A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers #3)
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury YA
Published January 26, 2021

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About A Vow So Bold and Deadly

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 a dangerous enemy returns, in this stunning conclusion to bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreaker series.

My Review

It took me a long time to read this book. Not because of the writing or the book itself, just… it’s the end of the series. And I was pretty much Team Rhen from the beginning, so I knew this one wasn’t going to be easy, because he goes through some stuff. But I also love the other characters, especially Harper, and really wanted to see how their stories play out. Plus, if you haven’t yet heard, Kemmerer is beginning a new spin-off series this year (which has Tycho in it as a lord???) so I didn’t want to fall behind.

There’s a line in the book where Harper is thinking about Grey and Rhen’s relationship and where things went wrong between those two. She’s thinking about the mistakes they both made and whether that justifies war between them. She concludes this: “one bad choice should not undo a thousand good ones.”

If you know what’s been going on in my personal life the last few months, you probably already know that would hit me really deep. I mean, you could argue that there are some loopholes there depending on what that one bad choice is (murder maybe?). But I’d argue that the thousand choices are a good measure of the person’s true character. If one choice out of a thousand is a bad choice, probably it was a mistake, and there are probably reasons it happened. (Which is pretty much Harper’s point.)

Anyway, obviously the story resonated with me in ways outside the book. I loved the way the story explores the way mistakes impact a relationship but how hope and courage to rebuild that trust impact a relationship, too.

There are so many moments in this book that I needed to happen. Things between Rhen and Harper. Things between Lia Mara and Grey. But things for those characters individually, too. Stuff that they’ve been carrying that we’ve all known they need to face up to. There are shocking moments and moments that broke my heart, too. It’s a really fitting conclusion to this series packed with huge characters and gigantic emotions.

On the whole, I’m so glad I finally read A VOW SO BOLD AND DEADLY. I’m excited about the spinoff, FORGING SILVER INTO STARS, which comes out later this year, too. Sometimes I’m able to get Brigid Kemmerer’s books for review (probably a higher likelihood since it’s the first book in a new series??) but not always. Either way, I’m sure I’ll be reading it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white. Harper has Cerebral Palsy. (It’s not mentioned specifically in this book, but it is in A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY.) Harper’s brother Jake is gay and in a relationship with a Black man. (Both minor characters.)

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl which sometimes leads to more. Some descriptions of undressing and leading up to sex. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
A sorceress once held Rhen under a terrible curse, leaving him terrified of magic. Grey also has the ability to perform magic. Another character does as well.

Violent Content
Battle violence and situations of peril. Some graphic descriptions of violence and references to torture.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol.

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