defy the night book review

Defy the Night #1

Defy the night, brigid kemmerer.

448 pages, ebook

First published September 14, 2021

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“I think that very few people truly deserve what they get, Tessa.” He pauses, and for the briefest moment, sadness flickers through his eyes. “For good or for bad.”

“True strength is not determined by how brutal you can be,”

“It’s easy to love your king when everyone is well fed and healthy. A bit harder when everyone is not.”

“When there are calls for revolution,” I say to him, “we should be riding at the front, not hiding in the shadows.”

“I hate the king,” I whisper. “I hate the prince. I hate what they’ve done. I hate what Kandala has become.”

“There are too many layers here. I thought it was as simple as right or wrong . . . but it’s not.”

“All this time I’ve thought that the people within the gates were the most powerful, but maybe I was wrong. We all have power.”

“We buy what we can from the taxes we collect, and we distribute it among the people. But there is never enough: not enough silver, not enough Moonflower.”

“I’m not a killer. I heal people; I don’t harm them.”

“I keep notes in my father’s notebooks of what cures the fevers—the Moonflower—and what doesn’t: everything else.”

“We don’t discuss what could happen, because I’m right. The king wouldn’t care that we’re stealing to help people. If we’re caught, we’ll be executed right next to the smugglers.”

“I wonder if this is why it’s so easy for the royal elites to ignore the people outside the walls of this sector. Are we all invisible to them?”

“Kindness leaves you vulnerable, Tessa. I learned that lesson years ago.”

“I have heard every manner of scream without flinching. I have listened to promises and threats and curses and lies—and occasionally, the truth. I have never hesitated in doing what needs to be done.”

“to my face, I’m Your Highness, or Prince Corrick, or sometimes, when they’re being especially formal, the King’s Justice.”

“Because despite all outward appearances, I’m not cruel. I don’t delight in pain. I don’t delight in any of this.”

“I’ll never be free of this. Of who I am. This will be my life as King’s Justice: Cruel Corrick, the most feared man in the kingdom, and somehow also the most alone.”

Character Dynamics

“I wish Weston were here. I’m better with the medicines, with the dosages and the treatments and our patients, but he’s better in the face of violence and danger. He’s cool and reserved when I’m hot and rattled.”

“They respect my brother—as they should. They fear me. I don’t mind. It spares me some tedious conversations.”

“But we’re still taking action. We’re not backing down from that horrible king and his awful, cruel brother. We’re saving the people who need saving. Fight back. We are.”

“I did what I could,” I say to her now, and my voice almost breaks. I have to take a shuddering breath. “I do what I can. And every day, I regret that it’s never enough.”

“Mind your mettle, Tessa.”

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DEFY THE NIGHT

From the defy the night series , vol. 1.

by Brigid Kemmerer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2021

The personal and the political intertwine in this engaging series opener.

The only effective treatment for the lethal fever that plagues Kandala is a potion derived from the rare Moonflower.

Medicine is allocated to each sector of the kingdom by the decree of King Harristan, but the supply is limited. Thieves, smugglers, and black marketeers are subject to punishment and execution overseen by the cruel Prince Corrick in his role as the King’s Justice. Like many in Kandala, Tessa Cade loathes the king and his younger brother for ignoring the plight of those who cannot afford treatment. With the help of her close friend Weston, the 18-year-old apothecary’s assistant steals Moonflower petals from the wealthy and makes potions to distribute among the poor. Soon after Wes is caught by the night patrol, Tessa is presented with an opportunity to sneak into the palace. She enters with the intention of taking a sample of the palace’s potent Moonflower elixir only to be captured and brought before Prince Corrick, who, Tessa discovers, might not be as heartless as she originally believed. The slow-burn romance—between an idealist with straightforward moral beliefs and a pragmatist trapped by duty—will keep the pages turning, as will the scheming of the king’s consuls and the rebellion brewing in the background. Tessa and Corrick are cued White; other characters’ skin colors range from beige to deep brown.

Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-5476-0466-1

Page Count: 496

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

Share your opinion of this book

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

More About This Book

Sales of Print Books Fall in First Three Quarters

SEEN & HEARD

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me , three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

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Review: Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

Defy the Night Brigid Kemmerer Bloomsbury Published September 14, 2021

Amazon | bookshop | goodreads, about defy the night.

The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.

King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents’ shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King’s Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion–it’s the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most–but it’s still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.

A fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption, the prince desperately holding it together, and the girl who will risk everything to bring it crashing down.

I was super excited when I opened the package that had an ARC of DEFY THE NIGHT in it. I didn’t think I’d be on the list of bloggers who would get a copy (THANKS, BLOOMSBURY!), so I wasn’t even on the lookout for it. And yet! Yay!!!

So when I started reading, I was nervous. If you know me, you’re probably rolling your eyes. I’m always nervous when I start a book. If I liked the author already, I worry that the book won’t live up to my expectations based on how I felt about previous books. If it’s a new-to-me author, I worry that the book won’t be a good fit for me, and I’ll struggle to read it. So. Yeah. Apparently I’m just a nervous reader.

I think the first time I sat down to read, I read like 70 pages. When I quit, I wanted to read more, but I was really tired. I was into the story, had some ideas about where it was headed. (Yeah, okay, I peeked ahead. Did you forget already that I’m a nervous reader?! Ha.)

The second time I sat down to read, I read over 100 pages. The third time, I finished the book. (Something around 250 pages.)

I loved Tessa’s character– and I feel like Kemmerer always does this to me. She always gives us these bright, strong heroines with layers and grief and depth, and I love them from the first pages. I wasn’t sure I’d like Corrick. I mean, I suspected there was more to him than the brutal exterior, because hello, he’s the hero, but, I just wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into.

The story centers around a pandemic in a time of unrest and violence. Brief violent descriptions of death or torture or assassination attempts kind of pepper the whole book. I wasn’t expecting that for some reason, so the darkness of it kind of took me by surprise. They’re almost always brief descriptions, but there are a lot of them. I’m super sensitive to violence, so I kept worrying that it would add up to be too much for me, but I think because it’s usually so brief, I was okay reading it.

I completely bought into the premise and the characters, so I feel like I can’t even evaluate whether they made perfect sense– because I was committed to the story from pretty early on. The danger felt so real. The stakes kept getting higher. And the relationships twisted and turned and revealed new layers again and again.

I also liked that it didn’t end on a cliff’s edge. It had what I’d call a comfortable resolution (??) where, like, things felt completed without at the last minute introducing a new thread to tease us about the next book. So I really appreciated that! We have enough stress and anticipation right now. Haha. I’m excited about the fact that it’s a series, though, because I would definitely read more of this story world. I’m wondering, since it didn’t have a cliffhanger end, if the next book centers on different characters??? I am really excited to find out about that.

