An enthralling fantasy with likeable characters. Brigid Kemmerer's books are guaranteed to make you forget the real world and Defy the Night is no different.

After reading the curse breaker trilogy, I was absolutely delighted to be accepted to receive this book

I could not put it down. I read this book in one sitting; only pausing to make a drink and eat

This is young fantasy at its best

I felt like I was reading a covid fantasy book at parts!

The book was so fast paced. Always something happening. I loved the love story

There were a fair few twists in this book that I didn’t expect and that just added to the excitement

I loved the book. Thank you

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Life in Kandala has changed ever since the king and queen were assassinated, plague and illness came to the kingdom, and the new King Harristan, and his brother, the King's Justice, Prince Corrick, rule with an iron fist. Only one flower, the Moonflower, can save those with the sickness, and it's tightly rationed by the crown and the two consuls who run the sectors which grow it. Tessa Cade hates the inequality, and so she, along with the mysterious Weston, steal petals from the rich, to make elixirs to help the poor. But it's a dangerous role to play, and Tessa knows that with the patrols stepping up, and the mysterious Benefactors pulling the strings, she's risking everything, even her life.

I fell in love with Brigid's writing when I came across A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and since then I've been hooked. I couldn't wait to start Defy the Night, and once I opened it, I could barely put it down. The characters in this book, from the main ones - Tessa and Corrick - to the secondary roles, were all fantastic. I love books like this that are full of plot lines, characters, mystery, and fantasy, especially when we have multiple POV's, and we see the characters as they truly are. I had guessed at Wes' identity extremely early on, but that didn't detract from the story at all. There's a hint of romance here, but Tessa's love for her country, and wish to help others, was the main part of the story, and seeing her strength, and power which she never realised she had, was glorious. Honestly, I think Brigid has blown it out the park again, and this series is on track to be even better than Cursebreakers! I need book 2, ASAP!!

A fantastic story full of political intrigue told by two POV. This is a fantasy that I could not put down.
I loved how the main character tess is an apocothery apprentice,
Both the main characters are loveable and kept me addicted to the story.
I cannot wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy!

I have read other books from Brigid Kemmerer before, and wasn't a huge fan - but I thought I would give this a go anyway!

The premise: The kingdom is affected by a disease, the rich are overtaking the poor once more, and rebellion is spreading.

There are two POVs - I'm not usually a huge fan of multiple POV books, but it was done well here so I didn't mind so much. Through these two characters we see both sides of the situation.

I liked the characters, and even though I didn't get overly invested in the story, the characters kept it going for me.

Alllllll the starssssss!
I loved this. It was so FUN. It was definitely odd to read a fantasy book about a plague storming the nation in the midst of a pandemic, but it was such an obvious fantasy book that it wasn’t enough to be unnerving or dark?
I will support Cory till the day I die and his relationship with Tessa was fantasticccccc. I loved watching them building trust together and tackling the world.

I always know that I'm going to have a quick and engaging read on my hands when reading a Kemmerer novel, and this was no exception. I never fully connected with the story, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Defy The Night is the new gripping novel by one of my favourite authors, Brigid Kemmerer. I loved the Cursebreaker series, and I found myself, once again, addicted to her brilliant writing, her gripping plot, and the fantastic characters she creates.

The Kingdom of Kandala is affected by a disease. People die everyday and the cure is not easy to come by. The King equally rations the cure among the people, but the rich have the means to buy more so that the poor are the ones more affected. Daily, smugglers are caught stealing and brutally executed, while rebellion is spreading.

The story is told from two points of views. In the Wilds, Tessa Cade is an orphan who by day works in an apothecary and by night she distributes the cure to those in need together with her partner in crime Weston Lark. In the meantime, in the Royal Sector, Corrick is the Prince and the King of Justice tasked with stopping and punishing the smugglers and he would do anything to protect his brother, the King of Kandala. Through these two characters we see both sides of this world. Growing up in the Wilds, Tessa wants to help those in need of the cure and she hates the King and his brother, so she finds herself on the side of the rebels. However, when she enters the palace she realizes that the truth is much more complicated and that it is not simply black and white. Corrick is loyal to his brother and he is driven by the need to protect him. He is ruthless and terrifying, but there is more to him than it seems.

