Defy the Night

Defy the Night was an enthralling story full of political intrigue, romance, and strife. Brigid Kemmerer did a fantastic job setting up the world of Kandala and fleshing out the characters. Tessa is the orphaned child of an apothecary and can’t stand the suffering of the poor who can’t afford medicine while people are dying of a plague. At night she and Weston Lark wear masks and put their lives at risk to get medicine to the poor for the last few years. Meanwhile, Prince Corrick was orphaned after his parents were assassinated. He and his brother have had to fight tooth and nail to stay in power amongst the squabbling consuls. As King’s Justice, he has had to be ruthless to show he can maintain control of the people.

Initially, I was surprised the book was alternating perspective between Tessa and Corrick when she loves Wes so much. She despises the awful acts of Prince Corrick so I was wondering what could possibly happen to cause her to turn from Wes and fall for Prince Corrick instead. Even when I suspected a big reveal the author did a great job making that scenario seem unlikely. The romantic tension between Tessa and Corrick was captivating.

Prince Corrick’s dilemma of how to balance how he would like to be with the people and the reality of his situation spoke deeply to me. While this seems like a plague book published while COVID was firmly still a problem, the illness was a vehicle to flesh out the struggle of his inner self versus public persona. How do you come back from a reputation for harshness, especially as revolution and violence are on the horizon? Isn’t that the time to stamp out all dissenters?

Overall, this was an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers read with several surprises along the way. Prince Corrick’s inner struggle was especially relatable. I am excited the trilogy is complete so I can binge read the rest of the series.