At any rate, I think readers who enjoyed A HEART SO FIERCE AND BROKEN will find the same great storytelling and complicated characters here. I might have liked this one better than AHSFAB? I’m not sure. It might be my favorite of Kemmerer’s so far, but I’m a pretty devoted fan of LETTERS TO THE LOST , so that one is tough to beat. Either way, I loved it and recommend checking it out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content I don’t recall any. Maybe mild profanity? If so it’s pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content Kissing between girl and boy. In one scene, the characters kiss pretty intensely.

Spiritual Content None.

Violent Content Lots of brief violence. Assassination attempts or successes. References to torture. Descriptions of executions. Descriptions of battle or a group beating up one person. Explosions. Most of these things are brief, but there are a lot of them.

Drug Content None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of DEFY THE NIGHT in exchange for my honest review.

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Where Geeky Makes Sense

Book Review: Defy the Night | Brigid Kemmerer

📖 BOOK REVIEW⠀📚 Defy the Night

AUTHOR: Brigid Kemmerer @ BrigidKemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA @bloomsburyya

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ + 🐰

Published: September 14, 2021

https://amzn.to/3CoWHd2

The Review 📚 Defy the Night

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:

I was in love with the Cursebreakers series so this one was highly anticipated. Thank you to Bloomsbury for letting me read this book!

💜 What I liked:

This book sucks you in from the beginning. The world is rich and deep, the characters are relatable and the writing is fantastic. Tessa is exactly the kind of heroine you want to fall in love with. I NEED MORE!

😱 What I didn’t like:

I don’t have issues with this book. My only complaint (which won’t be an issue with purchased copies) is that my copy didn’t have a universe map since it was an arc. Hey, I had to have one minor issue, right?

🚦 My face at the end: 🧐

💭 5 Reasons to Read:

1. Brilliantly composed story arc
2. Main characters with loveable flaws
3. Addictive series start
4. Political Intrigue
5. Fantasy setting

🕧 Mini-Summary:

Tessa and Wes are stealing flowers to create life saving medicine for their country. Corrick and Harristan are the rulers of the land, struggling to provide a better life for their people as a plague ravishes everyone.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from the publisher..

📘 Summary 📚 Defy the Night

From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption, the prince desperately holding it together, and the girl who will risk everything to bring it crashing down.

Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer’s captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.

Book Review: Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

*I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *

Book: Defy the Night

Defy the Night (Defy the Night, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer | Goodreads

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Published Date: September 14th, 2021

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: Defy the Night

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5

Book Synopsis:

From the author who brought us the Cursebreakers series, comes the first book in an epic fantasy series. It’s about a kingdom on the brink of disaster and one girl who is determined to do all she can to save her neighbors. Kandala has been ravished by a mysterious illness where the only known cure is an elixir made from Moonflower petals. Those out in the wilds, like Tessa, have less access to the elixir. With the help of her friend Wes, she steals the petals from the wealthier sectors and distributes it to those neighbors who need it most.

Prince Corrick was thrust into his role as King’s Justice when his parents where assassinated. His brother Harristan reluctantly took over as King. The two hold tenuous power over their kingdom as they continue to maintain a delicate balance between those sectors who control the Moonflowers and the rest of the kingdom.

When an unspeakable act is committed by Prince Corrick, Tessa risks everything by sneaking into the castle. What she finds there turns her whole world upside down. Now, she has decide if Kandala is worth saving or if it should all be burnt to the ground.

My Thoughts:

This is a loose retelling of Robin Hood where Tessa takes on the role of Robin Hood by stealing the Moonflowers from the haves and providing it to the have-nots. What I liked about this story the most was that all of the characters are morally gray. None of them are all good or all evil. Tessa knows stealing anything is wrong and punishable by death, but she steals the Moonflowers for the greater good of society.

On the flip side, Prince Corrick and King Harristan are portrayed as being cruel, heartless leaders, but there is so much more going on under the surface. They are caught between sector power struggles that are older than they are. Prince Corrick is a true gem in this story as he actually cares for his people but has to make tough choices. I don’t want to spoil anything, but his antics as the King’s Justice are not as bad as they appear: the people he punishes are not entirely innocent either. The King and Prince have to make choices that appear cruel so they can protect their people.

Tessa and Corrick have to work together as new information arises about Moonflowers and the illness it treats. Tessa has to trust that Corrick’s true self is hiding behind a cruel exterior and Corrick has to trust Tessa’s knowledge in the plants that she learned from her father.

Kemmerer does a great job of painting the picture of Kandala. She balances the violence out with pieces of romance and heart-felt moments between family, both blood and found. This book is just the start of the adventure and I’m anxiously awaiting the next installment!

Looking for more Young Adult books? Check out my other reviews here: Young & New Adult – Once Upon a Book Babe

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Book Review: Defy The Night

Defy the Night

– Brigid Kemmerer –

Bloomsbury YA

Published 14 September 2021

Okay, so Brigid Kemmerer is one of my all time favourite authors so it is completely unsurprising that I loved Defy The Night. Maybe not as much as I adore The Curse So Dark and Lonely, but that’s a pretty high standard of adoration to live up to and Defy The Night does not disappoint in any way – it’s just extremely stressful.

Tessa risks everything every night, sneaking into the Royal Sector to steal Moonflowers to make the only medicine that will keep the deadly illness at bay. In the Wilds there is never enough medicine or coins to go around but she and Wes, a fellow outlaw, do what they can. In the palace, Prince Corrick does what he can to keep his brother, the king, safe and barter for enough moonflowers. But being the King’s Justice is a bloody and endless job and it seems even his best efforts may not be enough to prevent a rebellion.

I do love retellings and Defy the Night draws loosely on Robin Hood . It’s a Brigid Kemmerer book, so there is no questioning the amazing writing and scintillating romance . I adore Brigid’s writing. She is able to so quickly capture my attention and draw me into the story. Duel perspectives and chapter’s that switch between Corrick and Tessa give the reader insight into the two very different worlds they come from.

Oh Corrick. Dear, broken hearted, sweet and deadly Corrick. What a fine and so very flawed character you make. I think Brigid is setting a bit of a trend with her main characters who we love but who do some very bad things (cough, Rhen, cough cough.). So, if you like genuinely nice girls falling for guys who have had to do some terrible things and help them see past that to the nice guys hiding within, then you’ll enjoy Defy The Night.

The romance was a surprise and takes an interesting journey. Hard to say much without spoiling the surprise, but I loved how complicated and conflicted the romance is and how hard it is for Tessa, and yet how strong she is to stand up for both what she knows is right but to also find understanding and compassion. Some might say she is weak for falling for such a guy, but only see her strength in balancing what needs to be done with kindness.

I thought I knew what the twist would be fairly early in and then I talked myself out of it, so I was surprised when the reveal is made. Can I also say, that I love how soon in the story this twist is revealed, as it makes it more believable and so much more fun knowing the truth.

I think it’s important to mention that Brigid says in her author’s note that this book, about a deadly illness, was conceived before Corona Virus hit the world. It was edited during lockdowns, so there have been some changes, but I think it comes across as a very relatable experience, without it being too similar.

This is the first book in a new series which promises to be just as thrilling and agonising as Kemmerer’s other fantasy series. Can’t wait for the next book.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Young adult fiction

Genre: Fantasy.

Themes: Illness, death, royalty, medicine, legends, retellings, Robin Hood, outlaws, theft,

Reading age guide: Ages 13 and up.

Advisory: V iolence, fortune, dead, hanging, executions, corpses, illness, death of young children, vague regencies to the threat of rape.

Published: 14 September 2021 by Bloomsbury YA

Format: Hardcover, ebook. 496 pages.

ISBN: 9781547604678

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Book Review: ‘Defy the Night’

✅ Addictive

✅ Great plot lines and tropes

✅ The beginning of a new series (which I will become addicted too!)

Defy the Night is a brand new novel from Brigid Kemmerer. If you are familiar to my reading tastes and blog, you will already know that I devoured Brigid’s trilogy ‘A Curse so Dark and Lonely’ not that long ago. I am officially a hard-core fan and will be reading any fantasy books she creates. I was lucky enough to read a pre-release of this new book through work.

The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster and life-threatening illness. Tessa and Weston have seen the illness first-hand and have become determined to help those who slip through the cracks and cannot afford medicine. Tessa and Wes live in the Wilds , or supposedly 😉. Tessa is an apothecary and has adapted her late fathers elixir to make it go further and help heal more people. The elixir is made from Moonflower petal and it’s becoming extremely hard to find. Her and her smuggling partner, Weston Lark, make late night ‘runs’ to deliver the elixir but their actions are considered treason in the eyes of Kandala’s royal sector. One night, Tessa is riled with anger and determination to make change. She expresses to Wes that it’s time to lead a rebellion and take action regardless of the life-threatening danger. Wes goes on the run alone that night and he doesn’t return.

Bundled with despair, shock and anger with the loss of Wes, Tessa sneaked into the Royal Palace to seek out the King. She wants a chance to make change and maybe just a piece of revenge. What Tessa finds is not to be expected and from here we are honestly kept on our toes at the end of every chapter. Wes is not who he seems and throws the plot, politics and romantics into a spiral. A good spiral!

As rebellion breaks, Tessa and Wes are caught in a pull and tug of needing to keep up appearances yet doing what they believe is right. We’re introduced to a series of characters that play pivotal parts in keeping Tessa and Wes’ secrets, as well as supporting them through potentially fatal suspicion. We see royal trading politics and struggle for power. We question why the King is struggling to fight the ‘sickness’ and who is behind the planning of rebellious actions.

The romance element was great between Tessa and Wes. Of course it’s cliché but hey, that’s why we read these types of books. They make you warn and fuzzy with imaginary ‘love to hate’ tropes. Give this a try if you want to be absorbed in a book this weekend. It was fun, fast-paced and gripping. Come back and tell me what you think!

Published by melreviewsherbooks

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Review: Defy the Night (Book 1)

Available at Bookshop.org

For fans of: Dual POV, morally grey characters, political intrigue, mysterious diseases, revolution, roller coaster of emotions, lots of tropes

The big questions:, what genre is this in ya fantasy, are there any swoon-worthy characters wes is mysterious, breaks the law to help people, and a hopeless flirt, is it spicy very steamy, but not spicy, is it violent or gory there are action sequences, but nothing gory, should i buy, borrow, or pass on this book if you are a fan of brigid kemmerer’s work, borrow it.

“ Mind your mettle, Tessa. ”

Synopsis : The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand. King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents' shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King's Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion--it's the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited. Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most--but it's still not enough. As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King's Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it's even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.

“ A spark of rebellion is all it takes to defy the night. ”

Review : If you are looking for a fantasy that is light on world-building and heavy on tropes. This is the one for you. It just wasn’t the one for me. I like the premise very much and the characters are fun, but the tropes were too heavy handed to make this stand out in a sea of trope-filled YA fantasy. I will say, this is a fun roller coaster of events that are quite jarring and keeps you on your toes. I also enjoyed the dual POV of Tessa and the King’s Justice as they try to do what they can to save as many people as they can in their respective roles. The political intrigue is also really well done with consuls plotting for control while the King’s Justice and King Harristan do their best to maneuver it all as young men abruptly placed in power. I also appreciate the characters being a bit older than your typical YA characters, making them a tad bit more believable.

The problems I had with the story stem from so many tropes being thrown in without any finesse. I won’t mention any here that will be spoilers, but repetitive quotes is a big one that I can’t stand. I love a good phrase being associated with a character, but it was done too much here and became very annoying instead of endearing. It was giving, “I have a question” rather than “I will not be afraid.” Oh, and lots of gasping, lustful looks, and heat that constantly gets interrupted. I like a good tease and I get its YA, but just fade to black instead of cockblocking I beg of you. Also, the twist in the middle was so incredibly cruel, thoughtless, unforgivable, and uncharacteristic that I couldn’t believe it. Finally, the resolution was too quick and clean. It left no desire for me to continue the series despite there continuing to be an overarching issue. So, while a fun time, I won’t be continuing the series.

Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

Review: lost in the never wood.

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Book review – defy the night by brigid kemmerer.

Genre: Fiction; Fantasy; Young Adult

Note: There are NO spoilers in this review. When discussing in the comments, please provide a spoiler warning if needed.

I received Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer in a recent monthly Bookish Box subscription and was immediately pulled in by the cover. I thought it was gorgeous and wanted to read it immediately. For the most part, I found it enjoyable but that’s about as far as it went.

This novel follows two main characters – Tessa Cade and Prince Corrick – as their kingdom battles a sickness sweeping through the land bringing heartbreak and corruption. The story is set in Kandala, which is split into six sectors, some better off than others.

Prince Corrick and his brother, King Harriston, began ruling the kingdom after the assination of their parents and shortly after the sickness began to spread. While there is an elixir to hold off the effects of the sickness, access to the elixir is not available to all and only two sectors are capable of growing the delicate moonflower needed.

This story has a strong Robin Hood vibe, with Tessa and her partner stealing moonflower from those who have an abundance and giving it to those in desperate need. As the story continues, the divide between the rich and impoverished grows until rebellion takes hold.

