So, this book is AMAZING! It took a couple chapters to pull me in, but once it did - WOW. Brigid Kemmerer amazed me with the Cursebreakers trilogy, and continues to amaze with her newest!

Right and wrong, outlaw or not should be straightforward determinations but that is not always the case as Tessa learns. Finding out someone you love is actually also someone you hate is confusing. Navigating all this during an epidemic and revolution makes it overwhelming.

A struggling kingdom. A broody prince. A sickness. Treason. Revolution. 😱😱😱 I can't believe it's over. I loved every minute in this world with Corrick and Tessa, and I cannot WAIT for more!!

The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster and revolution. A sickness is running rampant around the country and the elixir, made from Moonflower petals, to keep the symptoms and fever at bay is highly sought after and incredibly rare and limited. Struggling to balance the demands of both the people and sector consuls, King Harristan and Prince Corrick have learned to be brutally merciless when it comes to any sign or whisper of rebellion. Meanwhile, in the Wilds, Tessa, an apothecary apprentice, and her best friend Wes, tired of seeing the suffering of the people outside of the Royal Sector, spend their nights stealing Moonflower petals and distributing the elixir to those who need it most. Told from both of their points of view, we follow Tessa and Corrick as they try to make a difference in the kingdom and strive for change. But will it ever be enough?

I mean... just... WOW. This fast-paced, intriguing plot had all the twists and turns! At the end of every chapter, I had to keep going to find out what would happen next. Kemmerer's writing style is so captivating and compelling! The story is heartwarming and devastating with happiness, pain, and sickness. But also HOPE. So much hope. The lines of right and wrong, good and evil are ever blurred and it really makes you think twice. The real-life parallels are slightly mind-blowing! I loved all of it. AND THE ROMANCE. All my heartstrings were singing the entire book.

Read This If You Like
— kingdoms and royalty
— dual POVs
— Robin Hood-style crime
— secret identities
— secrecy, schemes, and betrayal
— court intrigue
— brotherly bonds
— the annoying, entitled court member
— rebels and smugglers and outlaws
— friends to enemies to lovers

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my early e-copy!!

The Quick Cut: A kingdom fighting an illness with limited supplies finds tenuous alliances stretched too far with a boy and girl making an unexpected partnership to help the suffering.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for providing the ARC for an honest review.

In a time where sickness taking over society, this topic of how to cope feels very relatable. Do you avoid everyone you know in the hopes of not contracting it? How far are you willing to go in order to get a cure if needed? These are topics explored through the eyes of Tessa and Corrick.

Tessa is an apothecary apprentice in the wild. She is doing whatever she can (with help from her best friend) to help her neighbors and those she cares about fight the illness sweeping their country, but doesn't feel supported by the royals. There is only so much treatment available and they seem content to keep it to themselves. When she gets bold one day and sneaks into the palace, she finds herself forced to work with those she loathes. Can she find allies inside the palace? Or will she feel trapped instead?

If you enjoyed the writing style in the author's recently finished Cursebreakers series, there's a good chance you'll like this one. It also explores the bonds between family using a multiple narrative writing style. The difference here is that there's less inspiration from fairy tales and more from stories like Robin Hood. Class warfare is also a big topic here, so it's fun to watch people on very different sides of the scale interact together.

Tessa is on the poor end of the scale and does what she has to in order to help those struggling survive. She's gone through so much and had to develop tough skin to do what has to be done. I found her resolve to do what's right inspirational in many ways and wanted to see her succeed... even if the concept she may be using isn't the smartest.

I did not expect to like Corrick. He's the king's brother and in many ways had to play the bad guy to his people in the kingdom. He struggle with the role like has given him versus his natural approach to what is happening. He's royalty, so he's rich and receives the best all the time. Seeing how he thinks of others (considering what he's known his entire life) shows how doing the right thing for others isn't necessarily a learned behavior. Caring for your people is an intuitive behavior.

It did take me a bit to warm up to this story, but once that first twist in the plot happens - the activity comes quick. There is a lot of political action that happens, especially at the end. So if you're not so much into the governance aspect this story may not interest you.

