Like most books, I first heard of “Defy the Night” while scrolling on TikTok. Well… who I am kidding, it was Instagram Reels. Nonetheless, social media was my first introduction to this novel. I saw a video about a fantasy romance novel with hidden identities and opulent wealth and was immediately hooked.
On paper, “Defy the Night” by Brigid Kemmerer is a story about a mysterious disease that has spread through the fantasy kingdom of Kandala and a magical flower that works as its only vaccine. The issue, however, is the flower is in high demand but with limited supply, resulting in people stealing the flower to support their families.
One such thief is our female protagonist, Tessa, an orphan working as an outcast vigilante distributing the flower to those in need. She has an intense hatred for the Royal Court, as she blames the King for her parents’ murder and the spread of the disease. Her partner is the mysterious Weston Lark, who helps her every step of the way.
As a surprise to absolutely no one, a romance brews, but not in the way you would expect. This novel technically has three main characters—Tessa, Weston and Prince Corrick, the king’s younger brother—but the romance occurs between only two of them (A.K.A. no love triangle). The story is written from the perspectives of both Tessa and her love interest, but once again, I will give no more specifics.
Overall, “Defy the Night ” is a great young adult novel with lots of romance that doesn’t rely on more… adult themes. It was cute and sweet with a pretty consistent storyline. There is one fairly major twist/reveal that occurs early in the story, but it’s handled very tastefully and it’s pretty believable.
Honestly, the book is a bit predictable, but I wasn’t expecting any less.
With that said, I do have one major issue with this novel: the names. Skipping over the ridiculousness of the name WESTON LARK, the prince’s first name is Corrick and the king’s is Harristan. Not HarriSON, like a normal person, but Harristan. The benefit of reading a novel versus listening to it or watching a movie is that I can think whatever the heck I want when I read names, and you can best believe my internal monologue was not thinking “Harristan.”
Nevertheless, I personally love this story because it defied the conventions of the fantasy romance genre. If you know me at all, or have read any of my fantasy reviews, you know I detest drawn-out fantasy series. Unlike my history DBQ’s when I’m trying to score all fours, brevity is preferred (and there you go, that was a Membean word).
Although “Defy the Night” is around 500 pages and is technically part of a series, it reads like a standalone, and thus I will treat it as one. The ending of the first book in this trilogy, “Defy the Night,” isn’t a cliffhanger. It’s a closed loop and a complete story that leaves room for further exploration if you so choose. Personally, I will not be reading the rest of the books in the series, but I am not distraught in any way over this. For me, the story of Tessa & the kingdom of Kandala ended with the final words in “Defy the Night,” but for you, that may not be the case.
And that is the beauty of “Defy the Night.” It is a fantasy romance novel for everyone. Even if the actual storyline doesn’t “Defy” expectations, its sheer existence does (please don’t mind the philosophical ending, I’m simultaneously writing an English essay and it’s hard to switch styles, iykyk).
I rate “Defy the Night” four out of five C’s. I’m sorry, but the name Corrick knocks off a “C”.
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