#Review - Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer #Fantasy #Romance

Series: Braided Fate # 1
Format: Hardcover, 408 pages
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Avon
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Romance

Fates collide and passions ignite in New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s steamy adult fantasy debut about three characters torn between chasing, betraying, and craving each other: a princess caught between duty and desire, the fearsome warrior king she’s promised to, and the assassin tasked with hunting them down.

WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his land is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that their royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his kingdom flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how this blaze began.

PRINCESS. With enemies advancing on Astranza, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous secret: her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she’s deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

Warrior Princess Assassin is the first installment in author Brigid Kemmerer's Braided Fate trilogy. This is the author's first attempt at adult romantic fantasy. The story revolves around 3 key characters: 

King Maddox Kyronan of Incendrian, Astranza Princess Majoriana, aka Jory, and Asher, a member of the Hunters Guild who has been Jory's best friend most of their lives. King Maddox Kyronan, a fire-wielding warrior king of Incendar, is desperate to save his drought-stricken kingdom from ruin. 

His solution lies in a marriage alliance with Princess Jory of Astranza, whose royal family is rumored to possess weather-manipulating magic that could restore his lands. However, Ky harbors a dangerous secret about the origins of his kingdom’s blaze, adding layers of tension to his mission. Jory, meanwhile, is trapped by her brother Prince Dane’s political machinations, forced into an engagement she doesn’t want while hiding the truth that her family’s magic is fading, threatening Astranza’s stability. Enter Asher, Jory’s childhood friend turned assassin, who now works for the Hunter’s Guild. 

When tasked with killing both Ky and Jory, Asher faces an impossible choice between his duty to the Guild and his lingering feelings for Jory—and, unexpectedly, a growing attraction to Ky. The story unfolds over a matter of days, with the trio navigating assassination attempts, treacherous travel, and their own conflicting emotions. As they flee danger together, their relationships evolve from distrust to tentative alliance. Ky is a standout—a warrior king whose fearsome reputation belies a compassionate, sharp-witted nature that makes him both commanding and relatable. 

Jory’s journey from a sheltered, naive princess to someone grappling with her kingdom’s secrets is compelling, though her initial naivety can occasionally frustrate. Asher, with his traumatic past (including time spent in a brothel after being exiled), brings emotional depth and moral ambiguity, making his choices the emotional core of the story. The plot, while light on action in the middle, is driven by secrets and mistrust, particularly around the mysterious Draegonis and the origins of Incendar’s fires. 

The political machinations, especially Prince Dane’s sinister control over Jory, provide a strong foundation for the trilogy’s larger conflicts. If you are into polyamorous dynamics in a love triangle, this story is for you. If not, perhaps it would be best served to pass on it, and read something else. That is what I have decided to do.  

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#Review - Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer #YA #Fantasy

Series: Defy the Night # 2
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Release Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

In the eagerly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller Defy The Night author Brigid Kemmerer continues her electrifying series with more royal intrigue, more sizzling romance, and shocking twists that will leave readers breathless.

What will they sacrifice to save their kingdom?
Their honor?
Their love?
Their lives?

Tessa Cade has gone from masked outlaw to palace advisor, but even with her newfound power, she can't stop the sickness still raging. And the kingdom's supply of Moonflower elixir dwindles all the while. Prince Corrick is trying to find a new way to lead, but it isn't easy to repair the rift between the royals and the people--or the one growing between himself and Tessa.

When an emissary from a neighboring kingdom arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey to find a new source of the lifesaving elixir. But with tensions brewing on deck and the sea swirling below, 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 . . . 

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.  

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#Review - Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer #YA #Fantasy

Series: Defy the Night # 1
Format: E-Galley, 496 pages
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Publisher:  Bloomsbury YA
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a brand-new blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption—and the girl who will risk everything to bring the system crashing down.

The land of Kandala is recovering from a devastating plague, with a cure so rare that only the wealthy can afford it. Tessa is one of the many in the lower class, whose parents were killed for distributing the cure on the black market. She continues their legacy by stealing supplies to give to those in need, along with help from her partner, the suave and mysterious Weston Lark.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works, Tessa hatches a dangerous plan to infiltrate the castle and break down the class barriers for good.

Set in a fantasy world startlingly similar to our own, Brigid Kemmerer's new series illuminates the divide between those with power and those without. . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to flip the system.

Defy the Night is the first installment in a brand new series by author Brigid Kemmerer. The story alternates between 18-year-old Tessa Cade, and Prince Corrick, aka Weston Lake. The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand, and his consul's are at each others throats trying to one up on each other.  

When his parents were assassinated 4 years ago, King Harristan was thrust into power, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King's Justice. The brothers learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion--it's the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited. But Corrick also has a secret identity, Weston Lake, only known to one other person.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade, who watched as her parents were murdered for treason and black market dealing, is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes, who saved her life the night her parents were killed and wears a mask to hide his real identity, risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most--but it's still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King's Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. After being caught by the King's Guards, Tessa finds comfort in the most unusual places as well as finding out that her partner of two years isn't who she thought he was. There was a secret aspect to their relationship to protect them both if one or the other was caught. After Tessa is captured, she discovers a hard truth about her best friend. Now, Tessa has to find a way to help not only her people, but King Harristan as well who appears to be sick with a fever.

Harristan and his brother are also dealing with a rebellion by the Tessa's people and it's not just the people they need to worry about. Certain Consul members would love nothing more than to see Harristan and Corrick removed from power permanently. With Tessa involved in the mix, she suddenly becomes a key voice of reason between angry factions. She also finds that Harristan isn't the villain she's made him out to be for the past 2 years. 

This story is definitely the authors own retelling of Robin Hood. This may be neither here nor there, but with the author coming out with a new book next year, a sequel in this series might be a year or more away. The author intends to return to her Cursebreakers series but 4 years in the future. 

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#Review - A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer #YA #Fantasy

Series: The Cursebreaker Series # 3
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: January 26, 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Brigid Kemmerer’s bestselling Cursebreaker series continues as old enemies resurface and friends become foes.

Face your fears, fight the battle.

Emberfall is torn between those who follow Rhen and those who are eager to begin a new era under the true heir, Grey. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Rhen, and in that time, Rhen has sought the assistance of a spy despite Harper's doubts.

Fight the battle, save the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow with a gentler hand than her mother. But some of her subjects aren't happy that Lia Mara has an enchanted prince and magical scraver by her side. As Grey's deadline draws nearer, Lia Mara is forced to question whether or not she can remain allied to his cause.
This compulsively readable saga continues as two kingdoms come closer to conflict—and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all. 

A Vow So Bold and Deadly is the third and final installment in author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreakers. What began as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, has turned into something else entirely. This story revolves around four characters: Grey, Rhen, Harper, and Lia Mara. The story begins with Grey in Syhl Swallow after he granted Rhen 60 days to prepare for war. Meanwhile, Rhen, whose curse was broken by Harper, is holed up in Ironrose Castle trying to bring his Grand Marshal's to an agreement to provide troops, but they don't trust him after he was stuck in beast form after having been cursed by Lilith. 

With rumors spreading far and wide about an unknown heir, his own people are turning against him as well. What does he have to do to earn their respect? He's also holding a damaging secret about Lilith that could shatter his relationship with Harper. Harper, who is still playing the part of a Princess from Disi, is hearing rumblings that she's a traitor for not providing the necessary resources to protect Emberfall from Grey. Syhl Swallow is where we also find Lia Mara as the new Queen who is struggling to find a common ground with her people. She desperately wants peace and doesn't to go to war against Rhen. 

Her last meeting with Rhen didn't go all that well, but she has Harper to thank for saving her life. Lia Mara at least has Grey by her side helping train her soldiers to prepare for war if it comes to it. Lia Mia is being pushed and pulled not only by her advisers, but by her own sister Nolla Verin who seems not to have the courage to stand by Lia Mia until much later in the program. Nolla was also the heir designated until Lia Mia took the crown from her mother. A faction of her own people are afraid of magic, and therefore Grey who is a magicsmith. Lia Mara also faces challenges by her inner circle who are aiming at a much grander scale for Syhl Swallow. 

