A Heart so Fierce and Broken (Cursebreaker #2) - Review

A Heart so Fierce and Broken is the direct sequel to A Curse so Dark and Lonely, carrying on from the original story from two new perspectives. The book begins in the fashion of the last book, carrying on the tale from Harper’s perspective before soon shifting to Grey, Rhen’s previous commander and what most people would consider a dear friend. The novel moves in the same fashion as the previous one by switching between two perspectives, introducing Lia Mara’s character, daughter of Karis Luran, Queen of Syhl Shallow.

Grey’s new life in Rillisk is a stark contrast to his old life as Rhen’s Commander. In the short time he has resided there he has taken on a new identity and created a friendship with a young boy named Tycho, who seems to take on a younger/older sibling relationship throughout the story. I personally loved Tycho’s character and seeing how Grey’s previously shielded demeanour lessens ever so slightly as he confides in his new friend. Despite his previous role and the fact he had to forswear all friends and family before becoming a royal guardsman, Grey seems to form this friendship with Tycho easily which I believe comes from the ease he felt around Harper and the friendship they were able to create. Deep down, Grey seeks companionship after so long and his true personality shows throughout this nowel and within his relationships between characters such as Tycho, Lia Mara, Harper and even the character arc in his relationship with Jake further on.

On the other side of things, we are introduced to Lia Mara who we soon learn is the daughter of Karis Luran. It very quickly begins to feel as though you’re mixing with the enemy by reading from Lia Mara’s perspective. Karis Luran is this impending doom within the first book and then suddenly she’s there and the reader gets such an up-close look at the dynamic she has with her children and the way she wishes to rule. However, it quickly becomes obvious that Lia Mara does not share the same ideologies as her mother and the reader is able to quickly become comfortable with her character. She is kind and compassionate, but all she has ever known is her family and therefore, she knows no different than the cruelty inflicted by her mother. This raises the question of where Lia Mara’s kindness and compassion originates from, seeing as she has no relationship with the man who fathered her and there doesn’t seem to be any sort of motherly love between herself and Karis Luran. We see Lia Mara’s kindness and compassion mainly within her close relationship with her sister and their guards, Parrish and Sorra. We can already see the contrast between Grey and Lia Mara’s stories. One of them had to sever all ties with a loving family, soon to learn that they weren’t really the family he once thought they were. Now stuck living as someone entirely new, unsure of who he is anymore. The other has had family their entire life but lacks a large element of what family truly means. She has sought out other forms of family within her sister and friends, however, she is stuck in the perpetual cruelty of her mother’s ruling and the ruling her sister will soon inherit whilst constantly being reminded that she will never be as good as her younger sibling. What we can compare about the two characters from the get-go is that they both carry the same loving, loyal qualities. Lia Mara is inherently loyal to her family, despite all wrong her mother has done and Grey is loyal to Rhen, despite the hardships that come later in the book. The reader sees the arc that these two characters take on their journey together. Whilst Lia Mara defies her mother’s wishes in her relationship with Grey, he finds himself regretfully “betraying” Rhen by progressing his exploration into his magic and journeying to Syhl Shallow and ultimately agreeing to take the throne and planning on forming an alliance with Karis Luran.

I read a lot of negativity surrounding this book, mainly on how the writer changed the perspective that the reader has of Rhen and the negative light he was written in. However, I don’t see this as a bad thing or something that makes the sequel a bad book. I think that the situation with Rhen was a well-written character arc that represented his true feelings about magic and the fear he had regarding this mysterious heir taking the throne. His only friend was keeping this information from him and in his eyes, Grey was his biggest threat at the time and the only person who could ease that threat at the same time. He resorted to drastic measures that are in line with his emotions at the time. This doesn’t mean that I agree with the actions that Rhen took to try and retrieve the information from Grey, but I can see why it was written this way and why he didn’t just shrug it off and trust Grey’s word.

The other controversial element of the book was the relationship that formed between Lia Mara and Grey. While I do agree that the relationship was obvious, I liked it all the same. The two of them have such different lives and yet share some very unique similarities and by the end of the book, the two of them are in line to become rulers of their respective countries. Grey finds compassion and friendship in Lia Mara, as well as the rest of their group, but their bond is strong in the way that they uplift each other and encourage each other to be their true selves. Lia Mara stands up to her mother and Grey embraces his magic, both of these largely due to the impact the two of them have on one another.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m heavily anticipating the release of the third book next year. I can see the faint love square between, Rhen, Harper, Grey and Lia Mara coming into play, but I also see the book being based mostly on the kingdoms politics and the negotiations between Rhen and Grey.