I absolutely loved this book. It is perfect combination of adventure, fantasy, and romance. I finished this book in one day I could not put it down.

Defend the Dawn is the thrilling and highly anticipated sequel to DEFY THE NIGHT. The story is by far Brigid Kemmerers best book and will leave you dying for more. With the insane plot and the amazing characters it will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. He twists and turns will leave you with whiplash but the romance will make your heart throb! Cannot wait for book 3!!

THIS IS A MUST READ.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book.***

Pirates, Political Intrigue, Deadly Virus, Skilled Healer FMC, romance

What more could you ask for!

If you’re looking for a political ya fantasy this is the series for you! I love how we got to see more of the world and get introduced to a bunch of new characters in book 2. And the ENDING! It will leave you desperate for book 3

Real Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Oh, what a difference some more writing experience makes!

If you read the acknowledgements at the back of “Defy the Night”, Brigid Kemmerer fully admitted she completed the first draft of that book before she even started the Cursebreakers trilogy. It was after that series was over that she then returned to DtN, then wrote the brilliant “Forging Silver Into Stars”, and then set out to write this absolutely brilliant sequel to DtN, “Defend the Dawn”.

There’s a long tradition of middle books in fantasy/fantasy romance trilogies being better than their predecessors (“A Court of Mist and Fury” or “The Kingdom of Copper”, for example), and this tradition proves true again in “Defend the Dawn”. I rated “Defy the Night” 3.5 stars due to the muddled feel of the whole book, the plot holes, and some glaringly obvious points that the characters should have been able to spot a mile away, which left me feeling insulted as a reader. “Defend the Dawn” more than makes up for those deficits while simultaneously showcasing everything I love about Brigid Kemmerer’s writing: her unique characters and how she makes us care for them, how she does character development in a realistic and holistic manner, and the way she writes compelling, realistic, and sincere dialogue for them.

This book picks up about two weeks after “Defy the Night” ended, and it seems that nothing much has changed because the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, especially when some people are doing their best to make sure they don’t turn much at all. At least, not unless they’re given the right kind of grease. Relationships and relations are all strained to the point of breaking, and no one exactly knows what to do to get anywhere.

But then a foreign ship pulls into port…

We get to know so many more characters this time around. The plot is more clear and more streamlined. Some issues that were alluded to in the first book are confirmed in this book (a line that could’ve been dismissed as a throwaway line early on in the first book (but I took great note of it) indeed proved to be of note near the end of this book) and some threads that were left loose at the end of the first book were tied up in this book while others were left loose and teasing to be tied up in the next book, just as it should be.

I originally thought this was meant to be a duology, but it seems it’s meant to be a trilogy, because “Defend the Dawn” does end on one heck of a cliffhanger. My sole complaint with this book is that there were a few sections were the pacing seemed just a little too slow, but it’s barely worth noting.

Emotions run high, the angst is real, there is danger and action throughout, and the morals come in all shades of gray. It’s a great time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book immediately follows the events of Defy the Night, so yes, you need to read that one first to fully enjoy this sequel.
Kandala is still being plagued by the dreaded fever sickness and it's only known cure supply is dwindling. The Kingdom of Ostriary could be the only chance to save the people of Kandala but there is danger of course for both Tessa and Corrick as they navigate dangerous waters, confront their feelings for one another and attempt to move forward with their relationship.

When i got to the end, and realized that yes, there will be a third book, it made sense to me that this book was slower in progression than the first to me. It also made since that this was just a placeholder for say the first 2/3rds of the book.

The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I was INVESTED in these characters LOL.

So really, its filler for the next book but as with all trilogies, you have to pay attention to the details because they always become more important in the third book!

All in all, even though it dragged a bit until the later 3rd of the book, I did enjoy the journey!

While i found that this was slower in progression, I was soooo invested in the characters that I read through it so quickly.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am convinced Brigid is a genius. I am OBSESSED with her writing and her worlds. Defend the Dawn was just an incredible as Defy the Night. This was full of more incredible world building, a build up of excitement and my love for these characters. I think Tessa is my favorite character of Brigid’s. Her determination, her character and her endless selflessness is incredible. I can not get over how good this was. I highly recommend it!

3.5 Stars.

I really liked Defy the Night so I was excited to continue the journey but it was a slow start. Some of the things I loved about the first book felt tedious in this one. The inner turmoil and anxieties were a continuation, not a progression. The slower pace combined with the repetitious thoughts provide no development for our main characters. They didn’t seem to go anywhere even as they changed physical locations.

There’s a lot that felt like a repeat. No spoilers, but it just felt unimaginative and a missed opportunity for something new and exciting. Still, it does eventually get somewhere. The last quarter of the book finally gives some action and adventure. The “reveals” aren’t particularly surprising but it at least gives some change and some things to look forward to in book 3.

Mostly, Defend the Dawn felt like a filler book to get the characters set up for, what I hope, will be the exciting next step. No character is left behind, they’re all integrated into the plot, waiting for what comes next. I’m still invested, though mildly cautious in my future expectations.

* I received a free early e-copy.

Defend the Dawn is the second book in a trilogy and really acts like it. Where Defy the Night ended at a nice stopping point, Defend the Dawn doesn't add much to the series except a host of questions and a larger list of constraints Corrick has to act within.

I did not think I could love Brigid Kemmerer's characters and world-building more than I did after Defy the Night. But then came Defend the Dawn, which blew my expectations out of the water (pun intended).

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

Defend the Dawn is the second in a series set in the kingdom of Kandala, which has been ravaged by a mysterious fever illness for years. The only treatment/cure is Moonflower, which only grows in certain sectors. Throw in an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romance and fresh, juicy fantasy political intrigue, and Defy the Night quickly became one of my top YA reads in years.

After an uneasy truce was reached in Defy the Night, Defend the Dawn sees Tessa, Prince Corrick, King Harriston, and enemies and allies at court try to find a solution to the Moonflower and simmering rebellion problem. In the midst of exhausting infighting, a mysterious emissary captain arrives claiming he's an emissary from a kingdom across the treacherous sea.

In a desperate move to help their people and quell the rebellion, Tessa and Corrick embark on a sea voyage back to Captain Blakemore's country - which requests steels in exchange for a literal boatload of Moonflower.

If you thought the tension (political and sexual) was high in Defy the Night and in the beginning of Defend the Dawn, just wait until everyone's stuck on a ship. Lots of stress, brooding alpha male energy, and very few places to expend it.

And that's also where the action and intensity heat up, giving us even more of an emotional roller coaster.

While Defy the Night was heavier on world-building and fleshing out the mercurial persona of Prince Corrick, it was great to spend more time in Tessa's mind and learn more about her motivations. The same goes for King Harriston, who struggles to keep his kingdom together while Corrick (the King's Justice) is away.

I flew through the third act of this book, which ended on an intense and emotional cliffhanger from which I will never recover.

Defend the Dawn is a wonderful follow up to the first in the series, Defy the Night. Tessa and Corrick are back but this time on a boat navigating both the waters and their feelings towards each other. There are plenty of action packed twists and turns that kept me highly entertained. Amidst all the adventure and angst is solid world building and dynamic characters. Readers are also introduced to a surprising new outlaw to round out the conflict. The story is told from multiple points of view. As someone who often struggles with this kind of narration, I have no problem at all. The point of view transitions are clear and easy to follow.

Overall, a great addition to the series and one not to be missed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer.

It’s been a year since Brigid Kemmerer introduced readers to a young apothecary and a dangerous prince with Defy the Night. Now, in Defend the Dawn she continues Tess and Corrick’s story. While you don’t have to reread the first book in this series to understand what’s going on, it’s definitely worth doing to refresh your memory and catch the nuances.

As with its predecessor, it’s hard to say much about Defend the Dawn without giving away too much. There are some really good plot twists that expand the world Kemmerer has deftly created. It doesn’t take long before you are swept away by her overall storytelling.

Kemmerer’s strength lies in her ability to balance plot and world-building to create a cohesive whole. You’re never distracted by flowery prose or stuck wondering how her world works. Her immersive writing makes Defend the Dawn hard to put down.

Second books in series can often feel like a bridge from Point A to Point B. Though it sets the scene for a compelling third book, Defend the Dawn is anything but a bridge. Characters continue to evolve; plotlines end and others begin. It feels like a complete novel.

Defend the Dawn is an addictive read — I stayed up late reading rather than waiting until the next day to finish the final 75 pages. My only complaint is that I have to wait for the next book to come out.

I didn't just read this book. I devoured this book. I shouldn't be surprised. After reading Kemmerer's Defy the Night last year and loving it and then subsequently reading all her other fantasy books, I should know by now how well her words work for me.

Defy the Night has a great ending and one filled with uncertainty. Tessa is in the palace now, helping the King and the King's Justice as an apothecary. Tensions are high after the events of Defy the Night and attempts at bringing the counsel and rebels together are proving fruitless. Change comes with the arrival of a stranger from abroad who claims to be there as help from a neighboring kingdom. Corrick and Tessa must journey to this kingdom, trusting only the word of this stranger and what follows is a journey of faith, trust, love, betrayal and adventure.

The ending of this book just about killed me. I couldn't stop turning the pages and I need to reread the last 100 pages of this book so I can understand fully what happened because my heart was in my throat the entire time. I love these characters so much and Brigid is so adept at building on the foundation she lays.

When I finished Defy the Night I had so many questions about the role of the king and his court and that of the rebels as well as about the mysterious sickness. Brigid clearly knew exactly what my issues were because this book doubles down while at the same time hinting that not everyone is on the same side here.

This was a high stakes fantasy with great characters and relationships and I cannot wait to read more.

Thank you SO much to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great sequel! Even though most of the plot takes place on a ship with limited characters there is just so much going on. There are secrets, fights, love stories, and tons of drama. The author built so much tension into the story that towards the end I couldn't put it down.

I enjoyed the development of Corrick and Tessa's relationship as they learn to trust each other. I liked how hot and cold this relationship was and it wasn't just automatic instalove. I also liked the new characters that were added in and the drama they brought to the story.

I've been struggling with how to classify this book. It is a little fantasy but with almost no magic or myth. I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking to get into the fantasy genre.

I've read the first book of the series and with the ending of the first, I didn't have very high hopes for this one.

I was overall right in my premonitions. It's very average in terms of young adult fantasy romance books but it'll hit the right spot for those that really want more of that.

But I do have some gripes with the book. The major one being the only openly gay character in the book dies in the same chapter he appears in this predominantly straight cisgender characters. This would not be an issue if there were more queer characters in the story but the fact that this is the only openly gay character and he's died within the same chapter of introduction has really put me off as a reader as I am not a fan of the "bury your gays" trope as it's rooted in a lot of problematic depictions of queer characters.

The perspective of the king's outings is also just very pointless. It's another perspective that just doesn't add much to the story that hasn't been said already and I feel that Harrison just didn't have enough time to grow as a character. It was just retreading the same ground for the most part and the only time I got invested was the possibility of a male love interest for him since it was a very unique route that it could go for the character but we all know how that went.

Overall, it's not bad if we ignore the problematic elements but it's not very different from the rest of the young adult fantasy books.

I was nervous going into Defend the Dawn and boy did it superseded my hopes. I thought the original book was good but not great and I’m happy to say the sequel is excellent. Bridget Kemmerer does a fantastic job going deeper into these characters motivations and really helped show their progression. I’m literally on the edge of my seat waiting for book 3!

