A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

Grey has been revealed as the rightful prince of Emberfall. But the kingdom is crumbling fast, torn between his claim and that of the reigning Prince Rhen and Princess Harper.

Newly crowned as Queen of the enemy kingdom Syhl Shallow, Lia Mara struggles to rule with a gentler hand than her mother. But as Grey moves closer to claiming the crown of Emberfall, both Harper and Lia Mara are forced to question where they stand - and how far they can follow the dictates of their hearts.

Brigid Kemmerer's heart-pounding saga comes to a thrilling climax, as two kingdoms come closer and closer to conflict - and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all.

Paperback, 405 pages

Published January 26th 2021

 by Bloomsbury YA

3.5/5 stars

A Vow So Bold and Deadly, the final book in the Cursebreakers Series continues right where the last book left off.  Though it hasn't been that long since I read the last two books my memories were refreshed in a non info dumping way.

Like the previous books this is told from a number of different POVs - Harper, Grey, Rhen and Lia Mara. While it was nice to get the different perspectives it did take time and I found my attention waning with the back and forth and very little in the way of action.  

I'm not sure that I can totally fault the book for my feelings.  Since covid hit I have been craving faster paced stories, ones with more mystery and suspense. This was a slower paced story that did pick up speed for the last 1/3, thank goodness! The ending was fitting but nothing spectacular.

When put together as the whole series I really did enjoy it, especially the first two books.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge - #35.

Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

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.

In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places.

Paperback, 445 pages

Published January 7th 2020 

by Bloomsbury YA

4/5 stars

Following A Curse So Dark & Lonely, this is no. 2 in the Cursebreakers Series - a Beauty & the Beast retelling that I loved.

Getting off to a slow start it didn't take long for the adventures to begin.  Grey was one of my favourites, I was looking forward to hearing his story.  Rhen and Harper aren't central here, well they are because the story revolves around them but this is Grey's story.  A few new characters are introduced that just added that little bit extra that this story needed.  It's been a year since I read A Curse and this picked up right where it left off.  A few memory refreshers and away it went.  

As for the story, like I said a little slow on the up take but once things started it kept a nice pace.  I really didn't have an idea what was going to happen, especially given the history between Rhen and Grey.  With Karis Luran in the picture anything can happen.  A few nasty scenes that showed what Grey was up against has me intrigued as to what happens next.

The fitting conclusion has left the door open for book 3, A Vow So Bold & Deadly which releases in a couple weeks.

This book was part of my 2020 Reading off my Shelf Challenge (book 49)

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

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.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Paperback, 496 pages

Published January 28th, 2019

by Bloomsbury YA

4.5/5

This is my first time reading Brigid Kemmerer, it’s a nice sized book to get lost in. Between a gorgeous cover plus a Beauty and the Beast retelling what can go wrong? Right?!

Told with the alternating voices of Rhen and Harper this is the first book in a planned trilogy. Right from the get-go I was kept on my toes and absorbed in the pages. When Harper finds herself in a world not her our she doesn’t take things lightly. Her feisty spirit, logical thinking, and fiery determination keeps not just Rhen but Grey on their toes. Who is Grey you ask? Read the book!

Rhen has been the crown prince of Emberfall for years and years and years, could this be his final season? Time will tell. I loved his story, his thoughts, getting inside his brain to connect to the real Rhen.

Coming in just shy of 500 pages (yea it might have been a tad too long) I was thoroughly entertained, A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a book of discovering oneself. It’s about taking a stand and seeing what you are made of. It was a unique story and a great retelling. A book I  highly recommend.

Book two is A Heart so Fierce and Broken, my copy is in the hands of Canada Post at the moment winging its way from the Bookdepository in the UK - did you know they offer free shipping?

This book was part of my 2020 reading off my shelf challenge (book 12 so far).