Defend the Dawn is the second installment in author Brigid Kemmerer's Defy the Dawn series. The story's main characters are Tessa Cade, and Prince Corrick, brother to King Harristan, but there are chapters from Harristan's as well which will surprise readers. Tessa Cade is the apothecary girl who has gone from masked outlaw to palace advisor after she climbed up the palace walls and confronted Harristan and saved his life. But even with her newfound power, she can't stop the sickness still raging. She also misses the boy she knew as Wes Lark.

As the kingdom's supply of Moonflower elixir dwindles, and the fight over who should get the flower bordering on a revolution by Consul members, an emissary named Captain Rian Blackmore arrives from a neighboring kingdom of Ostriary with an intriguing offer of an alliance, along with a supply of moonflower. In turn, Kandala will provide the country a much needed supply of steel to help rebuild a country that has seen too much war and bloodshed.

Corrick is trying to find forward in helping Harristan as well as his feelings for Tessa. But it isn't easy to repair the rift between the royals and the people who are with the rebellion or the one growing between himself and Tessa. Rian offers to take Tessa, Corrick, and Lochlan with him to Ostriary as a proof of his sincerity. Lochlan thinks this is a trap to kill him and throw his corpse to the sea. Corrick has doubts about Rian’s intentions and he doesn’t want to leave his brother vulnerable.

The brothers haven't been parted since their parents were assassinated 4 years ago. But with a new source for elixir that will help to heal more people and prevent the inner conflicts inside kingdom, Harristan can't just say no and neither can Tessa. With tensions brewing on deck and the sea swirling below, and the rebel leader Lochlan along for the journey, Tessa and Corrick must decide who they can trust--including each other. But they're shocked to discover that a craven betrayal may be much closer than they think.

Meanwhile, Harristan has chosen a curious path. A path similiar to his brothers in being known as the Fox. The Fox sneaks out at night and leaves coins behind for his people who still don't trust that he's the person who needs to lead them from the virus that is only suppressed using the Moonflower which certain consuls, like Allisander, hold onto like a lifeline, refusing to give up their powers. After being separated from his brother for the first time since their parents deaths, Harristan finds that he will need to step into a new role isn't as easy as he thought.

In closing, I will say that this is a book filled with surprises and betrayals. You literally can not trust anyone to stab you in the back. Yes, there is a cliffhanger ending in several parts. One from Tessa's, one from Corrick's, and one from Harristan's. Each of them have a hard road ahead which I am looking forward to seeing to the end.

I love this series, but I don’t know that I would truly classify it as young adult. The issues that Tessa and Corrick deal with are more adult– figuring out your career path and relationships– rather that the more figuring out who you are and what you believe about the world stuff typical of YA.

That said, I’d probably also call it a crossover because Brigid Kemmerer has written other young adult novels and has a pretty significant (well-deserved) following among YA readers.

Okay, so onto the book itself. The story of DEFEND THE DAWN is divided into three points of view: Tessa, Corrick, and an Outlaw. Tessa and Corrick face challenges to their relationship and doubts about each other’s feelings and values. The Outlaw has to navigate his dual roles as a masked helper to the poor by night and a powerful man by day. I found it easy to invest in all three characters, and some of the side characters kind of stole the scene a few times, too. Lochlan, the rebel leader, Quint, the king’s right-hand man, and Rian, the captain of the ship all had some great moments. I’m really excited to see what happens with each of them in the next book.

In terms of the plot, I felt like the pacing moved really nicely. I felt like there was a bit of a lull around the middle where Corrick and Tessa kind of rehash the same conflict they’d been having, while I was ready to move on.

I really liked the directions that DEFEND THE DAWN flowed in, though. We learn so many new things about the kingdom and the politics between the crown and the consuls. We also learn some things connecting events of the past, when Corrick and Harristan’s father was king, to issues in the present. I felt like that painted a much bigger picture of what was going on and why some things had happened earlier on in the book and series.

Reading the next book will be easy– I really want to know what happens next! Waiting for it to come out will be a little harder.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: YA fantasy trilogy (book 2)
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: eARC

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:
“Choices never seem like choices when the world only offers us bad ones.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Political turmoil
New characters with mysterious backgrounds
Lots of Tessa and Corrick, but Harristan starts to develop his own storyline
Adventure in new places we haven’t explored yet


𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
It was really hard to write this review without spoilers, but here goes!

