by Brigid Kemmerer
This is book 3 in a series. If you have not read A Curse So Dark and Lonely AND A Heart So Fierce and Broken then be gone… to acquire the books and save yourselves from the dreaded SPOILERS.
The last installment in the Cursebreakers trilogy promises a lot. We find our main characters in all sorts of conflicts from broken trust to impending war. Can the bonds of family and friendship lead to a peace that would benefit both kingdoms? Will a vow be broken? Let’s find out?
Read if you like: YA fantasy, fairytales with a twist, modern people stuck in fantasyland, unlikely allies, divided loyalties, secret royalty, queens fighting for their right to rule, and perfectly human protagonists learning to live within their broken lives.
In A Vow So Bold and Deadly I was happy to see that it is in fact a quadruple POV with all our leads. Huzzah! My heart is happy. So much has happened. Let me sum up!
Rhen is the not-okay-est, sad puppy around. He regrets so much and is hiding the knowledge that Lillith has finally returned. Poor Harper is just a ball of anger and guilt and she’s nearly alone as her first days in Emberfell. Rhen is so shut down that Harper can’t even approach the loop to get back in. The kingdom is tearing itself apart with the rumors of the true heir and the return of magic. Rhen is fearfully trying to garner support for inevitable war. But will the greatest threat come from across the mountains or within his own borders?
Grey and Lia Mara are in Shyl Shallow with their crew and things aren’t great there either. Lia Mara is newly queen and there are a lot of people who are apprehensive about her rule. She leads with compassion instead of fierceness, she seeks peace instead of war, and she has allied herself to a man. A man with magic. How can she make a change if there are so many against her? Grey has allied himself with Lia Mara and Shyl Shallow even though no one seems to trust him outside of their circle of friends. He is plagued by both his past and future with Rhen and Emberfell. Can he learn to trust himself and his magic and help lead all of his people to peace?
This book was all about RELATIONSHIPS. Are we getting ready for war? Yeah. Do we care about both sides? Yeah. Is the plot a bunch of strategic maneuvers and action? Nope. What we get is a lot of working through ridiculously impossible situations and the realness of building trust over a myriad of situations.
We have a full contingent of characters who are ultimately untested at leading anything, let alone an army or a country. Everyone is a mess. They all need a good cry, hugs, and a group therapy session disguised as a leaders’ summit. Could there have been more action? Yeah, but I could see how it would muddy the path to peace. There were some adorable romance moments so that was fun.
Overall, this book was nice… a nice workshop on building strong relationships. The ending had a bit of a punch and I’m glad that it wasn’t drawn out like fantasy often does. I do wish the characters had more of a definitive ‘closing of a chapter.’ There is story left to tell but even this open door is a bit too open. And there’s a big loose thread that appeared at the end like… why are we just getting this now?!? It was a fun ride and I’m hoping some of this ‘openness’ gets resolved in the upcoming spin-off Forging Silver into Stars.
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