A Heart So Sierce and Broken is a captivating tale that delves into the lives of Grey, a reluctant prince, and Lia Mara, a fierce princess. The tale skillfully weaves together themes of identity, duty, and personal growth, while adding new layers to the intricate worldbuilding. Kemmerer's writing captures emotions vividly, making you empathize with the characters' struggles.

Loved and hated this book. I was seriously hoping for Grey to stay with Harper. I mean yeah I like Lia Mara, don't get me wrong, but I don't know I guess I just felt like he was so much better for Haroee than Rhen. This is all personal feelings but I still loved the book.

Earlier this year I read A Curse So Dark and Lonely and I truly loved it. I was so excited to get to the next book, A Heart So Fierce and Broken. I’ve got to say, I have mixed feelings about this one. There were things about it I actually liked a little more than the first, but there were also things (Rhen…) I liked less.

Let’s start with the things I liked. The writing was great and I loved that so much of the book was from Grey’s pov. Grey is the best character in this series and I adore him. I also love his love interest, Lia Mara and I can’t wait to see where that goes. Grey had a great crew traveling with him and I really did love watching them all together and seeing that dynamic.

Now what I didn’t love… Rhen. Honestly, he was the main thing. I was so disappointed with some of the things he did and how he acted and treated Grey. I tried so hard but I couldn’t get over it. I was upset and disheartened. It left me heartbroken and I don’t know how I’m supposed to like him again. I also wish we would have gotten more Harper.

Overall, I did like this book a lot. I wish some things would have been different, but Kemmerer’s writing was fantastic as always and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Moving on from the last book Emberfall is on the verge of collapse and Rhen is consumed by the search for the rumoured true heir but what he doesn’t know is that the heir and Grey are one and the same. This book follows Grey who is on the run as he has no intention of fighting Rhen or ruling Emberfall and feels that it is in his best interest to disappear. We also follow Lia Mara a new character who is the daughter of the Queen of Syhl Shallow just wants peace between their Kingdoms and believes Grey may be the key to this peace.

I really loved learning more about Grey and his background in this and Lia Mara is my new favourite character in this series and I loved seeing her grow throughout the book and I’m really excited to see how their story evolves.

This was a fast paced book, with great writing and enjoyable world building with and interesting cast of characters and I have to say I did not see the twist at the end coming.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and gave it 4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this book! I'd been wary of not loving it as much the first book, but it just wasn't possible to not love it! Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in return for an honest review. I can safely say Brigid Kemmerer is now on my autoread list.

“A Heart so Fierce and Broken” was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I absolutely loved reading “ A Curse So Dark and Lonely” last year and could not wait to dig into this sequel. Let me get right to the point. This book is not about Harper. In fact, Harper is only seen a handful of times and has one chapter towards the beginning of the book. No, this time we get Grey, Grey, and more Grey (aka, my favorite guardsman). We are also introduced to new characters, including Lia Mara, daughter of Karis Luran.
The pacing of this book was well thought out and Kemmerer’s writing was addictive to say the least. The characters were well developed, and the plot held my attention the entire time that I was reading. I must say that Rhen really surprised me with his actions this time around, very disappointing. He was just so out of character from who he was in book one. I understand the reason given for this transition but it did not make it easier.
I really liked the adventure aspect of this book. Overall it was very entertaining, and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading book three.

* I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Last year, when I was getting back into reading, I decided to pick up a book I had been hearing about a lot: A Curse so Dark and Lonely. It was billed as a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist. I ended up really enjoying the book, though I had complicated feelings about it overall. I was definitely excited about continuing the journey when I found out that A Heart so Fierce and Broken would be coming out in 2020!

So you can imagine the shrieking noises I made when I got an email saying that my wish to read the e-ARC from Netgalley had been granted! Seriously, I shrieked, my cats ran, it was a bit of a day. Before I dive into this review, I want to say a big thank you to Netgalley, Bloombury, and the author for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Now, my absolute favorite character in ACSDAL was Grey, the stoic guardsman who proved to have a softer side. I loved his interactions with both Rhen and Harper in the first book and often found myself wishing we could get inside his head. Thankfully, the sequel has answered my prayers! We start off checking in with Rhen (who is trying to figure out how to keep his country from falling apart) and Harper (who is trying to figure out how to keep Rhen from falling apart) but quickly shift to our boy, Grey. This is Grey’s story: a story about birthrights and betrayal and struggling to find where one fits in this new world.

We also follow a new character, Lia Mara, the eldest daughter of the queen of Shyl Shallow. She is also struggling to find her place in the world and her country, where cruelness is a part of being a leader and she is anything but cruel. Y’all, Lia Mara has come very close to taking the #1 spot in my heart. She’s such a complex character! She’s clever and strong and resourceful, but yet so mild and soothing and kind. And the relationship she has with her sister, Nolla Verin, has so many layers and is so beautiful. Ugh, you love to see it.

If you couldn’t tell, my favorite thing about this book was the characters and their growth. But I would be remiss if I didn’t crow about the plot, as well. This was an excellently paced and plotted story. I sped through the book because I needed to know what happened! I needed to know if my favorites were going to be okay! The readability of this book cannot be denied. And even though there wasn’t constant, non-stop action, the author makes you feel the danger that is just around the corner. It’s fast-paced and beautifully written, though I will say I kept seeing phrases about hearts tripping and stumbling that threw me off. Still, I found myself completely immersed in the world of Emberfall and I didn’t want it to end.

And then it did. AND THE ENDING! YOU ARE NOT READY! I was most CERTAINLY not ready! I’m still trying to decide if I’m mad about it or not. I sat with my iPad in my lap, staring at the screen, silently screaming in my head. What I’m saying is… I need book three!

Final thoughts: The sequel is better than the first book and we all have Grey and Lia Mara to thank for that.

I can’t believe it. Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for granting my wish. I have been dying for this sequel and I’m happy to say it doesn’t disappoint.

This is Grey’s story. After finding out his true identity, Grey flees for many reasons. Enter Lia who is gentle and kind and may be just the person who can mend his heart. If she wasn’t also the daughter of their sworn enemy.

I really loved how the story moved effortlessly between Grey’s narrative and Lia’s. You have to read the first book to understand everything going on. It’s well worth it as this second installment just adds layers and layers to everyone, including three who could to be the perfect cunning prince. I love how the tables turned on these four. And that ending.

Well, god. I hope that book comes out… like tomorrow. Cause I NEEEDS IT!

This sequel does not suffer from any of the normal problems some other series do. It’s intriguing, adding mystery and depth to all of the characters, furthering the plot along and showing all of the characters bad and good within.

I loved it.

Please write faster. I don’t know how much more I can take.

This has been my most anticipated read for the longest time! I absolutely love this series so much. The cursebreaker series will always have a special place in my heart. There was an absolute cliffhanger at the end of the first book: A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and I could not wait to find out what happened next. The world building is fantastic and builds on the previous same kingdom from the first book. Also, I was so intrigued as to what was going to happen between Rhen, Grey and Harper. This book did not disappoint and I cannot wait for everyone else to read it.

Thank you so much for granting my wish Bloomsbury YA! You have made me very happy.

As far a sequels go you never know what you are going to get. So many books fall into a sophmore slump that makes you want to reread the first book to pretend it's all that happened. That is NOT the case with this sequel. Brigid Kemmerer does a fantastic job of making you remember what you loved about the first book without losing the thread of the story and giving you something ew to look forward too. This books also gives us more insight to some other characters that we didn't know as well before which adds new depth and layers to the plot. I loved getting to see more of Shyl Shallow and to explore that world.