Brigid Kemmerer

KINGDOMS WILL CLASH. CHOOSE YOUR SIDE. Grey has been revealed as the rightful prince of Emberfall. But the kingdom is crumbling fast, torn between his claim and that of the reigning Prince Rhen and Princess Harper. Newly crowned as Queen of the enemy kingdom Syhl Shallow, Lia Mara struggles to rule with a gentler hand than her mother. But as Grey moves closer to claiming the crown of Emberfall, both Harper and Lia Mara are forced to question where they stand – and how far they can follow the dictates of their hearts. Brigid Kemmerer's heart-pounding saga comes to a thrilling climax, as two kingdoms come closer and closer to conflict – and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all.

A Vow So Bold and Deadly

Kingdoms will clash. Choose your side. The incredible conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreaker series. Face your fears, fight the battle. Emberfall is crumbling fast, torn between those who believe Rhen is the rightful prince and those who are eager to begin a new era under Grey, the true heir. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Emberfall, and in that time, Rhen has turned away from everyone--even Harper, as she desperately tries to help him find a path to peace. Fight the battle, save the kingdom. Meanwhile, Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow with a gentler hand than her mother. But after enjoying decades of peace once magic was driven out of their lands, some of her subjects are angry Lia Mara has an enchanted prince and a magical scraver by her side. As Grey's deadline draws nearer, Lia Mara questions if she can be the queen her country needs. As the two kingdoms come closer to conflict, loyalties are tested, love is threatened, and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all, in this stunning conclusion to bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreaker series.

I put out a hand. "For the good of..." I hesitate. It's not just for Emberfall any longer. "What, then?"

Grey clasps my hand, his grip tight. "You and me, Brother. For the good of all."

She winks at Grey and says, "Your brother looks so 

." And then she bumps my shoulder with her hip.

I choke on my drink— but I put a coin on the table. Now she winks at me.

Then, without warning, she gives Grey impulsive hug, tugging his face into her impressive bosom. "I'm so glad you're alive," she says. "I was so worried."

"Oh, Hawk," I tease in a falsetto. "I was so 

She moves closer. "Are you hiding? Is there a couple? I have heard that horrid Prince Rhen was going to try to kill you—"

"Not in hiding," says Grey. "And my brother is not so horrid."

Little did we know he was about to become unbearable

"Have no fear, my love. No one will touch you." He pauses, and his voice gains an edge. "And rest assured that no one will dare touch our child."

"A misunderstanding," I say. I wince and touch a hand to my head. "About which way was up."

Grey is sprawled on the marble next to me, and he looks over. He points at the ceiling. "I told you it was that way."

I knew it. He's slurring already. I look at the door. "We're fine. Get out."

"No, I would like for you to ride at my side."

"Only half. Then you'd have to turn your head, I imagine—"

"I still have no head for liquor. I'll be in the floor."

I pour two glasses. "Good. I'll join you."

"Not Nakiis," the creature hisses. "His father."

But his free hand reaches out to grasp mine. His grip is tight, and it's startling that I remember it, that it's 

: from a thousand different sparring matches that ended with me in the dirt, from the times I would tumble from a horse, from the times Lilith would leave me in a tortured heap and Grey would drag me to my feet.

 time, when I stood on the castle parapets, terrified to jump.

 send magic tearing across the grounds, because I'd lace it with fierce longing and gentle wistfulness and unfettered hope, emotions I only dare to share with her.

He's taking the hit so others can thrive. I've always thought that his greatest strength is when he's patient, when he waits, when he doesn't 

"I wonder if he would see me as a failure— and I also wonder if I would want a man like that to see me as a success."

He shouldn't be allowed to say my name like that when I'm... I don't know what I am. Like this.

"For you, my love, anything." Ahhhhh vibes

"For you, my lady, I would have leveled the entire city."

Every time I get a five-minute break from worry, something new pops up to smack me in the face.

Rhen will absorb my panic and fears, the way he always does, and he'll allow it to double his own.

I know I can't undo what I've done or erase the mistakes I've made. Forgiveness can't be bought, but I'm not entirely sure how I could earn it either.

I taught her how to hold a bow, how to dance, how to station an army. But when it came to swordplay, she first learned from Grey.

