It was my first time reading anything by Kemmerer, I have had her Cursebreaker trilogy on my TBR for a while but just haven’t got around to it yet. I really enjoyed her writing style, Defy The Night was an easy read and it kept me entertained throughout. I liked the dual POV, the characters and it had just enough world building to keep me interested.
It wasn’t a completely original story, however I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I’m not convinced it needs a second book, I think if it was a bit longer it could’ve easily been a standalone BUT I will absolutely read book 2 and almost certainly enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I took this one to a concert with me last night and read 60% on the train…

So gripping, and pacey. I love Tessa, she’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and Wes 🥵

I almost cried, I was so invested in the story and the romance is just on point. The will they, won’t they aspect had such beautiful tension.

I cannot wait for book 2 and I honestly think I’ll read any fantasy books Brigid Kemmerer writes forevermore!

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury publishing and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC 🥰

4.5 stars 🌟

Kandala is a kingdom that is holding on by a thread. A sickness has been devastating its way through the sectors.
Moonflower petals can help with the sickness but these are only available from certain areas of the kingdom and are becoming more expensive. Residents of the royal sector have no problem in buying them and begin to hoard the petals.

In the royal palace, King Harristan is trying to keep the peace between his lands but as the sickness gets worse, the subjects become restless. His brother, Prince Corrick acts as Kings Justice and as such, oversees the punishment that is dished out to all the smugglers of the petals. The prince is worryingly good at coming up with new and original ways of torturing the prisoners before their deaths.

In an area known as The Wilds, Tessa is an apothecary. Her parents were murdered by the Kandala night patrol when they were caught smuggling the petals and helping the poor and the vulnerable. Her father taught her everything and now, every night, Tessa and her friend, Wes continue her parents good work.

When Wes is captured, Tessa is distraught but volunteers to make a delivery to the palace. Without really thinking, Tessa follows a group of women in to the palace. Panicking, she hides away where she eventually realises that she needs to leave but as she is trying to find her way out of the palace, she is discovered and soon finds herself in front of Prince Corrick.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more.

This book was such a surprise! Which sounds silly because I did read and enjoy Kemmerer's other series that started with 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely', but as each book in that series lost speed and got more complicated (in a way that wasn't handled very well) I also lost my enthusiasm for the series until it was just an okay reading experience. This however was like a breath of fresh air! It was fast-paced, filled with tropes but in a way that felt fun and indulgent rather than overworked. I think this novel truly benefited from it taking place in a fantasy world without any ties to our modern day, that's where I think the other series struggled. The world was easy to get into and just the right level of world building that I think was required to tell this story; not too much, not too little, you still felt the world had enough detail to backup the plot but it didn't overwhelm the pace or characters. The Robin Hood was a fun addition but I liked that it didn't just become a full on retelling, I still think the plot of this novel stands completely on its own.
I was skeptical about the romance when I heard it was yet another enemies to lovers story, however I loved the twist in the beginning that made it just that little more original. I think that added a much needed edge that was well executed - I believed the complicated relationship between our two POVs and was still rooting for them throughout. It was so easy to get swept up in them! That was definitely helped by the fact the characters felt so solid. In comparison with Kemmerer's other fantasy work, all the characters in Defy the Night had clear and understandable motivations, flaws, clear character traits and overall just very real personalities.
I didn't give this 5 stars purely because I remember being swept away in Kemmerer's other opener to a series... which is probably a bad reason. But I am looking forward to seeing what Kemmerer does with book 2! I hope it is a just ending for this thoroughly enjoyable YA fantasy that I would highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book, the story was interesting and the main characters were likeable. I cannot wait for the next book to see where this goes.

Brigid Kemmerer did it again!! She gave me a new favourite read with a great cover. I love this new world so much!!

this was my 5 star of the year, i am already stalking the internet for the next book ARC.

its so good the story line the characters *chef kisses* the story drags you in hard and fast and will not let you go and then as you get to the end of the book you look for the other pages and if you are like me you scream at the book as you cant find them as they are in the second book.

okay i was emotional but this book was just that good

I've loved everything I've read by this author previously, so I had very high expectations and I was so happy that this book lived up to them. I loved that this was essentially a Robin Hood retelling, although wish this had been marketed as that a little more, as I think it would've gotten more hype if people more widely knew this.

The characters in this were great, both Tessa and Wes were instantly loveable and I was so invested in them and then we added Harristan and Corrick into the mix and I loved getting to know them all. I loved how we got to see the situation from both sides; Tessa and Wes stealing Moonflower petals to make and distribute the elixir to those who cannot afford it, and then also Harristan and Corrick who are on the other side as the royal family having to deal with the fallout of the rebellion as well as other things.

I loved the politics between the different parts of the kingdom, I found it really interesting, and especially loved how they would work with some sectors and not others, purely based on how much they would benefit from it themselves and not how the people as a whole would benefit or suffer. It was a brutal world with lots of scheming, backstabbing and actual stabbing and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series.

If you're a fan of Brigid's other YA fantasy series, Cursebreakers, then I highly recommend you check this one out. As someone who has read, and adored, both I see how much Brigid's writing has improved (and it was already amazing to begin with).

I loved this book so much. The characters, the side cast and the banter and a few suspenseful moments, everything comes together to create a perfect book.


Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Confession: I was not sure what to expect from this book when I first picked it up, and held back from reading because of this.
Confession no.2: I am an idiot and should have trusted Brigid.