I LOVED Defy the Night, and I was so happy to jump back into the world of Kandala with all the characters I loved in Defy. We absolutely get to see lots of Tessa and Corrick, and as much as I’d love to see an HEA right away, I was glad to see them struggling to learn how to navigate their relationship amidst a tricky political landscape. Harristan also gets a lot more individual development in this book, and I loved learning more about him outside of his relationship with his brother.

There’s a crew of mysterious new characters who bring new challenges to the already turbulent political situation in Kandala, and as much as I wanted to dislike them, I just couldn’t! They are so human and relatable, and I love that there were moments that highlighted the quirky and unique parts of their personalities amidst the major plot moments.

I did feel like the political developments took center stage and the romance became secondary—and if I’m being honest, I missed some of the sweet romantic moments we saw in book 1! I think Tessa, Corrick, and the rest of the gang need time to process the almost revolution and it’s aftermath, but dang it, I wanted a few more ‘Lord, Tessa’ moments 😂

Overall this is a strong book 2, and of course I’ll be back to read book 3 as soon as it comes out. I love Brigid Kemmerer and can’t wait for more adventures with Tessa, Corrick, Quint, Harristan, Rocco, and even Lochlan!

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) A mysterious man shows up promising moonflower, the treatment for the fever ravaging their kingdom. Can they trust him? And what will they have to give in return?

I really loved book one so I was excited for this! (Defy the Night review here) While book 1 was mostly in the Wilds, book 2 took a slow start until they got on a ship.

Now, ship stories, pirates and the sorts are such fun books for me. I loved the ship and the extra drama that entailed. We have multiple mysterious characters but Corrick and Tessa need to trust them. We also hear from Fox (new character) back in the kingdom which was critical to Corrick’s story (on the ship). The court politics were fun and exciting with quite a bit of conspiracy thrown in. We even had a small LGBTQ romance that was super sweet. It was a great addition!

Kemmerer is great at adventure and grabbing me fairly quickly. I like that in this series she hasn’t over-stepped the bounds of (what I deem) to be “appropriate YA.” She kept the intimacy low and the danger high and I had a fun time reading along.

That ending, oh that was a doozy! It makes me excited for more even if it did make me mad at first for such a cliffhanger!

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books/Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

WOOOOOOW!! I’m scrambling for words to write this review out. I was taken by surprise by the ending, that cliff hanger!!! Ugh, so emotional!

I loved Defy The Night, but this book definitely is five stars from me!! I felt so much reading this one, it was written so freaking beautifully. I love it so much!!

You grow attached to these chapters, and what they fight for, and what they go through. It’s so emotional and raw and exciting! I will definitely be thinking about this one for awhile and I don’t think I can wait for the next book to see what happens next! I’m on the edge of my seat, running my hands through my hair! It’s gripping! Such a good book. Definitely recommend this two books series!

I think this book got a little bit of second book syndrome. Overall I did enjoy it, I liked being back with Tessa and Corrick and Harristan.
So in this book, we find out that a ship has sailed from Ostiary which previously was thought of as somewhere not able to be traveled to. The captain of the ship Rian Blakemore says that his father had been sent over as a spy by former King Lucas years prior and is only returning now because Ostiary was in a war. He wants to trade steel from Kandala for the elusive moonflower he brought from Ostiary. But no one knows if he can be trusted. Corrick, Tessa and rebellion leader Lochlan along with 3 palace guards end up on a ship headed toward Ostiary to make trade agreements.
So while I like Corrick's character, SO MUCH of this book was Corrick and Rian arguing like little boys. It was so annoying. They argued over Tessa, they argued over whether either of them could be trusted, they argued over the locked room on the ship. They literally argued about everything every other sentence of the book. That was really my only character issue. Tessa was a little all over the place but I still like her.
Since we kind of have 2 storylines going on now, Corrick and Tessa leave Kandala, but we still need the Kandala POV so we have Harristan this time. I actually liked the Harristan parts better than the Corrick/Tessa parts even though they were sparse. There is only so much that can go on on the ship they are on for most of the book.
The first large chunk, probably more than half, felt a little slow paced, but it was still interesting and I never found myself struggling through it (boy ego-fighting aside). The ending chunk though was so fast paced and interesting in both the Harristan and Corrick/Tessa parts. That last chapter I totally saw coming but like can I have book 3 now?!
Like I said, I think this book suffered a little from second book syndrome, but at the same time I think it led up really well to the third book . It explained a lot and set up for the double fight on both sides of the story. I'm really excited to see what happens next!