I am torn between wanting to stay by her side until the end of time, and wanting to find every single person who would dare wish her harm so I can put a blade through them myself.

"I've heard many stories," he says against my cheek, his voice teasing as he drags his teeth along my jaw. "You've read so very many books." His thumb strokes against a sensitive bit of skin, and I gasp again.

He draws back enough to find my eyes, and he smiles. "Surely, we can figure it out."

What a good way to end the trilogy. Again, it wasn’t as good as the second book, especially because the first half of this book was insufferably slow and boring, I was really considering just closing the book. Rhen was absolutely terrible in this book and harper was absolutely awful, she just whined all the time man. But grey and lia Mara are amazing characters and I love those two, especially together. I like how the book ended, with them being friends and brothers once more. I always loved their bond in the first book, so it was nice to see that return. 

surtified™

It was a heartfelt book. There was heartbreaking scenes, happy scenes and romantic scenes. I was glad that Rhen and Grey saw sense and became friends but I was still a bit sad that Rhen didn't become king. I was really sad when Lilith tortured Rhen again and it was really sad and I cried a lot.

Ashley Lively

Reread 2 (so total 3 reads): this book still hits so hard and Brigid's testosterone-y characters are always peak comedy.

Michaela Hudson

I don't know how i finished this so fast without ruining my sleeping schedule but here we go 🙃

I definitely enjoyed this more than I did the second book. The pace is throbbing, the plotline is easy to follow, even if you have forgot details from the last books (like me). Your ships get quality screentimes. I would say this is a solid final installment, but I don't think it's the best last book in a series that's been ever written. 

I don't hate any of our four characters, I swear. But they took so long to get their shit together. They were so indecisive at times, and many parts of their narratives sounded like rambling the same thing over and over again. The final battle (oh god i hope it's not spoiler) had the potential to be, idk, more, but it didn't last long as I hoped. (view spoiler)[Because, (now this is a spoiler)to be honest, this weakass witch who got killed in a matter of pages couldn't be the same one that fucked people up for the whole three damn books. (hide spoiler)] And then some random forgotten subplot got thrown in, and the ending came. Both were a bit underwhelming. Some details felt unresolved.

My problem with this book, in short, is that Kemmerer could have streched this out a lot more. Personally, I could have waited longer. It's not as if I would have forgotten more than I'd already had. 🙊 No needs for a rushed ending. But if you want some *chef's kiss* romance, well, you are in for a treat. 

TL;DR? A fun read, but there are flaws🤷‍♀️

Tatiana

A Vow So Bold and Deadly: 3/5

IT'S FINALLY HERE! A Vow So Bold and Deadly is a book I've been waiting for, FOR MONTHS. It is the third and final installment of the Curebreakers series and I loved it! I think this was a great wrap up to the series.

In this book, we get all four points of view: Harper, Rhen, Grey, and Lia Mara. This actually made me appreciate A Heart So Fierce and Broken a bit more because we see both plotlines come together (kind of like a Tower of Dawn moment). I think the plot is great and picks up right where the second book ends. It took me no time to slip back into the world and characters. Once again, Brigid Kemmerer outdoes herself with a plotline and characters that readers will fall in love with.

The reason I am giving this book three stars (as I did with the other two books) is just because of the writing style. Throughout these books, the writing style was never for me and always seemed a bit young. For example, Brigid Kemmerer is a more tell don't show type of writer as she likes to express thoughts and feelings by saying them outright, eg. "I am angry. I am so angry". This really annoys me for some reason. Secondly, a lot of her writing gets repetitive and is dramatic for no reason, like how Harper and Lia Mara always say, "I have to put a hand to my chest" when something emotional occurs. Like no one actually does that, and this happened at least 12 times throughout A Vow So Bold and Deadly. 

My other criticism is just that I don't like Lia Mara. I never really connected with her character in A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and this just solidified how much I don't like her. I want another really strong female character and Lia Mara just... isn't.. and neither is Harper, to be honest. I found myself agreeing with a lot of what Nola Verin (Lia Mara's sister) was saying. Towards the end, I did like Lia Mara a bit more, but overall I thought she was kind of a weak character. In regards to Harper, I have the same criticism that I did in A Curse So Dark and Lonely, which is that she pleads SO OFTEN, just by saying "please" OVER AND OVER. I feel like the begging could have been reduced to maybe one page, rather than like 3 chapters. It really took away from the badass journey that Harper just went on, only for her to beg another man for 15 pages.

