A Heart So Fierce and Broken (The Cursebreaker Series)

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So where did that leave us for A Vow So Bold and Deadly? I really wasn't sure I was going to read this one. The last time I forced myself to finish a series I wasn't enjoying, it was Throne of Glass, and if you are at all a regular reviewer of mine, you'll know that didn't end so hot. That said, I knew this was (probably) the last book, so I bit the bullet and decided to go forth. After I finished reading this earlier, I was willing to give it 2 stars, just because of Rhen, but the more I think about it, the more I realise how much I actually hated this book, so I'm just gonna lower my rating to 1 star. This pains me. This actually pains me. Yield to yourself. Yield to forgiveness. Yield to happiness. Yield to this moment. It's not hers. It's yours. It's mine. It's ours.”

The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life. I will always and forever hold this scene with Harper and Rhen in my heart for the rest of my days. It absolutely disgusted me that Grey steamrolled over Rhen like that. Rhen's kingdom wasn't in tatters because he was hopeless, rather that the kingdom had been cursed. He had the potential to be a great ruler, was trained for it and accepted the responsibility. He also loved his people dearly, whereas we never hear about Grey feeling any duty to the people of Emberfall. Why oh why couldn't Lia Mara and Grey rule Syhl Shallow and Harper and Rhen rule Emberfall? We would then be assured of a peaceful land with those precious trade routes in tact. Harper and Rhen: You can probably already gauge my feelings towards these two. I have loved them both since the first book, and I will always and forever continue loving them. I just wish this whole BOOK could be about them, but I suppose that Grey and Lia Mara's POVs were relevant as well. During Harper and Rhen's parts, I felt happy Except the moment when literally everyone is getting killed and Rhen's eye gets ripped out and I was enjoying learning more about the two of them and both of them together. So, he's off at Syhl Shallow with Lia Mara and every chapter from either of their POVs was painful. To me, they have zero chemistry and I struggle to believe that someone as disciplined and driven as Grey would have any interest in her at all. I love smut and I skimmed their sex scene, which of course results in a baby.Grey assumes Rhen will not take the news well that there’s a truer heir out there after he’s fought so hard to become a worthy leader. So he hides out, working at an other-worldly, less sanitized version of Medieval Times, and tries to find a new normal despite missing his friends. Harper is also worried about Rhen, because Grey isn’t wrong—Rhen is terrified at the idea of a magical half-brother out there somewhere andissues a royal decree against anyone who may have “the blood of a magesmith”. Lia Mara and Gray also get point of view chapters, and I did enjoy them, but I found their development to be a little weaker in comparison. Although, to be honest, it’d be pretty hard to compare to Harper and Rhen’s story here. I know this is probably going to be the only review with such a low rating and this is going to be one of the most unpopular opinion in the history of unpopular opinions but you know what? screw that. Grey and Lia Mara end up collecting a few friends along their journeys; some are new faces, but some are familiar and who we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with before (specifically, Harper’s brother, Jake, and his medical resident boyfriend, Noah, who are trapped in Emberfall because of Grey). I love a good motley crew who, against all odds, begin to care about one another. Content Warning: Violence, Death, Torture, Chronic Illness, Suicide Mention, War Themes, Murder, PTSD //

