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A review by lawbooks600
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
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
4.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Seven points out of ten.
One year ago, I mistakenly read the sequel to Defy the Night, Defend the Dawn. I initially enjoyed it, but soon enough, I picked out the flaws, now making it only an okay read. One year later, it was time to read the first instalment in the trilogy, Defy the Night. I soon picked it up and read it, and when I finished it, it was enjoyable.
It starts with the first person I see, Tessa, whose last name I forgot, working alongside her friend, Wes, to steal medicine and food to cure people from the epidemic that plagued the country they lived in, Kandala. They had to do this because the price for a cure to this disease is exorbitantly expensive and creates a barrier between the affluent king and his associates and the ordinary citizens of Kandala. It feels a lot like Robin Hood, but with an original twist. Defy the Night has an explosive beginning but the middle is where the pacing slows, with someone killing Wes, much to Tessa's dismay. I predicted that Tessa would have an enemies to lovers romance with the antagonist, Corrick. It turns out I was right. I don't know why the romance had to be there when it took me away from the fantastical aspects. I engrossed myself in Defy the Night since it was so immersive, but the worldbuilding left me one question: where did the epidemic come from? I don't know--that is an inquiry that has no answer yet. The conclusion picks up the pace, ending Defy the Night on a cliffhanger, but I know what happens next. The library has the final part, Destroy the Day. I'll pick it up when I have time.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
One year ago, I mistakenly read the sequel to Defy the Night, Defend the Dawn. I initially enjoyed it, but soon enough, I picked out the flaws, now making it only an okay read. One year later, it was time to read the first instalment in the trilogy, Defy the Night. I soon picked it up and read it, and when I finished it, it was enjoyable.
It starts with the first person I see, Tessa, whose last name I forgot, working alongside her friend, Wes, to steal medicine and food to cure people from the epidemic that plagued the country they lived in, Kandala. They had to do this because the price for a cure to this disease is exorbitantly expensive and creates a barrier between the affluent king and his associates and the ordinary citizens of Kandala. It feels a lot like Robin Hood, but with an original twist. Defy the Night has an explosive beginning but the middle is where the pacing slows, with someone killing Wes, much to Tessa's dismay. I predicted that Tessa would have an enemies to lovers romance with the antagonist, Corrick. It turns out I was right. I don't know why the romance had to be there when it took me away from the fantastical aspects. I engrossed myself in Defy the Night since it was so immersive, but the worldbuilding left me one question: where did the epidemic come from? I don't know--that is an inquiry that has no answer yet. The conclusion picks up the pace, ending Defy the Night on a cliffhanger, but I know what happens next. The library has the final part, Destroy the Day. I'll pick it up when I have time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Confinement, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Torture
Full trigger warnings: Fire, pandemic mentioned, near-death experience, kidnapping, death of a friend and murder of parents in the past, physical assault, poverty, medical content, imprisonment, torture, blood, grief and loss depiction