“A spark of rebellion is all it takes to defy the night.” ― Brigid Kemmerer, Defy the Night

I enjoyed reading this novel and made my way through it quickly. It was an easy and fun read. Prior to picking it up, I had been on quite a book-break. This was mostly due to being sick and then the final month of pregnancy. I couldn’t stay awake to read no matter how hard I tried.

I’m often hesitant to start books I didn’t carefully select. I’m not a fan of not finishing a novel, so I try to read the synopsis and reviews before deciding to open a book. That way I’m more confident I will finish it. Defy the Night did not disappoint.

However, when I say this book was an easy read, I mean just that. If you are looking for some kind of unexpected ending, twist, or uniqueness to the story – this is not the novel for you. After reading two or three chapters I could have told you how this novel would play out. It’s the first book in a series, but I’m not sure I will pick up the remaining novels. I want a book that makes me think and surprises me.

I’ll also admit – the premise of a kingdom-wide sickness – I’m really just not ready for COVID-type books yet. The whole time I was reading all I heard in my mind was “pandemic” when the sickness was mentioned. The main symptom was even coughing, which didn’t help differentiate.

Overall, I would say this isn’t a bad novel and if you’re looking for a fun and easy read, check this one out. But I’m not sure if I will be reading the remaining books in the series or recommending this one to a friend.

“Mind your mettle, Tessa. “ ― Brigid Kemmerer, Defy the Night

Defy the Night, by Brigid Kemmerer | Book Review

Book Review of Defy the Night The Children’s Book Review

Defy the Night

Written by Brigid Kemmerer

Ages 13+ | 496 Pages

Publisher: Bloomsbury | ISBN: 9781547604661

What to Expect: Fantasy, Pandemic, Social Equity, Dystopia

All is far from well in the kingdom of Kandala. Following the assassination of the king and queen, the young and ruthless King Harristan and his brother rule a kingdom increasingly ravaged by a mysterious sickness. The sickness can be cured with an elixir made from Moonflower petals, but the supply of these is short, controlled by powerful elites who fight for greater wealth and power within Harristan’s Court—or over it.

Meanwhile, Tessa and her friends risk their lives nightly to steal supplies of Moonflower petals to create cures for their impoverished and desperate neighbors, tired of watching them die while the nobles and royals do nothing to help. As the situation worsens, however, Eve realizes she will need to do more than merely smuggle cures to save Kandala.

Weaving together strands from fantasy, dystopia, and science fiction, Defy the Night is a rollercoaster narrative that touches on many of the concerns of twenty-first-century readers, from the risk of a society-destroying pandemic to the need for social justice and equity. Thrown into the mix is a gripping Robin-Hood-style adventure with an addictive romantic twist. With her tough façade and touching insecurities, Tessa is a relatable and believable heroine, and Kandala itself is exotic and captivating without resorting to fantasy clichés. In fact, despite a setting of castles, kingdoms, and smugglers, there are virtually no magical elements, helping the story more closely echo the real-world readers are familiar with.

Defy the Night is a captivating novel that readers won’t want to put down.

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About the Author

Brigid Kemmerer is the author of the New York Time s bestselling Cursebreaker series, which includes A Curse So Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken , and A Vow So Bold and Deadly . She has also written the contemporary young adult romances Call It What You Want , More Than We Can Tell , and Letters to the Lost , as well as paranormal young adult stories, including the Elemental series and Thicker Than Water . A full-time writer, Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her family.

For more information, visit https://brigidkemmerer.com/ .

Defy the Night , written by Brigid Kemmerer, was reviewed by Dr. Jen Harrison. Discover more books like Defy the Night by following our reviews and articles tagged with Books For Teens , Brigid Kemmerer , Dystopian , Fantasy , Pandemic Books , and Young Adult Fiction .

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Dr. Jen Harrison provides writing and research services as the CEO of Read.Write.Perfect. She completed her Ph.D. in Children’s and Victorian Literature at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in the UK. After a brief spell in administration, Jen then trained as a secondary school English teacher and worked for several years teaching Secondary School English, working independently as a private tutor of English, and working in nursery and primary schools. She has been an editor for the peer-reviewed journal of children’s literature, Jeunesse, and has published academic work on children’s non-fiction, YA speculative fiction, and the posthuman.

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Defy the Night

52 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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Chapters 1-9

Chapters 10-18

Chapters 19-26

Chapters 27-35

Chapters 36-45

Character Analysis

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Summary and Study Guide

Defy the Night is a young adult fantasy novel published by American author Brigid Kemmerer in 2021. The novel is the first in a series of the same name and takes place in the fictional kingdom of Kandala, which has been stricken by a plague with only one known cure—the Moonflower. Only two of Kandala’s nine sectors grow the Moonflower, giving the consuls from these sectors significant leverage over the young King Harristan . Many people can’t afford the medicine, but protagonist Tessa Cade , a young apothecary, discovers that the official dosages are too high, and she can save three times as many people with the same amount of medicine. Therefore, she teams up with Weston “Wes” Lark to steal Moonflowers and distribute medicine to those who can’t afford it, saving many lives. However, her own life may be at stake when she discovers that almost nothing in Kandala is as it seems, including her partner Wes—whose true identity is that of the royal Prince Corrick.

This guide is based on the paperback version published by Bloomsbury in 2023.

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Defy the Night is told from alternating perspectives in the present tense, between teenage apothecary Tessa Cade and Prince Corrick, who serves as King’s Justice to his older brother, King Harristan. The novel opens with Tessa sneaking out of the Royal Sector of the kingdom, from which she’s just stolen some Moonflowers—the only known cure for the pandemic that’s been raging through Kandala for a few years. Tessa’s parents were apothecaries and started illegally distributing medicine to those who couldn’t afford it when the pandemic broke out, with Tessa helping them. However, Tessa’s parents were caught by royal guards, who killed them. Prince Corrick, disguised as an outlaw named Weston “Wes” Lark, happened to be nearby that night and prevented Tessa from running after her parents and getting killed herself too. Now, Wes and Tessa continue Tessa’s parents’ work of distributing medicine to working-class people who can’t afford it. Tessa has discovered that the palace-approved dosage is three times too high, and she can save more people with the same amount of Moonflower. However, it would be “treason” to say this publicly, so she doesn’t; she simply tries to save as many people as she can. They have no way to contact each other when they’re not together, so Tessa often worries that Wes will be caught by palace guards. She has a crush on him, but tries not to get too attached because death is common. During the day, Tessa works at a fake apothecary shop and Wes is allegedly a steelworker. There are nine sectors in Kandala, but Tessa lives at a boarding house in the Wilds, where the sectors come together near the Royal Sector; this is where many working-class people live.

