Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

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Summary

After the curse is finally broken in Emberfall, everything can turn back to normal. At least, that’s what Harper thought. Now, everyone is questioning Rhen’s place ruling the country. Especially since there are rumors that there’s another heir that could take his place. An heir that possesses magic.

Now, Grey is on the run, since it’s rumored that he knows about the heir. Or he could be the heir. Either way, he has no desire to challenge Rhen for the crown, after all that’s happened between them. But when Karis Luran threatens to take over Emberfall, Grey might not have any other choice. How else can he save the country he loves?

Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Thanks to Bloomsbury YA and Edelweiss for an early copy of this book to review! Ever since reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely last year I’ve become a huge fan of Brigid Kemmerer. She creates such believable, well-rounded characters that you can’t help but root for. This book was no different. While Harper and Rhen are in the book, we get a different viewpoint, giving us a bigger picture of this world she’s created.

At first I was a bit hesitant about a sequel here, since the original is a retelling and the story is over. But Kemmerer did an excellent job expanding on the original story. We’re introduced to a completely new culture in this book, one where women are the ruling class (huzzah!). That in itself was fascinating to me. It wasn’t about birth order for their ruler, but about who was the strongest and most fit. I loved getting those chapters and seeing more from this expansive world. And there’s going to be another book! So, we’ll get to see even more!

The development of characters is also believable. Rhen has this terrible thing happen to him for all this time, and you can tell that he’s trying to figure out how to cope with it. And he doesn’t do it well, at times. Though we don’t get to hear from him in this book, the pieces we see of him fit with what we know. There are great discussions about coping with trauma, even in this book set in a totally different world. I can’t wait to see even more of this develop in the next book, too.

All in all, Kemmerer doesn’t suffer from the second novel syndrome. Strong characters in an interesting world makes for an interesting story.

4.5/5 stars