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rapha-reads · 8 months

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After sending the summer dissecting A Curse So Dark And Lonely (amongst a corpus of other novels) to study contemporary rewritings of Beauty and the Beast, now that the thesis is done, I went and read the sequel, A Heart So Fierce And Broken.

I think I love A Heart more than A Curse.

Grey and Lia Mara have something so agonizing that Harper and Rhen lacked. Or, to say it otherwise, Harper and Rhen, for all that they are very modern versions of Belle et la Bête, are still constricted by the role they must play. The story, their story, has already been written, and they must play their part until the end, no matter the side quests on the way.

Of course, because A Curse is a play on B&tB, it's a variant, a critical adaptation, so reducing Rhen and Harper to just their motif is a bit mean. I honestly really love A Curse. I might be biased against it after months of learning about the og tale inside and out.

Meanwhile, Grey and Lia Mara occupy spaces of their own. Academic deformation or thesis post-trauma stress, I'm trying to think but I can't find the tale-type they'd belong too. They're not fairy tale archetypes developped into Fantasy characters, they are Fantasy characters exploring their own as-of-yet-unwritten story (all the stories have been told, but also, all the stories are still waiting to be told).

They are honestly fascinating, the guard turned long lost heir and the princess discarded who turns out to be the real power. There's so much anguish in them. So much self-sacrificing, self-effacing. Gods I should have included the book in my thesis, I could have drawn parallels between Rhen stuck in his role of Beast and Lia Mara in her role as the spare, Harper as the Beauty and Grey as the unwilling Prince... Dammit I'm having ideas now. Oh, well, let's keep them for when I'll give the PhD a try. Some years down the line.

Quote, because that passage made me weep a little. The weapon boy and the quiet reading girl. Oof. If that's not exactly my kind of favorite dynamic!

Also I'm a sucker for messy yet intense sibling relations and I'm soooo here for Harper and Jake, Lia Mara and Nolla Verin and especially Rhen and Grey. That's totally my jam.

#a curse so dark and lonely #a heart so fierce and broken #brigid kemmerer #beauty and the beast #the cursebreaker series #spoilers from the book but the fact that lilith is back and if she hadn't been there rhen and grey could have an actual brother relationshi #i'm yelling #rapha talks #rapha reads #books #literature #book recs #so i might be a bit traumatized by my thesis so what

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jessread-s · 2 years

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✩🌈⚒Review:

I LOVED returning to the Cursebreakers universe with “Forging Silver into Stars.” It was a dream come true to be able to reunite with some of my favorite characters and meet new ones along the way.

The novel takes place four years after the events of “A Vow So Bold and Deadly” and is told from Tycho, Jax, and Callyn’s points-of-view.

Having fallen in love with Tycho the moment he was introduced in “A Heart So Fierce and Broken,” I enjoyed reading from his perspective for the first time and seeing the young man he has grown into. As the King’s Courier, Tycho allows the reader to travel with him between Syhl Shallow and Emberfall. Through Tycho, we are able to explore new towns within the borders of the two kingdoms and get to know the people that inhabit them. Kemmerer also takes great care in revealing Tycho’s tragic past, which was merely touched upon in the “Cursebreakers” trilogy. A lot of his past hardships shed light on his motivations and deep-seated insecurities.

Like Tycho, Jax’s life has been full of misfortune. His mother died in childbirth and he lost one of his legs in an accident at the age of thirteen. As a result, Jax’s father physically and verbally abuses him. He also leaves Jax to keep their forge in business while he wastes away at one of the local taverns. His best friend Callyn helps him survive most days and with Tycho’s encouragement, he finds the confidence to become a skilled archer despite his father’s belief that he is worthless without both of his legs. I really appreciate the inclusion of Jax’s viewpoint because it allows for readers with dis/abilities to see themselves represented in literature.

Callyn has spent her entire life living just down the street from Jax in Briarlock. Her mother was killed in the war with Emberfall. Not able to overcome his grief, Callyn’s father dies shortly after in a siege against the Crystal Palace. At eighteen, Callyn is left to raise her younger sister Nora and run her family’s bakery. I absolutely love how fiercely protective Callyn is of Nora. Their sisterly bond is reminiscent of Lia Mara’s relationship with Nolla Verin in “A Heart So Fierce and Broken” and “A Vow So Bold and Deadly.” The two have gone through so much together and Kemmerer depicts Callyn’s grief in a way that is both beautiful and devastating.

Watching all three characters interact and grow close to one another was so much fun! Two different couples form as the novel progresses and all parties in each relationship start out as enemies before becoming lovers. This trope is my absolute favorite and I particularly loved how things developed between two LGBTQ+ characters. I am curious about which relationships will survive to the end of the series, because this book’s cliffhanger was wild! I cannot wait for book 2!

➤ 4.25 stars

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

@brigidkemmererwrites

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kiwichaeng · 2 years

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Love how normalised being gay is here in the Cursebreaker universe.

Oh, the crown prince of Disi fancies men? That's nice but is the royal physician really worth the prince?

Nolla Verin asking Lia Mara if she fancied Sorra instead of Parrish in book 2

Neither Grey nor Rhen batting an eye when Harper's brother drops in with a doctor boyfriend who saved Grey's life

The old married lesbian couple at the royal dinner party

And we see how it was a big shock for Jake and Noah who came from DC. Like the time when they visited this universe and Tycho heard Jake telling Grey about it.

#evie's random shit #what im saying is that I love this so much

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caffeinated-bibliophile · 1 year

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I'm trying to remember the last time I hated characters as much as I hate Karis Luran and Nolla Verin. I feel like it wasn't that long ago that I wished I could personally throttle a character, but I can't remember.

#currently reading #cursebreaker trilogy #i really really hate Karis Luran lol

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acourtofcouture · 3 years

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Lia Mara, Princess of Syhl Shallow, 4/?

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princessofdisi · 3 years

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Lia Mara: Why is there blood everywhere???

Nolla Verin: I may have aggressively poked someone with a knife.

Lia Mara: you sTABBED SOMEONE!!?!??

Nolla Verin: No, I aggressively poked someone with a knife.

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beccas-books · 3 years

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A Vow So Bold and Deadly

Things I liked:

- Rhen sort of redeemed himself to me in this book. He got better as the book went along. I’m happy that he yielded for the good of everyone. I think he’ll be much happier as a prince than as the king.

- I liked that it had a bit of an open ending. Like there were still some issues in the kingdom that may lead to another book. But also I'm happy where the series ended now. So either way I’m happy. If there's gonna be another book cool, but if not then that's cool too.

Things I didn't like:

- I feel like Nolla Verin was in on the plot against Lia Mara the whole time, but it was never addressed! Nolla Verin gives of really shady vibes, especially towards the end where she was trying to convince Lia Mara to go to war. And when she told them to stay in Emberfall because of the people attacking the castle gave me the vibe she just wanted her sister out of the picture so she could try to take over.

- The treatment of Tycho in this book was not my favorite. Like if he doesn't want to be a solider then let him not be one. Just let him be happy and not kill people. I don't understand why they had to beat around the bush with his story.

Overall:

- This book was better then the first one, but not as good as the second one. It felt like a nice ending to the story, but also the author left I open enough that there could be a fourth one. Not much was really interesting to me. It was a good book, but not great enough for me to go on and on about it. It had a good pace, it wasn't too boring but it wasn't too action packed. I like everyone in the book so seeing them all together finally was pretty fun. The final battle was good, but not amazing. So overall is a really good book but not a really great book. But if a fourth one does come out, I will be reading it.

- Rating: 4/5

#a vow so bold and deadly #crown prince rhen #princess harper #Jake cursebreaker #Noah cursebreaker #tycho #iisak #lilith #lia mara #nolla verin #commander grey #brigid kemmerer #cursebreaker #book review #book opinions

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saedii-gilwraeth-simp · 3 years

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I just got the last Cursebreakers book and tbh... my favourite character is the raging 16 year old side character princess who orders a person’s tongue cut out in the first chapter she appears in and just wants to see her older sister slap a bitch

#cursebreakers #vow so bold and deadly #nolla verin

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point-toxic · 3 years

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"There, there," she says after a moment. "Tell me who I can stab for you."

-A Vow so Bold and Deadly

#nolla verin #a vow so bold and deadly #sisters #death #books #book quotes #quotes #like #love #dark #bookworm

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starstruckturtlechild · 2 years

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i wanna write The Cursebreaker series review sooo badly, but i didn't time since i finished whole series. soooo imma try to start it asap. idk if i shoul post bits more often or whole review at once when i have time.

#acsdal #the cursebreaker series #a curse so dark and lonely #a vow so bold and deadly #a heart so fierce and broken #rhen #harper #grey #lia mara #nolla verin #karis luran #lillith #books #book lover #book blog #book

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welllpthisishappening · 3 years

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I just read the a curse so dark and lonely series like last week omg I’ll talk about it forever

Ok, ok, ok, yes. First, it’s important to know that I loved the first book. Loved. It. Thought it was a fresh and interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale and I was here for the characters and the story and the world building and the politics and the STORY. I say that twice because I think that’s where things get kind of muddled gong forward.

Was I cool with the way the first book ended? Yeah, sure—I liked Grey and I thought it was interesting with the way things turned, but the more I think about it, the more I think the first book could have been a standalone. We’re gong to go under the cut because spoilers:

Ok, so like I said, I liked Grey a lot. I liked how he was with Harper (would not have been totally upset by him and Harper making out??) and his relationship with Rhen was fascinating. But I think adding to his story stretched the story a bit too thin. There was already SO MUCH going on in Emberfall that adding Shyl Shallow was like—oh God, there’s a lot happening. Y’know what I mean?

Also, uh, potentially controversial opinion, but I wasn’t super sold on Lia Mara. Her POVs were kind of...not totally boring, but kind of boring. Also, THEY’D JUST BROKEN THE CURSE. I know it wasn’t Rhen and Harper’s book anymore, but THEY’D JUST BROKEN THE CURSE. I wanted that. I wanted repercussions and consequences and for Rhen and Harper to actually decide they actually liked each other because sometimes that was hard to figure out.

Which brings us to A Vow So Bold and Deadly.

Wanting to shake literally everyone in this story was occasionally the point of this story, but YO DID I WANT TO SHAKE EVERYONE IN THIS STORY. Except Noah, who has never done anything wrong in his life. And while everyone was deserving a shake I was still like do Rhen and Harper actually like each other?? And I wasn’t really sure I ever got the answer because:

THERE WAS SO MUCH GOING ON AND TOO MANY POVS and because there were so many POVs, everything towards the end felt...more than a little rushed. I had to GO BACK and check that Lilith was dead. Which is not great! All of this happened in like a page and also Rhen turned back into the monster and everyone was like how will he turn back??? And Harper said something like: we already know we love each other.

NO WE ABSOLUTELY DO NOT.

Anyway, fine. That’s fine. They don’t have to actively say they love each other to be in love, but—woulda been nice! Also, let’s talk about the end. So this whole story starts with Rhen and Harper and their maybe-there love and getting back control of the kingdom and then—

They just don’t??? I know, I know, Grey is the older brother and therefore the rightful heir, but I kind of thought he’d go back and rule with Lia Mara in Shyl Shallow and Rhen and Harper would stay in Emberfall and they’d have an alliance? I did not think Grey would be king of Emberfall and be like, oh yeah, Rhen you and Harper can stay in the castle. What?!? W H A T?? It just felt like Rhen and Harper got the ultimate short end of the stick. Like what were they going to do? For like...the rest of their lives?

Listen, Rhen was kind of a shit guy occasionally, but he’d also been STRAIGHT UP TORTURED FOR VERY CLOSE TO AN ETERNITY and no one ever really acknowledged that? He lost an eye?!?! He had to burn all those people??? Not every story gets a perfectly tied up happily ever after, but Rhen at least deserved something. (Maybe Harper telling him she loved him? Who can say?)

(Also was Noah cool with just living in Emberfall forever? Cool he loved Jake and followed Jake and Jake was cool with Grey now, but...he just left behind everything? Everyone thought he had magic? They hated that???)

Speaking of magic, I cannot believe this is the end because there were so many loose ends that just weren’t tied up. Everything in Shyl Shallow. Everyone wanting to kill Lia Mara. Everyone wanting to kill Grey. Nolla Verin being something of a psycho. They just left those there.

And lastly: LIA MARA BEING PREGNANT. This is not so much a hanging plot-thread as much as a personal pet peeve of Gilmore Girls-like Lane has sex once and is suddenly pregnant. I just—hate that. I hate it. Also, Noah’s the only intelligent person here.

This got very long-winded and makes it sound like I did not enjoy the book. Which I didn’t love it nearly as much as I did the first one, but I still appreciated the world building and most of the plot. The end was just so rushed and more than once I was like, oh, wait that just happened. When it ended I legit said, out loud, huh, it’s done, then.

