Review – A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreak series, Book 2) by Brigid Kemmerer (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 464 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: January 7, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1681195117
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Cursebreaker series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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.
Grey may be the heir, but he doesn’t want anyone to know his secret. 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?”
Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Cursebreaker series. I borrowed this book from the library.
Story (4/5): For the most part I really enjoyed this. It was an easy and entertaining fantasy read that I raced right through. I was a bit disappointed that Harper isn’t in the story barely at all and neither is Rhen (although I never loved him as a character so I didn’t miss him as much). Instead this story focuses on Grey and Lia Mara (the eldest daughter of Karis Luran). This is very much Grey’s story. I liked the adventure fantasy portions of the story quite a bit. I also liked the inclusion of a sentient magical race of creatures.
Characters (4/5): Again, there was a huge shift in characters which I wasn’t expecting; Harper and Rhen are mostly absent and instead we focus on Grey and Lia Mara. Grey and Lia Mara were both solid characters; I really love Grey as a character so I was excited to learn more about him. All the characters are well done.
Setting (4/5): We get to see a bit more of the world in this book. The setting is a pretty typical fantasy type setting. We get some understanding of Karis Luran’s kingdom and the lands beyond, but world-building isn’t really a strength of this book.
Writing Style (4/5): The chapters alternate mainly between Grey and Lia Mara with a couple chapter’s from Harper or Rhen’s POV. This worked well for this book and it was easy to read. The writing flows well and the story moves at a decent pace. I was very engaged with the story and had trouble putting it down. The huge shift to a new set of characters threw me a bit but once I got into the story I didn’t care as much.
Summary (4/5): Overall this was a solid adventure fantasy with some intrigue, politics, and war. I enjoyed the characters but was surprised by the huge shift in story from Harper/Rhen to Grey/Lia Mara. I enjoyed some of the fantasy adventure and the new magical race introduced. I am eager to see how things play out in the final book because I just don’t see how this can end well for everyone involved. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA fantasy and don’t mind some politics and romance in their fantasy.
