger sister instead.
But even though Lia Mara knows she'll never be queen, she is still determined to find a violence-free solution for both kingdoms.“[...] I had forgotten that your people may be our enemies, but they are still people.”
At the beginning of this year I read
A Curse so Dark and Lonely and fell in love with this world and it's characters. As we all had prayed for - this book is in Grey's POV (whoop!!) with the alternating POV of Lia Mara.
The pacing and writing was fantastic. Getting to know more about the characters we already know was so interesting and fun, as well as meeting new ones who became very dear to me by the end.
I really liked Lia Mara, much more than I expected. She was so genuine and I admired her tenacity. She is badass in an unexpected way. She is filled with doubt and does not have good self-esteem, but seeing her grow throughout the book, filled me with such pride.
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.I spent so long hoping to be named heir, to be able to provide a better life for my people, and Mother handed it to Nolla Verin. Grey seems to be the opposite. He does not want the Crown, though it seems destined to fall squarely into his lap.
In
A Curse so Dark and Lonely Grey was my favourite character, my love for him has just grown and grown.
Grey's character development was so good. We really get to see his growth from being a commander sworn to a prince — to becoming his own person who no longer takes orders but gives them and finally accepting who he was destined to be.
In every review I write about a Kemmerer book, I always mention the authors brilliant skill in writing good friendships. This book was no exception.
I had never really paid much attention to Jacob in book one, but I loved how he and Grey become closer in this book and seeing their friendship bloom. *sniffs* It was just so damn beautiful.
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.
Something happens in this book that I'm sure is going to cause much uproar amongst readers. I personally thought it was brilliantly done and that the author took a huge risk. *rubs hands together* I'm really excited to see how everyone is going to react to it.
I tried not to give too much away in this review. And you're probably wondering why I haven't mentioned Harper or really spoken much about Rhen. Well, my dear friend, there is some information that I do not have the privilege to disclose at the moment.
Let's just say this book ended in way that has left me desperate for the next book. D E S P E R A T E.
« ARC received from Bloomsbury YA via edelweiss in exchange for an honest review »
‹ quotes are subject to change after publication ›
• Release date: 7 January 2020 •
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My reviews for:
Book 1:
A Curse so Dark and Lonely
Book 3:
Untitled -
“Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all.”
Long story short, this sequel exacerbated everything I didn't like about
book one, while removing the few elements I enjoyed from it.
While the first book was arguably pretty generic, it was a retelling so I couldn't really fault it. This book though was a mix-mash of every trope in the book while bringing nothing new to the table. Harper was all but eliminated from the sequel, removing the disability rep that was part of what made ACSDAL unique.
Quite frankly, this book felt unnecessary. I would have preferred a direct sequel following Rhen and Harper and just leave it at a duology- or even a standalone. Grey is an interesting character, but part of what made him that was the mysterious and unknown air of him. Having a whole book in his head instantly shattered that perception and left him as a sulky and weak character. In fact, this seemed to be a trend for a few of the characters. AHSFAB showed characters we had grown to love regressing and being villainised, which is a pretty brave move but not one I think made sense for the story.
I am undecided if I want to continue on with the series come 2021, so I might just wait to hear some reviews first. That being said, I would still recommend the first book in this series if you haven't read it yet and perhaps treat it as a standalone. If you loved ACSDAL, I am sure you will at least find some merit in this story. But if you found it to be pretty mediocre like I did, perhaps give the sequel a miss. -
“What we do know is what’s most important: this prince’s reign will come to an end, one way or another.”
This review is long, longer than what will probably be allowed on this website so click
!!HERE!! for the link to my blog!
First and foremost I’d like to say, if you haven’t read A Curse so Dark and Lonely, please go read that before reading this. Or click
!!HERE!! if you’re interested in watching my review on that!
I’m not holding back on spoilers for that book as there’s no way to explain what I hated about this without spoiling. There’s a lot about this book that truly got on my nerves and ruined the book for me, but there’s a tiny bit of good so I’ll go over it all. This review will contain ACSDAL spoilers only, you don’t have to worry about spoilers for this book.
