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A review by theboricuabookworm
A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
5.0
Okay. 4.75 Stars? I know, but hear me out. ***possible spoilers***
First and foremost, I read this book in under 24 hours. I legit put my life on hold because of how quickly I was flying through it. Was this at all the sequel I was expecting? Heck no. But did I freaking love it? Yes. Had I not known that this book would not feature Rhen and Harper much at all going into it, I probably would've been a bit more disappointed in the abrupt change of scenery, but I did know, so I was able to temper my expectations.
What I loved:
- Grey. Brigid made him into so much more than just the loyal guardsmen. He was self-sacrificial without it being annoying. He also knew when to be selfish, which is such a hard balance to strike and it was done BEAUTIFULLY.
- Lia Mara, you fierce unchosen one.
- The pacing. A large part of why I flew through this had to do with the fast pacing of the plot and the want to just keep knowing more. I had a hard time finding a stopping point for sleep because it just kept going.
- Multi-dimensional writing. Brigid's writing is breathtaking in this one. I thought ACSDAL was something, but AHSFAB took it to another level. The dialogue was medieval without being cringey, modern phrases were used but never ironically. It had depth but it wasn't dense, which attributed greatly to the pacing.
- That very last plot twist literally had me gasping. Such a solid cliffhanger.
The only flaws I found:
- Rhen's backsliding was almost too shocking. We tried very hard to take away the beast in ACSDAL that, while I understand the reasoning, and it was more or less necessary for the plot, it still disappointed me greatly to see how far he fell.
1/29 Edit: HE HAD A VERY VALID REASON. It makes the shock factor make sense. Why I still don’t condone his actions I certainly think it wasn’t totally his doing.
- Harper. I missed my girl. I understand this book wasn't really about her, but I still missed her. Not really a flaw, just a personal observation.
- The love-triangle that suddenly disappeared. It was evident in the beginning that Grey had some sort of *feelings* for Harper, but they immediately dissipated in Lia Mara's presence. Not that I'm mad about it cause Grey/Lia Mara forever, but why include it at all?
All this to say, I am so hyped for A Vow So Bold & Deadly and I CANNOT wait to see how this amazing story ends.
First and foremost, I read this book in under 24 hours. I legit put my life on hold because of how quickly I was flying through it. Was this at all the sequel I was expecting? Heck no. But did I freaking love it? Yes. Had I not known that this book would not feature Rhen and Harper much at all going into it, I probably would've been a bit more disappointed in the abrupt change of scenery, but I did know, so I was able to temper my expectations.
What I loved:
- Grey. Brigid made him into so much more than just the loyal guardsmen. He was self-sacrificial without it being annoying. He also knew when to be selfish, which is such a hard balance to strike and it was done BEAUTIFULLY.
- Lia Mara, you fierce unchosen one.
- The pacing. A large part of why I flew through this had to do with the fast pacing of the plot and the want to just keep knowing more. I had a hard time finding a stopping point for sleep because it just kept going.
- Multi-dimensional writing. Brigid's writing is breathtaking in this one. I thought ACSDAL was something, but AHSFAB took it to another level. The dialogue was medieval without being cringey, modern phrases were used but never ironically. It had depth but it wasn't dense, which attributed greatly to the pacing.
- That very last plot twist literally had me gasping. Such a solid cliffhanger.
The only flaws I found:
- Rhen's backsliding was almost too shocking. We tried very hard to take away the beast in ACSDAL that, while I understand the reasoning, and it was more or less necessary for the plot, it still disappointed me greatly to see how far he fell.
1/29 Edit: HE HAD A VERY VALID REASON. It makes the shock factor make sense. Why I still don’t condone his actions I certainly think it wasn’t totally his doing.
- Harper. I missed my girl. I understand this book wasn't really about her, but I still missed her. Not really a flaw, just a personal observation.
- The love-triangle that suddenly disappeared. It was evident in the beginning that Grey had some sort of *feelings* for Harper, but they immediately dissipated in Lia Mara's presence. Not that I'm mad about it cause Grey/Lia Mara forever, but why include it at all?
All this to say, I am so hyped for A Vow So Bold & Deadly and I CANNOT wait to see how this amazing story ends.