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A review by kfriend
Brutal Fighter by Heather Long
5.0
There’s truly nothing like this series out there- a cornucopia of characters, moments and feeling so uniquely layered and so deftly interwoven that you can’t help but marvel at how seamlessly they capture you. Brutal Fighter unfolds with a series of contrasts that parallels the dichotomy of its characters- the painful and the restorative, the quiet and the loud, the heartbreaking and the swoony. But Brutal Fighter is also a huge turning point for Emersyn, our embattled, enigmatic, and entrancing heroine. And what a beautiful and hopeful turning point it is.
The Vandals are no strangers to pain and trauma. Some of these characters have suffered through unimaginable trauma for years, so much so that it’s become the fabric of their DNA, the thread that ties them all together. Their baggage enables them to see and understand one another in wordless ways, the silent solidarity of pain and adversity. They’ve internalized it and accepted it- let it catalyze them into the crew that they are. Brothers, survivors, brutal fighters. Pain has become their identity. But finding Emersyn changed everything, threw off their equilibrium (as well as her own), and the waters have never quite settled. Secrets, mistruths, painful decisions, and the past have all hindered the solidity of their future.
After the heartwrenching journey they’ve each been on, Heather gives us a brief reprieve of peace and healing. Narratively, this story feels entirely different, at least at first. Heather narrows the focus, hones in on the interpersonal, and quiets the nose. Set entirely in the present for the first time, our story’s beginning almost feels like a meditation. A melancholic one, one heavy with unspoken feelings and questions. It’s somehow both serene and foreboding, a veritable calm before the storm. It feels intimate- as the group rebounds and recovers from the events in the prior book. Emersyn is back in their care, but the question of the impact of her most recent suffering lingers like smog in their air. And as the narrative is stripped down, so are the characters- because Brutal Fighter is a turning point. There’s a reason we aren’t exploring flashbacks or mired in immediate action- Brutal Fighter is about the Vandals moving forward, together and facing the interpersonal obstacles among them before they face their shared enemies. Brutal Fighter is about the power that comes from facing your pain- the power of vulnerability. Most importantly, Emersyn’s.
Emersyn is one of the most interesting heroine’s I’ve ever read- a captivating and fearless survivor who has suffered greatly at the hands of those that should love and protect her. Trust isn’t just foreign to her, it’s almost unimaginable. But we’ve gradually seen her lean into connection with each of the Vandals, but Emersyn has never been truly vulnerable, she’s never surrendered to her trust. Until now. Now we see Emersyn find the the greatest courage of all is not facing the monsters that haunt her, it’s not surviving the gruesome and deplorable acts she’s been made to suffer. Her courage comes from opening her heart in spite of it, from surviving without losing the essence of her humanity. And it’s the key to her need for belonging. And that means learning into her pain and brokenness, that means she has to stop hiding parts of herself. NOT just from the Vandals. No, she also needs to stop hiding from herself. It’s a choice, over and over again, to trust in another, to bare your soul, to expose your fractures and scars, and Emersyn is finally ready to make that choice. In a series of beautiful, quiet, and meaningful moments, we see her in Brutal Fighter fight for her own vitality, for her own future, by leaning into small moments with her guys. And I was mesmerized and captivated by the magic of it all.
And Kellan. Just Kellan. He’s been my favorite from the beginning, he spoke to my soul. Emersyn’s safety net that lost her trust by his well-meaning and protective duplicity. But he finds the trust again. And now I know why he felt so compelling to me. The way he centers Emersyn, the way he accepts her and encourages her and catalyzes her vulnerability- well, it’s everything I’ve been waiting for. Each character plays a role, each relationship has it’s own unique purpose and power. Each is so beautifully crafted, but Kellan healed my heart in this book- he wrapped it in a warm and safe embrace, making space for me to breathe out my own pain into the air. And good things are indeed worth the wait….wink wink.