Defy The Night is, without a doubt, one of my favourite books of the year, especially because of the amazing cast of characters created by the author. I adored Tessa, Wes, Corrick, Harristan, and also Quint. They are complex and driven, but also charming and funny and I can’t wait to read more about them.

Full of political intrigue, surprises, loyalties, outlaws, and romance, Defy The Night is an uptodownable fantasy that I will keep recommending over and over again!

It's time for Robin Hood retelling and those I read are so creative and exciting. This is one of the two, a bit easier and more according to the saga as we know it know.
Great storytelling and character development, an interesting world building, a gripping plot,
I had fun and can't wait to read the next book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wasn't sure about this one before I requested it as I wasn't a fan of Kemmerer's previous work but thought the premise sounded interesting so wanted to give it a go. And I really enjoyed it.

Tessa is a regular ol' Robin Hood type of character who is battling on behalf of the poor inspite of the harsh ruling of the King and Prince Corrick. However, things become very complicated very quickly when Tessa realises she needs to kill the king in order to survive.

A wonderful book that is dripping in political fantastical tropes that I just lapped up. I will certainly try future outings for Kemmerer on the back of this one.

5 stars

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review. However, all thoughts are my own.

The Kingdom is being ravaged by a fever. The only cure is an elixir formed from the petals of the Moonflower. With the price of the elixir causing the poorest to suffer, Tessa does what she can to help. That is until her world is turned upside down, and she had vengeance on her mind.

This book was very close to the current Covid-19 pandemic, in terms of the illness, so this could cause some triggers for some people. There is also mild mention of violence, torture, blood and death.

This book seems aimed at a young adult audience.

Now, this is how you do a Robin Hood retelling. I read another one at the start of the month which made me really not want to attempt any other retellings again, but this reignited my love. This took the essence of the original story and pulled it into something new and shiny. I mean, I read this in a day as I had to know what was happening next. I felt addicted to the story. Did I guess most of the twists? Yes. Did that make me enjoy it any less? No.

There were a couple of areas that I still want to know, but I feel these will be pulled out as the series progresses. Which I will potentially be auto-buying as soon as I can. When will the pre-orders be up?!

I loved the way the characters were created. They had a depth that made them feel almost real. I could almost feel that I was in the world with them which is why I couldn't put this book down.

I honestly can't think of anything I disliked about this book. Maybe in a couple of months or on a re-read I might come across something but at the moment? I think this might be my favourite book of the year.

I absolutely adored this book!

It’s so refreshing when you come across a book like this that sucks you into the story and doesn’t let you go. It was quite a hard book to put down.

The Kingdom of Kandala is in crisis with a sickness which has been ravaging the Kingdom.

The King and Queen killed by assassins and their sons forced to take their parents role much earlier than they had expected. King Harristan and his brother Prince Corrick must band together and try to fix their broken kingdom.

There is a growing resistance and people are doing everything they can to survive. The cure to these deadly fevers are precious moonflower petals. Rare and expensive to come by, the price for these petals are going up and only the rich can seem to afford them. The poor must cobble together any cure they can in order to survive.

Tessa and her accomplice Wade are two resistance members who steal moonflower petals from the Royal Sector in order to help those less fortunate. Tessa’s parents were murdered by the Night Guards and Wes saved her and since this moment, they have been working together.

Tessa’s father was an apothecary and figured out that the dosage of moonflower doesn’t need to be high in order to be effective and as such, Tessa and Wade can help more people with the petals they steal.

Other smugglers are captured and there’s a live sentencing. The people are calling for mercy and the condemned are calling for revolution. It’s a powder keg ready to explode and tensions are just too high.

Tragedy strikes and Wes is captured. Tessa fears the worst and offers to do a delivery for her boss and ends up following a line of women into the palace. Once inside, she can’t leave and is soon captured.

Things aren’t quite what they seem and Tessa’s life is on the line. Can she be of help, are the King and Prince what they seem and what is Kandala’s future.

You’ll just have to find out.

This is such a great book. It’s a story of revolution, courage and change. Think Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to save the poor.

It’s got a lovely pace and some brilliant characters.

This book blew me away. I knew it was an auto read for me as I throughly enjoyed a curse so dark and lonely. I enjoyed how this book delve straight into the action, no messing about. Palace schemes are probably one of my favourite plot points. I already cried by chapter 7 with a twist I did NOT see coming so early. Wes and Tessa are my fave characters of the year, Prince Corrick too... The revolutionary plot was something that built the suspense up over the book which played out in ways I had not imagined. Having Moonflower as a precious item was so relatable especially with the ongoing pandemic (I read an author interview where in fact the book was started to be written pre pandemic - spooky yet relatable!!) LOVED this - cannot wait to see what happens next.