Rhen: Now. Rhen is a real problem. I absolutely loved him in the first book. Absolutely hated him in the second. And now, with this book, we are somehow meant to love him again? It feels like a split personality. It doesn't make any sense. And when we here learn why Rhen was so terrible in the second book, it doesn't even come close to making up for his behaviour. I am deeply conflicted by this. I like character development, but there has to be a reason for it and it has to seem plausible. Rhen is not plausible. Grey has given Rhen 60 days before he marches at the doors of Emberfall, fleeing to Shyl Shallow at the time of his escape seemed the safest thing to do, but those in the kingdom have not seen magic since it was driven out and now Lia Mara’s allegiance with Grey has unsettled the people of Syhl Shallow and the deep rooted fear of magic within them slowly rises.If there is one plus to this book, it is that it allows us to see more of the world beyond Ironrose Castle. The story also moves along at a decent pace, and the book itself is an easy read. Overall You once told me that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.” I'm so sad that this story became a series when it should have remained a standalone. I really didn't enjoy AHSFAB but I was so invested in the characters and confident in BK's writing ability that I still managed to look forward to this. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Vow So Bold and Deadly was exactly what I was hoping it would be. While I’m so sad this series is over, I couldn’t imagine a better conclusion. They all start moving on foot. They get too tired and decide to rest for a while since they have also eaten nothing, and they are starving. Not saying that Rhen and Harper didn't get their HEA but like there's still so many questions I have for them AND IT ENDED WITHOUT ASDFBGGDSAMNMBSBDAJSSDNAM IM ANGRY. I WANTED A DIFFERENT OUTCOME FOR RHEN *sobs* Rhen is ever more lonely especially when a certain someone thought to be dead make's a reappearance and finds himself in a more jarring place than he ever was during the curse. With the whispers of war looming close by Rhen faces the hardest battle of them all. Himself.

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i mean, if this was a book all on its own, completely unrelated to ‘a curse so dark and lonely,’ this is objectively a very good book. the writing is great, the pacing is decent, and the characters are complex. but i have to look at the bigger picture. Grey endeared himself to many in the first book and incorporating his perspective in this book as a main character was a fantastic choice. His confident competence and loyal devotion to the crown (and Rhen in particular) plus his chivalrous manner and steadfast integrity is swoonworthy. If he wasn’t already your book boyfriend, his central role in A Heart So Fierce and Broken will cement his status as such! So yes, I absolutely loved how many scenes we got with Harper and Rhen as you could tell from my status updates asdfghjhfgdsaf my heart is so happy thinking about them even now. Prince Rhen is no longer under a curse, but he still has many hardships to face, including the rumors of another heir that is coming in between his coronation; though he does have Harper by his side, he is still down a powerful ally since his guard commander grey had disappeared and thought dead.

Writing this out makes me realize how much I hate Grey. I don't feel indifferent to him anymore. I hate him with a PASSION. And I also realize I don't like Lia Mara as much as I said I did- she kinda has a personality, which is really just being nice and fair to everyone, which isn't a bad personality to have at all, but still, she needs more depth. Overall? If I was not THAT mad at the ending, this was definitely a solid 5 star and I still might have cut that 1 star more because of emotions rather than being realistic. Because many would agree with that ending. I, for the life of me, can't. It hurts. The way Rhen's having an existential crisis after EVERYTHING he suffered from. It just effing hurts. We're beaten over the head with Grey's perceived loyalty in ACSDAL, and yet betrays Rhen for this? It seems very OOC for a usually rational Grey to think fleeing and declaring war on your best friend is better than risking his ire by confessing the "truth" about his parentage. His coldness towards Harper was wholly unecessary - why is he so pissed at her? Let's not forget she was visibly heartbroken over the discord between the boys and Grey has Harper to thank for his freedom.

Did we miss something on diversity?

I loved how it was setting up. I thought the plot was interesting and much better developed than the first two. It had more of a purpose and the pov's were more evenly balanced. Though that initial satisfaction didn't last too long I quite enjoyed it overall, same with the writing. It was a fast read, and I sped through it. But unfortunately it was not as good as the first two overall, and was just a let down. It could have done so much, it could have chosen so many different paths, but it chose the one that made the least sense. After a very long time, I got to read a really beautiful relationship. I was begging for just one moment more between these two. In spite of the choices they made they stood together and understood each other. Still, I didn't get the proper END I wanted!!! That's probably just me and my unhealthy obsession with Rhen though. If I looked at this in a more critical POV, Brigid really did end this series in a realistic way, where not everything is fixed and everyone's happy. Rhen is and will always remain the best thing of this series. The way he took all the brute of Lillith's torture to protect his people and Harper really hurt the deepest part of me. And after everything that happened, how can he NOT get the ending he deserved. Like what is even the point of book 1 and 2 if we are here. I think he redeemed himself plenty before reaching here. And it's not like he was the only one with poor choices.