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Overview
This book picks up a couple of months after the events and ending of A Curse so Dark and Lonely. And the story is told from Grey’s point of view, as well as a new character, Lia Mara. Grey is hiding, after finding out he’s the rightful heir to the Throne and that his blood is filled with magic. And Rhen is looking for him, not knowing Grey is the heir, but just wanting to find his friend. While at the same time Rhen is also sending out search parties to find this supposed heir to have him killed so Rhen can fully take the throne. Pretty much the entirety of this book is Grey trying to escape the clutches of Rhen and Rhen turning into a complete sack of shit.
While on the other hand, we have Lia Mara who really is in this story for no important reason. I truly question why she has a point of view because she’s of no importance to the plot until the very end. But Lia Mara is from Syhl Shallow, the kingdom that tried to conquer Rhen’s lands in the first book. Anyways, her mother Karis Luran is trying to work out a deal to unite Syhl Shallow and Emberfall but Lia thinks she can do it a better way than her mother. So she tries to talk Rhen into better ways of finding peace, but in the meantime ends up meeting the true heir to the throne.
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.
So yeah, really this is 450 pages of Rhen trying to find Grey, Grey trying to evade Rhen, and Lia Mara trying to … bring peace to the Kingdoms I guess.
My Issues w/ This Book (minus spoilers:)
If I truly wanted to get into everything I hated about this book, you’d be reading this for hours so I’m just going to be talking about three things that gave me a huge headache.
Number One: Give Rhen a Break.
As everyone knows, Rhen is the troubled man from book one who was cursed into turning into a beast and who eventually killed his whole kingdom. He’s been through a lot, he’s broken as the title itself explains, but in this book, the author turns him into the villain. His whole mindset has changed, he’s vicious, and just it seemed to come out of nowhere. Now I can understand why he wants the heir dead. The dude has magic and is supposed to take over the only thing Rhen holds dear, his people and his throne. And Rhen’s life has been ruined and wrecked because of magic. The only thing that should change Rhen’s outlook is the fact that the rightful heir and his brother IS Grey. Which Rhen doesn’t know that of course, but there are some scenes in this book that I would never see ACSDAL Rhen doing. I could understand if his attitude got sour and evil over a SIGNIFICANT amount of time and at some point he’s willing to do whatever to kill this heir, but it’s only been a couple of months and homedude has completely changed. The MAIN reason I didn’t vibe with this at all, is because this is exactly what Sarah J. Maas did with Tamlin in the ACOTAR series. We have our main savior in book one (which both of their book ones were BATB retellings btw) and then he turned into a sadistic controlling crazy ass character. At this point, and by the end of this book, I just don’t care for Rhen anymore because his character completely changed with no real development and it’s incredibly unbelievable.
Number Two: Where is the Colored Skin?
I’m not usually one to care when a book is filled with white people, I’ve been reading books like that my entire life. The first author who always comes to mind is Sarah J. Maas. And as pretty much everyone knows, I am SJM TRASH. But you cannot tell me that in the years 2019/2020 there should still be YA books with all White Casts. Even SJM learned from her mistakes and started to realize OH there are people in this world with colored skin. If I had to read one more time about how a new character/guard/ruler/peasant had creamy white pale skin, I was going to gauge my eyes out. In ACSDAL there is one black character (Noah), a side character who shows up at the end to help out, and then he’s just on the sidelines. And Noah is in this book as well, but he is STILL the only PoC in this whole entire series. I personally saw Lia Mara as having brown skin but it’s hard to believe because her whole family had creamy pale skin. I’m so tired of having to read books in YA now that are only meant for white people, like please it’s not hard to give your characters some color. I think truly the thing that aggravated me the most was the fact that almost every characters skin was either creamy white or pale. Just like melted ice cream.
When it comes to diversity, the main gay couple from ACSDAL is still in this book, a lot more than I expected. And there is mention of one sapphic couple at the end for a good half of a sentence. This is another reason that upset me so much is you have characters with disabilities, you have Queer characters, but wooo no ma'am on the People of Color.
