by Brigid Kemmerer
A young prince left to deal the king’s cruel justice. An apothecary risking everything to save her neighbors. A kingdom on the brink of rebellion or ruin. Who will save the people? Let’s find out.
Read if you like: YA fantasy, ‘Robin Hood’ inspired heroes, save-the-kingdom, misunderstood boys, single-minded leading ladies.
We find ourselves in the kingdom of Kandala, and things are bad. People are sick and dying. A flower holds the cure and its distribution is being highly regulated by the few sectors where the flower thrives. Smugglers run rampant. Rebellion is a breath away. A spark in the night, Tessa Cade steals the cure from the stockpiles of the rich and distributes medicine and help to those who do not have the means to buy their own. She and her accomplice Wes have been making rounds for years, but the unrest is growing and soon it may be too dangerous for them to continue.
King Harriston and Prince Corrick have been ruling as best as they could as both boys stepped into their roles as teen monarchs when their beloved parents were shockingly assassinated. The last four years have taken their toll on both the boys and the country. They fought their consuls for the right to rule and we’re forced to reign with a heavy hand as the fevers spread through the kingdom. Prince Corrick met out cruel justice to those who would oppose his brother. But the greatest damage might yet to be seen.
Defy The Night was fun for the most part. I thought the beginning was slow. I saw the twist coming pretty early on so I felt like it took a bit too long to get around to it. The amount of time it took to line everything up juuuust right was about 50 pages too many. Mainly because while the characters are fun and the plot is interesting, it is all pretty straightforward. I didn’t need multiple chapters to understand the civil unrest or the prince’s job and relationship with the consuls. The other thing that took me out of the story from time to time was all the repetition. Whole conversations or events were recounted. But about halfway through the story really picked up and I was negotiating with my clock.
But yes, I was in it to win it and the last few chapters were excellent. Overall, I thought that Corrick was a more interesting and more complex character. Tessa had one note all the way through. It’s a good note, but I’m hoping she gets to do more fun things in book two. The romance was also sweet and leaves you rooting for them amidst the all the tragedy. Also, we get a brusque and funny sidekick toward the end and they had better continue delighting us in the sequel. Despite the slow start Defend the Dawn has made it solidly onto my TBR. I can’t wait to go back to Kandala for more!
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