Furthermore, I just don't like Lilith. Not just because she's a villain and we're not supposed to like her, but because I think she's annoying. How many times can one villain say "you're weak" or "you're not as strong as I am". I get it, sheesh. I also feel like the motivations behind Lilith aren't flushed out, and mostly she does all the cruel things only for spite.

I definitely think Grey is my favorite and most dynamic character. Everything he does has a purpose, it's done with grace and I just love him. I think he is strong but still doesn't fall under a toxic masculinity trope which I find so many fantasy books end up doing. He is mature, sure of himself and his values, AND a warrior? What else could a reader want? I think he is a well-written character that all readers will fall in love with. The one thing I don't like about him is Harper's nickname for him, "scary Grey", honey are we 5? 

Anyway, even with all that criticism I actually still liked the book and I recommend this whole series. I think it's great, entertaining, and overall a good time. Is it the most enthralling book in a literary sense? No. Is the writing something to be admired? No. But it gets the point across and tells a great story regardless.

I definitely enjoyed reading this more than the second one. However, this book only got interesting whilst i was around 50% through with it, meaning the first half wasn’t that great. To me it was really boring. Yet the second half brought me torture and tears. At one point i had to take a little break, and i can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not. You see, the storyline that occurred and the plot point i was at frustrated me, as did the ending. 

 Grey and Lia Mara, who weren’t even main characters in the beginning and somehow took over the series had a happy ending. What about the characters i bought and read this trilogy for? Rhen and Harper. Now, i do feel like Harper was becoming more herself from the first book, but not really enough. As for Rhen. I am so frustrated. Leave my man alone. One thing after another destroyed any chances of him being happy, and even the ending doesn’t clear anything up. It reminds me of The Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard, with the fact they both fully torture their characters. But i respect and appreciate Victoria Aveyard’s, because it’s done really well and really suited the storyline. But in this all i truly wanted was for Rhen and Harper to be happy at least for more than a chapter. 

 As for the romance between Rhen and Harper, it wasn’t much either. Trust me i’m not one who typically needs romance, but with how much we got from Grey And Lia Mara they certainly needed more.

Aimee :)

I definitely enjoyed reading this more than the second one. However, this book only got interesting whilst i was around 50% through with it, meaning the first half wasn’t that great. To me it was really boring. Yet the second half brought me torture and tears. At one point i had to take a little break, and i can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not. You see, the storyline that occurred and the plot point i was at frustrated me, as did the ending. spoilers Grey and Lia Mara, who weren’t even main characters in the beginning and somehow took over the series had a happy ending. What about the characters i bought and read this trilogy for? Rhen and Harper. Now, i do feel like Harper was becoming more herself from the first book, but not really enough. As for Rhen. I am so frustrated. Leave my man alone. One thing after another destroyed any chances of him being happy, and even the ending doesn’t clear anything up. It reminds me of The Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard, with the fact they both fully torture their characters. But i respect and appreciate Victoria Aveyard’s, because it’s done really well and really suited the storyline. But in this all i truly wanted was for Rhen and Harper to be happy at least for more than a chapter. no spoilers As for the romance between Rhen and Harper, it wasn’t much either. Trust me i’m not one who typically needs romance, but with how much we got from Grey And Lia Mara they certainly needed more.

This was a pretty good read. The first was a drag, the second was a joy, and this one was fairly good. Definitely peaked at the second, though. I just personally really liked Grey and enjoyed his side of things.

Sarah Campbell

camila santaella

I really enjoyed this book. It was amazing to read from everyone's perspectives. Sometimes this can get confusing but I liked how she broke it up between the two kingdoms to make it easier. I really loved how the ending really came together. All in all this series was amazing and I enjoyed every minute of reading it. 

Maggie Hotmer

Emberfall is torn between supporters of Rhen and Grey, who agreed not to attack for two months, while Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow well and is beginning to question her alliance with Grey.

This was honestly a disappointment. It took me FAR too long to finish it. I realised at the start I didn’t really care about the characters much anymore, they just…idk felt weird. The last book was good (I gave it 5 but looking back probs a 4), but honestly the direction the trilogy went was NOT what I expected at book 1. 