This was one of my most anticipated releases this fall and it did NOT disappoint! I am LOVING this series and this sequel is everything that I hoped it would be.

The story picks up right where we left off, with the kingdom of Kandala still plagued by a sickness that is killing its citizens daily. Corrick and Tessa are in negotiations for the extra moon flower petals that they were promised when a stranger from Ostriary shows up with a compelling offer that’s impossible to refuse. They board a ship with Captain Rian and a host of new characters that they aren’t sure if they can trust with the hopes that the answer to their problems waits for them across the sea.

After the fast paced first book I expected this one to slow down a little bit, but I should have known better. Instead of the double crossing and uncertainty of the Kendala Court, we are now on a ship bound for Ostriary and no one is who they claim to be. Tessa and Corrick are having relationship troubles and Rian, the dashing sea captain, seems to have his eye on Tessa. I don’t usually like love triangles, but thanks to the dual POV we know exactly how Corrick and Tessa feel about each other.

I loved every twisty, shocking moment of this sequel! I was STRESSED because every second they spend on that ship feels like they’re hurtling towards disaster and I was on the edge of my seat the entire second half. And Corrick! Ugh I love that man. Sometimes I think he’s so misunderstood and then he’ll do or say something that makes me say “but is he though?!” haha

Back in Kandala the fires of revolution are still burning, and we see new alliances forming while also meeting some new characters.

I loved being back in this world with all its suspense, betrayal and surprises. That cliffhanger almost killed me and I am already looking forward to the next book. If you like a YA Fantasy filled with engaging characters, witty banter, court politics and an adventure on the high seas, then you should preorder this one now before release day on 9/20! This shouldn’t be read as a standalone, though, so make sure you read Defy the Night first. Thank you so much to Bloomsbury and Brigid Kemmerer for the gifted copy.

I've been waiting for this book for a year and it definitely lived up to my expectations - what a strong second book! The cliffhanger just about killed me at the end. How soon until book three?!

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Defy the Night trilogy. I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This starts very slow, the first quarter of the book is all twisty turny politics and sitting through meetings with our characters. Once the emissary from a new country comes things pick up pace quite a bit and we go into more of an adventure mode. The story switches POV between Tessa, Corrick, and a mysterious outlaw. I was very engaged in the second half of the book but a bit bored by the first half.

There are some excellent new characters introduced here as well. The romance between Tessa and Corrick is a bit on again and was irritating at times. However, some of the new characters added made up for this.

I continue to love Kemmerer's writing style, it flows well and is easy to read. I ended up reading this book in just a few sittings. I am excited to see how the story wraps up in the final book and hope the third book is action-packed rather than boardroom politic heavy.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this starts a bit slow and politics-heavy, but picks up in the second half and ends up being a very good read. I read this very quickly and found it engaging. I continue to really enjoy Kemmerer's writing style, her world-building, and her characters. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy YA fantasy with politics and adventure.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters were well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

Brigid Kemmerer succeeds yet again with her plot twist heavy, character driven, fantasy novels. I adored Defy the Night when I read the ARC last year, and just as I expected I loved Defend the Dawn (4/5). Defend the Dawn was a tad slow at the beginning, but picked up quite quickly once the Captain Blackmore lands in Kandala it picked up and the tensions between every character rose.

With such high tensions it nearly felt like a thriller at points – who was lying and going to turn on everyone and who was telling the truth. Ultimately, it all came to the surface as Captain Blackmore said, all secrets come up on a small ship. The relationships between every character drove this dynamic story especially when the setting was placed on a small ship.

I also loved the new focus on Harriston and his endeavors as Fox in the Wilds. I had been hoping we got to see more of him in Defend the Dawn, and I was not disappointed. His character develops immensely throughout the novel and seeing him discover a new side of being king and how he wants to make a difference.

As usual, Kemmerer aces her plot twists. I'm also particularly bad at guessing, but I didn't guess any of them! Each twist worked beautifully and furthered the plot and character development and interactions between each characters.

Overall Defend the Dawn is yet again another enjoyable, dramatic, and character driven novel by Kemmerer and I will be anxiously awaiting for the third and final book!

An excellent sequel to what is becoming one of my favourite YA series. For me, this sequel was heavily anticipated the moment that I finished Defy the Night. The plot is well thought out and the characters are so dynamic I just adore them all. Usually when there are multi-POVs in books, I tend to have a favourite or dread a certain characters chapters, but not here. I devoured each chapter and I am just so excited to see where this series is going to go! This surpassed all expectations, so cheers to the wait for the next instalment, it's going to be arduous, I can't wait.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason, I went into this book thinking that this series was a duology, and this book was the conclusion. Imagine my surprise when I got to 80-90% done and there were still so many threads left to tie up! That said, I am anxiously awaiting the third installment in this series so I can get some closure! This book raises a looottt of questions that I need answers to.

The characters grew a lot in this installment, and I loved getting some more insight into the characters of Harristan and Lochlan, who weren't as prominent and fleshed out in the first installment.

Now, don't mind me. I'll just be sitting here, waiting for news of a third book.

Full of political intrigue and heart-pounding action, Defend the Dawn delivers one gripping adventure that ups the ante from the first book. With higher stakes and new dangerous players, nothing is as it seems, and no one is safe.

Amid turmoil and unrest, the country of Kandala is struggling to make ends meet to save its people from a deadly disease that has swept over their lands. With the threat of a stalled revolution in the air, a mysterious stranger descends from the docks promising a trade negotiation for the one thing the country desperately needs the most, Moonflower—the only known cure for the impending illness. But with lives on the line, loyalties crossed and war on the horizon—is this charming stranger friend or foe?

I LOVED the new expansion Kemmerer brought to the world of Defy the Night. Not only did our characters take to new shores on the high seas (my favorite part!), they grew SO much from the first time we saw them and continue to push boundaries. This story is a perfectly crafted balance of detailed character growth and introspection blended with an intriguing plot full of brilliant twists and turns.

My heart will always belong to the deeply misunderstood and wickedly clever Prince Corrick. He is one of the most dynamic, layered, and dimensional characters and his duality between right and wrong is in ALL the shades of gray, making him a true anti-hero for the books! *swoon* His relationship with his brother MELTS my heart, and in this book we see more sweet, vulnerable moments from them, and I adored it! (Plus, the romance and the build-up was *chef’s kiss*!)

This book was a WILD, unforgettable sequel that kept me on my toes and my mind spinning with revelations and suspicions. I’m DYING for the next book and can’t wait to see where our characters will go next!

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

loved this sequel to defy the night! The side plot with the brother was genius while we still get to see our favs from the first book 50% of the time although they're pretty much just stuck on a boat and then we are left on a horrible cliffhanger!

This is a must-read. Sometime in the late winter/spring Brigid Kemmerer wrote that Corrick is having a really rough time. Now I know what she was talking about… and she wasn’t exaggerating.

Back to the beginning! Tessa, Prince Corrick, and King Harristan are all trying to help the people of Kandala who are sick. Dying. Class divides are wider than ever, and no one knows who to trust. A mysterious ship captain named Rian may have a way to help their people, IF Tessa and Corrick agree to hop on his ship and sail across what sounds like the Drake Passage between kingdoms.

It’s basically DANGER ALL YE WHO ENTER from here on out.

I don’t know if I closed my mouth much after they got on that boat. I think I missed a meal— I HAD to know what happens next. Who’s good? Who’s bad? What is up with this hot ship captain who has eyes for Tessa? What is going on with Tessa and Corrick, who are my main couple goals forever? (I love them together SO MUCH, always.) The romance was sweet yet fraught with growing pains. I could see growth for both of them separately and together, and love how they manage to find each other.

I also love King Harristan more than ever, and have a few thoughts on a romance for him that I am DYING to see!

Now. The rest of the book. I think I’m going to ruminate on THAT ENDING until the next book in the series comes out. Daily, literally. 😂 My mother reads this, or I would curse. So instead I’ll say this— I have no idea how we ended up here. That NEVER HAPPENS. Brigid, if you see this, you’re both brilliant and a little evil. I don’t know whether to be impressed because this was executed perfectly… or to wind my brain into knots trying to figure out what will happen next.

All the stars. Everyone, read this. Then DM me and we can scream together.

A huge thank you to Bloomsbury for an arc from what’s become one of my all-time favorite series!