My main reason for hesitancy around this book was because I had loved A Curse So Dark and Lonely so much that I read it one sitting. Could not put it down for the life of me. However, I couldn't bring myself to pick up the second book in the series when I found out that the POV shifted to different characters (And I get overly attached to characters and don't deal with change ahah). However, after reading Defy the Night, I'm convinced I'll have to go back and read A Vow so Bold and Deadly because I love Brigid's writing that freaking much!

This book was far surpassed my expectations and was riveting from start to finish. It maintained a fast-pace throughout (which I loved because there is nothing worse than having to convince myself to slog through a slow section) and at no point did Brigid info-dump.

The only reason that I am not giving this book a full five stars is because there were a lot of cliched tropes (but this is entirely a personal preference thing and I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know) and despite this I am fully looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

A fun, robin hood style fantasy with a large social conscience. Brigid Kemmerer gives us a dual perspective on duty and goodness as usual and has created a fun story that will likely entertain readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas. It lacks a little of the freshness of A Curse So Dark and Lonely and falls into some of the pitfalls of 'healer' style fantasy but overall is an entertaining sojourn into a plague ridden fantasy world.

I don't want to say it, but I hated this book. It felt so two dimensional and included some of my least favourite things in YA. I didn't care for the world building, the characters, the plot, nada. Strong negative feelings.

Brigid Kemmerer can do no wrong. The only problem is, I can’t trust her to give these characters the happy ending they deserve!

Can I have the second book now?!

I LOVED this novel, I was hooked from the very first page! It was so well written, I was addicted to the storyline and the characters. The Fantasy World drew me in instantly! I'm looking forward to book 2.

I loved A Curse So Dark and Lonely series, but this one blew me away!

I enjoyed this book. I found the established relationship a uniqie trope and the duality of the male leader character an interesting perspective. I howver was seeking a little more from the plot and thought more world building and extra charcater perspectives could have been more helpful. If there is a sequel I would read it.

Due to personal circumstances I'm incredibly behind on my reading. I tried to go read this one, found it wasn't on my kindle and the file has now been archived.

I do own a physical copy which I got in a subscription box so will read and update my review in the future!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Again, really sorry!

“I think that very few people truly deserve what they get, Tessa.” He pauses, and for the briefest moment, sadness flickers through his eyes. “For good or for bad.”

With influences from the legend, The Prince of Thieves. Defy The Night explores a kingdom divided by corruption, the royalty holding it together and the girl who will bring it all down. The political intrigue within this novel is FANTASTIC, from the games within the royal court and the power that comes along with possession of the only cure to the sickness destroying the kingdom. To the realities of living outside the royal walls and the suffering that comes along with it and the rebellion and push back it creates.

We follow the perspective of our two main characters:

Tessa who’s father taught her all his skills as an apothecary, who steals MoonFlower petals, the key element within the cure and distributes them to those who need it most along with her best friend Wes.

As well as Prince Corrick, the kings brother and justice who learnt a long time ago after the assassination of his parents the only way to rule is through fear and brutality.

The character’s are ultimately loveable despite the decisions they sometimes make.

With a deadly sickness bringing the country to its knees, and a king who kills anyone who steals the only cure; Tessa is risking her life to save those who can't afford it.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The narrative is split between our two main characters, Tessa and Prince Corrick.
Tessa has been scaling the walls and dodging the guards to steal moonflower petals for years. Ever since her parents were killed for doing the same.
Her constant partner has been her best friend Wes. They see so many atrocities happen on the order of the king, but everything is slightly better with Wes at her side. And it's Tessa's fault when he gets caught...

Prince Corrick has been the King's Justice for the last five years, ever since their parents were murdered by the nobles that betrayed them.
King Harristan and Prince Corrick were young when they were pushed into power, and they have spent every minute since instilling fear into those around them, to earn their loyalty.
Trying to protect his brother, Corrick takes on the darkest work. He has killed and tortured, remaining cold and detached the whole time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And I don't want to say anything that might spoil it. There was one twist that I didn't see coming - and I got that happy feeling of not knowing about it going in (like when I saw Sixth Sense before all my friends).

The rest of it keeps you guessing as to the motives of the others, the king, and the rest of court; the bandits and the mysterious Benefactors.
I liked how it explored all the pressures affecting them. It was so much more complex than Tessa could have imagined, and it spent so much energy on being more than a straight-forward us-vs.-them good-guys/bad-guys.

Tessa and Corrick are interesting characters, and you root for them to find a solution to the crisis. They develop throughout the book, as their knowledge of everything at work broadens.

I enjoyed this book, and look forward to the next part of the series.

I received Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer for free by Bloomsbury Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

Defy the Night is one of those fantastic books that has amazingly well developed characters and brilliant worldbuilding - I absolutely LOVED it! Plus those elements put together with a Robin Hood like concept equals perfection for me! I was instantly sucked into the story and I’ve even brought the paperback as well so I can give it a reread!

The story was full of action and it’s the first book I’ve read in a while that has had an unexpected twist that literally made me gasp out loud! The characters were amazing, Tessa & Corrick were so engaging and I loved each of their POV’s during the story.

This was my first time reading a book by Brigid Kemmerer and I can’t wait to read even more! I’m really hoping that Defy the Night is going to be a series and so excited to see these characters again!

Thanks to the publisher for my eARC! I loved this book so much. The characters are fantastic and although the book is about an illness, it didn’t feel too close to home with the pandemic. I think this was a complex and well-thought out story that I’ll be thinking about long after I finished it.