Number Three: No Such Thing as Development.
I don’t even know how to say this nicely but who the hell proofread this and thought “wow yes this is much excellence, everything makes great sense, let’s start passing these ARC’s out.” Because there is so much in this that needed help. Okay so, I have taken into consideration that of course, this is the first batch of ARC’s to go out, there’s a lot of editing to do, but at the same time this doesn’t feel thought through at all. There is absolutely no reason this should have been as long as it was because there are so many filler scenes that are completely unnecessary. And okay, maybe those will be cut out and we’ll have a shorter book and BAM it will be better?! Wrong. Mainly due to the fact that the character development in this is nonexistent. As I’ve already said, Rhen turns evil but … there is no development and no explanation as to why he’s turned into such a douche. You have to piece it together yourself, which truly isn’t hard. But it also wouldn’t have been hard to weave in chapters from Rhens PoV so his Evil Arch could have been explained and believable. The same goes for Grey and Lia Mara. One second Grey is denying things about who he is and what he wants in life and then BAM all of a sudden he’s changed his mind out of nowhere and now this is the way his life must go. Like … what? And just WOO what was the point of Lia Mara being in this book besides the end because she could have had maybe 5 chapters but NO this whole entire thing is a trade-off between Grey and Lia. There are so many unimportant aspects to this story that completely ruined it for me and I couldn’t focus on the plot or the storyline because the lack of development and the lack of character growth is astounding. And dear Lord, don’t even get me started on the trash ass romance.
Surprise I Enjoyed this A Little Bit Though:
I did rate this three out of five stars though because there is some good. ACSDAL is one of my favorite books of 2019, which is why I was so fast and excited to pick up the sequel (shoutout to Lily over at Lair of Books for sending me her ARC.) So, of course, I love these characters, I love this world, and I have some love for this book. But it’s very minimal and it’s only the fact that I got to be in Grey’s head because I love him more than anything and it was great to see more of him. And even despite the fact that Rhen is trash and Harper is hardly in this book, it was still great to see them as well.
I did end up reading the whole book in one night, which is why I didn’t give it a shit rating because Brigid’s books are so easy to blow through and I really wanted to keep reading the book because of how much I love being in Greys PoV. But I kept getting sidetracked over how annoyed I was with the lack of growth, the character changes, and the fully white cast.
Anyways, there is an ease to Brigid’s writing that just pulls you in, the plot itself isn’t bad at all, I think this would have been an incredible book if character decisions made sense and if there was actual depth to the characters. So I will definitely be rereading this once the book is out and in the world because I want to see if anything has changed.
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This review is incredibly early, the book doesn’t come out until January 7th, 2020. But I wanted to get my thoughts out into the world and not have to have this on my mind anymore.
I will never advise anyone to not read a book because that’s just shitty, but I would definitely say if you loved ACSDAL a lot, there is a lot in this that you may not necessarily enjoy.
But anyways this review has gone on way too long at this point, thank you for your time, and Happy Reading Folks.
~ <3 Sol -
3.5 stars
Earlier this year I read A Curse So Dark and Lonely and I truly loved it. I was so excited to get to the next book, A Heart So Fierce and Broken. I’ve got to say, I have mixed feelings about this one. There were things about it I actually liked a little more than the first, but there were also things (Rhen…) I liked less.
Let’s start with the things I liked. The writing was great and I loved that so much of the book was from Grey’s pov. Grey is the best character in this series and I adore him. I also love his love interest, Lia Mara and I can’t wait to see where that goes. Grey had a great crew traveling with him and I really did love watching them all together and seeing that dynamic.
Now what I didn’t love… Rhen. Honestly, he was the main thing. I was so disappointed with some of the things he did and how he acted and treated Grey. I tried so hard but I couldn’t get over it. I was upset and disheartened. It left me heartbroken and I don’t know how I’m supposed to like him again. I also wish we would have gotten more Harper.
