A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreaker #3)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 415

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Reflects the Season

Face your fears, fight the battle.
Emberfall is crumbling fast, torn between those who believe Rhen is the rightful prince and those who are eager to begin a new era under Grey, the true heir. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Emberfall, and in that time, Rhen has turned away from everyone--even Harper, as she desperately tries to help him find a path to peace.

Fight the battle, save the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow with a gentler hand than her mother. But after enjoying decades of peace once magic was driven out of their lands, some of her subjects are angry Lia Mara has an enchanted prince and a magical scraver by her side. As Grey's deadline draws nearer, Lia Mara questions if she can be the queen her country needs.

As the two kingdoms come closer to conflict, loyalties are tested, love is threatened, and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all, in this stunning conclusion to bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreaker series.

Argh! I absolutely adored the first book in the series and very much disliked the second one. I felt like all the characters completely lost all growth and their actions did not align with their motivations. Those same issues continue into the last book in the trilogy. I was so incredibly annoyed by Rhen and Grey and their constant ultimatums and black-and-white view on the situations. Harper and Lia Mara fare much better, but they still annoyed me so much. I just wanted everyone to take a breath and think about what they were doing and who they were doing it to. But no. They just keep barreling through making the same mistakes over and over again. Plus, I very much disliked the rushed feeling of the conclusion. I don’t need a drawn out resolution, but this one just felt like we don’t get anything to explain. So does Harper stay in Emberfall? Is Rhen going to be Grey’s advisor only? Where does he live? Are Lia Mara and Grey going back to Syhl Shallow or staying in Emberfall? Too many unresolved questions. Disappointing.

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:

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

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:

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreaker #1)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 507

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

I picked this one up on Kindle sale awhile back and let it languish on my iPad for months. Why? I started reading this book and just couldn’t stop. This Beauty and the Beast retelling is right in my wheelhouse. I love a good fairy tale story with wicked evil, not quite perfect heroes, and plucky heroines. This story isn’t quite surprising, but I loved how Kemmerer put her own spin on the classic tale. I loved Harper and all her insecurities and strength. I loved Rhen and his secrets and charm. And Grey was a delightful surprise full of loyalty and surprising tenderness. I was gutted by the last section of this book. And I’m desperately wanting to finish out the series with book #2. Guess I will have to put that on June’s TBR pile.

Cursebreaker Series

• #1 A Curse So Dark and Lonely

• #2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Next up on the TBR pile: