Defy the Night
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4.3 • 203 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times Bestseller!
From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes an electrifying dystopian fantasy, perfect for fan of Powerless and Shatter Me.
A desperate prince. A daring outlaw. A revolution one spark away from catching fire.
A plague is sweeping the kingdom, and the cure exists--but only for those who can afford it. Tessa Cade, an apothecary's apprentice, has watched the rich live and the poor die for too long. Every night, she pulls on a mask, slips past the royal guard, and steals what the crown is hoarding, smuggling the cure to the dying. The only person she trusts is the masked stranger who fights at her side, the boy who has become her partner, and her heart.
Prince Corrick is the King's Justice. Feared, hated, and bound by duty to crush anyone who defies his brother's reign, he doles out brutal punishments because the kingdom is one rebellion away from collapse. He knows his brother's hold on the throne is the only thing keeping desperate people from open war. He has secrets that could end him, including sympathies he cannot afford and a girl he never should have let himself love.
When their two worlds collide, Tessa and Corrick will have to choose: save the kingdom they were born into or ignite the revolution that will burn it down.
A pre-industrial dystopian fantasy of plague, class warfare, and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave readers breathless for more.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This sweeping young-adult fantasy makes some sharp points about our own society—and serves up an exciting and empowering adventure tale. Tessa is an apothecary in training who, with her friend Wes, has managed to create an elixir to fend off the deadly fever that’s been plaguing the nation of Kandala. But there’s a catch. The treatment requires Moonflower petals, which are owned exclusively by the noble class—forcing Tessa and Wes to steal them to save their compatriots. This riveting novel pops with adventure, intrigue, shady politics, and double-dealings, and we were obsessed with Tessa’s breathtaking character development (and, yes, the swoony romance). The first book in Brigid Kemmerer’s Defy the Night series proves that seemingly ordinary people can become the beating heart of an epic story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A new series starter from Kemmerer (A Curse So Dark and Lonely) centers on an illness that divides the kingdom of Kandala into those who can afford the Moonflower petal elixir that keeps the deadly fever at bay and those who cannot. By day, 18-year-old Tessa Cade, whose parents were killed by the King's night patrol, is an assistant apothecary; by night, though, she is a masked outlaw stealing petals to make elixirs for the poor. When Tessa's accomplice, Weston Lark, is killed by Prince Corrick, the King's Justice, she sneaks into King Harristan's palace for revenge. Discovered, Tessa bargains for her life with her knowledge of potions, assisting 19-year-old Prince Corrick in tracing the fever's trajectory. Political intrigue flourishes as the royal brothers battle outsider rebels and scheming counsels; Kemmerer presents intense moments of torture amid scenes rich with covert power plays and swoon-worthy romantic dialogue, and the positioning of Tessa as peacekeeper and nurse conforms to gender stereotypes. Switching between the perspectives of Tessa and Prince Corrick, the expansive plot promises a commanding sequel. Main characters are assumed white; many secondary characters are described as having dark skin. Ages 13–up.
Customer Reviews
5/5 and wow, holy plot twist
This book is good to great, then pretty soon the plot gets next level and it’s like WHOA!!! You think you know where this book is going, you think you’ve read something like this before—you are wrong. Amazing characters you love or love to hate or hate that you love, where not everyone is who they seem the more you learn about them. Plus a complex fantasy world and a realistic and intricate power struggle playing out at the castle while the people suffer in the kingdom. I couldn’t put this down
I Think I love whatever this Author writes
Love, love, loved! Loved the story and the whole Robin Hood like feel to it! Great plot, what a page turner! Finished it quickly and now I’m left waiting for the next book! Loved Tessa and Wes!! And Corrick! I think I just pretty much love whatever this Author writes!