A fantasy story with a timely plot around illness and resources.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Out of the many books I've read so far this year, this is one of the best! This is the second book I've read by Brigid Kemmerer, and I was thoroughly impressed. The main character, Tessa, is an orphan who partners with the mysterious but charming Wesley. Together, they work as outlaws to break into the city's royal sector to steal precious Moonflower petals from the rich in order to provide the petals to the poor--as it's the only known cure for a fever ravaging the kingdom. Politics and court intrigue play a big part in this story, but it never felt forced or fabricated for the sake of the plot. The other main character is Prince Corrick, who acts as the King's Justice, and is also known as Cruel Corrick. When the prince enacts a cruel act of justice that sets Tessa on a path of revenge, their paths cross and send them on a complicated path as they both fight for what they think is right. The pacing was done well, though some explosions/points of conflict seemed to happen for the sake of conflict's sake. Overall, the book was excellent, and the ending left me wanting more!

Brigid Kemmerer does it yet again! I don't know why I still hesitate to pick up her books. I don't know if it a fear of finally being disappointed by something she writes or not quite being ready to have my heart torn out.

In this Prince of Thieves retelling we see violence, love, mystery, and amazing settings. I have been obsessed with Robin Hood for as long as I can remember so when I heard Brigid was putting out a retelling revolving around the Prince of Thieves I knew I would have to read it. And I gotta say she did not disappoint in the slightest.

A glowing start to a new fantastical series!

Let me start off by thanking NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC…. Because this book completely blew my mind.

I was super excited when I heard about this book, but reading it? It was more than I could’ve hoped for.

You have Tessa, a young women who lives in the Wild, who is secretly trying to help those unfortunate who are succumbing to the fever. Tessa is kind and brilliant and so incredible. I adored her character.

Wes/Corrick was more than I could’ve dreamed. I LOVED his character. I loved getting to see him as Wes, then as Carrick, and then as both. I loved getting inside his head and seeing his struggle with who he is and how he feels being the King’s Justice.

The plot, the world, literally everything about this book was beyond incredible. I am SO EXCITED for the next book. I want to see more Tessa and Corrick. AND MORE OF HIS MAJESTY (insert heart eyes).

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. Absolutely incredible.

I really loved this new series form this author. I also want to give warning. This book does deal with pandemic like situation. I loved both characters. I really also enjoyed that this book because it has some political themes that I really enjoyed. I found some of the earlier plot points a bit predicable but as the story went on the twists and turns surprised me. I also really loved the brother realtionship that was the focus of this read. I also really loved all the side characters and am curious to see how this story will be structured. Def excited for book 2 !!

As someone who didn’t love her first series and stopped after book one, I wanted to give this one a try. I liked her writing style and hoped this would be a better fit for me as a reader. Obviously, I was a bit hesitant to start it but I am so glad I gave it a chance because there were times I was on the edge of my seat!

The book is told from two point-of-views: Tessa and Corrick. I liked the contrast in point-of-views as they both come from different backgrounds, poor and royalty, but have more in common than they think. I would say that they both have great character development but Corrick really won me over. He has many sides and honestly I loved them all, haha.

There is a sibling bond and you all know I am a sucker for those. Corrick’s brother is the King. They would absolutely do anything for each other. Corrick is definitely more over protective for reasons and it was always nice to see the softer side of him as he does his duty of being the King’s Justice.

Tessa has had a very harsh background. I do like that she tries to help those in need more than herself. Apothecary is a topic I enjoy reading about and although it can be a bit minor when it comes to the talk about it, I still liked that she tried to get her point across about the dosage. She wants to save as many people as possible and that is a worthy cause.

There is romance in this book but it is on the minor side but I did like it and that’s all I am saying!

I was very curious how similar the issues in this book would be to those in our own world. The disease is not Covid but it does run rampant and affects a lot of people. The politics of the kingdom plays a major role and definitely takes up a lot of the book. Sometimes this can be a turn off for me but it is explained very well and I had no problem really understanding how the sectors and kingdom work. Some of the political players are dillweeds, as usual. One in particular will make you want to punch him. Both of these issues combined make the people rebel and it can make parts of the book quite intense. It is easy to understand where the people are coming from as we have seen in our own world when it comes to protests. They want change to make a better future and they will have it one way or another.

Since the book didn’t end on a cliffhanger I am curious to see where the sequel will start off. I have some ideas but it only makes me want the next book more!

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I really liked the characters and I can’t wait to see what happens next for them and the kingdom they live in!

