Defend the Dawn: Brigid Kemmerer (Defy the Night)

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In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world. As the Moonflower supply in Kandala dwindles, a ship arrives with a trade opportunity in this follow-up to Defy the Night (2021).

One of my fave things about Brigid’s books is the guaranteed fun I’ll have while reading!! I was as hooked into this as I was with Defy the Night & the only sad thing about reading it this soon is the one year I’ll have to wait on for book 3 BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A BOOK 3!! There has to be with the way this book ended!! Contiene narrativa muy buena, si bien puedo decir que casi nunca me acuerdo de las anteriores partes en este las tenía bien vívidas en mi mente, por lo tanto desde el principio ya estaba completamente metida en la historia. Pese a ello la autora nos mete en contexto por si acaso no recordamos ciertos aspectos importantes. So for the first half of this book, I was not loving it, but the second half definitely redeemed itself for me 🥰 Book Genre: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, High Fantasy, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy

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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*. Return to a land of royal intrigue, adventure and romance in Brigid Kemmerer’s sequel to Defy the Night — Defend the Dawn. But here me out. I didn't expect much of Defy the Night but I enjoyed it a lot. It hit some really great tropes and I was in love with the twists. I didn't enjoy the serie ACSDAL as much as I wanted to. THE POLITIVAL MANEUVERING and scheming in this was top-notch! Seriously, Brigid Kemmerer feels like a genius for coming up with this 😆 Especially in the second half of the book, I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for everything to connect and come together.

Him and Tessa really had my heart aching, breaking and healing all at once! I can’t believe that people aren’t talking that much about them!! They‘re literally so adorable and had me on freaking knees fr!!! Like the tension, banter and chemistry these two had?!?! Ugh… amazing!! Love them sooooo much!! This was just absolutely EVERYTHING!!! I just loved each and every second I was reading this book! Literally flew through it like it was nothing! It was addicting, captivating and interesting throughout it all!! This series deserves so much more hype! I don’t get how people aren’t gushing about it on booktok?!?! Like it’s AMAZING!!! I THOUGHT THE PACING was a bit slower at the beginning? Like it was a lot of political maneuvering and scheming - it was still exciting, but felt more like a setup for the second half of the book. Tendremos tres narradores, lo que hace que sea incluso mejor porque tendremos una nueva trama por otro lado estrechamente ligada a la principal. Los narradores siguen siendo los mismos que en la primera parte exceptuando que en esta ocasión tendremos a uno llamado "El forajido" el cual no sabremos su identidad.The side characters were also all so interesting!! Hope they‘ll continue to play a big role in the next book! Especially Rian! I‘m kinda invested in his past and story and why he is the way he is! He‘s a very intriguing character!!

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. 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). 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.” ~ ❤️❤️ Defend the Dawn is the second book in the Defy the Night series and all I can say is I definitely need book 3, right now. Talk about a cliffhanger of an ending. A really enjoyable sequel and a great fantasy read!! 🤩🤩 Looking for a new ya fantasy series with interesting politics, lots of action + a romance subplot? Then this series is for you! 💙💙🫶🫶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 I'm glad I wrote a review for the last book because I genuinely forgot how I felt about it. It seemed like I enjoyed the last book very much and it’s safe to say I liked this a tad bit less. stars because it was super enjoyable for no reason (i.e. there wasn’t even a plot). Happy reading! 💛✨