This is the first book I have read by Brigid Kemmerer, I have bought The Cursebreakers Trilogy but have not picked them up yet, So Brigid Kemmerer is a new author to me.
I believe that Defy the Night is the first in a series and this book laid the foundations for the books to follow very well.
Tessa, 'Weston' and Prince Corrick are characters that I liked a lot.
In this fantastic retelling, we see a huge difference between the rich and the poor and how the poor are getting very sick and dying, whereas the rich can afford the ingredient needed to cure the sickness we see Tessa and Weston trying to even the scales by robbing the rich and giving to the poor.
I was enthralled throughout, there were plenty of twists to keep me reading and I look forward to the next in the series.

Is there any remake that BK cannot smash!! This is a Robin Hood retelling and it’s full of action and grip throughout. I thought I couldn’t love her writing anymore then she comes out with this masterpiece. No wonder it’s raved about all over social media!

Brigid Kemmerer goes from a Beauty and the Beast inspired trilogy to this new Robin Hood inspired adventure and does it with impact, style and so much class!

Well this book just soared to the top of my favourites list of 2021! I loved the ACSDAL series but, Defy the Night has exceeded my expectations! This Robin Hood fantasy retelling is both action packed and thrilling. It will have you completely engrossed and catch you out with a slow burning romance that you will be routing for all the way!!

“A spark of rebellion is all it takes”……

A sickness is sweeping across the kingdom of Kandala, where only the richest can afford a cure. Unless, you are a masked outlaw, in which case stealing from the rich to give to the poor by disturbing medicine and giving aid when needed most is your other option.

Tessa Cade, an apothecary and the charming/devilish, Weston Lark want nothing more than to save as many lives as possible, despite stakes being high. King Harrison and Prince Corrick rule the kingdom with an iron fist and the penalty for stealing medicine is death. Rebellion is imminent and after a series of unfortunate events, Tessa must choose her side, fight with the crown or against it.

This book was beautifully written. Brigid Kemmerer has a talent with world building and creating characters that you can instantly connect with despite their flaws. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the sequel on the series!

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know when you start a book and you don’t really have that much expectation for it is like shaking I guess is the best way I can put. Well this was me when Starting Defy the Night.

I was so blown away by this story. It’s very different to anything else I’ve read recently. I love the intrigue and the adventure. It was such a journey! So many twists and turns I was on the edge of my seat!!

This book is told in the duel perspectives of Tessa and King Corrick. Which I really liked, I feel like I get a much more whole story when you get perspectives from both of the main characters. I enjoyed Tessa and Corrick’s characters I thought they were well developed and I enjoyed their interactions.

Now there is a little twist in the first quarter of this book that I did guess pretty early on. I also figured out most of where the plot was going early on but I did not hinder my enjoyment, to be honest, it only made it more intriguing.

Overall this as a fantastic read, it was my first by Brigid but it certainly won’t be my last.

In a kingdom where sickness stalks the streets and only the richest can afford a cure, King Harristan and his brother Prince Corrick are forced to rule with an iron fist.

Tessa Cade is a masked outlaw marked for death, but she likes it that way. Together with the mysterious, handsome Weston, she robs from the rich to help the poor, distributing food and medicine to those who need it most.

I loved this from start to finish! A well deserved ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review. ARC provided by the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is told in 2 POV’s Tessa & Corricks. I adored them both, and even learnt to love King Harristan. The world building and story flowed effortlessly!Brigid Kemmerer does it again! I cannot wait for the next instalment, I need to know where their story takes them. ❤️❤️

Yet again Brigid Kemmerer has written a captivating, book clenching story. I cannot wait to put this into my pupils hands, I ordered it as soon as I had finished chapter 2. Wes and Tessa are fabby characters, both with depth and hidden secrets, their city and surrounding provinces are wracked by a disease, the rich can afford medicine but the poor cannot. The political struggle of keeping people alive during a crisis was dealt with really well, it didn’t get boring or too laboured and the tension between the main characters kept the story running along in leaps and bounds. This was just so good, I want to read it all over again.