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

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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. In Forging Silver into Stars, Tycho is in possession of rare magic rings that Grey has forged himself. This shows how much Grey values Tycho as a friend. He also appoints Tycho as the King's Courier and entrusts him with all the royal messages.

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

I also really like the new characters that were introduced; Lia Mara, Tycho, and lisak. We see so much development in each of them that I just want to smile when I think about where they started. Kemmerer just knows how to write strong and vulnerable characters.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. 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. 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. Rhen and I have separate chambers, befitting the crown prince and the lady he’s to ally his kingdom with, but he always visits before retiring to his own room.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer

Honestly, if I weren't reviewing A Heart So Fierce and Broken, I would have shelved it after the first few chapters. It is such a disappointing follow up to A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I am holding out hope that the next book, A Vow So Bold and Deadly, will redeem the series. Long story short, this sequel exacerbated everything I didn't like about book one, while removing the few elements I enjoyed from it. It wasn't limited to the storyline either, which I might have been able to forgive. My heart beats for character driven stories over plot driven ones in most cases. That coupled with good writing is usually enough to satisfy me despite story shortcomings, except I didn't find this here. Where things seeming kind of predetermined in book 1 made a degree of sense and didn't bother me, here it just took away any kind of edge or wonder I might have otherwise felt / would have found engaging. Lia and Grey seemed so set in stone for honestly no good reason right from the start, it was ridiculous. 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.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. 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.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Yes, you can. You can get out of here just like I can.” He leaves the window to stop in front of me, and when he speaks, his voice grows quiet. “He’s not your warden either. You don’t have to spend your nights waiting up for him.” But anyways this review has gone on way too long at this point, thank you for your time, and Happy Reading Folks. 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. My main gripe with this book relates to its characters. Harper was my favorite part of A Curse So Dark and Lonely, but she is hardly featured in A Heart So Fierce and Broken, having been swept to the sidelines in favor of Grey and Lia Mara. The few times that she does appear, she is a shell of her former self. Gone is her fierceness; in its place is meekness. She stands by Rhen while he commits atrocities and makes excuses for his abhorrent behavior. While we are on the subject of Rhen, what became of him in this book? He has done a complete 180, transforming from kindhearted to despicable. All of the groundwork that was laid in the first book to show how much he cares about his people has gone out the window in this book. Further, his invention of the kingdom of Disi to protect his people from Syhl Shallow, which was touted as admirable in A Curse So Dark and Lonely, is portrayed as skeevy in this book. 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 #notmygreyBut 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. 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. 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. 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.