Reviews

Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer

emckenzie1045's review

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2.0

Guys I tried so hard to finish this, but I just couldn't. The characters were insufferable this time around, the plot was mediocre, and it couldn't hold my attention. I got about 75% through before I dipped.

All I have to say is that Harristan deserves better.

lalaelisabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

5.0

5 ⭐️

I loved this. I'm such a sucker for an epic adventure onboard a ship and it was done so well in this book - I enjoyed myself immensely.

Again (like the first one) the author excels at showing how nothing is black and white in this story. All the characters (except Allisander, who can go f*ck himself, respectfully) contain more than just "bad" or "good". She shows how complicated everything is and how it can be seen from different sides and appear different depending on who we are following. Like meeting the Captain - I loved seeing this from both Tessa and Corrick's POVs and how differently they see him and what they each notice about him throughout the story. Expertly done!

The conflict between Tessa and Corrick is also just so realistic. Again she shows the different sides there is, and when you hear one of their POVs you can't help but feel exactly what that person is feeling - and then you hear from the other one and it puts everything into perspective and you can't help but also see it from their side. It's really impressive how much you get pulled into it and how quickly you relate to the different characters.

The addition of Harristan's POVs was amazing. I absolutely LOVED getting inside his head and seeing his narrow world view get disrupted a bit. He comes from a place of power and privilege and through both the first book and this one he slowly gains so much more perspective. It's such an important character journey. And also: I am already rooting an insane amount for him and Quint. I need that to happen as soon as possible.


A beautiful ride! Can't wait to see how everything unfolds and gets tied up in the final installment. So excited.

My thoughts don't know where to settle, because I've found Lochlan pretty frightening myself. But I know what it's like to be backed into a corner. Choices never seem like choices when the world only offers us bad ones.

"Lord, Tessa. Never apologize to me. You always make me better."

"Master Quint?" he says. "Exactly what was your plan?" "In retrospect," Quint says, wincing, "it's unclear."

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mfrancoise's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

iamkallia's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

booksgalore24's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

melsthemoon's review

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adventurous emotional
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

maiyareads28's review

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4.0

rating: 4.8⭐️

juliaannreads's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mjk1221's review

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4.0

This book was more “angsty” than the first book. Not to say it was a lot of angst, but definitely a little more angst (at least with Corrick and Tessa). I’d say I liked the first book more. This one was an interesting story, but was the most interesting at the very end. The beginning/middle were okay, but everyone is definitely trying to reinvent themselves and maneuver around each other. The splitting of the brothers didn’t feel as “dangerous” as I thought it would feel. That might be because the first book showed the brothers may trust each other implicitly, but they clearly have their own paths they have taken and are taking. Definitely looking forward to the next book, though.

happyv's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0