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 | 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫

read if you love:
🏴‍☠️royal brothers
🏴‍☠️outlaws & pirates
🏴‍☠️high seas adventures
🏴‍☠️world building
🏴‍☠️sequel is better than the first book
🏴‍☠️high stakes
🏴‍☠️swoon-worthy romance

“𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨, 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

i absolutely loved defy the night and was so excited to get an arc of defend the dawn! although this review will be short (in order to avoid spoiling anything in defy the night), that doesn’t mean i loved it any less. in fact, i didn’t think it was possible, but i love defend the dawn more!! the world building was fantastic! we’re introduced to a whole slew of new characters and a new kingdom to explore — including the tumultuous sea. enter sailors and pirates and you’ve got an action-packed story filled with high stakes adventures and more royal intrigue. the twist and turns kept me on my toes as well as tessa’s romance with a certain brother — so angsty and swoony! and that cliffhanger…i cannot. needless to say i’m already anxiously waiting the third installment of this amazing series!

thank you to bloomsbury ya and netgalley for an advanced copy. my thoughts are my own.

Big thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for an arc of this wonderful book!

The release of Defend the Dawn is right around the corner and I truly can’t wait for the world to read this book! I loved Defy the Night so much and could not wait to get my hands on the sequel and it did not disappoint let me tell you! 👏

In Defend the Dawn we continue to follow along on Tessa and Corrick’s adventures, specifically their adventures at sea 👀 👀 There are some new characters that get introduced and some new alliances that are made. Tessa and Corrick go on a journey to Ostriary in an attempt to save Kandala, and boy do I love these new characters they’re on this journey with so much. Brigid Kemmerer truly has a way of writing characters that are so special because no matter if they’re the hero or the villain or someone in between I love each one and they all feel so real. I absolutely loved the pirate vibes this book had (did I mention this journey takes place on a ship?🏴‍☠️). It was so so much fun!!

Defend the Dawn really is a whole rollercoaster in the best way possible. The emotions Brigid Kemmerer put me through- I feel like I should expect it at this point but I was still not! ready! The ending definitely had me gasping for air, it was one of those put the book down and scream in disbelief and pick it back up because you need to know what happens next but then another plot twist comes and now you’re internally screaming and can’t put it down but you have to to take a moment but immediately pick it back up to keep reading again while your jaw is dropped endings. If that makes sense.

We also get a bit of a peak into another character’s life but I don’t want to spoil any of that… just know it was such a fun part of the book (some of my favourite moments are in these chapters!) and I’m so so excited (and scared) to see what’s to come for them 👀

Overall an amazing second book to the series and I absolutely cannot wait for the third!!

After loving Defy the Night so much, I'm not going to lie, I was nervous - but once again Brigid did an amazing job of crafting a story that literally left me guessing the whole way through and gasping at the end.

While this book was slower to get into the action, once it hit, it was impossible to put down!

I loved Tessa and Corrick again - the palpable angst that is going on as they try to work out their new roles and what it means for each other. Tessa - wanting to be more than the girl that allegedly warms Corrick's bed, and Corrick - wanting to be more than the cruel prince he is known to be.

Throw in a mysterious sea caption and the freaking tension grips you right up until the very end! I loved the introduction of this new "team" of characters, a mysterious benefactor, Quint (he's amazing), and I really could go on!

There is a moment with Corrick and a little girl, that will just melt your heart! Ugh, I loved how Brigid slowly shows us and the people around him (other than Tessa), how soft and sweet he really is. There is this humanity that comes through that is just amazing!

The romance is strong, the love is there and the conversations are real.

What I loved about this book is that it kept me guessing until the very end, there were a couple things that I worked out - but the big twists - I had no freaking idea - I gasped out loud and put the book down - I was shocked - and I loved it so much!

The ending is incredible and I cannot wait for book three!

This book! Oh man this book! Brigid has once again written another gem of a story that added to Defy the Night and made it all that more intricate and amazing. They added characters were a nice addition to an already fantastic ensemble. Not to mention all the fantastic twists and turns. I don't want to say too much, but I do want to make sure it is on your TBR!

Note, this book is hard to review because it is a second book and I don't want to give anything away. This is the best I can do to not spoil the reading experience!