Pirates, romance, betrayals, and more in the sequel to Defy the Night. Picking up where the last book left off Tessa is now part of the council and Corrick and Harriston are still trying to get more Moonflower to save their kingdom, however when a dashing captain of a ship appears and claims to be an old emmisary sent by the previous king Corrick is suspicious while Tessa seems to be falling for him. This new person is named Rain and he has come to make an offer to trade the moonflowers of the kingdom he has been spying on for them in exchange for steel as he is playing both sides. Tessa spends a vast majority of this book going back and forth ( and mostly believing that Corrick is awful, frightening or a monster) and listening to everyone else’s opinion about him while she wavers between her feelings for him and Rain the new spy pirate who taken an interest in her. This book went where I dreaded ( the annoying love triangle) and Tessa constantly going back and forth about Corrick, and honestly she’s the main reason I didn’t enjoy this book so much. I loved their relationship in the first book, I was looking forward to it growing in this one, but a majority of it is spent thinking Corrick is awful and that Rain is so great ( seriously I was pulling my hair out). If i’m being honest, Tessa was the weakest point of this entire book, her whole arc was just being in the middle of two guys and going back and forth which one she wants.... seriously... why? Corrick and Harriston on the other hand were amazing, we get to delve deeper into their characters and their growth. Corrick is struggling to protect his brother, his kingdom, and Tessa. He’s immediately suspicious of Rain ( AS HE RIGHTFULLY SHOULD BE) and is weary of everyone ( HE’S WITHIN HIS RIGHTS HIS PARENTS WERE LITERALLY KILLED IN FRONT OF HIM and this entire time he’s been trying to keep control of the kingdom) and seriously Tessa? No empathy, no understanding, for this dude’s trust issues? You expect him to be friendly and cordial with the one guy who nearly got him killed and had him beat nearly to death?? ( GIRL WHAT?). Lochlan was barely there and when he was it was to start a fight or pick at Tessa and Corrick. I am excited to see where the next book goes because this one for sure left on a gigantic cliffhanger ( but seriously I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HOW THIS ALL WRAPS UP). Yes Tessa and Corrick spent a majority of this book at odds with one another but in the end of it they finally come to an understanding and finally talk and communicate... it only took them 300+ pages to do so. Also Harriston’s storyline with Quint? GIVE ME MORE. I can’t wait to see how Lochlan and Corrick fair in the next book and where Harriston and Quint’s storylines go, especially with the reveals and ending of this book.

SPOILR BELOW: ( This is just to help me remember when I read the third book haha)!!!!!!!



SPOILER ( Corrick has fallen off the ship and has been captured with Lochlan and has to pretend to be Wes again, Rain turned out to be the King the entire time and was going to ransom Corrick off while also holding Oren Crane’s daughter as prisoner in his ship and poisoning her, Harriston has been pretending to be FOX a masked stranger who has been giving money and food to the people but while Corrick and co were away the counsel has ousted him as king and now he is injured and on the run with Quint, Tessa has to now cope with the idea that everyone but her and one guard are alive on the ship and states that she wants to learn to fight at the end of this book, Tessa and Corrick make up and finally admit to loving each other. Rain reveals that someone has been poisoning the people of the kingdom ( Corrick and Harriston’s and he thought they were doing it but if not them someone else is).

*Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, Bloomsbury YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Defend the Dawn is another thrilling adventure by Brigid Kemmerer. Prince Corrick and his brother King Harristan are barely keeping the kingdom afloat and desperately trying to provide medicine to their people. With a rebellion that was stopped but another about to begin they need to try and work with Lochlan and the mysterious New captain Blackmore to get moonflower for their people. Tessa is questioning everything she is doing and her feelings for the prince and his ruthless nature. Tessa and Corrick go off on an adventure to attempt to help the kingdom. With them gone Hairston has troubles of his own and new adversaries to deal with. Of fun and quick paced book that ends on another crazy cliffhanger. Give me a book 3 now

This was a fantastic follow up to Defy the night! Brigid has a way of capturing your attention and dragging you under. I finished this book in three days. The beginning and ended was the star of the book but I did feel like the miscommunication and petty drama in the middle dragged a little.
I absolutely love Corey. Trying to figure out the outlaw was so much fun and I was thrilled I figured it out before it was revealed. This book had three different POVs which I personally enjoy. I love getting a different perspective of the stories.
I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read this on September 20th! Congrats on another great Novel Brigid!

Tessa and Corrick have my heart. I loved the first book and this one was great, too. And it ends in a way that BRIGID KEMMERER BETTER BE WRITING THAT THIRD BOOK ALREADY. Just sayin'.

If you liked Defy the Night and were hoping for an interesting, action-packed, twisty sequel, then Brigid Kemmerer definitely delivered. Tessa and Corrick end up on a ship together as part of a journey to bring more Moonflower to their kingdom, and we continue to alternate between their points of view as the love drama (as well as political drama) unfolds. We also get a third new point of view, which I initially wasn't sure how I felt about but in the end I think does set things up in a really interesting way. There are definitely some more romantic moments between Corrick and Tessa, but also a lot of tension as fears and doubts start creating a wedge between them. Not to mention the daring ship captain who seems to hate Corrick and may just have his eye on Tessa as well. While I think adding a potential love competitor is such a cliche for a sequel, I did find the difficulties their love faced very realistic and well done. Tessa still has the heart of a rebel and a desire to do what is right. Corrick still faces the pressure of figuring out how to end the sickness threatening his people while recognizing his limits and keeping a rebellion from occurring. They both still struggle with knowing the right way to help, to rule, to lead. And as we switch between their viewpoints, it's so hard to tell who's right and who's wrong when every choice seems like a bad one.

In addition to the romantic drama, I think this sequel definitely upped it on the plot twists. Whereas book one didn't really have much that surprised me, I found this one to have a few good, unexpected twists. There was one about halfway through that made me roll my eyes when I realized what was going on, but it still led to a lot of interesting moments afterwards, and there were definitely plot twists towards the end that I did not expect. And wow, that ending was so dramatic. Definitely a cliffhanger, definitely a surprise, and definitely made me need to know what will happen in book three!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The sequel to Defy the Night was pretty good. I liked the introduction to new characters and a new setting. We also get to see another point of view that adds a bit more to the story. I also liked the introduction of a mini love triangle.

Tessa and Corrick are on a new adventure and they have some obstacles as they try to develop as characters and in their relationship. Trust is tested and true motives are revealed through plot twists. When it comes to the storyline, the main things I noticed was that the author could be a bit redundant with describing characters and their thoughts, and some of the plot points seemed a bit forced. Otherwise, this novel was enjoyable and a good sequel to the series. I look forward to the next installment.

I absolutely loved this and I cannot wait to introduce it to students. I’m not ready to wait for the next one. The first book is currently our Book of the Week, so I’ll be buying this for my library as soon as possible.

Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer was amazing! It’s book 2 of this brilliantly written fantasy romance and I love. love, love the way BK writes. It’s always engaging with well written characters and suspenseful adventures. And I love her romance. I feel like I’m not giving it the the accurate praise it deserves.
Y’all! It was good, great and wonderful. I need book 3 now! If you haven’t read this series you need to add it to your list.
Thanks Bloomsbury YA via NetGalley.

A solid sequel to Defy the Night, although I am shaking my fist at that cliffhanger! Some people might disagree, but I love a journey book and it's even better when ships and pirates and secret identities are involved. I found Corrick insufferable in this installment so we'll see if he redeems himself in the third book, but for now I'm firmly Team Rian.

The ending?????

After the masterpiece that was Defy The Night, I was over the moon excited for this book. Brigid remains one of my favorite YA Fantasy authors. I love the way she world builds and brings a book together. Defend the Dawn picks up some time after the end of Defy The Night. We see more of the political side of the story- how the royals are jumping through a million hoops to bring the cure to their citizens.

I really enjoyed that we got more characterization in this book. I am a Prince Corrick fan until the end of time so I was thrilled to see him in a new environment and to see the other sides of his character. Harristan had surprising development and I found myself warming up to him, when I wasn't his biggest fan in the last book. I won't go too far into the new characters so I don't spoil, but I really did love all the additions. Tessa was a little frustrating in terms of her feelings towards Corrick, but all things considered, it made sense in the story.

While I really liked the direction of the story in terms of what was happening in the kingdom, the plot fell a tiny bit flat for me in that I think more could have happened. It was great to see us heading in a different direction (literally) but I would have liked if that journey had a more cohesive ending. We were on the ship for a while and I had expected to at least reach a destination.

But this was a great sequel and I'm so eager for the next book!

I cannot tell you how much I love this book! It’s the sequel to Defy the Night and I LOVED that first book. I was so happy to return to this world and the characters and the sequel did not disappoint!
Corrick! Tessa! and a privateer? What?
I don’t want to give anything away but it is kinda amazing/awesome/brilliant. This book does not suffer from a sophomore slouch and instead really advances the story and characters in this really intriguing way. I love the new characters and the new dangers they bring. Lots of political intrigue and some backstabbing. And yay, we finally get to see the King himself, Harriston and how he’s really doing. I loved Harriston’s POV. It was different than Tessa and Corrick and really pulled me in as a reader to root for him. In the first book, he was kept at arm’s length, mostly seen through Corrick and Tessa’s eyes. But in this sequel, he is front and center and I really love that he was given much more to do!
I also really liked Tessa’s POV. I like how she is questioning everything. There are some assumptions that could have been cleared up by, I don’t know, just talking to the damn prince! But it was also easy to see Tessa’s point and how uncomfortable and vulnerable these realizations made her feel.
The plot moves very fast and the writing is solid. It’s easy to get swept away into their world. You’ll have to read the first book to truly understand the circumstances in this one, but it’s well worth it. I think I finished it in two days? I can’t wait to read it again.
And that ending!
Um, I’m sorry.
Where is book 3???
You will not be disappointed.

