BOOK OF THE MONTH
Defy the Night
From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes an electrifying fantasy romance, perfect for fans of Holly Black and Victoria Aveyard.
A desperate prince. A daring outlaw. A dangerous flirtation.
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Community Reviews
Defy the Night is a glorious, swoony concoction of palace intrigue, forbidden romance, and Robin Hood vibes that absolutely yeets itself into your heart. Five stars. No notes. Well, a few snarky ones, but only because I’m still recovering from the emotional whiplash.
First off, let’s talk about Tessa. She’s your classic “I’m just an ordinary girl risking my life every night to save the sick and oppressed because no one else will” protagonist. Love her. She’s got guts, brains, and an alarming knack for sneaking past palace guards who clearly trained at the “oops, I tripped” academy. And Wes? Her masked partner-in-crime? The guy radiates golden retriever energy wrapped in a mystery burrito, and I was ready to propose by chapter three.
Then there’s the royal drama. King Harristan and Prince Corrick are giving off soap opera brothers who can’t agree on pizza toppings, let alone how to rule a kingdom energy. Harristan is all “I’m the reluctant king with good intentions but no backbone,” while Corrick is the “I’m broody and morally gray but secretly have layers like an onion” type. Spoiler alert: Corrick’s layers are DELICIOUS, even if they’re occasionally infuriating.
The romance? Chef’s kiss. It’s forbidden, angsty, and so charged you could light up the entire kingdom with their tension. Every stolen glance and heated argument had me screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” It’s the kind of slow burn that makes you want to throw the book across the room...and then immediately pick it up again.
The plot itself is like a roller coaster built by someone who wanted to test your heart rate. The stakes are high, the twists are twisty, and the ending is one of those “HOW DARE YOU” cliffhangers that makes you want to rage-read the sequel immediately. Oh, and the world-building? Stunning. Moonflowers, secret apothecaries, and a kingdom teetering on chaos—it’s all beautifully crafted, even if the logistics of the Moonflower economy make you squint a little too hard.
Bottom line: Defy the Night will ruin your sleep schedule, wreck your emotions, and leave you cackling like an evil mastermind as you hand it to your friends with zero warning. Highly recommend if you enjoy morally complex characters, an underdog heroine, and the exact amount of pain that feels like a hug.
First off, let’s talk about Tessa. She’s your classic “I’m just an ordinary girl risking my life every night to save the sick and oppressed because no one else will” protagonist. Love her. She’s got guts, brains, and an alarming knack for sneaking past palace guards who clearly trained at the “oops, I tripped” academy. And Wes? Her masked partner-in-crime? The guy radiates golden retriever energy wrapped in a mystery burrito, and I was ready to propose by chapter three.
Then there’s the royal drama. King Harristan and Prince Corrick are giving off soap opera brothers who can’t agree on pizza toppings, let alone how to rule a kingdom energy. Harristan is all “I’m the reluctant king with good intentions but no backbone,” while Corrick is the “I’m broody and morally gray but secretly have layers like an onion” type. Spoiler alert: Corrick’s layers are DELICIOUS, even if they’re occasionally infuriating.
The romance? Chef’s kiss. It’s forbidden, angsty, and so charged you could light up the entire kingdom with their tension. Every stolen glance and heated argument had me screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” It’s the kind of slow burn that makes you want to throw the book across the room...and then immediately pick it up again.
The plot itself is like a roller coaster built by someone who wanted to test your heart rate. The stakes are high, the twists are twisty, and the ending is one of those “HOW DARE YOU” cliffhangers that makes you want to rage-read the sequel immediately. Oh, and the world-building? Stunning. Moonflowers, secret apothecaries, and a kingdom teetering on chaos—it’s all beautifully crafted, even if the logistics of the Moonflower economy make you squint a little too hard.
Bottom line: Defy the Night will ruin your sleep schedule, wreck your emotions, and leave you cackling like an evil mastermind as you hand it to your friends with zero warning. Highly recommend if you enjoy morally complex characters, an underdog heroine, and the exact amount of pain that feels like a hug.
This is the first book I have read by Brigid Kemmerer, I have bought The Cursebreakers Trilogy but have not picked them up yet, So Brigid Kemmerer is a new author to me.
I believe that Defy the Night is the first in a series and this book laid the foundations for the books to follow very well.
Tessa and Prince Corrick are characters that I liked a lot.
In this fantastic retelling, we see a huge difference between the rich and the poor and how the poor are getting very sick and dying, whereas the rich can afford the ingredient needed to cure the sickness we see Tessa and Weston trying to even the scales by robbing the rich and giving to the poor.
I was enthralled throughout, there were plenty of twists to keep me reading and I look forward to the next in the series.
I believe that Defy the Night is the first in a series and this book laid the foundations for the books to follow very well.
Tessa and Prince Corrick are characters that I liked a lot.
In this fantastic retelling, we see a huge difference between the rich and the poor and how the poor are getting very sick and dying, whereas the rich can afford the ingredient needed to cure the sickness we see Tessa and Weston trying to even the scales by robbing the rich and giving to the poor.
I was enthralled throughout, there were plenty of twists to keep me reading and I look forward to the next in the series.
4.5, great start to the series, only thing that really bothered me was how long Tessa went back and forth on her feelings about Corrick once she found out who he was
I enjoyed this book, looking forward to reading the sequel. I really can’t say much without spoiling anything!
Maybe I'm still riding on a high from a previous great trilogy (The Cruel Prince Trilogy), but I just found this so dull...
The plot was uninspiring, I saw the 'plot twists' coming from a mile away, and the main characters left much to be desired.... Tessa was such a damsel in distress, I didnt see bravery, smarts or the other reaching descriptors that the male lead used. And the male lead?? I was interested in him the first quarter of the book, but gosh, then his brain was all Tessa and the edge he has was lost, to such an extent I was rolling my eyes. Disappointed....
Loved the side characters though. Quint MVP. Rocco too. Even King Harristan had more substance to him.
The narrative was also a little repetitive. Like...Tessa, honey please you said the same thing 2 pages ago, I still remember okay.
I'm content with how this ended and likely won't be picking up the next in the trilogy.
The plot was uninspiring, I saw the 'plot twists' coming from a mile away, and the main characters left much to be desired.... Tessa was such a damsel in distress, I didnt see bravery, smarts or the other reaching descriptors that the male lead used. And the male lead?? I was interested in him the first quarter of the book, but gosh, then his brain was all Tessa and the edge he has was lost, to such an extent I was rolling my eyes. Disappointed....
Loved the side characters though. Quint MVP. Rocco too. Even King Harristan had more substance to him.
The narrative was also a little repetitive. Like...Tessa, honey please you said the same thing 2 pages ago, I still remember okay.
I'm content with how this ended and likely won't be picking up the next in the trilogy.
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