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A review by theespressoedition
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Whew. What a wild ride this was!
I really enjoyed the Cursebreakers trilogy and was excited to find out that Brigid was starting a new series. I heard tons and tons of raves about this when it was first released, which made me simultaneously more excited to read it and also totally wary. I'm not always huge on hyped books, but I gave it a go - and I'm glad I did.
Personally, I would categorize this as new adult. Somewhere in the middle of the book, Corrick mentions how several years ago, he and his brother were 17, which means that they've got to be at least 19-20 in the story, if not older. I'm not sure Tessa's age is discussed, but no matter what, the content felt older than just YA. Not because of anything sexually explicit (there's romance and some subtle physical contact, but nothing further) - but because of the gore. There was quite a bit of it and it even made me uncomfortable at times.
I was completely entranced by the story. It was pretty quick-paced, with great character development, short chapters, fantastic twists and turns, and political intrigue that actually kept me intrigued. This is a feat, I must say. Political intrigue usually bores me to tears, but this time, I was interested. The characters actually made you care about the cause and I found myself feeling so hopeful for a solution throughout the story.
The secondary characters were nearly as fascinating as the protagonists and I'm looking forward to seeing how the sequel might dive into their stories a bit more. I just know that this felt like a really refreshing high fantasy and I'm excited for whatever's next.
I really enjoyed the Cursebreakers trilogy and was excited to find out that Brigid was starting a new series. I heard tons and tons of raves about this when it was first released, which made me simultaneously more excited to read it and also totally wary. I'm not always huge on hyped books, but I gave it a go - and I'm glad I did.
Personally, I would categorize this as new adult. Somewhere in the middle of the book, Corrick mentions how several years ago, he and his brother were 17, which means that they've got to be at least 19-20 in the story, if not older. I'm not sure Tessa's age is discussed, but no matter what, the content felt older than just YA. Not because of anything sexually explicit (there's romance and some subtle physical contact, but nothing further) - but because of the gore. There was quite a bit of it and it even made me uncomfortable at times.
I was completely entranced by the story. It was pretty quick-paced, with great character development, short chapters, fantastic twists and turns, and political intrigue that actually kept me intrigued. This is a feat, I must say. Political intrigue usually bores me to tears, but this time, I was interested. The characters actually made you care about the cause and I found myself feeling so hopeful for a solution throughout the story.
The secondary characters were nearly as fascinating as the protagonists and I'm looking forward to seeing how the sequel might dive into their stories a bit more. I just know that this felt like a really refreshing high fantasy and I'm excited for whatever's next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Torture