Of course, Heather certainly bursts our intimate bubble, and Brutal Fighter ends in a barrage of action and danger and a hell of a twist ending. The Vandals internal demons aren’t just waiting for them- so are their real life monsters. But, the wounds are exposed, little by little. Heather has stripped them all bare, now comes the true testament of the resilience and love of the Vandals, because together and broken they are much stronger than they would be separate and whole. Darkness and pain, it’s universal. Broken isn’t bad- no, not atll. Their brokenness is the key to their power.
The Vandals are no strangers to pain and trauma. Some of these characters have suffered through unimaginable trauma for years, so much so that it’s become the fabric of their DNA, the thread that ties them all together. Their baggage enables them to see and understand one another in wordless ways, the silent solidarity of pain and adversity. They’ve internalized it and accepted it- let it catalyze them into the crew that they are. Brothers, survivors, brutal fighters. Pain has become their identity. But finding Emersyn changed everything, threw off their equilibrium (as well as her own), and the waters have never quite settled. Secrets, mistruths, painful decisions, and the past have all hindered the solidity of their future.
After the heartwrenching journey they’ve each been on, Heather gives us a brief reprieve of peace and healing. Narratively, this story feels entirely different, at least at first. Heather narrows the focus, hones in on the interpersonal, and quiets the nose. Set entirely in the present for the first time, our story’s beginning almost feels like a meditation. A melancholic one, one heavy with unspoken feelings and questions. It’s somehow both serene and foreboding, a veritable calm before the storm. It feels intimate- as the group rebounds and recovers from the events in the prior book. Emersyn is back in their care, but the question of the impact of her most recent suffering lingers like smog in their air. And as the narrative is stripped down, so are the characters- because Brutal Fighter is a turning point. There’s a reason we aren’t exploring flashbacks or mired in immediate action- Brutal Fighter is about the Vandals moving forward, together and facing the interpersonal obstacles among them before they face their shared enemies. Brutal Fighter is about the power that comes from facing your pain- the power of vulnerability. Most importantly, Emersyn’s.
Emersyn is one of the most interesting heroine’s I’ve ever read- a captivating and fearless survivor who has suffered greatly at the hands of those that should love and protect her. Trust isn’t just foreign to her, it’s almost unimaginable. But we’ve gradually seen her lean into connection with each of the Vandals, but Emersyn has never been truly vulnerable, she’s never surrendered to her trust. Until now. Now we see Emersyn find the the greatest courage of all is not facing the monsters that haunt her, it’s not surviving the gruesome and deplorable acts she’s been made to suffer. Her courage comes from opening her heart in spite of it, from surviving without losing the essence of her humanity. And it’s the key to her need for belonging. And that means learning into her pain and brokenness, that means she has to stop hiding parts of herself. NOT just from the Vandals. No, she also needs to stop hiding from herself. It’s a choice, over and over again, to trust in another, to bare your soul, to expose your fractures and scars, and Emersyn is finally ready to make that choice. In a series of beautiful, quiet, and meaningful moments, we see her in Brutal Fighter fight for her own vitality, for her own future, by leaning into small moments with her guys. And I was mesmerized and captivated by the magic of it all.
And Kellan. Just Kellan. He’s been my favorite from the beginning, he spoke to my soul. Emersyn’s safety net that lost her trust by his well-meaning and protective duplicity. But he finds the trust again. And now I know why he felt so compelling to me. The way he centers Emersyn, the way he accepts her and encourages her and catalyzes her vulnerability- well, it’s everything I’ve been waiting for. Each character plays a role, each relationship has it’s own unique purpose and power. Each is so beautifully crafted, but Kellan healed my heart in this book- he wrapped it in a warm and safe embrace, making space for me to breathe out my own pain into the air. And good things are indeed worth the wait….wink wink.
Of course, Heather certainly bursts our intimate bubble, and Brutal Fighter ends in a barrage of action and danger and a hell of a twist ending. The Vandals internal demons aren’t just waiting for them- so are their real life monsters. But, the wounds are exposed, little by little. Heather has stripped them all bare, now comes the true testament of the resilience and love of the Vandals, because together and broken they are much stronger than they would be separate and whole. Darkness and pain, it’s universal. Broken isn’t bad- no, not atll. Their brokenness is the key to their power.