2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss A Heart So Fierce and Broken, the second book in the Cursebreakers by Brigid Kemmerer.

Pages: 450 pages

Length: 1 Month (July)

Participants: Ruthie, Shareen, Dikshita, SarahKat

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Happy Buddy Reading!

Looking forward to this!

Really looking forward to this considering many of us loved the first book.

Me too! When are you all starting? I might wait a week or 2 depending on how fast I can get through the other books that just came through from the library.

I am planning to start it next week. Just finishing a few June reads now🙈

SarahKat, I’ll prob have to do what you’re doing and wait a week or two because I have this book on audible so there’s no time limit but some of my other buddy reads are from the library so they have time limits

So this actually just became available on my library app and I started it.

Loving the new points of view so far!

SarahKat wrote: "So this actually just became available on my library app and I started it.

Loving the new points of view so far!"

Now I am gonna start reading it too. I will begin today.

I finished the library book I had so I’ll start this today too!

Through chapter 10: (view spoiler)[So far, this seems more brutal than the first one, although it's been a few months since I read it. First the father and his little girl getting killed by order of Lia Mara's sister. That made me feel sick. I cannot stand when children are in peril. Then Sorra getting killed.

Prince Rhen is not my favorite person so far. But he wasn't really my favorite person in the first one either. I hope Harper puts him on the right path. He obviously shouldn't be making decisions by himself. (hide spoiler)]

On Chapter 21! and I agree with you SarahKat. Also, not liking this one as much as the first. It's not keeping my attention but that could be a "me" problem so I paused it and switched to something else yesterday. Will try again later today.

I'm on chapter 16. I see what you mean about not liking this one as much. I'm reading 2 buddy read books at once and trying to finish the other one faster since it's shorter, but it is much easier to put this one down and switch than it was with the first book.

I do really like Lia Mara and Grey as main characters though. I just finished the chapter (view spoiler)[where Lia Mara sees Grey arrive at the castle and she figures out rather quickly that Grey is the heir that Rhen is looking for. I love that she is astute enough to think of that. It makes sense Rhen and Harper wouldn't right away since they are closer to him. (hide spoiler)]

Yes exactly! I don't feel that urgent need to keep reading as I did in the first book. Yes I like Lia Mara and Grey too and reading from their perspective.

Totally agree with you as well. I was impressed with Lia Mara about that part too! And glad at least one person in the book knows, makes it more interesting.

Chapter 4

(view spoiler)[ Little surprised to see that Grey gave away his identify just like that to Tycho. Strange🤔 (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[ I can’t believe Rhen behaved that way with Lia Mara. Where is Harper when you need her? She would have understood Lia Mara’s peace proposal better. Has Rhen become so blinded in his desire to be the King? (hide spoiler)]

Dikshita, yes you're right I was surprised at those parts too.

Chapter 35

(view spoiler)[

I've liked reading about Grey and Lia Mara but this whole time they've been traveling I'm also wondering about Rhen and Harper and what conversations they are having. It would have been nice to have a chapter dedicated to them during the other group traveling chapters. I wonder if this points to the fact that the author may not redeem Rhen for his whipping of Grey and Tycho. (hide spoiler)]

Ruthie wrote: "Dikshita, yes you're right I was surprised at those parts too.

Chapter 35



I've liked reading about Grey and Lia Mara but this whole time they've been traveling I'm also wondering about Rhen and..."

I was wondering the same thing! (view spoiler)[I keep thinking it would be a shame to throw away the importance of the first book and just make Rhen into the villain. I'd be okay with that if Harper wasn't involved. It would be pretty sad for all of her sacrifices to be for naught.

This is one of those books where a whole lot of crap could have been avoided by a conversation or two. Also thinking of Lia Mara and Grey. I mean, why can't they ally their countries with a marriage between those 2? It doesn't have to be the queen and king. (hide spoiler)]

I'm on chapter 38. I'll probably finish tomorrow.

SarahKat wrote: "Through chapter 10: So far, this seems more brutal than the first one, although it's been a few months since I read it. First the father and his little girl getting killed by order of Lia Mara's si..."

(view spoiler)[ I couldn’t have agreed more Sarah. The decisions of Prince Rhen have been really questionable till now. It looks just because the curse is broken, Rhen has become too rash and overconfident with his decisions. Or he has become too impatient to rule.

And definitely this one has more elements of violence in it in comparison to the first one. The whole idea of killing Sorra was so heartbreaking and cruel. I know that you cannot trust your enemies if they come up for negotiations one fine day just like that, but still it made me really sad.

