Looming War in A Vow So Bold and Deadly | Book Review

【 A VOW SO BOLD AND DEADLY 】

BOOK #3 IN THE A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY SERIES

Love, love, love.

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Published: 408 (paperback)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: January 2021

This was such a great and explosive conclusion to this trilogy and I’m so pumped that we don’t have to leave this world behind just yet with Kemmerer bringing out a spin-off series *star eyes*

I was so intrigued as to where things would go after the epic cliff-hanger with (view spoiler)[Lillith (hide spoiler)] and how Rhen was supposed to deal with that. The morally grey conflict continued in spades in this last instalment, leaves you able to see both Grey’s side of things and Rhen’s. Gosh Rhen made me frustrated, but once he got off his high horse and thought oh, maybe Harper could offer some support he became much more tolerable and less pig-headed.

I loved swapping between the four perspective of Lia Mara, Grey, Harper and Rhen – it really drove the point of tension into the book as these friends are all at serious odds with each other, and the threat of war is going to tear them apart. I just can’t get over how well Kemmerer constructed the idea of evil being so slippery to define.

My favourite thing about this trilogy that makes it stand out for me, is that I was not once bored. Book two didn’t feel like a ‘filler’, each book had a purpose and enough action to carry it through. It didn’t feel stretched out or taken too far – this series is exactly what I wanted it to be and I love that Kemmerer has developed it enough to leave room for more of the story in Forging Silver Into Stars.

Favourite characters are by far Lia Mara (still) and Tycho. And can we all take a moment to drink a cold glass of water because the sexy scenes in this book were to die for. Actually, on that point, the sex scenes and romance in this book was another great example of how well Kemmerer writes in terms of keeping things genuinely even-footed between male and female characters. I’m thinking of Grey and Lia Mara in this instance – when you read the book you’ll know what I mean when I say this was so goddamn refreshing. The female characters are capable of being both kind and strong, no need for an all-out badass tomboy, and the men are capable of being masculine and not assh*les.

A-mazing.