Overall, I did like this book a lot. I wish some things would have been different, but Kemmerer’s writing was fantastic as always and I’m excited to see what comes next. -
Ooooookay, so if you know me then you know I don’t usually EVER do low ratings. But I literally cannot bring myself to rate above a 2/2.5 for this story, and it PAINS me.
I really enjoyed the first book! I LOVED the characters (especially Grey) and was looking forward to seeing how the plot thickened after that twist at the end....and then I read this and wish I’d stopped at the 60% mark like I’d been debating. Lia Mara really annoyed me, and though I liked Grey in book one, there was something about him in this story that I just didn’t vibe with. I also felt like nothing really happened? The whole thing was just kind of meh.
After that Harper chapter in the beginning I had hoped to see more of both sides, especially Rhen & how he fared with the PTSD that was mentioned after all that craziness, but when we never got that the story immediately fell flat.
Idk y’all. I’ve never been so disappointed in a sequel & I’m so sad about it. :’( -
A Heart So Fierce and Broken is the second book in Brigid Kemmerer's YA Fantasy series, Cursebreakers.
I finished the first book in the series,
A Curse So Dark and Lonely, earlier this year and had a ton of fun with it. A creative take on Beauty and the Beast, Kemmerer did a great job delivering her own spin to that classic tale.
There's a lot of information packed into that first book and although I didn't find it info-dumpy in any way, I knew I wanted to continue on with haste. I didn't want to forget all I had learned about the beautiful world of Emberfall.
For this sequel, I decided to try the audiobook and I enjoyed that format a lot. The narration was so good and helped to bring the story to life for me.
There is a focus shift in this one, as far as characters go, with us mainly following Grey, Prince Rhen's right-hand man from book one, and a new-to-us character, Lia Mara, daughter to Emberfall enemy, Karis Luran.
Initially, I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this as much as the first book because of this shift. I felt like I was going to miss Rhen and Harper too much, but then in a surprising twist of fate, I actually ended up enjoying it a little bit more!
A lot happens in this one, there's a lot of continued political maneuverings and changes in alliances, as well as threats to the kingdom and our characters.
I am really hoping to continue on with the series very soon, as this one has a bit of a stunning conclusion. I'm excited to wrap up this story and find out what is going to ultimately happen to all of my favorite characters.
Will Kemmerer give me the happy ending I'm dreaming of, or shatter my heart into a million pieces? Honestly, I feel it could go either way...
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wait...........WHAT??!!
What kind of ending was that?!?!!!
Now I have to wait until next year for the last book after that cliffhanger??!!!
WHYYYYYYY???!!!
And I tried so hard to read A Heart So Fierce and Broken as SLOW as possible.
I even worked on some of my projects, instead of procrastinating (and that's saying something) yet I still finished this too quick.
WARNING: SPOILERS FROM A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY BELOW
After the curse in Emberfall was broken, Rhen is trying to bring his kingdom to peace and heal all the damage that was caused, but rumors are going around there being another heir to the crown and it's driving Rhen insane.
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..........
Rhen
I was crying for how much Rhen changed. He was nothing like he was back in A Curse So Dark and Lonely. It was even worse when he made such cruel and bad decisions. At one point I had to question whether this was really Rhen or not.😭
Harper
I love how even with all the bad things Rhen was doing, she never left his side and continued to help him cope with his PTSD and everything. I mean after all that happened in the previous book, I'm not surprised Rhen is traumatized from his curse and Lilith. There weren't really many appearances of them in the book, but they were mentioned a lot.
