A Heart So Fierce and Broken: Brigid Kemmerer (The Cursebreaker Series)

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Anyways, there is an ease to Brigid’s writing that just pulls you in, the plot itself isn’t bad at all, I think this would have been an incredible book if character decisions made sense and if there was actual depth to the characters. So I will definitely be rereading this once the book is out and in the world because I want to see if anything has changed.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken | Cursebreakers Wiki | Fandom A Heart So Fierce and Broken | Cursebreakers Wiki | Fandom

Although Lia Mara definitely does envy her sister, Nolla Verin, and knows that her sister can be cruel, we are constantly reminded how much she cares for and loves her sister and vice versa. I really appreciated that. It was refreshing having two sisters who are vastly different NOT hating each other. I loved seeing their love for one another, even if Nolla Verin is a horrible brat for most of the book. That’s one thing, though, that Kemmerer does so well. There are hardly any characters between these two books that are solidly good or solidly bad. They each have choices and decisions to make and they have to live with those consequences. It’s not always a happily ever after. This aspect of realism is much appreciated and a little despised on my end.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?

A Heart So Fierce and Broken - Goodreads A Heart So Fierce and Broken - Goodreads

Rating this one was actually hard for me, because there were things I really liked, but there were also things that bothered me. In the end I decided that the things I liked, outweighed the bothersome things, so I went with 4 stars. Lia Mara is the firstborn daughter of Karis Luran of Syhl Shallow which is over the mountains from Emberfall. If you remember from ACSDAL, Karis Luran is the bloodthirsty Queen whose forces tried to invade Emberfall when she thought the royal family was gone and the Kingdom was at its weakest. This causes a lot of issues for Rhen, Lia, and Grey since they are all now inevitably tied up. You’re probably thinking at this point “Well what about Harper, she was the main character of ACSDAL?” Well, she is of no use in this book. Like she was just thrown to the side so Grey and Lia Mara and Rhen could take the shine. Harper is maybe in it a couple of times and even then she only has a few speaking lines. We don’t see much of her but when we do it’s obviously important, I still just think it’s a crime that she isn’t in it very much. Lia Mara is alright. She's likeable enough and there is nothing obviously wrong with her character imho. But she is not nearly as compelling as Harper. Occasionally she even felt like a lesser version of Harper and I'm just not here for that (I mean can we talk about the way she killed her mother? Is everyone proficient in knife throwing now or??) Mostly she's just kind of .. there and cries a lot. I cry a lot too, so no judgement, but that romance just doesn't feel genuine. I didn't even recognize Grey during 90% of their "moments" together. Writing secret little love notes like a school boy, REALLY? Errrrrr #notmygreyNow what I didn’t love… Rhen. Honestly, he was the main thing. I was so disappointed with some of the things he did and how he acted and treated Grey. I tried so hard but I couldn’t get over it. I was upset and disheartened. It left me heartbroken and I don’t know how I’m supposed to like him again. I also wish we would have gotten more Harper. Quite frankly, this book felt unnecessary. I would have preferred a direct sequel following Rhen and Harper and just leave it at a duology- or even a standalone. Grey is an interesting character, but part of what made him that was the mysterious and unknown air of him. Having a whole book in his head instantly shattered that perception and left him as a sulky and weak character. In fact, this seemed to be a trend for a few of the characters. AHSFAB showed characters we had grown to love regressing and being villainised, which is a pretty brave move but not one I think made sense for the story.