Prince Corrick recalls the night his parents died, it being shortly after the pandemic began but before it became serious. Each sector of Kandala appoints a consul to serve as an advisor to the king and queen. One of the nine consuls, Barnard Montague, murdered Corrick and Harristan’s parents in front of the boys, who were 15 and 19 at the time. Barnard tried to kill Harristan next, but Corrick saved his brother by killing Barnard. Harristan immediately became king, with Corrick serving as King’s Justice. Now, Corrick is afraid to trust people because his parents were murdered by someone they trusted. Corrick feels the need to protect Harristan, who is often ill and now dealing with the pandemic despite taking extra doses of medicine. Harristan also dislikes violence, so Corrick performs torture and execution on his behalf. Corrick himself dislikes violence, but is constantly pressured by consuls who control the medicine, mostly Consul Allisander Sallister , to torture people. Allisander is still angry at Corrick and Harristan about a disagreement they had as children, and now projects his anger by constantly raising Moonflower prices. Corrick and Harristan attend a meeting with consuls and reject a bridge. Allisander claims his supply runs are being attacked and raided, so he needs extra guards and is raising prices once again. A group of eight smugglers is caught, and Corrick is asked to publicly execute them.

One of the smugglers, Lochlan , punches Allisander in the Hold (jail) and won’t give any information. Consul Arella Cherry asks Corrick to pardon the eight smugglers, but Harristan says they can’t. Tessa’s boss who owns a pseudo-apothecary shop, Mistress Solomon, makes Tessa and her coworker Karri attend the execution. There, some of the smugglers are executed, but the prisoners start rousing the crowd and talking about mysterious “Benefactors” who can save the kingdom. The crowd rushes the stage, allowing some prisoners to escape. After this, royal security increases and Corrick (as Wes) thinks it’s too dangerous to distribute medicine. However, Tessa wants to continue, so Wes goes out alone, since he’s faster. However, he doesn’t return, and Tessa sees his dead body hanging from a wall—a warning to other smugglers. Devastated, she goes to work but is distracted. Mistress Solomon sends Tessa on deliveries to the Royal Sector. She wanders into the palace, surprisingly able to blend in with a group of servant girls. She decides to steal some Moonflowers, but is apprehended by Quint , the palace master, who brings her to Prince Corrick. Tessa discovers that Corrick is actually Wes, and is both confused and furious. Corrick faked Wes’s death in an attempt to discourage Tessa from continuing to distribute medicine, thinking this would keep her safe.

Quint knows about Corrick’s double life as Wes. Therefore, he helps Corrick and Tessa come up with a story to explain why Tessa, who broke into the palace, is being held in the palace rather than the Hold. Quint and Corrick decide to tell Harristan and others that Tessa is an apothecary who has brought medical theories for Quint to review—which is the truth. However, Quint and Corrick don’t tell Harristan about Corrick’s double life as Wes, because this would be “treason.” Tessa meets with Harristan and discusses her theory about dosages. Harristan is skeptical but willing to collect more data and test it out. Although Tessa admits to stealing medicine and distributing it to the poor, Harristan doesn’t care because he can see she was trying to help.

Supply raids and rebellions continue, with the related groups getting larger and their weapons more advanced. Corrick reasons that they must be funded by someone with considerable wealth, a royal or an elite. Meanwhile, Allisander is resistant to Tessa’s theory about dosages because she’s a young girl. Tessa considers running away, but reflects that she now has the best chance of enacting change, even if she’s being met with skepticism. Corrick explains that Harristan can’t make Moonflowers free, because if Allisander loses profit as a motive, he can refuse to supply or farm the flowers. Tessa wants to visit the nearby kingdom of Ostiary to see if they also have a pandemic or extra Moonflowers, but Corrick says the potentially fruitless trip would be too expensive. The Hold gets attacked, and prisoners are freed. Allisander makes Corrick execute some people, and Tessa notices that this traumatizes Corrick.

Allisander accuses Corrick of being a Benefactor, someone organizing the supply raids and prison breaks. Harristan questions Corrick, and he denies everything. Tessa and Corrick decide to go undercover as civilians to ask people who the Benefactors are. They save a child from being killed by night guards, then encounter the former prisoner Lochlan, who punched Allisander. Lochlan doesn’t recognize Corrick and leaves. However, he comes back later with more men and captures Corrick and Tessa, having finally recognized Wes as Corrick. Lochlan and his men take the pair to a rebel camp, where people beat up Corrick. Tessa gets them to stop by reminding them of all the good things that Wes did. She discovers that her coworker Karri is working with the rebels as well. Tessa also discovers that some Moonflower petals look different and are actually fake. These include the Moonflowers at the palace, but also the ones that the Benefactors (Allisander and Consul Lissa Marpetta ) have been giving to the rebels as payment. Then, royal guards appear and apprehend Corrick and Tessa.

Corrick is taken to the Hold, where he finally admits to Harristan that he has a double life as Wes. However, he clarifies that he was not the one to attack Allisander’s supply runs and is not a Benefactor. Allisander visits Corrick and admits to conspiring against Harristan with other consuls. The guards lock up Allisander, and let Corrick out to see Harristan. The Royal Sector and the palace get attacked, so Corrick, Tessa, Harristan, and some guards flee to the old workshop, where Corrick and Quint nurse wounds they caught in the crossfire. They go to the rebel camp to negotiate with Lochlan, who has taken consuls and other people hostage. Harristan tries to negotiate, but Lochlan kills two hostages before they get anywhere. Everyone trusts Tessa, so she explains to Lochlan that the rebels’ medicine is fake, and that Harristan wants to help. Meanwhile, Corrick goes to Allisander and forces him to promise eight weeks of free medicine while they figure out a plan. The rebels ultimately concede when granted amnesty.

Tessa convinces Harristan to let Corrick stop being King’s Justice, and to get rid of the role altogether. She now lives at the palace and becomes an advisor to the palace physicians, as well as a liaison between Harristan and the common people. The pandemic is still not solved, but there is hope.

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Defy the Night

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Defy the Night is a delightful introduction to Kemmerer’s new series. The assassination of a much loved monarch and the rise of a suspicious fever has the kingdom on the cusp of rebellion. The new young king and his brother both struggle with the strain their public personas are placing on their personal beliefs. Each is determined to protect the other, despite the cost to their own hearts. As the fever spreads and more people are dying, the rebellion gains momentum, creating a thrilling us versus them situation. Each side is convinced they are doing the right thing but are blind to the larger picture. At the center is a girl with the trust of both sides who is simply trying to stop the violence and save the people.

Kemmerer’s writing is captivating and effortlessly weaves a poignant narrative. The reader’s desperation builds alongside the characters’ as we learn of the layered and nuanced challenges of combating the fever afflicting the land. What was truly remarkable was the number of times I switched sides throughout the story. By the end, I was neither rebel nor elite but a hopeful third option.

