Defy The Night by Brigid Kemmerer Book Review

When I hear that Brigid Kemmerer is releasing a new fantasy series or anything else for that matter, I just hold out my credit card and yell "sign me up for two". Defy The Night is that new series and it did not disappoint.

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I received an ARC of Defy The Night from NetGalley to facilitate this early review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! #DefytheNight #NetGalley

When I hear that Brigid Kemmerer is releasing a new fantasy series or anything else for that matter, I just hold out my credit card and yell “sign me up for two”. Defy The Night is that new series and it did not disappoint.

I’m not being dramatic. I lend her books out more than any others from my personal library and I always order two copies so I can keep one for myself (think “Meagen in a dark corner stroking book covers whispering myyyyy precioussss” over and over) and make everyone else share the other copy…FORM AN ORDERLY LINE FOLKS.

When I hear that Brigid Kemmerer is releasing a new fantasy series or anything else for that matter, I just hold out my credit card and yell "sign me up for two". Defy The Night is that new series and it did not disappoint.

If you follow me on Goodreads you probably already know that you are about to read a rave review. I was not surprised, I expected to love Defy The Night. If you don’t, come be my friend, Goodreads is funnn!

Brigid has this way of writing characters that I adore. There’s always one that you love right away but then become unsure about because HELLO IS HE AN ACTUAL VILLAIN?! Buttttt it always comes back around…who are we kidding, I’d love a villain, no questions asked anyway.

So there was no shock for me. I knew I would love the characters and the world. I didn’t expect to fall in so quick and not be able to put the book down for an entire day.

I started this one yesterday evening and I read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Today I ended up throwing my schedule to the wind so I could finish Defy the Night and now I’m furiously typing about it so you can all know how amazing it is without delay!

What is Defy the Night about?

Normally I do a little brief about the book and then I talk about what I loved, we’re putting it all in one section today…because it was all love.

A quick overview: we’re in a new kingdom that is in the middle of a crisis. Kandala is plagued by a mysterious illness that can only be treated with the Moonflowers that grow in two small sectors of the kingdom. They’re hard to come by and only the rich are truly safe from the illness.

We get some Robin Hood vibes from our dynamic duo, apothecary Tessa and mysterious masked man Weston. They’re stealing Moonflower petals to make the tonic that is needed to help those who are sick. Tessa and Wes work under cover of darkness night after night to get doses to those who need them…even tho the punishment for smuggling and treason is a horrific death.

The kingdom is on the brink of war, rebellion, and there’s more trouble than meets the eye as the King and his brother struggle to trust the Consul’s who lead represent the sectors of the kingdom. The young king and his brother will have to learn to trust if they want to spare their kingdom from the threats within and without!

After more than a year living in a pandemic state it’s easy to relate to this kingdom that seems to bare some striking resemblances to our own. For me this vibrant and imaginative kingdom is just the start, the characters steal the show.

King Harristan, Master Quint, Prince Corrick, and Tessa the Apothecary are thrust together under some unlikely circumstances and lies, as they are often want to do, will come to light. There’s so much deliciously aggravating tension between our main characters. I am giddy just talking about it!

I really enjoyed the Robin Hood vibes throughout. The whole steal from the rich give to the poor bit works well here and in the end when everything bubbles to the surface that division between the haves and have nots will make or break Kandala and King Harristan.

There are some shady goings on and some sneaky snakes that I think will be back to bite us again. I really love that Kemmerer has a way of ending books that lets you put the book down while also wanting more. My little heart is dying for more but I’ll be able to read something else for the next year without crying, that’s special to me…since so many of my favorite authors seem to delight in ruining my life on the regular.

When I hear that Brigid Kemmerer is releasing a new fantasy series or anything else for that matter, I just hold out my credit card and yell "sign me up for two". Defy The Night is that new series and it did not disappoint.

Will you read more in this series?

As if you even need to ask. I hear Brigid Kemmerer is releasing a new book and I just automatically add it to my cart.

I can’t wait to see what adventures these characters have and how Kandala will fare with the revolution.