DEFEND THE DAWN was one of those sequels that I thought surpassed the first book, which was pretty great on its own. I love a sequel that ups the stakes, a sequel that challenges and stretches the characters and still manages to surprise the reader. This is what Kemmerer did here, in my opinion. In DEFEND THE DAWN, both Tessa and Corrick struggle with their relationship and feelings for each other in light of Corrick being the King's Justice. This tension is placed front and center when a stranger comes from a distant land with the moonflower that Kandala so desperately needs. What I love about Kemmerer is her ability to create very swoony and imperfect chacters. The guys in this book were *chef's kiss*. Especially Blakemore, the swoony pirate who I really enjoyed reading. I knew she was going to break my heart with that lol. I loved seeing these new sides of Tessa on the high seas. She's just really awesome, smart and kind and it's so great to see a character like her. I also appreciated seeing [redacted]'s POV in this one and how [redacted] must navigate the politics of Kandala with Corrick gone. From the get go, the book takes off full steam ahead and keeps the reader engaged and shocked with some pretty awesome reveals I didn't see coming. And that frigging ending with THAT cliffhanger? Dang! Politics, pirates and treachery all culminate in a fun high-seas adventure and I am so ready to see what happens next.

I am a huge fan if Brigid Kemmerer and I was excited to read the continuation of this series. I loved development of Tessa and Corrik relations through the last book into this one. It is addicting watching them go back and forth deciding of they can trust each other. There were some parts in the book where I did not understand Tessa's motivation or I was tired of the political intrigue, but I will continuing reading anything Kemmerer writes because she has quickly become a comfort author for me.

YOU ARE JOKING?!

Okay before I go on a rant, thank you Bloomsbury and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

OKAY SO WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK

I mean, at this point I expect cliffhangers with unfinished series, but this one was a doozy. I absolutely love this world that Kemmerer has built, and the characters are all so amazing- even the smallest of side characters. I read Defy The Night and Defend the Dawn in under 48 hours. It was THAT. GOOD.

So here’s to hoping I can get my greedy little hands on an ARC of the next book, bc idk if I can wait that long to see what happens next!

Okay, I am so grateful I got to read this through NetGalley ahead of its release but also WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF!!! I wish I had more of this series out because I need all the answers right now! I absolutely loved the development in this book, the storyline is so fun, the vibes are just amazing. It's such a slow burn and I can't wait for that to play out, I love how the world has expanded and how the politics are working out. Brigid Kemmerer has fast become a favorite author and I just can't wait for more of her stories!!!!

What a great sequel! This is shaping up to be my favorite series of Brigid’s. A lot of this book took place at sea which I really enjoyed, the mixture of a new adventure for Tessa and Corrick with updates from the palace in the form of Harriston’s POV was really exciting.

This book made me adore Corrick so much more, he’s on the book boyfriend list. I also gained a new appreciation for Harriston and am excited to see where his story goes. There were a bunch of new characters as well, some that I really liked and some that were a bit frustrating. The twists and secrets were really good, one actually made me gasp. The last 20% or so had me on the edge of my seat, not to mention that cliffhanger! Gimme the next one immediately.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book is amazing!! Obviously. It was so great to jump back into Kandala. I missed Corrick and Tessa so much! I feel like the first book ended in a way that it could have been a standalone, but it was nice to see this one pick up immediately after. And the ending! Ah! Can’t wait to continue this amazing series. It’s definitely my favorite so far by Brigid Kemmerer!!

My only complaint is that the arc file was awful!! It was so hard to read. There was no format to the pages and without paragraphs or indentations, I feel like I missed so much. It took way too much work to figure out what I was reading, that I feel like I couldn’t get consumed like I did with the first book.

This. Book!!! ♥️♥️♥️

First I want to start by sending out a huge thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! I’m so appreciative!

I loved Defy The Night. But I LOOOOOVED Defend The Dawn! This book grabbed a hold of me and never let go! I cannot express in words how much I love these characters that Kemmerer has created. Tessa, Wes, Corrick, Harristan, Quint, Rocco, Karri, and even Lochland…they’re all fantastic in their own way! The dynamic between each of these characters and their relationships with each other feels so genuine and is so realistic. I loved seeing more of the brotherly bond between Corrick and Harristan, and seeing how they looked out for each other from the time they were small children. Their’s is such a deep relationship, colored by tragedy and Harristan’s lifelong illness. I also appreciated the realistic approach to Tessa and Corrick’s relationship. Things aren’t black and white, and there are things that can’t just be forgiven or overlooked. I appreciated the way in which the story explored that narrative from both Tessa and Corrick’s point of view. And the plot itself was fantastic! The direction that this story took was so unexpected, but so fun, and at times terrifying! The new characters were so well woven into the story and brought a mysterious new layer to this world. I loved every single second of this book. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next one!

I loved this book so much! The writing was well done and I loved learning more about Corrick and Tessa and Harristan. I cannot wait for book 3 to come out!

I’m so in love with this book and these characters. After reading the first one, I was so excited to get my hands on the second book. The author did not disappoint at all. This book had it all. I loved the tension and the romance in action. It was just beyond incredible. So excited to get a physical copy.