A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2)

Synopsis

Find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Princess Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Grey knows the heir's true identify but has vowed to keep it secret. On the run since he destroyed evil enchantress Lilith, he has no desire to challenge Rhen- until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother's violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable Cursebreaker saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

Loved

• Lia Mara. What's not to love about this girl? She's everything you could want in a heroine- smart, compassionate, wise, and quietly brave. Lia Mara is just good. She is always selfless and loyal, and never puts herself above others, although she is royalty. Her wisdom enables her to look beyond her mother's brutality to seek more effective ways to help her people, and her empathy enables her to understand others and perceive their needs and motives. I have serious respect for a girl who can hold her own in a fight to the death, but can also be spotted sneaking out of parties to read :) I also love that she is able to melt Grey- the most stoic and stony man out there!

• Grey. To be honest, I had mixed feelings for Grey throughout this story, but I love who he decided to be in the end. He goes through a lot of conflict, development, and insecurity throughout his journey, and I found myself frustrated with some of his decisions and his stubbornness (but Lia Mara was frustrated with this too, which was validating ;) But once Grey started falling for Lia Mara, he was able to understand himself better and he opened up to become gentle, relatable, and very likable.

• The romance. Okay, these two are just perfect. Their story is frustrating in all the best ways. They always push each other to be the best they can be, they sacrifice for each other, and- most importantly and most frustratingly, they sacrifice each other at times for the good of their people. Their stolen moments together are swoony, and I loved discovering the real Grey as Lia Mara melts him and peels back his impassive facade.

• The plot twists. This story had some unexpected surprises, down to the last page of the book. Looking back, they were twists I should have expected, but I'm happy I didn't because it made the ride more fun :) Many times I could not guess what would happen, and I loved the ride of unexpected heroic moments, surprising loyalties, and intense intrigue.

Didn't Love

• Some of this story felt a little bit slow, just because they were traveling for much of it, and much of the time Grey didn't know what he was doing or what he wanted. I was also really frustrated with Grey for the first half of the book, and I didn't understand the reasoning behind his decisions. I do wish we had a little better understanding of why he made a big decision (I won't give context to avoid spoilers . . . ). I had to read through some conversations multiple times to try to piece together his reasoning and what was going on in his mind- which was a little frustrating at times. However, he himself was confused and conflicted, so I guess it was an immersive experience to be confused right along with him ;)
• I was also disillusioned with some of the characters, and at one point I thought, "Okay I seriously hate all these people." But, these characters are complex- making mistakes and choosing difficult paths for the good of all. They all grow throughout the story and I understood and loved them all by the end.
• I also missed Harper and I wish we would've seen more of her!

Content

• Language: 
• 5-10 uses of "silver hell."
• Occasional uses of "damn," "ass," and "bastard."

• Sexual content: 
• 3-4 kiss scenes, nothing sexual. Describes hands on hips, hands in hair, mentions tongue. 
• A man thinks how any other man would be undressing the girl in front of him and leading her to bed, but he does not wish this.
• In one kingdom, the queen does not marry- a conversation about how she chooses men to bed for each of her children.

• Violence:
• First part of the book takes place with a fighting rink- men fight for sport and entertainment.
• An innocent man and his daughter are killed with a crossbow.
• Quite a few people killed with arrows, swords and daggers- guards, soldiers, and citizens alike.
• A secondary character is killed with a sword.
• Two characters are beaten and tortured by being whipped in front of a crowd.
• Skirmish between citizens and soldiers- people are killed by stabbing, being thrown in the air, and having knives thrown at them. A pregnant woman is stabbed in the ribs, but does not die.
• A woman is killed by having two knives thrown at her.
• A man's eye is cut out as punishment.


• Other themes:
• LGBTQ+: Two secondary male characters are dating seriously. They sleep in the same bed and are affectionate with each other, no kissing described. A female/female married couple is mentioned in one scene.

Overall Thoughts

 I ended up loving this sequel, but it did take me a little while to be totally on board. I immediately loved Lia Mara and was very drawn to her personality and her story. But Grey's conflict and stubbornness was difficult to understand at times, and for the first half of the book I kept wondering why he was making so many obviously dumb decisions. I do wish we understood a little more of his reasoning for some of his choices. However, I loved how the story developed, and I fell hard for this star-crossed romance. Lia Mara is one of my favorite heroines and I just loved watching her uncover the real, gentle Grey that we haven't seen much of until now. Overall, I really enjoyed the development of this story and I am very invested in what happens to these lovable characters in book three!