A Heart So Fierce And Broken
by Brigid Kemmerer
YA Fantasy, Romance
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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.
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?
The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
I read this one basically straight after the first book, so it’s safe to say I did not expect the way this book turned out.
Kemmerer had built such a strong relationship and personalities for Rhen and Harper in the first book and I was so excited to see how she would develop them in a sequel. So I was quite disappointed when I realised a few chapters in that a continuation of their story is not what this book was. After coming to terms with that, I decided to treat it like a standalone book so I could enjoy it as equally as the first and it turned out to be another great book from Kemmerer.
This sequel focuses on the aftermath of book one, but through the perspectives of Commander Grey and a new character introducted, Lia Mara, who is the daughter of Emberfall’s biggest threat – Karis Luran, the Queen of Sylh Shallow. I did enjoy getting to know more about Grey as a character and I liked Lia Mara too.
I did enjoy reading this book. It was written really well and I was just as immersed in this one as I was the first book. Kemmerer did a great job of building on the world she already created in the first book and definitely escaped the hole sequels in a series often fall into.
However, just some plot points really annoyed me. I loved Rhen in the first book and the arc he wrnt on but I feel like this book just completely disregarded everything he strived to hard to achieve and tossed it aside, turning him into a villain that he worked so hard not to be. And then I also wish that Harper had more of a significant role to play in this book, but just because I love her character.
Overall, I did enjoy this book I just wish did some things different preference-wise. I can’t wait for the third book!
THE ROYAL BOOKSHELF 