Defend the Dawn tells us a story about the betrayal that the Crown’s facing. We finally get to see from Harristan’s POV. While, I’m delighted to see the way he’s thinking, I wish that the author dig deeper into his personality. Instead I got completely unnecessary relationship drama in a journey book (aka the bane of my existence) where both the journey and the drama was dragged ouuuuuttt... I ACTUALLY PREDICTED a lot of the twists 🙈🙈 But nonetheless, I still found it highly entertaining, and predicting the twists didn't make me enjoy it any less! Definitely a testament to the amazing writing. i will say that, at this point, the characters still feel the same and i love how their complexity/depth really shine in this installment. the writing is also still as easy-going and bingeable, and the world-building feels consistent and familiar. its just that the plot feels like a spin-off of the events of the first book, rather than a continuation, if that makes sense (even though i do think the pirate adventure is fun). Also, the ending?! 🫣🫣 I am literally so mad that we got a cliffhanger and the 3rd book isn't out UNTIL JANUARY. Like, how am I supposed to wait that long?! 😤😤

Tessa is really showing her naivete in this book. It’s not exactly a “fault”, because from how and where she was raised and what we know of her from the first book I don’t expect her to be some political savant and amazing at reading other people. BUT, sometimes, I wanted to sit her down and ask her to please not be so trusting of what people say at face value. To ask more pointed questions and to consider what a person has to gain or lose that may make them act a certain way before jumping to judgments. Good grief. Book Genre: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, High Fantasy, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.

Reviews

Do you still hate me?” he says softly. “No,” I whisper, like it’s a secret. “I love you.” He leans closer. “What’s that?” he teases. “I can’t hear you.” “I said you’re a huge pain in my—” I break off with a squeal when he kisses me, then melt into his hands when he pulls me close.” ~ ❤️❤️ This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . . Los personajes que crean empatía al lector y es muy fácil meterse en su piel, todo ello ayudado por una narrativa en primera persona; y no os preocupéis que la autora al comienzo de cada capítulo nos dice quién va a narrar en esa ocasión, porque los capítulos se alternan entre los personajes.

So for the first half of this book, I was not loving it, but the second half definitely redeemed itself for me 🥰 The pure frustration I've felt throughout reading this... Only finished because I'm hoping the third book will make it up to me, but WE WILL SEE. The plot itself also felt a little too politic-heavy. I actually like royal and political intrigue when it is done well and balanced with adequate amounts of action, romance, or other such subplots. However, I felt the balance was off in this one, and I was unable to enjoy this installment as much as I did the prior book because of it.

Customer reviews

What I loved most about this book, was finding out so much more about Harristan! I loved him already in book 1 but I FELL in love with him in this one! He‘s most definitely my favourite character in the series and I NEED more of him!! His POVs were everything and finding out all about his secrets and what has been going on in his mind was everything!! 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.

The plot, the romance, the main characters, the side characters, the world… just everything was sooooo well done!! The writing was also once again amazing! Brigid Kemmerer is a true genius. She just knows how to write incredible YA, fantasy books!! Immersive and engaging, DEFY THE NIGHT is a romantic epic that blends magic and politics with a deft hand.” –Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Fable This was a super enjoyable read + a great sequel!! 🤩🤩 Super enjoyable writing, plot and romance 💙💙🫶🫶 Maybe Brigid Kemmerer should have just cut out any attempts to make it a fantasy and just be a romance with very complex characters, because that’s basically what this book is anyways.The writing and plot were great in this book!! 🤩🤩 I really enjoy Brigid Kemmerer's writing- it has depth but at the same time it's so easy to read! Like, it's literally a political fantasy and yet it's so bingeable?! 🤭🤭 The plot was super interesting- lots of action, particularly at the end, which I really enjoyed. Even in the parts without action, it was still so interesting 🫶 This series does have a decent amount of politics but it isn't hard to understand *thankfully*.