Without giving too much away I have to say I’m quite invested in the relationships in this one, more perhaps than I ever was with Harper and Rhen. I need to know that these sweet little cinnamon rolls will have a happy ending 🙂

Overall opinions of Defy The Night:

5/5 stars from me with ZERO hesitation. I am in LOVE. I was hit by cupids sparrow and I don’t care who knows it! (Anyone not catching The Office references around here is MISSING OUT on all the fun)

Corrick and Tessa are my new favorite power couple and I can’t wait to see how they handle all the challenges that will surely come next for them! King Harristan and Master Quint are also the perfectly lovable, learning, growing characters that I wanted them to be, I’m invested in case that is not glaringly obvious.

I can’t believe that I’m going to have to wait more than a year for another installment in this series. Impatience is my natural state of being it seems, being a reader does that to me, but the struggle is real here!

One of the biggest things I noticed was the difference in the kingdoms. I had Vow and Emberfall on the brain when I dove into Defy The Night. I was worried I would find myself comparing this new world to the one I already know and love, Kandala is vibrant and interesting, full of turmoil and strife, but it is not Emberfall. I was so happy to have another equally amazing setting to fall in love with, after the first few pages I didn’t find myself comparing the two at all.

Once again Kemmerer has blessed us with an amazing world that is populated by interesting and compelling characters. I laughed, I cried, I screamed a little, I cried some more, and then I did a little happy dance before crying just a tiny bit more (happy tears). The sibling element might have edged Defy a little ahead of The Cursebreakers series for me (gasp, I know).

I will definitely be back for more, I can’t wait to see where this world and these characters drag me, I’m obsessed.

Where can I buy a copy of Defy The Night for myself?

If you haven’t pre-ordered you should go do that! You can get copies from wherever you buy books. I’ll include the Amazon links below. There’s a special edition coming out through Barnes and Noble if you are into that sort of thing (raises hand drools on shirt jumps up and down).

Kindle Copy Here

Physical Copy Here

Don’t forget to hop on over to Brigid’s Instagram (or other socials) to sign up for the preorder campaign if you order in time! You can get a limited edition Moonflower elixir pin!! It’s gorgeous and so relevant…once you read the book you’ll be dying for one to add to your collection so snag that puppy up quick!

You can catch the first chapter of the book from those links on Insta as well!

Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans

What else has Brigid Kemmerer written?

So many amazing things! Brigid Kemmerer is a fucking treasure. Don’t worry I’ll give you some links to my favorites below. If you like Beauty and the Beast vibes you should check out The Cursebreakers series. It’s what got me hooked on her writing!

The series consists of three books (we just found out this week that there will be three more in this world too…eeeeepppp). A Curse so Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and A Vow So Bold and Deadly. It’s a gorgeous and unique Beauty and the Beast retelling story that’s very captivating.

The Cursebreakers series much like Defy The Night has multiple points of view, a magical kingdom in turmoil, and plenty of “will they won’t they” back and forth. I also really love that this series has seeming villains that are doing their best. I love a lovable villain 😉

She’s also written a bunch of other really great works including some contemporary fiction that’s great for those of you who aren’t totally keen on the fantasy elements. Defy the Night has far less fantasy and no magic so it’s somewhere between magical realism and historical fiction in my opinion!

Looking for more reviews to check out?

Check out these other book reviews and bookish posts. I think you’ll love them! Make sure to let me know in the comments what kinds of books you like to read and what you’d like to see more of.

I’d love to hear about your favorite books, I’m always adding to my TBR (to be read) pile so leave those suggestions below!

Looking for more reviews to check out?

Check out these other book reviews and bookish posts. I think you’ll love them! Make sure to let me know in the comments what kinds of books you like to read and what you’d like to see more of.

I’d love to hear about your favorite books, I’m always adding to my TBR (to be read) pile so leave those suggestions below!

About Author

Meagen is a newlywed book loving, animal hoarding, beauty junkie that enjoys hanging out with friends and family! I love my library, my pets, my beauty stash, my family & friends, and not necessarily in that order. Remember: I'm almost certainly winging it no matter how good it looks!

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