Rating: ★★★
Date Published: 07/01/2020
Synopsis: Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?
The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places.
A Heart So Fierce and Broken is the second instalment in this retelling of Beauty and the Beast – and is no longer really a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Look, personally I don’t think that this book needed to exist. The first book could easily have been a stand alone novel and would have had a lot of merit on its own. But I wanted to read this book anyway – who would I be if I wasn’t reading sequels in the hope they might be great? I thought this was okay, but I don’t still don’t see the reason for it, and nor do I see the reason for yet another book! Again, the series could have ended here and but for a convenient little chapter at the end that made no sense because there was an easy way around the problem! I don’t know at this point whether I will read the third book. Maybe out of curiosity, and to be fair, these books aren’t bad, but I am hesitant.
The main problem I have with this series over all is that it just feels so simplistic. The fantasy element of this book is so basic; there’s literally nothing special or intricate about the world or magic system at all! The magic isn’t really very interesting and literally no one has it anyway, and the culture of the world is literally non existent. I will appreciate that in this book we did get to explore more of the world, like Syhl Shallow and the Scaver’s lands. But still, I don’t get the hype – this book has nothing special going for it, and it isn’t even a Beaauty and the Beast retelling anymore, which was the initial attraction for me. And I no longer see the point in having the portal fantasy element in it – which is the only thing making this series unique in fantasy being published today.
I do like the characters. They aren’t super memorable but they’re fun, especially in the first book. But here Brigid Kemmerer basically undid everything that I understood to be true in the first book – namely the relationship between Rhen and Grey. How can it be said that they weren’t friends? Okay, maybe they were in a forced situation but come on , I read A Curse So Dark and Lonely and you can’t tell me there wasn’t some kind of bond between them. Plus, Harper had no view point (one chapter does not count!) and she’s like, the main character. I don’t really like Grey, nor do I care about his story (because it shouldn’t exist!). I did like Lia Mara and her bond with her sister, but still, I don’t think there is anything unique about them at all.
To give this book the credit it deserves, it is fun and easy to read. I wasn’t bored at any point and I think the pacing is good and well written. I just want more from this world and the writing, but I guess it’s just not for me. And that’s okay. If you love this book, I’m so happy that you did. I still liked it, but I don’t think this series is really going to get any better for me. Potentially I might read book three, but we shall see. Reviews closer to the release date may persuade me.
Did you enjoy this sequel? Let me know your thoughts!
The Bookish Courtier 