Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreaker #2)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 456

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; Monthly Theme - June

Find the heir, win the crown.
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.
Grey may be the heir, but he doesn't want anyone to know his secret. 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.

I fell hard for A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I picked it as one of my three best books for last month. I eagerly got the sequel from the library. I sped through it and came out the other side being utterly disappointed. This is not the same series or story or characters. I couldn’t understand the huge shift from one to two. It’s not character growth, if anything, we get characters going backward. And we are treated to basically no Harper or Rhen in this volume. I was just beyond disappointed. And why is Rhen now complete trash? Grey lied to him and then thinks that he can claim the morale high ground. I just… no. I was not a fan. Lia Mara is a decent character, but she seems to be the counterpoint to Grey and that’s it. I would have liked more from her. And do not get me started on the very last chapter with Rhen. Utter rage! I imagine that I will pick up book three because I want to see how this one ends, but I’m not going to jump on it.

Cursebreaker Series

• #1 A Curse So Dark and Lonely

• #2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken

• #3 A Vow So Bold and Deadly

Next up on the TBR pile: