A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Review
Synopsis: 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.
Rating: 🌟 🌟
Quick & Dirty Review: This story was pretty damn good, but I dislike it for the simple fact that it dismantles every bit of Rhen's character growth from the first book and relegates Harper to a simpering girlfriend. Lia Mara is quite literally a Mary Sue in the fact that she has no flaws, she's able to work out every plot twist in a blink of an eye, and she's this perfect little princess who constantly says "But I'm not a princess!" 🙄
The romance was trite and obvious. The conflict was barely there. The "villain" was one dimensional and too easily defeated to really instill fear in the reader. About the only interesting thing was Iisak and his storyline. He was the epitome of devil's advocate and the only one to have some damn sense.
Unfortunately, for me, this book falls into the dreaded sequel pattern for fantasies. It didn't build on the amazingness of the first but instead tore it down and tried to recreate it.
