Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by itscati
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half of this book was so slow, and I was BORED (the political stuff just wasn’t for me). Then small things started happening, and I was starving for literally anything to keep me engaged.
But let me tell you one thing—and I hate to say it—this book would’ve been so much better if Tessa weren’t in it. SHE WAS SO ANNOYING. In the first book, I had no issue with her— she was not incredibly interesting, but at least useful. Here? She comes off as super naïve, self-centered, and constantly acts like everything is about her when, girl… people are literally dying (🤡) She gave me major Kiva flashbacks from The Gilded Cage, just NO.
But let me tell you one thing—and I hate to say it—this book would’ve been so much better if Tessa weren’t in it. SHE WAS SO ANNOYING. In the first book, I had no issue with her— she was not incredibly interesting, but at least useful. Here? She comes off as super naïve, self-centered, and constantly acts like everything is about her when, girl… people are literally dying (🤡) She gave me major Kiva flashbacks from The Gilded Cage, just NO.
The romance was frustrating, and not just bc of Tessa, but also because they lacked not only chemistry but also basic communication skills. COULD THEY JUST TALK??? Don't get me wrong, Corrick had some icky moments too, but the way Tessa kept rehashing things we already resolved in book one — girl be for real 😊 Plus, let’s not forget her constantly comparing Corrick to Rian and even thinking about kissing Rian?! This whole forced love triangle was just so stupid 😃😃
The strongest part of this book was definitely Harristan (he was so interesting—plus, why do he and Quint have more chemistry than the main couple? I ship them!). Some of the drama was juicy, and I liked the ending, but not enough to give this a higher rating. I also think this book put me in a reading slump 🤡
Side note: One thing I have to mention is the audiobook—THE VOICE ACTORS WERE AMAZING!! Especially Harristan’s (yes, I have a crush on a voice, sue me 😁). Kudos to all of them for getting me through this mess <3 I think I’ll listen to the next and final book, but yeah… not my favorite of the series.