#a curse so dark and lonely #a vow so bold and deadly #oh! oh!#i will say though #that the angst in the last book? top tier #like i shouted about it to justin #that was legit #stealing-vengence #laura rambles #laura reads books

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fangirlingdweeb · 4 years

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A few nights later, I am sparring with Jake while Tycho and Nolla Verin trade blows nearby. He’s yelling taunts at her every time she lands a hit with her sword, which is hilarious because she could likely slice him in two. Her face is shining, though, and she laughs each time. It’s the lightest I’ve ever seen her.

We watch Tycho and Nolla Verin spar for a while, but their match has devolved into more laughter than actual swordplay.

Tycho and Nolla Verin, i'm looking at you.

#okay something's definitely going on with these two #i aint complaining tho #aHHHHHHH #i miss the gang already 😭#brigid kemmerer #a heart so fierce and broken #the cursebreakers series

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jessread-s · 2 years

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✩🌿☁️ Review:

I really wanted to love the final novel in the cursebreakers trilogy, but it was just not for me. The characters I knew and loved from books 1 & 2 completely changed in “A Vow So Bold and Deadly.” Rhen falls prey to his insecurities and lashes out. Harper lets fear and anger cloud her decision making. Grey truly becomes “scary Grey,” treating Harper so coldly. Lia Mara allows Nolla Verin, her sister, to undermine her, portraying her as a weak ruler. So much of the conflict created between these characters was unnecessary and could have easily been resolved had they communicated with each other. I was most disappointed by the novel’s ending. Two of my favorite characters got the short end of the stick, leaving me feeling upset, confused, and unsatisfied. All that being said, there are many aspects of “A Vow So Bold and Deadly” that I enjoyed. Kemmerer’s writing is just fantastic. As with the previous two books, it did not take long for me to become fully immersed in the world she created. Alternating between Harper, Rhen, Grey, and Lia Mara’s perspectives felt natural and the fighting sequences were not hard to follow. While this novel is not my favorite, I am excited to return to Emberfall in “Forging Silver into Stars!” ➤ 4.0 stars

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

@brigidkemmererwrites

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jasminereadsbooks · 3 years

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I just finished reading A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer and I absolutely loved my time reading it. ⁣ I hate the fact that it took me so long to read this. I loved the new characters and the old. We got to see a lot more of Jacob, Harper’s brother in this book along with his boyfriend Noah and I just loved that. ⁣ I enjoyed lia Mara and Nolla Verin, they had a strong sisterly bond and it faced a lot of hardships in AHsFaB. ⁣ I just love my gorgeous Fairyloot exclusive editions. Do you have a favourite exclusive edition that you own or you really want? ⁣ #bookstagram #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookaddict #booklover #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #igreads #epicreads #goodreads #prettybooks #readersofinstagram #readingismagic #aheartsofierceandbroken #acursesodarkandlonely #brigidkemmerer #beautyandthebeastretelling https://www.instagram.com/p/CHZ-Y2dgUNd/?igshid=8zad8oom2d0f

#bookstagram #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookaddict #booklover #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #igreads #epicreads #goodreads #prettybooks #readersofinstagram #readingismagic #aheartsofierceandbroken #acursesodarkandlonely #brigidkemmerer #beautyandthebeastretelling

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jesslikesbooks · 3 years

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I have finally finished the Cursebreaker series!

In the final instalment, A Vow so Bold and Deadly, we read from the perspectives of Grey, Lia Mara, Harper and Rhen, getting a taste of every side of this dynamic story. Emberfall and Shyl Shallow are soon to be at war. But while the impending war looms over them, Rhen continues to battle with the ever-present enchantress Lilith. Meanwhile, Grey slowly but surely masters his magic to not only defeat Emberfall, but also to put an end to Lilith himself. The two sides finally come together in an exciting end. But I won't spoil it.

I absolutely loved this book. I could barely put it down. The emotion that Kemmerer puts onto every page is breathtaking. Though I can’t relate to magical threats or horseback riding, I felt like I could really feel what the characters were feeling- the inner conflict, the desperation, the undying love. Even the side characters like Nolla Verin were complex and unexpected at times.

It’s hard to even nit-pick this book. It’s just that good. If anything I’m sad it’s the last one of the series. Definitely recommend.

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acourtofcouture · 4 years

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Lia Mara, Princess of Syhl Shallow, 3/?

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