Why don’t we have more of Harper in this? Where is she when all of this is happening? You cannot make a character disappear from the book just like that🤔 I am finding that the most strange. I really liked her in the first book and now I am missing her. (hide spoiler)]

SarahKat wrote: "I'm on chapter 16. I see what you mean about not liking this one as much. I'm reading 2 buddy read books at once and trying to finish the other one faster since it's shorter, but it is much easier ..."

(view spoiler)[ Yes Sarah and Ruthie I agree with you guys. I was really happy with Lia Mara when she guessed Grey being the hafling. I was happy to see Harper being her own self with both Grey and Lia Mara.
But Rhen is annoying me right now. 🤪I don’t know why, I have developed this slight hatred towards Rhen. I didn’t even like him much in the first book too. But here the fact that he was so indifferent with Greg’s arrival and condition makes me mad. Grey had been there with him the whole time during all seasons. But Rhen is being really inconsiderate.
Really liking Lia Mara. And Grey was always my favourite. (hide spoiler)]

Dikshita wrote: "SarahKat wrote: "Through chapter 10: So far, this seems more brutal than the first one, although it's been a few months since I read it. First the father and his little girl getting killed by order..."

(view spoiler)[When I started the book I saw that all of the chapters were Grey and Lia Mara so I knew going in we'd miss out on Rhen and Harper. I did miss them and I don't like that this book made me really hate Rhen even though we find out at the end the "reason" for his actions. (hide spoiler)]

I finished this morning. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In short, I really did enjoy this but not quite as much as the first one. I feel like the characters were all making really stupid decisions for really stupid reasons. I hope the third book will have all 4 main character POV's.

Here's my review!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My thoughts on the ending

(view spoiler)[

I totally agree with you guys and I think it would have been a better book had it been longer and had some chapters with Rhen and Harper talking about things during the other group traveling together. It's always hard to know if the author made those decisions or if her editors told her to just focus on Grey and Lia Mara because I know that usually they like YA books to be shorter but c'mon man. We don't mind longer if it's good!!

I was happy and surprised that Lia Mara became queen. I was thinking that her mom would become the main baddie. It ended on a crazy cliffhanger with Lilith back and threatening Harper to make Rhen do her will. I wonder what will happen in the next book! It's seeming like maybe Rhen has to die?? IDK how he can come back from all this and be redeemed. Unless he somehow saves everyone in the last one?? What do y'all think? (hide spoiler)]

Ruthie wrote: "My thoughts on the ending "

(view spoiler)[I didn't mind too terribly much that we missed out on Rhen and Harper except that now I just hate Rhen more. I think that was intentional so Kemmerer could lead up to that cliffhanger end. While Rhen was making some awful choices, it's obvious he's not just doing it because he's a jerk. He's under Lilith's thumb once again.

Because of that, I do think he's redeemable. His friends and Harper just need to find out somehow that Lilith is back and they can fight her together. No wonder Rhen is terrified. He would have given up the throne to Grey if she wasn't there threatening Harper. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[

I wonder if I would have looked at the Table of Contents as well if I would have been fine with it too. I guess I just kept waiting to hear their names and then when I didn't I was disappointed. I listened to the audiobook and I could have looked at the Table of Contents but idk why I didn't think of it.

Yes I hope they find out about Lilith somehow without her knowing, we will see next year when the next one comes out! (hide spoiler)]

After taking the longest time ever, I just finished the book.
Initial thoughts I didn’t like this one as much as the first book. I wasn’t captivated by it like the previous one. So that got me a little disappointed.

(view spoiler)[ I was really disappointed of the fact that we didn’t get Harper and Rhen’s side of the story. I really feel the book could have been the same length with the chapters of Harper and Rhen too. (I really don’t want it to be longer that this).
The fact that Rhen was not someone I loved in the previous book was solidified by this one. Of course he did have his own set of reasons for behaving like a jerk, I still don’t like him. (hide spoiler)]

I had really loved Grey in the first book and was happy to read from his perspective. But the best part of the book was Lia Mara. She stole the show man! She really did. I didn’t think I could like anyone more than Grey, but I was absolutely wrong. There is nobody like Lia Mara. (view spoiler)[ The way she became the queen was the best thing in the book. (hide spoiler)]

Final rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Favourite quote of the book

“Ah, yes, the most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sitting alone with a book.”