January 5, 2024
A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
The basics
Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers #2
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely (2019) - A Heart So Fierce and Broken (2020) - A Vow So Bold and Deadly (2021)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
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 Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers. Win the crown, save the kingdom. Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed 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 saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
Read a full summary of A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer below. If you can’t remember what happened in A Heart So Fierce and Broken and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place.
what happened in A Heart So Fierce and Broken?
- Rumours are circulating that Rhen is not the real prince, and that the king had a secret son. Rhen is now determined to find this secret half-brother and kill him so he can inherit the throne.
- Jake goes to tell Harper that he wants to leave the castle because he can’t stand living there. He asks Harper to join him while he travels but Harper doesn’t want to go because that would mean that Rhen would be alone.
- Rhen wonders why Grey is hiding, as he seems to have found his mother and hidden them both away. Rhen wonders whether Grey is serving Lilith, the Enchantress. Rhen sends his soldiers to look for Grey.
- Grey is actually hiding out because Lilith told him that he is the secret mage son of the king. His mother was a witch. Grey knows that Rhen will kill him if he learns who he is, and so he’s hiding in a tiny town and is pretending to be a groom called Hawk.
- Queen Karis visits with her daughters, Lia and Nolla. Karis wants Rhen to marry Nolla so their kingdoms can have an alliance. Lia doesn’t think this is a good idea, and when her mother and her people head home, Lia returns to ask Rhen about a possible alliance. Rhen finds her super sus, and takes Lia as prisoner.
- Grey steps in for one of the arena fighters. He needs to fight the captain of the guard, Dustin, and is recognised. Grey tries to escape by freeing a creature in order to create a distraction.
- Grey is surrounded and taken to the palace. Harper is very upset at the state of Grey. Rhen questions Grey about the heir, demanding a name, and Grey tries to reassure Rhen that the heir means no harm. Rhen tells Grey he has twenty four hours to give him the heir’s name.
- Lia realises that Grey is the heir. She sneaks to his room and proposes but Grey denies her.
- Grey is hung up on chains and finds the young boy Tycho next to him. Something strange happens and when Grey comes to, he realises everyone else is unconscious. He releases himself, and Lia comes to help him get Tycho out of there. Harper shows up, having heard a tonne of noise, and tells Grey to go with her brother.
- Lia offers Grey and Tycho a place in her kingdom, and talks about the alliance again. Grey and Tycho are wounded, so the going is slow. They are set upon by someone called Iisak and his crew, who know Grey is a mage. They apparently have a bond with mages and want to protect Grey and travel to Lia’s kingdom with him in order to speak to the queen.
- Grey manages to heal his own wounds using his magic, but he’s unable to heal Tycho.
- After some practice he’s able to heal Tycho too.
- The group are recognised and nearly caught on the border. The villagers there defend them, and Grey heals them, so they start to respect him as the Prince of Emberfall. The rest of the group tries to convince Grey to be the prince instead of Rhen, because he seems better suited to it.
- Karis welcomes the group, apart from Iisak who shouldn’t be there.
- There’s a ball. Grey kisses Lia. Someone screams, and Grey has to heal a soldier. Karis made Iisak wound the guy so Grey could show off his gifts.
- Grey thinks this whole thing is terrible, so he gets Iisak to work for him. Karis is unimpressed that Grey is unimpressed. Karis has Lia locked away so Grey can’t get to know her any more.
- Grey tries to get to know Nolla better, but he continues to send messages to Lia and visits her in her room. Grey asks her to leave with him but Lia refuses in case it starts a war. Very sensible.
- Karis throws another party. She orders Grey to executre Lia, which devastates Nolla because she does love her sister. Lia allows this to happen because she doesn’t want to cause a war.
- Karis shoots at Lia, and Grey transports them both to Washington and back. Lia then manages to kill the queen with her daggers, and Lia becomes queen herself.
- Grey and Lia report to Rhen in an attempt to compromise and work with him. Rhen refuses, and Grey tells him he must reach a decision in six months or they will go to war.
- Rhen speaks to Lilith, who has been hanging around and threatening Harper. Rhen accepts her help in the upcoming fight.
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