Grey is also finding problems. He is now in a land where men are only valued for the ability to carry heavy loads and the willingness to die in battle when ordered. He faces language issues with Lia Mara's captains and soldiers. He continues to try to protect Tyche, while also learning magic from Iisak. He, like Lia Mara would love to find a peaceful solution to not going to war and killing thousands of innocent people, but how do you get thru to someone you gave years of your life to protect?

Once again, Harper, who has cerebral palsy, makes some really dumb mistakes in this story. But you don't want to hold it against her since she's dealing with her own weaknesses and failures by not going with Grey and her brother when they left, and not doing more by standing with Rhen against everything he's had to deal with. When tragedy hits Ironrose Castle, Harper gets credit for doing the near impossible in reaching out to Grey, who she still believes is her friend, and her own brother who has become Grey's second in command.  

Harper's terrifying journey to stop a war, and fight against Lilith, brings about a bit of hope and change with her. It makes what eventually happens that more satisfying. I think the more interesting aspect of this story is that there really is only one villain and that's Lilith. Lilith's machinations towards Rhen drive what happens in this book. Lilith's determination to crush anyone who takes a stand against her, makes for a very dark and bloody story. I do have a whole lot to say about the ending. 

First, it was too abrupt. All the build up to a war between Gray and Rhen fizzles out quickly. Rhen was so stubborn throughout the story, but in the end it took almost nothing for him to surrender and become a man with an unknown future. Grey, who stood by Rhen while he was cursed, is now thrust into a new position while Rhen is supposed to do what with his life now? It's not like Harper wants to return to a home that has no future for her or her brother. So, what next?

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#Review - A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer #YA #Fantasy #Romance

Series: The Cursebreaker Series # 2
Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Romance

Brigid Kemmerer continues her bestselling fantasy series in another tale full of dark magic, new love, and a kingdom on the edge of ruin.

Find the heir, win the crown. The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom. Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen—until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

A Heart So Fierce is the second installment in author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreakers series. While the first book in the series alternated between Rhen and Harper, this story alternates between Lia Mara (from the land of Syhl Shallow), and Grey, once commander of the Royal Guard of Emberfall under Rhen. As a timeline, this story takes place several months after the ending of A Curse So Dark and Lonely. 

The nightmare curse has been broken. The people of Emberfall no longer have to feel terror from the monster unleashed every season. But, with rumors of a true heir who is also a magesmith spreading across the country, the people are questioning Rhen’s authority and Emberfall is on the brink of collapse and civil war. Rhen is determined to find this magesmith no matter the price and put an end to magic in Emberfall which has cause so much damage. 

The book opens with Harper. Harper was the girl who broke the curse. Since then, she's been passed off as a Princess from Disi to send a message to Rhen's enemies that he has support from an unknown land. Her brother Jake, and his lover Noah, are also still in Emberfall wishing they could go home. Harper and Rhen don’t get too much story time in this book. They appear at the beginning of the story and the end when the culmination of the journey ends with a huge twist.  

Grey has no intention of claiming the throne, so he chooses a life of hiding instead. With Rhen's army gaining traction with their hunt for the magesmith, Grey’s days in hiding are ending. At the same moment in time, 18-year old Lia Mara, her mother Karis Luran, and her 16-year old sister Nolla Verin, are headed to Emberfall to negotiate a truce between Rhen and Syhl Shallow. Karis, who has left a path of destruction far and wide, wants to conquer Emberfall by putting Rhen in a position he can't squirm his way out of. 

She also wants to find Grey while replacing her daughter Nolla Verin with Harper in order to unite the countries. The alliance is rejected by Rhen but that doesn’t stop Lia from attempting a different approach. Even though Lia Mara is the eldest, she isn't heir to the crown. Nolla is. Lia is the book smart elder sister who has no power whatsoever nor does she have any say in what her mother or her sister, for that matter, does in regard to running the country. Lia Mara tries to peacefully negotiate with Rhen, he refuses to be fooled again and imprisons her. Lia Mara’s only hope for escape is to enlist the help of Grey.  