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Inside samsung’s ‘solve for tomorrow’ competition and how stem makes new york city’s streets accessible to all.

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Sente uses AI to help Blind and low vision people navigate NYC streets.

At the end of April, Samsung held the final round of its Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition in Washington DC. Now in its 14th year, Samsung says the national winners “have shown us how innovation on a community level can be used to build a better future.” National winners receive a $100,000 prize package which includes numerous Samsung products suitable for classroom use, as well as a slew of other resources.

One of the state winners of the competition were students from New York City’s Stuyvesant High School. The students, led by biology and geoscience teacher Jerry Citron, built an app called Sente designed to assist Blind and low vision people more accessibly navigate the hustle and bustle of crowded urban areas. The software is named for the Latin word for “feel.” In addition to the app itself, Sense is special in that it’s also a cane attachment that leverages artificial intelligence and tactile feedback technology to help users navigate and maneuver around potential obstacles and threats. At a high level, the students developed Sente so that Blind and low vision individuals could move about more freely, thereby heightening levels of autonomy and self-esteem. In essence, Sente was made for the betterment of the group’s quality of life.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 2.2 billion people worldwide “have a near or distance vision impairment,” with a billion people having conditions which “could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.” Moreover, the WHO reports the leading global causes of vision impairment are refractive errors and cataracts.

Citron, who has been on staff at Stuyvesant for over two decades and has been involved with various research projects around environmental sciences, explained in a recent interview conducted via email the impetus for the Sente app hearkens back to the aforementioned WHO statistics; he said the organization estimates 40–45 million people are Blind, with 135 million more having low vision. Despite its prevalence in affecting hundreds of millions of people, Citron noted the Blind and low vision community is “overlooked” in terms of accessibility, especially in large metropolitan areas such as New York City. Moreover, Citron said although technology does exist for Blind and low vision people, many of whom use canes and own guide dogs, the reality is guide dogs and sighted guides aren’t always “feasible options” and canes can’t pick up on every hazard such as a low-hanging tree branch or a blocked sidewalk.

This obviously presents a problem, Citron said to me. The fact of the matter is Blind and low vision people deserve to feel “independent and safe when doing something simple like taking a walk.”

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“Sente was designed to enhance mobility and awareness, empowering visually impaired individuals to navigate with confidence and engage in physical activity,” Citron said. “[It aims] to improve their quality of life and combat the adverse effects of visual impairment on mental health.”

Citron told me Sente comprises two parts: the app itself and the cane attachment. The cane is used for navigation and to identify objects in the physical environment such as doors; the attachment uses directional cameras that records information about upcoming terrain, which is then transmitted to the user’s phone. The app pre-processes the imagery prior to sending it to a server, at which point a machine learning model uses highfalutin technologies such as PyTorch and YOLOv5 to detect any obstacles. Additionally, when connected to a crowdsourced network of users, Citron said the software is able to “determine patterns” on the crowdedness of sidewalks by collection information such as a sidewalk’s width, the location of construction zones, the crossing difficulty of crosswalks, and the types of intersection signals. Using this data along with the user’s preferences, the app uses natural language to communicate verbal walking directions to the user via headphones.

For Citron, the key to the technology’s successfulness lies in natural language. (Indeed, natural language is why I adore Flexibits’ Fantastical and Cardhop apps for my calendar and contacts, respectively.) Citron said natural language is naturally “much easier to understand” than coded signals or complex audio cues, adding he and his team of students are hard at work at incorporating even more enhanced interactions. The team hopes to enable users to ask questions and ask for clarifications, for example, in an effort to make using Sente “more human-like and helpful.” Furthermore, Citron told me the team is looking to personalizing the level of detail the app provides given a person’s preferences, while also touting the app’s network effect has the added benefit of being a safety feature. At night, he said, a person may want to walk along crowded streets because they feel safer; there’s strength in numbers and invisibility in crowds. Likewise, Sente’s network helps reroute users who “prefer less congested paths,” Citron said.

“We’re using natural language to build smart canes with custom settings to better assist the visually impaired navigate cities,” he said. “Unlike standard direction software, our solution takes into account specific preferences critical to the visually impaired community.”

This story about Solve for Tomorrow and Sente is a worthy complement to a story I posted last September about the work John-Ross Rizzo and NYU have done in building its Commute Booster app. The aim is nearly identical to Sente, as Commute Booster is designed to make traversing New York City’s vast subway system more accessible to riders who are Blind or have low vision. In an interview, Rizzo said the app is intended to help people navigate the so-called “middle mile,” which refers to the often precarious space in between a journey’s origin and destination.

For Samsung’s part, Ann Woo, the company’s head of corporate citizenship at Samsung Electronics America, told me in an interview concurrent to Citron’s the company’s work in the citizenship realm is “firmly rooted in our aspiration to help people to achieve their full potential,” adding Samsung is dedicated to “pioneering positive change, demonstrating our commitment through programs and acts of service in classrooms and communities.” She expounded on the idea, saying diversity and inclusion is “deeply ingrained” into Samsung’s ethos and “part of our company’s heritage to push boundaries and defy barriers to achieve meaningful progress and power bold innovation… but innovation doesn’t just happen—it is designed by humans for humans.”

Woo continued: “Our company is made up of people around the world of different ethnicities, races, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, and abilities. Together, we’re one global team united by Samsung’s purpose and values. We believe in fostering a workplace culture where every individual’s unique perspectives and experiences are not only valued but celebrated. Our commitment to diversity extends across all facets of our organization, from our diverse workforce and our inclusive products and services, to our community engagement and initiatives promoting digital access and inclusion.”

When asked about why Samsung chose to sponsor Solve for Tomorrow and further STEM education, Woo said the company’s passion for innovation is the “common thread throughout our history” and STEM skills are “vital” to keeping the engine running, so to speak. To support continuous innovation far into the future, Woo told me, Samsung started Solve for Tomorrow in 2010 as a means of “[boosting] interest, proficiency, and diversity in STEM.” She added Solve for Tomorrow enables young tinkerers and future innovators in grades 6–12 across all 50 states to participate in “active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems,” which in turn has the benefit of making concepts related to STEM “more tangible and showcasing its value both in and out of the classroom.” Apropos of Citron’s students, Woo explained Gen Z in Solve for Tomorrow are “deeply concerned for their communities’ well-being,” using STEM knowledge to create solutions like Sente that address pressing matters like accessibility, preserving Indigenous languages, youth suicide prevention, and much more.

Through the competition, students are “finding their voice, building their confidence, becoming passionate advocates for positive social change, and cultivating essential entrepreneurial skills [that prepare] them for the future of work and a brighter tomorrow,” Woo said.

