A Heart so Fierce and Broken

By Brigid Kemmerer

From Goodreads

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 in Emberfall. 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 heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places.

My Review

This book is primarily told in two people’s POV, Grey and Lia Mara. The book starts off with a chapter in Harper’s POV and ends with a chapter in Rhen’s POV.

I liked Grey a lot in the first book, A Curse so Dark and Lonely. But I really fell for him in A Heart so Fierce and Broken. His character development is fantastic. No longer a royal guard, he’s forced to see himself in a different manner. Which, of course, is a very difficult thing to do. He makes new friends in that are a lot of fun to read about. He also spends a lot of time with characters from the first book and gives us a deeper look into their story as well.

In A Heart so Fierce and Broken we meet Lia Mara. Lia Mara is the daughter of the wretched Queen Karis Luran. But thankfully Lia Mara is nothing like her mother. She does not agree with her mother’s actions regarding Emberfall and that leads her to make a very bold move that almost immediately backfires. But because of that move, she ends up meeting Grey.

Grey and Lia Mara’s romance is a slow burn, which I am a fan of. I’m really glad that Kemmerer didn’t do a love triangle between Harper, Rhen, and Grey. I liked the pacing of this book and I loved how we got equal POV chapters from Grey and Lia Mara. I enjoyed reading this book so much! Just when I thought I knew what was coming, the very last chapter turned it all upside down. I cannot wait for A Vow so Bold and Deadly!