Grey connects with a boy named Tycho who learns of Grey's secret but stands by Grey right till the end of the story. In fact, Tycho, along with Jake, and Noah, become centerpieces for Grey's staunchest supporters. Grey's unwillingness to destroy his own country, or his own brother for that matter, shows a whole lot of grit and determination. At any point in the story, Grey could have stepped forward and told Rhen, or Harper for that matter, who he was. But then we wouldn't have had this story, would we?

The ending of this book left me shattered. I do not see good things happening for Harper who I absolutely missed in this story. Harper, who has cerebral palsy, has never once let her condition slow her down. She put her faith in Rhen, and with his choice in the end, I don't see how she can walk away unscathed without returning to her own world. I also don't recognize Rhen. He's become someone I just can't like any longer. Yes, he has tough choices to make. 

But, why risk the woman you claim to love? Lia isn't one to use a sword to get what she needs. She uses her mind, and her determination instead. The connection with Grey and Lia grows slowly. I think at first Grey respected her and then notices how she isn't a wilting flower that needs anyone's help. Part of the story does take place in Syhl Shallow. The rest of the story is Grey and Lia trying to stay one step ahead of Rhen and figuring out how to survive against Lia's mother. 

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#Review - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer #YALit #Fantasy

Series: A Curse So Dark and Lonely #1
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

This lush retelling of Beauty and the Beast features a kingdom in peril and a heart-stopping romance—perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Prince Rhen is cursed. He spurned the wrong woman and is now forced to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year until he can convince another to love him. His fate would be bearable, but at the end of every season, he transforms into a dangerous monster. After his subjects learned to fear the castle on the hill, Rhen sent Grey, the last member of his guard, to find young women in other worlds.

Harper is cursed by reality. Her father left and her mother is losing her fight with cancer. When Harper sees Grey abducting a woman from the streets of D.C., she intervenes, only to get sucked into Rhen’s world. Now, Harper is trapped. But when Harper proves to be more than just another girl to charm, Rhen realizes he can do more than break the curse . . . he can save his kingdom once and for all.

 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is Brigid Kemmerer retelling of Beauty and the Beast. For over 300 seasons, Prince Rhen of Emberfall has been cursed to turn into a shape shifting monster that kills everything in his path. The only way to break the curse is to find true love. For each of these seasons, his royal guard Grey, is the only one able to cross into our world to bring back one woman who may be able to provide true love and break the curse.  

Rhen's curse forces him to keep repeating the autumn of his 18th birthday until he can get one of the women his commander kidnaps to fall in love with him. Rhen is growing desperate. His family is gone, his guards and his army is gone, and his people are falling into poverty and disrepair. He's being tormented at every turn by the woman he scorned leading to Rhen being cursed. He is losing hope. 

Meanwhile in DC, Harper’s brother Jacob is the enforcer for a local loan shark, as a way to pay off their father’s debts and protect their terminally ill mother. While he tries to protect her, Harper helps in anyway she can. When keeping lookout on his latest job, Harper sees a man attempting to kidnap a woman. Harper leaps into action with a trusty crowbar, but finds that she is kidnapped instead. Harper, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy, is transported to Rhen’s alternate world, where she may be his last chance at love. 

However, she is not interested in a guy who kidnapped her or the Captain of the Guard who took her away from home. As Harper continues to try to run away and get back home, even though Rhen is powerless to return her, she begins building friendships with the people of this new world. In Emberfall, Harper becomes a princess from Disi, who tries to help Rhen's people in their time of need. Will Harper and Rhen be able to find love in each other and end the curse?

Harper is stubborn, hot-headed and wonderfully courageous; her flaws make her a very real protagonist that you can root for and fully understood, even when you disagree. Harper never once complains about her CP. In fact, I can say that it makes her more genuine. As a reader, I understand that Rhen was under a curse. I understood that his curse was causing him to change into a beast and kill innocent people. 

But, when the time actually came to meet said beast, the story was nearly over. I really liked Grey. I liked his relationship with Harper, and his protectiveness of Rhen even when Rhen needed a good kick in the ass. With the way this book ends, there is hope that the next book in the series, A Heart S Fierce and Broken, will feature Grey. I hope it's Grey and not Harper's brother Jacob who took a lot of time for me to warm up to.

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