Asked about feedback to Sente, Citron said he and the group “haven’t yet tested the actual device” in a real-world scenario, but did say there is “interest” from the Blind and low vision community on the concept.

Echoing Woo’s comments on the cruciality of STEM education, Citron said Solve for Tomorrow has allowed he and his students the opportunity to get firsthand experience in “how we can apply what we have learned in the classroom to help solve real-life situations that may be affecting our community.” He added considering what has been accomplished, it’s his hope that this generation of students not only go on to develop solutions to better the world using STEM but also express empathy for the issues facing their communities. For his own self, Citron said he hopes to harness ever-burgeoning technical advances such as AI to “foster critical thinking about the environmental challenges we face.”

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Remedy unveils Alan Wake 2 Night Springs expansion and physical editions

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Remedy Entertainment should have won Game of the Year at The Game Awards for Alan Wake 2 . Just putting that out there. And now the Helsinki-based company is unveiling Alan Wake 2 Night Springs expansion downloadable content (DLC).

The expansion adds physical editions for Alan Wake 2 as well as a new photo mode and a new adventure in Bright Falls on the PC on the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

I’ve seen a demo of the adventure, which will take you back into the mysterious and ever-twisting world of the Dark Place in the first expansion for Alan Wake 2, Night Springs.

Trapped in the enigmatic Dark Place, Alan Wake seeks an escape route through an unexpected medium: his imagination. As he pens the scripts for the once-beloved TV show “Night Springs,” he unwittingly unravels the fabric of reality, plunging players into a surreal journey where the familiar morphs into the unexpected.

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Night Springs allows you to play as several fan-favorite characters through three highly stylized episodes, each offering a unique slice of the Alan Wake universe. While similar to previously known characters, they are different—Night Springs versions of themselves.

You can become the Time Breaker, manipulating time to rewrite your destiny. Embrace the cosmic mysteries in the North Star and unravel secrets that defy reason. Or channel your inner obsession as the Number One Fan, fighting the shadows in pursuit of truth and love.

Players will find themselves in familiar yet transformed settings with new twists and turns, like a playable arcade game or even a text-based adventure.

Step into the surreal and experience the world of Alan Wake as never before – your journey through the Dark Place takes an unexpected turn with Night Springs. Remedy asks fans a relevant question. Will you break free from the loop, or become another echo lost in the shadows?

Characters from Alan Wake games and the Remedy Universe

While similar to previously known characters, they are different – Night Springs versions of themselves, written by Alan Wake based on what he saw in his visions in the Dark Place.

They include: The Actor (Shawn Ashmore), based on Tim Breaker (I always wondered what he was doing in the game); The Sibling (Courtney Hope), based on Jesse Faden. That’s right. She’s the character from Control. And the Waitress (Jessica Preddy), based on Rose Marigold, from the diner in Bright Falls.

The Episodes

Time Breaker

The Actor, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Bright Falls sheriff Tim Breaker, is a multiversal hero in the game Time Breaker. His character must track down the Master of the Many Worlds and prevent him from murdering the multiversal hero’s different selves across parallel universes.

The Sibling, an unknown woman who bears a striking resemblance to FBC Director Jesse Faden, is trying to find her missing brother, who is being held captive at Coffee World. I spent a lot of time in Coffee World, either finding stuff, getting lost or fighting.

Number One Fan

The Waitress, who bears a striking resemblance to Oh Deer Diner’s waitress Rose Marigold, must save her idol, the Writer, from the danger he finds himself in. To do so, she must confront the Writer’s critics, and the Bad Boy who is the Writer’s evil twin. Her campy and cheerful personality made her a popular extra.

How can you get the Night Springs Expansion?

You have to have the main game in the form of the Deluxe Edition. Players can access Night Springs via the Expansion Pass, which is included in the digital Deluxe Edition and forthcoming physical Deluxe and Collector’s Editions.

For those with digital Standard Edition, they can buy an upgrade to Deluxe Edition. Expansion Pass includes Night Springs and the second expansion, The Lake House, coming this October. Expansions are not sold separately.

New Trophies/Achievements in the Night Springs expansion

There are four new trophies/achievements per episode, so 12 new ones. Photo Mode is available to all that own Alan Wake 2 through a free update coming on June 8. Once you have downloaded the update, you can access Photo Mode in-game to take photos.

Photo Mode includes free camera, preset and custom preset picture settings, full-frame camera lens ranges, selection of effects, lighting settings and frames, and the ability to hide characters.

Physical Edition and Limited Collector’s Edition

Pre-orders for both start on June 8, 2024. The physical Deluxe Edition will be published on October 22, 2024 by publisher Epic Games, developed by Remedy Entertainment. It will be available for $80 on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

It includes the base game, Digital Deluxe Edition items including Nordic Shotgun Skin for Saga; Parliament Shotgun Skin for Alan; Crimson Windbreaker for Saga; Celebrity Suit for Alan; the Lantern Charm for Saga; Expansion Pass (includes Night Springs and The Lake House); Reversible cover sleeve with exclusive artwork; Alan Wake Remastered Digital Edition (as a code in the box).

The Limited Collector’s Edition, created by Limited Run , is published by Epic Games and developed by Remedy Entertainment. It will be available in November 2024 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for $200.

It includes the base game; Digital Deluxe Edition items including Nordic Shotgun Skin for Saga; Parliament Shotgun Skin for Alan; Crimson Windbreaker for Saga; Celebrity Suit for Alan; Lantern Charm for Saga. It has the Expansion Pass (includes Night Springs and The Lake House); Reversible cover sleeve with exclusive artwork; Alan Wake Remastered Digital Edition (as a code in the box); Comes in an exclusive Collector’s Edition box; Alan Wake’s Angel Lamp replica (functional with a light); Ocean View Hotel; Keychain and key (room 665); Coffee World pin set and Alan Wake 2 artbook.

Teasers from the Summer Game Fest start out with a video taking you into The Dark Place inside a TV, inside the Night Springs show which resembles The Twilight Zone. Mr. Door from the show notes that “fan” is an abbreviation of fanatic.

The demo I watched show a woman, Rose Marigold, dressed up as the waitress at the Oh Deer Diner in Bright Falls. She’s a fan of Alan Wake, the writer, and has dedicated herself to finding the missing man. The diner is busy, and she fills cups of coffee for the customers. Rose has written her own book (fan fiction) and has created a fan site for Alan Wake.

A fish mounted on the wall talks to Rose. It asks for her help. She has to rescue him and goes into her room full of accessories: an armory of guns. She says, “Extreme circumstances call for extreme shotguns.”