The whole “battle” in this only started at like 350 pages in, a few of the characters only met up by like 330…so the first 300 pages was a dragggggg. It just felt like I was wasting my time! I was bored! Nothing was happening…I just ended up finishing it to finish it.

A shame really because I adored the first book so so so much! The dynamics, the world, the isekai element, it was great…but the series dwindled as it went. I’m just gonna admire the first book as it’s a fav, remember the 2nd one fondly and pretend I didn’t see this one!

I hope the spin off stuff is good *fingers crossed*

Kimberly Burgess 

This series had so much potential, but I feel like while the ending was satisfactory it wasn't as amazing as it could've been. Probably would've been an amazing duology but felt a little dragged out over 3 books. Fantastic worldbuilding, mostly loveable characters, but the abundance of miscommunication was a frustrating.

Courtney

3⭐️ 
Although I enjoyed this series as a whole, I have some issues with the novel. I had fun with the series and these books were a good read. The issues I had were with the plot and character development. I just didn't understand how we got from book 1 to book 3 and just how the characters developed over the series. I also didn't like Harper's constant need to be a savior and Rhen's constant need to keep all the secrets. 
Overall a good YA fantasy series.

Léane 

A nice ending to the retelling. I liked the changing point of views, and I was happy to be back with harper
I'm a bit disappointed by the end because I felt that the author didn't take much risk.

Eeek this was a really good conclusion to the series!! I really liked having all four POV’s. I definitely liked the ending and how everything concluded as a new beginning. 

Hannah Williams

Ashley Wendt

I enjoyed that conclusion. Much of it was predictable, but the writing was fantastic. It gave me the Beauty & the Beast vibes through the end and a big part of that was the strong character development. There were a few threads that didn’t seem fully wrapped up and left me wanting more. I have a feeling there will be more to this world...or at least I’m hoping!!

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Wow. A great ending to this trilogy. 

1. We got much more from Harper and Rhen.
2. There was character growth.
3. The ending was realistic. 

Everything wasn't wrapped up neatly with a bow, and it wouldn't have been. But Rhen’s sacrifice was something to see.

I knocked a star off because Grey and Lia Mara don't really pull me in to care about them in this book.

Cassie Annesi

The characters felt completely different in this book. Took me awhile to get into it.

Livia

** spoiler alert **
           The only saving grace of this book is Rhen and Grey. That's it. And maybe Harper at some occasion but mostly she and Lia Mara annoys me to no end. Putting Lilith back in the story felt like a cheap excuse to have a force that unite them together, which then resolved way too quickly, especially after the massive and excessive build-up leading to the moment.

And the last chapter left us in a very unsatisfying conclusion. This book would've been better if the actual story is cut down in half (and nothing would've change) and spend the next half with Grey and Rhen solving the issues and problems in Emberfall and their relationship with Syhl Shallow. It would have been better to see Rhen being Grey's royal advisor, giving counsel and facing the problems together, side by side. Alas, we get a heavily expositioned book with pay-off that did not felt satisfying and so much left unexplored. I truly loved the first book, felt just okay with the second one, and let down by the third one.

Aurora Corbett

It was really good except the story kept building and getting more intense and then the ending was kind of blah and I was expecting something more. I also don't like how at the end of the book, Harper got kind of whiny. I know she was trying to help but still. The author could have written those parts a little differently.

i think that this book was the perfect ending to the trilogy and as an overall the series wasn't too bad. yes there were many characters that i didn't like, on a personality based level, but there were a few that made the series so worth it. 

the ending of this book was great and the whole brotherly aspect was very heartwarming. i have heard that there are character crossovers in other books by Brigid Kemmerer (i think i read somewhere that it was Defy the Night, but i could be wrong 🤭), and i would definitely enjoy finding out where they are in the future (especially Grey's child!!) 

anyways, a great series that i did enjoy, just not one that will be held as a favourite.

hannah :)

i think that this book was the perfect ending to the trilogy and as an overall the series wasn't too bad. yes there were many characters that i didn't like, on a personality based level, but there were a few that made the series so worth it. 

the ending of this book was great and the whole brotherly aspect was very heartwarming. i have heard that there are character crossovers in other books by Brigid Kemmerer (i think i read somewhere that it was Defy the Night, but i could be wrong 🤭), and i would definitely enjoy finding out where they are in the future (especially Grey's child!!) 

