Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer
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Series: Cursebreakers #2
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Published January 7th 2020 by Bloomsbury YA
Goodreads Synopsis
Find the heir, win the crown.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Harper has freed Prince Rhen from the curse that almost destroyed his kingdom. But all is not well; rumours are rife that there is a rival heir with a stronger claim to the throne and that 'Princess' Harper of Disi is nothing but a fraud.
Grey has fled the castle carrying a terrible secret. When he is discovered by soldiers and returned to Ironrose by force, Grey's allegiances begin to shift. And as he grows closer to an enemy princess, he is forced to decide whether he will stand against Rhen for the crown he never wanted.
Goodreads
Review
The first book in this series just blew me away, and I was desperate to read A Heart So Fierce and Broken as soon as I was done with Curse. This time around, we are focusing mainly on Grey, and the new character of Lia Mara, the daughter of Karis Luran, the queen who is hellbent on destroying the crown. Grey knows he is the elder brother of Rhen, technically he should be the king, but because he cares too much about Rhen, after everything they had been through during the curse, he flees, and comes across Lia Mara, and they work together to flee Ironrose completely, and return to Syhl Shallow for safety. After being captured and tortured by the guards of Emberfall, the two find a kindredness in one another which soon turns into more, but Lia Mara knows that she is second fiddle to her sister, Nolla Verin, and that no matter what his feelings are for Lia Mara, Karis Luran will force Grey into marrying the heir in order to create a alliance between the two kingdoms before invading Emberfall again and destroying Rhen.
This book made me so conflicted! I adored book one, and the three main characters of Grey, Harper, and Rhen. I knew going in that this book would focus more on Grey, but I was definitely disappointed in the lack of Harper and Rhen. They were relegated to secondary characters, and Rhen, in particular, had a complete character change. It was like he had had a lobotomy or something, and lost everything that had been been in him and was now the complete polar opposite. Harper's whole existence seemed to revolve around Rhen, and even when her brother Jake was begging her to come with them, she still wouldn't. Grey seemed to be more fleshed out than he was in book 1 - I may be one of the only people who didn't love him in Curse, but now he's going on me.
The new characters, though, where fantastic. Lia Mara was one of my favourite fantasy characters, and she brought this book back to a 4 star, if I'm being honest. She's the eldest, so technically should be the heir, but Karis Luran does what she wants, and has elevated her younger daughter - who seems more socialable, and likeable - to be heir, and Lia Mara is just willing to accept this. She truly cares about Shyl Shallow, and if that's what's good for her people, then so be it. Her interactions with Grey were swoony, and even when they were fighting their attraction, the sparks were flying, and I could believe in their relationship, no matter what was thrown at them. Tycho, too, who Grey meets while on the run was such a fun character, and the return of Jake and Noah, who we only just met in Curse was a nice surprise.
I do know that I will be reading book 3, A Vow So Bold and Deadly, but I'm not as excited as I was before this one. I don't know if Rhen and Harper will ever be redeemed, but I am invested enough in order to want to find out what happens in their saga!
Dates Read:
January 6-9, 2020
Rating
4 Stars
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