I really liked Defy the Night and was super excited to get an early copy of Defend the Dawn. I am SO glad that I put off reading it because the time between Defend the Dawn and whatever comes next already feels like an eternity. It was so good. It took the reader to situations and places that were so unexpected that I could not stop reading. The conflict and the adventure and the emotions that Kemmerer puts into these stories is fantastic. I cannot wait for the third installment and am prepared to hold your hand when you need a friend while you read.

So Tessa and Corrick are wrestling with the aftermath of you-know-what, and things aren't exactly flowing smoothly. There is more political turmoil in Kandala, and Tess and Corrick & Harristan and Quint must adapt in a tense environment. The multiple POV continue and I love that about the story, along with the twists and emotions we experience through the continually evolving characters' eyes. Although the pacing did start off slow, the dynamic between the characters and their relationships was showcased beautifully and I loved how realistic the relationships were portrayed. The direction the story took was a surprise for me but well woven into the plot and that cliffhanger!?!

I loved this book so much! Another fantastic book from Brigid Kemmerer, and dare I say I liked this one even more than the first in this series. I cannot wait to read the next one. It's filled with action, intrigue, and some will they/won't they! As usual, perfect for people who have issues with high fantasy, because it's so accesible!

Pirates, romance, betrayals, and more in the sequel to Defy the Night. Picking up where the last book left off Tessa is now part of the council and Corrick and Harriston are still trying to get more Moonflower to save their kingdom, however when a dashing captain of a ship appears and claims to be an old emmisary sent by the previous king Corrick is suspicious while Tessa seems to be falling for him. This new person is named Rain and he has come to make an offer to trade the moonflowers of the kingdom he has been spying on for them in exchange for steel as he is playing both sides. Tessa spends a vast majority of this book going back and forth ( and mostly believing that Corrick is awful, frightening or a monster) and listening to everyone else’s opinion about him while she wavers between her feelings for him and Rain the new spy pirate who taken an interest in her. This book went where I dreaded ( the annoying love triangle) and Tessa constantly going back and forth about Corrick, and honestly she’s the main reason I didn’t enjoy this book so much. I loved their relationship in the first book, I was looking forward to it growing in this one, but a majority of it is spent thinking Corrick is awful and that Rain is so great ( seriously I was pulling my hair out). If i’m being honest, Tessa was the weakest point of this entire book, her whole arc was just being in the middle of two guys and going back and forth which one she wants.... seriously... why? Corrick and Harriston on the other hand were amazing, we get to delve deeper into their characters and their growth. Corrick is struggling to protect his brother, his kingdom, and Tessa. He’s immediately suspicious of Rain ( AS HE RIGHTFULLY SHOULD BE) and is weary of everyone ( HE’S WITHIN HIS RIGHTS HIS PARENTS WERE LITERALLY KILLED IN FRONT OF HIM and this entire time he’s been trying to keep control of the kingdom) and seriously Tessa? No empathy, no understanding, for this dude’s trust issues? You expect him to be friendly and cordial with the one guy who nearly got him killed and had him beat nearly to death?? ( GIRL WHAT?). Lochlan was barely there and when he was it was to start a fight or pick at Tessa and Corrick. I am excited to see where the next book goes because this one for sure left on a gigantic cliffhanger ( but seriously I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HOW THIS ALL WRAPS UP). Yes Tessa and Corrick spent a majority of this book at odds with one another but in the end of it they finally come to an understanding and finally talk and communicate... it only took them 300+ pages to do so. Also Harriston’s storyline with Quint? GIVE ME MORE. I can’t wait to see how Lochlan and Corrick fair in the next book and where Harriston and Quint’s storylines go, especially with the reveals and ending of this book.

SPOILR BELOW: ( This is just to help me remember when I read the third book haha)!!!!!!!



SPOILER ( Corrick has fallen off the ship and has been captured with Lochlan and has to pretend to be Wes again, Rain turned out to be the King the entire time and was going to ransom Corrick off while also holding Oren Crane’s daughter as prisoner in his ship and poisoning her, Harriston has been pretending to be FOX a masked stranger who has been giving money and food to the people but while Corrick and co were away the counsel has ousted him as king and now he is injured and on the run with Quint, Tessa has to now cope with the idea that everyone but her and one guard are alive on the ship and states that she wants to learn to fight at the end of this book, Tessa and Corrick make up and finally admit to loving each other. Rain reveals that someone has been poisoning the people of the kingdom ( Corrick and Harriston’s and he thought they were doing it but if not them someone else is).

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