This was such an enjoyable read! I know this was not written with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind but man the timing sure is perfect. The emotions tied in with the fear of a pandemic with no cure is something any reader could relate to in this day and age. That lends so much to the reading experience!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was a little bit slower paced at the beginning but just enough to do some world-building and establish the characters and then it picked right up and didn't slow down. Tessa was really well-developed and I loved Corrick and his complexity. He was the most interesting character in this book. I wish Harristan had a little bit more development because he felt just a bit flat for playing such a big role. But it does seem like he'll have the opportunity to develop more in book 2.

Overall, this was well-written, exciting, and relatable. Will definitely be recommending to my followers!

I really enjoyed this start to a new series from Kemmerer. It was a slow start for me, but as the story progressed I found myself more and more invested in these characters and what was happening and I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

I will say that I had guessed who Wes was pretty early on, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was correct!

Thank you for the early copy

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for the e-arc of this incredible book.

I’ll give a more descriptive review closer to its release date, but this book was great and I desperately need this to be a series because I am not ready to let go of any of these characters and their stories!

Defy the night is one of the best YA fantasy books of this year. I love the twists and turns. This book makes readers ask what is right and wrong in society. Corrick and Tessa are my favorite literary couple. Good world building with compelling characters. Defy the night was more intense than the Cursebreakers series because it was balanced with royalty, villains, politics and rebellion.

I have to say, I was a little skeptical to start a book in which the synopsis describes a world plagued by disease. It felt a little too close to home. Luckily I was still able to experience some escapism with Defy the Night.

This was my first Brigid Kemmerer book, and I'm sad to say so, especially after reading this one. I loved her world building, and the characters really stood out from the beginning.
The POV switches between Tessa and Corrick made the story flow seamlessly.

The Robin Hood influence was a refreshing change from a lot of the commonly recycled retellings. I am definitely excited to read the next installment, and in the meantime I'll be checking out some of Brigid's other work.

This is my first time reading anything from Brigid Kemmerer and I immediately wanted to pick up their Cursebreakers series when I completed Defy the Night.

Just to get it out of the way - I did predict one of the early character twists and later in the novel some of the betrayals. Also, this is personal preference but the "chosen one" vibe of Tessa was not my favourite but did not take away from the book.

This is a Robin Hood inspired novel which I LOVED - this isn't a story I often see used as inspiration so that was a fun change of pace. This is a book full of political intrigue that will keep you on your toes. This is also a pandemic book. This was written before COVID times but, it is still interesting to see the parallels between this fantasy world and our situation

I, for the most part, loved the characters in this novel and the arcs throughout. The dynamic and romance between Corrick and Tessa were wonderful. However, Quint really stole the show from me, although he's a side character he brought some much-needed levity to the story with his sarcasm and wit (and his steadfast loyalty)

The ending wrapped up pretty nicely with hope for the future and didn't have a cliffhanger ending which I was grateful for. This felt like it could be a standalone so I will be interested to see where the sequel goes!

Defy the Night is a dramatic tale of politics and romance, with the fate of a kingdom hanging in the balance. If that summary sounds more than a little like you've heard it before, well, it probably should. Many of the beats of this tale will likely feel more than a little bit familiar to fans of Kemmerer's recent Cursebreakers trilogy: The fish out of water heroine forced to live and learn in an environment she had initially despised, the supposedly monstrous romantic lead who is secretly not that monstrous at all, repeated exploration of the ways that both love and politics require us to attempt to understand - and offer grace - to those beyond our own point of view.

And to that end, much of this story is easily predictable - most of its twists are fairly obvious from the start, and there aren't any real huge twists along the way. (Oh, is the roguish outlaw secretly helping the sick find medicine also the cruel prince who punishes traitors? Whoever could have guessed? He's just the second POV character!) But that's not what makes this story an enjoyable read - or one that's worthy of a sequel.

The fast-paced story is full of narrative twists and turns, to be sure, but it's also full of a fairly cogent and nuanced argument that neither those fermenting rebellion nor those agitating for the status quo are 100% correct. And Kemmerer should be commended for walking a fine, careful line - it's easy to see both sides in the larger philosophical and moral arguments at the center of this story, and that's no mean feat.

