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kmartbooks 's review for:
Destroy the Day
by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was easily the strongest installment in the Defy the Night trilogy; at least for me. It took everything I liked from the earlier books (moral tension, layered politics, complex relationships) and finally cranked it up into something sharper, more dynamic, and, honestly, just more fun.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I adored the King. Harristan completely stole the show here. His POV chapters had the emotional weight I thought was missing in the second book. His arc: trying to rise from dethroned ruler to someone his people actually want to follow, was compelling, messy, and surprisingly tender. And the slow-burn achillean romance with Quint? Genuinely swoony. I knew that he liked Quint (there weren't enough other characters to really have another match), so it was a little predictable but I LOVED it.
Corrick and Tessa take more of a backseat in this one, and while I usually side-eye that kind of shift in the final book of a series, I think it worked here because we had already started spending time with Harristan in the second. The time they spent apart actually gave the story room to breathe. Tessa’s grief contrasted really well with Corrick’s reluctant alliance with Lochlan (!!), which turned out to be one of the best dynamics in the book. Their reluctant camaraderie-to-bromance arc? Delicious. I ADORED their banter.
That said, the ending was a little rushed and a little disappointing. There’s a twist that tries to be clever, but it didn’t quite land for me; it felt more like a narrative sleight of hand than something earned. I still teared up, though, so clearly it worked on some level. (Even if Harristan’s final move was kind of a jerk thing to do. Why have his character arc if this is how it would end up??)
The politics here are more robust than in the earlier books, and I appreciated that. We finally see how fragile power structures are in this kingdom, how easy it is for revolution to fracture even further, and how leadership is more than just good intentions. That theme’s been present the whole trilogy, but Destroy the Day is the first time it felt fully realized.
I do wish the book had leaned a little darker; it had the setup for it, but kept things very palatable. Still, it was well-paced, emotionally satisfying, and delivered on most of its promises. If you stuck with the series, this is your reward.
Thanks so much to Storygram Tours, Bloomsbury, and the author for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I adored the King. Harristan completely stole the show here. His POV chapters had the emotional weight I thought was missing in the second book. His arc: trying to rise from dethroned ruler to someone his people actually want to follow, was compelling, messy, and surprisingly tender. And the slow-burn achillean romance with Quint? Genuinely swoony. I knew that he liked Quint (there weren't enough other characters to really have another match), so it was a little predictable but I LOVED it.
Corrick and Tessa take more of a backseat in this one, and while I usually side-eye that kind of shift in the final book of a series, I think it worked here because we had already started spending time with Harristan in the second. The time they spent apart actually gave the story room to breathe. Tessa’s grief contrasted really well with Corrick’s reluctant alliance with Lochlan (!!), which turned out to be one of the best dynamics in the book. Their reluctant camaraderie-to-bromance arc? Delicious. I ADORED their banter.
That said, the ending was a little rushed and a little disappointing. There’s a twist that tries to be clever, but it didn’t quite land for me; it felt more like a narrative sleight of hand than something earned. I still teared up, though, so clearly it worked on some level. (Even if Harristan’s final move was kind of a jerk thing to do. Why have his character arc if this is how it would end up??)
The politics here are more robust than in the earlier books, and I appreciated that. We finally see how fragile power structures are in this kingdom, how easy it is for revolution to fracture even further, and how leadership is more than just good intentions. That theme’s been present the whole trilogy, but Destroy the Day is the first time it felt fully realized.
I do wish the book had leaned a little darker; it had the setup for it, but kept things very palatable. Still, it was well-paced, emotionally satisfying, and delivered on most of its promises. If you stuck with the series, this is your reward.
Thanks so much to Storygram Tours, Bloomsbury, and the author for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.