A Heart So Fierce and Broken (The Cursebreaker Series)

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Too bad I couldn't care much about his and Lia Mara's POVs though. (In fact, I actually disliked them less in this book) I feel like AVSBAD was really for Rhen & Harper and I'M 100% OKAY WITH THAT.🥰 On a very last note, Rhen, Harper, *reluctanly turns to Grey* and you too, Grey, I'm gonna miss you guys. I hope we get to meet again. A Heart So Fierce and Broken is a darker story than its predecessor in many ways, starting from the audience’s realisation that Rhen may not be the hero to the moral conflicts each of our protagonists face. Grey doesn’t want to challenge Rhen for the crown, but he may not have a choice except to defy the king he once served if he wishes to survive and protect his people. Lia Mara wants for everyone to live and be happy, but that is a naïve wish that doesn’t take into account the history of bloodshed and violence between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow which will not so easily be smoothed over. At what point does she end up as a traitor to her people if she continues pushing for reconciliation despite the deaths that have occurred on both sides? 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?

I'm really scared about Rhen because oh God he doesn't know about Grey's abilities, and Grey's not telling him, and these two fools are going to destroy the world because of miscommunication.That's probably just me and my unhealthy obsession with Rhen though. If I looked at this in a more critical POV, Brigid really did end this series in a realistic way, where not everything is fixed and everyone's happy.

This nuanced sequel offers new perspectives and emphasizes the value and complexity of both sibling and romantic relationships. I will always and forever hold this scene with Harper and Rhen in my heart for the rest of my days. I’m realizing that I got so caught up in the poor choices you made I forgot that you knew how to make good ones. So let's just dive in. Grey gets to rule an entire kingdom with Lia Mara, he has a BABY ON THE WAY (this was unnecessary), his kingdom ADORES HIM, and everything is handed to him. AND THEN WE HAVE MY BABY RHEN WHO NEEDS MORE LOVE. HIS KINGDOM HATES HIM, HE'S MISSING AN EYE, HE HAD TO GO THROUGH ALL THAT LILITH DID TO HIM AND NOW HE HAS TO GIVE UP BEING THE KING, SOMETHING HE HAD TRAINED HIS WHOLE LIFE FOR???? It's not fair at all, especially considering how much I love Rhen. It makes sense, but I wish that the story had completely cut out that Grey and Rhen were brothers, and I just wish they had made it so that Rhen is king and he and Grey are super close again, and Rhen has Harper by his side and they all live happily ever after. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?? APPARENTLY SO. This was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, so you better believe that I bought it on release day and cleared my evening schedule of anything that would interrupt my reading sesh. I started it…and then kept going, reading way too late into a work night (my productivity definitely suffered that Wednesday). Kemmerer has this way of making a book go down so smoothly. We all have a list of authors who seem to just GET what we want from a story. It’s hard to put into words what makes this book so wonderful. Maybe the great world-building, the fleshed-out characters, the perfect balance of humor and heart? Hmm. Who knows.The end of the book sees Rhen as a broken and directionless man whom Grey teases as if they're still best pals and has the audacity to be like: "Hey bro, you know I still need you, right?" How dare he?!

Grey endeared himself to many in the first book and incorporating his perspective in this book as a main character was a fantastic choice. His confident competence and loyal devotion to the crown (and Rhen in particular) plus his chivalrous manner and steadfast integrity is swoonworthy. If he wasn’t already your book boyfriend, his central role in A Heart So Fierce and Broken will cement his status as such! Yield to yourself. Yield to forgiveness. Yield to happiness. Yield to this moment. It's not hers. It's yours. It's mine. It's ours.” They reach Syhl shallow, and Lia Mara is taken, and so is Lisak but the queen Karis Luran treats them nicely since she knows that grey is the heir and is hoping to ally with him, and he cannot deny since they have nowhere else to go.

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The Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition includes an exclusive bonus chapter from Harper's point of view. Also, where Harper might've looked all docile and unlike her usual self in AHSFAB, she definitely wasn't like that here. It was the Harper we all know and love who didn't let Rhen get away with *ahem* certain actions and I lived for those moments. My biggest issue (one of very few) was Lia Mara. I really liked her in A Heart So Fierce and Broken, but her characterization went off the rails in this finale. She was no longer the ambitious girl with a clear vision on how she intended to rule. Instead, she never took initiative for anything when she had previously fought her way to become Queen. I was happy for her and Grey in the end, but her mindset along the way was frustrating. I really feared this was what was going to happen with this book. I LOVED the first one SO MUCH! I loved Harper, Rhen and Grey. They second book caught me by surprise and didn't fully live up to the first but I was okay with it. But it also made me fear for the conclusion of this series. It made me fear, that the magic of the first book would be completely lost. Sadly, for me at least, that fear came true.

I refuse to believe this is how the book ends. This book is a mess. (PLEASE TELL ME THIS WAS JUST A CRUEL JOKE AND THIS IS NOT HOW THE BOOK ENDS) My final critique of this book is that I would have preferred it to have included more than just Grey and Lia Mara’s points of view. Excluding the first and final chapters, the entire book alternates between Grey and Lia Mara’s perspectives, which causes the story to feel lopsided and biased. We are unable to view events through the eyes of Rhen or Harper and have to take Grey and Lia Mara’s descriptions of events at face value. The good I adored Brigid Kemmerer’s writing. She articulates each of the four protagonists’ thoughts and emotions with impressive clarity. It’s never easy to make character perspectives sound distinguishable (especially when there are so many), but all of Rhen, Grey, Harper and Lia Mara’s chapters achieved just that.

I really can't find ANYTHING other for her. Wait. Is she even a character with a development. You want peace. I get it lady and I respect it. But just repeating that again and again with null actions doesn't make it happen. She is such a bland character. I might have even skimmed through her chapters. Beauty and the Beast has never been my favourite story. But this series is proof it can be done without it seeming totally inappropriate or wrong. I’m impressed. This looks like an overgrown gate to a long-forgotten garden. It follows similar themes as the first book’s cover, but it feels more lush with the green tones and the rose. I wonder if the third book will have even more blooms. Grey: He was noticeably ~still~ in this book, like he pretty much didn’t do anything for 80% of it. I don’t understand his sudden willingness to rule. Sure, he was the true heir and whatnot, but I feel like it’d make more sense if Rhen stayed in power and them as brothers. Also, I didn’t expect we’d come out of this with him having a baby with Lia Mara. With everything going on, that was just too soon IMO. I'm so sad that this story became a series when it should have remained a standalone. I really didn't enjoy AHSFAB but I was so invested in the characters and confident in BK's writing ability that I still managed to look forward to this.