Defy The Night
by Brigid Kemmerer
YA Fantasy, Romance
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The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.
King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents’ shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King’s Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion–it’s the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.
Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most–but it’s still not enough.
As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.
Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer’s captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.
Thanks to Nina Douglas and Bloomsbury UK for sending me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
When I heard about this book, I was really excited. It had a gripping premise and I was definitely sold. I loved the first two books in the Cursebreakers series, but I was let down by the final book, so I decided to give this another chance but go in with a little apprehension. And after reading it, I think I’ve sort of realised that I never know what to expect from Brigid Kemmerer’s books. I either love them….or don’t. And unfortunately, the latter is the case for Defy the Night.
This is a sort of Robin Hood retelling, set in a fantasy world where outlaws Tessa Cade and Wes Lark steal medicine from the rich to give to the poor who need it most. But a rebellion is beginning, and the king and his brother Prince Corrick, soon capture Tessa when she tries sneaking into the palace. Flourished with twists and turns, Tessa learns the truth about the kingdom and has to decide whether she wants to carve out a new future or stay behind in the past.
Unfortunately this book just dragged for me. It started off really well for the first hundred pages or so, and I really enjoyed Tessa as a main character. The writing was great too – it was imaginative, poignant and strong. But after a hundred pages or so, I felt it went a bit downhill and I felt it a bit boring. I also feel for a book that was so long, nothing really happened? It had great potential, but for me it just didn’t live up to my expectation. I found myself not really caring for the characters after a certain point and I needed something to draw me back in, which didn’t happen unfortunately. I’m not even sure if I will read the next book and if I do it will be for Kemmerer’s writing, not for the actual story itself.
Defy the Night is published tomorrow in the UK, and I encourage everyone to shop at their local indie shops if you’re going out to get a copy!
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