anyways, a great series that i did enjoy, just not one that will be held as a favourite.

easily the worst book i have read so far this year, nothing can even hold a candle to it and i read jujutsu kaisen weekly.

disclaimer: i am well out of the target age range of this series but i'd argue that surely you don't think teenagers are that stupid to gulp up this garbage.

i would be surprised if brigid kemmerer signed her book deal with a full outline for her trilogy since this story was all over the place. themes? character arcs? we have not heard of them - what do you think this is? lit class?

i cannot even say whether this is due to my absolute contempt for lia mara and gray, the two stupidest and blandest people in existence, or the fact that this book had neither proper, climactic plot, nor was it a character study. in fact, i think the two are interlinked.

(view spoiler)[let's get this straight, the plot actually sits with rhen and harper. they have to deal with preparing for war, lilith and internal kingdom turmoil. they consistently throughout the book take actions to keep the story moving, be it through attempting to stop lilith, seeking gray out, literally forcing gray and lia mara to move their asses. 

the interesting character arcs also sit with them. not that they are well developed but the bare bones are there - for example, the inner struggle that rhen goes through of doing the right things and being forced to do atrocious things to protect others.

however, the book is split between those two and lia mara and gray. all the latter two do is sit around, try not to get assassinated and whine about how incompetent they are (while being terribly incompetent). neither one of those people make any attempt to improve themselves or their circumstances.

by the end, lia mara is meant to have grown into being a ruler. throughout the whole book she has been talking about how weak she is, how she wants to rule with kindness, all the while acting like she never puts her wants before the needs of others (literally, the self-awareness is inexistent; but also turns out her "wants" is just her being horny lmao) and also failing to provide an alternative to the ruling with cruelty, as were the old ways of her kingdom, or trying to understand her people. i can go on a tangent about how this compares unfavourably to elend's arc in the well of ascension but i am plenty unkind without it.

similarly, a big part of gray's - "journey" is a strong word - is becoming more confident in his role and strengths. to the very end he compares himself to rhen and how he would go about battles and politics and just never grows out of it. he never truly demonstrates that he is also competent in his own way beyond "sword goes stabby stabby". he never does anything to actually try and grow as a person.

now, passive characters are not bad per se. but those two do not even have proper plotlines to push them into doing something - anything. for some unfathomable reason the author just decided at some point that she likes them, and that people like them, and wrote her equivalent o a domestic fic into her too long book.

all of this makes me wonder what was the point of including those two at all. they are static, stagnant. if they are rewarded, it is because the author felt so - not because they have done anything to earn it. hell, they would have just stayed in their castle, had rhen not been forced to station soldiers on the border (and even then!) or had harper literally not gone to force them into action. (hide spoiler)]

this series started as a beauty and the beast retelling with an interesting and disabled protagonist. it had the chance to examine age old questions of what is a monster and what happens when good people make bad choices. instead it thought it was more important to have two basic bitches fuck on page.

honestly, goodbye and good riddance!

Regina

I was looking forward to reading this and I guess I expected more from it and it disappointed a little. It was still nice but I don't think I can give it this one the same rating as the first and second book.

Kaitlyn Grooms

I think this was one of the best Beauty and The Beast retellings I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading. It took me awhile because I had to work but Saturday into early sunday (like 3:30 am) I couldn’t stop reading. It’s so good and I love all the characters but a handful of them. I want everyone to read and love this series like I did. 

Meg Cornhill

3.5/3.75 (I haven’t quite decided yet) 

I’m torn between whether I like this series or not because I’m both a character driven reader but also hella big on plots, and I hate predictability in fantasy books because really, the only limit is your imagination. I really enjoyed the characters from the first book, it slightly diminished in the second, and by the last I found them incredibly one dimensional that I forgot why I liked them to start with (I also shipped Grey & Harper so hard, that I literally didn’t pay attention to Lia Mara; I just had to grab the book I finished 2 minutes ago to find her name). The basic plot of this was interesting enough to keep my reading, but I felt the climax was too rushed and the ending was just left a little wanting. 

In saying that, I still enjoyed it enough that I would recommend friends to read it.

A Vow So Bold and Deadly

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