Prior to his assassination, King Lucas of Kandala sent a spy to neighboring Ostriary, whose connection with Kandala had been severed. Moonflowers are critical for an elixir that cures the fever sickness. Reading the next book will be easy– I really want to know what happens next! Waiting for it to come out will be a little harder.As the Moonflower supply in Kandala dwindles, a ship arrives with a trade opportunity in this follow-up to Defy the Night (2021). I felt like that painted a much bigger picture of what was going on and why some things had happened earlier on in the book and series. We also learn some things connecting events of the past, when Corrick and Harristan’s father was king, to issues in the present.

We learn so many new things about the kingdom and the politics between the crown and the consuls. I really liked the directions that DEFEND THE DAWN flowed in, though.

I felt like there was a bit of a lull around the middle where Corrick and Tessa kind of rehash the same conflict they’d been having, while I was ready to move on. In terms of the plot, I felt like the pacing moved really nicely. I’m really excited to see what happens with each of them in the next book. Lochlan, the rebel leader, Quint, the king’s right-hand man, and Rian, the captain of the ship all had some great moments. I found it easy to invest in all three characters, and some of the side characters kind of stole the scene a few times, too. The Outlaw has to navigate his dual roles as a masked helper to the poor by night and a powerful man by day. Tessa and Corrick face challenges to their relationship and doubts about each other’s feelings and values. The story of DEFEND THE DAWN is divided into three points of view: Tessa, Corrick, and an Outlaw. That said, I’d probably also call it a crossover because Brigid Kemmerer has written other young adult novels and has a pretty significant (well-deserved) following among YA readers. The issues that Tessa and Corrick deal with are more adult– figuring out your career path and relationships– rather that the more figuring out who you are and what you believe about the world stuff typical of YA. I love this series, but I don’t know that I would truly classify it as young adult.

Brigid kemmerer defend the dawn