Lia Mara
When I took the quiz for which character I was most likely, I got Lia Mara. And you know, seeing how that's my part of my name and everything, I found that awesome. The best part of it was her love for books. I loved that every time Grey would go looking for her, he'd find her reading a book. It was hilarious!😂 Lia Mara was the peacemaker, yet so fierce and smart. Her courage to stand up to her mother (who was really scary btw) was amazing!!! I felt bad for her when she kept comparing herself to her sister, Nolla Verin. I was just "What are you talking about?? You're so cool!" And what she would call Grey was too funny.🤣
"Fell Siralla"
Her relationship with her sister was done so well. I loved how Brigid Kemmerer made the two love each other fiercely and have no ill will towards each other, despite Nolla Verin being chosen as the heir of the throne. I absolutely hate it when siblings either betray each other after living together and trusting one another. It's so sad, but I'm glad that wasn't the case with these two. Best sibling relationship ever.😍
Grey
Grey. Oh, Grey. His character development was probably the best in this book. He changed so much, but in a good way. He didn't believe himself to be a leader, since he was so used to following orders (specifically orders from Rhen). Being a guardsmen for so long, only to all of a sudden discover that your a long lost heir can be quite overwhelming. Yet through all of that pressure, he managed to find out who he was supposed to be and what he had to do, with help from Lia Mara, Jake, Tycho, and of course Iisak.😉 I love Tycho. He's so adorable.💖 His bravery and loyalty to Grey is admirable, that I just can't imagine anything bad happening to him.
Grey and Lia Mara made such a cute couple🥰, but I still love Rhen and Harper more despite everything that happened. Those two will always hold a place in my heart.
I swear if any of the four die in the next book, I will FOREVER HATE THIS SERIES FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!
*deep breath*
I just had to get that out. I can't bear the thought of any of them dying. They all deserve happy endings after all the suffering they've been through, especially Grey and Rhen.
I'm still reeling from that ending.
It's a no wonder this book was named A Heart So Fierce and Broken. I literally feel like my heart has been broken.💔😭
I just NEED the next book. 2021 COME FASTER ALREADY!!!
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“It is not weakness to wish for peace.”
Despite enjoying A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I wasn’t all that inclined to pick up this sequel. There seemingly wasn’t enough substance for a second book to come of the first’s ending. Boy was I wrong. A Heart So Fierce and Broken is easily one of the most surprising books I’ve read all year. It does what the first instalment did not, and truly establishes itself as an original and unique story rather than just a fairy tale retelling.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Rhen’s curse has finally been lifted, but he’s not out of the deep end yet. His kingdom is turning on him as rumors of a true heir to the throne arise, and Karis Luran threatens war on Emberfall. Grey has fled the castle, being the only one with knowledge of the true heir’s identity. As things threaten to come crashing down around Rhen, Grey wars with himself; the fate of two kingdoms are resting on his shoulders, after all.
~★~
Grey, oh Grey. I have a particular weakness for stoic and loyal bodyguards who are total softies on the inside. I’m overjoyed that he got a main POV this time around. Being inside Grey’s head for half of this book gave me so much more incite into his character that I really craved. I love his character to pieces, truly.
The atmosphere of this series really improved as well! Brigid Kemmerer clearly honed in on expanding and developing the magical aspects to this universe. So much so that I lost myself in this story for hours on end.
In my opinion, the plot of A Heart So Fierce and Broken was leaps and bounds better than the first book! I’m so happy things veered away from being a tight knit fairy tale retelling. I found myself completely enraptured in the brewing war, and never anticipated what would happen next. This was such a great sequel, one fans of A Curse So Dark and Lonely are sure to love! -
~4 stars~
I don't actually know if this is an accurate rating, but just based upon the fact that I finished this over 8 hours, and in the span of a day, that seems good enough. I really enjoyed it, obviously. I am trash for fairy tale retellings, and I hope to get to more this year. I thought that the story took an interesting route I didn't see coming, and that ending, while so immensely confusing, is definitely keeping me hooked and waiting for the next book. I found that the beginning was boring, and I was a bit concerned about the fact that most if it was in Grey and Lia Mara's POV, but I actually ended really loving it. Grey was my favorite character in the first book, so following him was pretty cool. I still dislike, the lack of world building, whoever the antagonist was supposed to be as that just seems to be a mess, plus the excessive blushing, but otherwise everything is great in my visually impaired eyes. I had a lot of fun reading this, and I look forward to finishing up the trilogy with
A Vow So Bold and Deadly. I hope it doesn't disappoint, and I'm glad I don't have to wait too long for it to be released.
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4.5 Stars
