A Heart So Fierce and Broken (The Cursebreaker Series)

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I need someone to explain to me why he's the rightful heir? No-one actually attempted to confirm his provenance, and even if he is indeed Rhen's older brother, he's a bastard and therefore has no right to the throne at all, right? I'm not saying that's fair, but if the law works differently here, a sentence from BK would have cleared that up.

Lia Mara: She was whiny and full of self-doubt. While I empathized with the burden she carried, I was also frustrated and often wanted to shout, ‘STOP CRYING AND DO SOMETHING!!!’ 😭 Her sister was even more annoying with her “advising” because the way she voiced them didn’t seem genuinely supportive but felt showy and demeaning as if she believed herself she was more capable than Lia Mara in rulling their kingdom. Continuous doze of Lia Mara crying CaUsE oH sHe iS nOt hEr mOtHeR aNd sHe is too soft and too kind and too sweet and too annoying (somebody stop her before she lets out all the murderers and criminals from dungeon to prove her "generosity") You once told me that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.” 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.” Also, where Harper might've looked all docile and unlike her usual self in AHSFAB, she definitely wasn't like that here. It was the Harper we all know and love who didn't let Rhen get away with *ahem* certain actions and I lived for those moments.Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad book. But it was the weakest of the trilogy simply because it didn't have enough meat to fill out its bones. There was so much unnecessary filler in the beginning, it completely bogged down the pacing. And since all the action and development was saved for the end, the rest of the book felt meandering and plodding. The final battle for the throne of Emberfall is about to commence, the one true heir has been revealed and the people's loyalty have been left divided. Stay with the old ways or begin a new era.

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. That is one friendship that's done so well. I really loved all those moments they talked because it felt like Harper knew Grey's depths more than Lia Mara. A Heart So Fierce And Broken begins with grey which; in the first book found out that he is the secret heir of ember fall, so he went into hiding as not to get recognized and keep the kingdom safe. Lia Mara was in the next room, so using the fireplace, she could cross to Grey’s room which she did, and she gave him the proposal of being allies with her mother, but then again, he denies.A Heart So Fierce and Broken is a darker story than its predecessor in many ways, starting from the audience’s realisation that Rhen may not be the hero to the moral conflicts each of our protagonists face. Grey doesn’t want to challenge Rhen for the crown, but he may not have a choice except to defy the king he once served if he wishes to survive and protect his people. Lia Mara wants for everyone to live and be happy, but that is a naïve wish that doesn’t take into account the history of bloodshed and violence between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow which will not so easily be smoothed over. At what point does she end up as a traitor to her people if she continues pushing for reconciliation despite the deaths that have occurred on both sides? Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I swear to god, I was seriously going to give this 5 stars and move it on my all-time-fav shelf bUT THAT ENDING- 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.” This author has many possibilities for a return to this world and I'm curious to see what she would do if that happens.