Sooo...this was interesting. Not in the makes-you-think way, but in the well-this-was-not-what-I-was-expecting way.
Defy the Night was an utterly plotless book that left me even more confused than when it started. The beginning was intriguing...but it went downhill from there, coming up in a sharp spike at the very end. The only real merit it gets from me is regarding the romance, which was not the main tension I was promised in the story.
Though the author presents a grave threat in the terminal fever plaguing the kingdom of Kandala, the story taking place in the palace removes the constant reminder of the fever's prevalence and danger and replaces it with politics. I personally think the imminence of a pandemic-type spread of the fever would have been better communicated had the story been altered to take place primarily in the actual villages affected, forcing both the main character and the reader to admit how important it is to overcome the sickness.
Tessa as a protagonist was strong at first, but fell into the love interest’s shadow as the book progressed, even making stupid remarks that the girl introduced at the beginning wouldn’t have made (in my opinion). I hope to see better character development from her in the future books. However, I did love the fact that she was a healer rather than a fighter. It was a fresh reprieve from protagonists who practically bathe in blood, and gave her a sense of purpose throughout the story.
That being said, the only story arc was in being told who was interfering with medicine shipments and in the rebels finally rising up. There was no real goal to be accomplished or steady buildup to an expected high point, hence my saying that the book was plotless.
HOWEVER. Despite these critiques, I did enjoy the characterization of several characters who will remain unnamed for spoilers’ sake. As a whole, the book wasn’t bad; it was simply hard to follow as someone who relies heavily on tension being at the forefront to keep their attention. It follows the characters just living their lives rather than a Hero’s Journey-type plot. As such, it only gets 3 stars from me, but I could definitely see some people enjoying this, so it all depends on your preferences!

An apothecarist, a prince with a hidden identity, and a kingdom on the brink of war due to a spreading fever that is killing everyone. Tessa Cade spends her nights with her best friend Wes stealing Moonflower petals in order to distribute the elixir to people who need it and cannot afford it. But this is still not enough as more people are still dying and fighting off the fever is harder and harder. Rumors of a rebelling are sparking as the King and the King’s Justice crack down on Moonflower distribution and upholding order. After a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice, Tessa finds herself sneaking into the palace to confront the King and the King’s justice only to be caught... and have her entire world shattered as secrets become unraveled and she finds herself right in the middle of the war going on. This was such a unique Robin Hood Retelling and I absolutely loved it! The story is told from alternating points of view between Tess and Corrick (the King’s Justice). It is the first in the trilogy and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I absolutely loved Corrick as a character, he went through so much and was struggling between protecting his brother, protecting the people, and finding some way to maintain order and do what was best for everyone. Tessa and Corrick were just amazing and I can’t wait to see where their journey goes next. This story really delves into the blurry lines of situations and how sometimes things aren’t as clear as you think and you have to take a moment and consider what is happening from someone else’s perspective. <spoiler> I loved how Tess and Corrick work through their issues, especially how they regain trust and slowly fall for one another again. It was angsty, amazing, and everything I love , cuz I mean, friends to enemies to lovers? YES </spoiler> Overall I definitely had a blast reading this and can’t wait to read the next book!

*Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

AMAZING I really liked this!! Thank you so much Net Galley and Bloomsbury for an E Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I blew through this & couldn’t put it down! I loved the plotting, characterization and relevance to current events. There were some issues but honestly they’re just my own pet peeves. I highly recommend this book!! 4.5/5

#TeamQuint

From the author of a A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Kremmer weaves another enthralling tale laced with political intrigue, betrayal, and friendship. On the surface, it’s a retelling of Robin Hood, but with more underlying nuances of what it means to be loyal and how individual choices have far-reaching effects.

The kingdom of Kandala is being plagued by a mysterious illness that can only be kept at bay with Moonflower. After Tessa’s parents were killed by the night guard, she, along with her friend Wes, carry on her parents work: stealing Moonflower rations from the Royal Sector to give to people who can’t afford it. Through a series of events, Tessa gets caught up with Prince Corrick, whom people call Cruel Cory, as he’s the King’s Justice with appealingly no mercy. As they’re forced together, she learns all is not as it appears. There’s betrayal’s, broken hearts, and eventually understanding as Prince Corrick and Tessa work together to save the people of Kandala.

This was such a good read and I was sad when the story was over! The characters are well written and nuanced, reminding us that no one is ever all good or all bad. My heart broke for Tessa and Prince Corrick as they’re put through so many trials. There’s still work to be done in Kandala abs I’m looking forward to the next installment of this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Instagram promotion post will be made on release day. A deeper-dive review will be posted on the blog (onceuponabookbabe.com) within one week of publication date.*