Everyone cheers as Rose heads out on her quest. She heads to the boatyard and starts shooting at the Taken. She massacres all of them. Rose’s episode takes place in the daylight, and it’s a humorous departure from the nightmare world of Alan Wake 2. You don’t have to worry about ammo.

Each of the episodes is about an hour long. They’re linear, with all of them set in Night Springs. There is no evidence board/plot board in this one. The episodes are written by Alan Wake as screenplays, as he is stuck in The Dark Place trying to escape.

The second expansion is coming later.

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‘Fire Exit’ considers what it means to be an outsider looking in

Morgan Talty, the author of the award-winning “Night of the Living Rez,” returns to Maine’s Penobscot Reservation.

Charles Lamosway does not make a great first impression. In the opening pages of Morgan Talty’s debut novel, “ Fire Exit ,” the White narrator confesses to the creepy habit of sitting outside his home and watching a young woman who lives on Maine’s Penobscot Reservation.

“I was waiting, as I usually did,” Charles says. “Soon, across the river and on the reservation, my girl — a woman by that point — came out of the house and got in her car to go to work. I didn’t know how many times I’d been through this same routine, but that morning, something took hold of me. Something was different this time.”

The woman, it turns out, is his child, Elizabeth, fathered out of wedlock in 1991 with his ex-girlfriend, Mary, a member of the Penobscot Nation. Now, more than two decades after his daughter’s birth, as he watches Elizabeth go to work, Charles is stewing. He regrets how Mary, when pregnant with Elizabeth, dumped him and told him, “The baby can’t be yours.”

Over time, Charles figured out her reasoning: Mary wanted to lie and report that Elizabeth’s father was Native American, so that Elizabeth could earn tribal membership in the Penobscot Nation.

The problem is that all these years later, Charles, now in his 50s, suddenly wants to tell Elizabeth, 27, the truth. Will he get to reveal to his daughter that he’s more than just “a White man who had lived across from her all her life and watched her grow up from this side of the river”?

The book’s central tension, foregrounded by Maine’s fraught tribal history, plays out between two moral imperatives: one man’s wish to tell his biological daughter that he’s her father; and the desire of the daughter’s mother, who believes the disclosure might imperil the child’s status in the Penobscot Nation, not to mention her fragile health and state of mind.

Talty, an award-winning fiction writer and citizen of the Penobscot Nation, has the authority to tell such a story. His first book, “Night of the Living Rez,” was a collection of a dozen short stories that examined addiction, divorce and tragedy on the Penobscot Reservation. Published in 2022 , the work won several literary prizes and established Talty as a force who could write about Native American life with humor and solemnity.

What distinguishes “Fire Exit” the most is Talty’s choice of a White protagonist in a Native American community. Charles was raised on the Penobscot Reservation by his White mother and Native American stepfather, but his position as the novel’s narrator forces us to reckon with the degree to which he’s an outsider.

A sympathetic portrait of Charles coheres around the anguishing snippets of his backstory: when he was 13 in 1976, and he and his stepfather — armed with a gun — confronted the enraged father of a childhood friend; or, in 1990, when he was summarily cast off by a pregnant Mary, whom he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with; or, in 1991, around the time of Elizabeth’s birth, when he made a decision that might have enabled his stepfather’s death.

“Fire Exit,” though, struggles to achieve propulsion, partly because Charles constantly flits among different decades and presents these intriguing histories without clear time stamps. At various points, I was doing math in the margins to figure out which decade or year Charles was reminiscing about.

A more significant problem is that the sequence of events and the story’s symbolic devices rely too heavily on a surfeit of coincidences and heavy-handed parallels.

Charles, for instance, does not know his biological father, just like Elizabeth does not know hers. When Charles’s beloved stepfather dies on a hunting trip, he happens to perish in the same window of time as Elizabeth’s birth. And when, years later, Charles wants to know whether his ailing mother is eligible for a burial spot on the reservation with her husband, he travels to the chief’s office. There, for the first time in nearly 2½ decades, he just so happens to see Mary, who just so happens to be the office clerk to field his query.

The encounter with Mary is pivotal. He finds the courage to ask about their daughter, and Mary says Elizabeth “could be better, but she’ll be OK.” The fairly vague description leads him to speculate that Elizabeth suffers “in the same way my mother had all her life,” a reference to mental health issues that a doctor implies could be inherited. The coincidences don’t stop. There’s one involving the aforementioned firearm, another with his late stepfather’s home, another with a stuffed elephant doll.

My biggest issue, though, lies with Charles’s motivation. He’s desperate to tell Elizabeth that he’s her father. But he also claims to the reader, with little credibility, that he doesn’t hope she’d love him or that they’d be “brought together.”

“All I wanted was that she know the history that was hers, that this history wasn’t lost or wasted because of the illusion we’d tried to live in so neatly, that there was a life she could have lived and been a part of, and that she know she was as much a part of me as she was not. That’s the truth, the absolute truth.”

Talty is a beautiful craftsman. But I kept feeling like his narrator was withholding his own absolute truths. Or, at the very least, Charles wasn’t fully leveling with readers who might easily suspect that his ulterior (and understandable) aim was to gain a relationship with his grown daughter, who’d been raised by another man. He never quite convinced me that he wanted to inform Elizabeth merely so that she could understand his side of the family tree or that — cringe — “she should know her body was special.”

In the end, I wasn’t rooting for what Charles sought so badly. But I was cheering on Elizabeth, and maybe this is Talty’s true achievement. His narrator made me care most about his story’s most vulnerable person.

Ian Shapira is a staff writer at The Washington Post.

By Morgan Talty

Tin House. 256 pp. $28.95

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Critic’s Notebook

What Donald Trump Didn’t Say After His Trial

In his post-verdict remarks, the former president sounded more like an aggrieved New York businessman than the political martyr his supporters believe him to be.

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This color photo shows former President Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, a stern expression on his face, striding across a polished floor in a glass-walled lobby. Behind him and to his right, arrayed behind stanchions, are a couple dozen reporters and photographers. Hanging from the ceiling against a window to his rear is a large American flag.

By A.O. Scott

The way to evaluate a political speech — I mean as a literary critic, not as a pundit or a partisan — is to examine how the rhetoric rises to the occasion. Does the moment demand gravity or transcendence? Humility or defiance? Do the speaker’s words answer the call of history?

In the case of Donald J. Trump’s 33-minute address in the lobby of Trump Tower on Friday, the occasion was both bizarre and momentous. A former president on the brink of becoming, for the third time in a row, the nominee of his party, stood convicted of 34 felonies. That nothing remotely similar has ever happened before is sufficient to guarantee the speech a place in the annals of American political discourse.

As text and performance, though, the thing was kind of a slog. Mr. Trump has never been an orderly orator or a methodical builder of arguments; he riffs and extemporizes, free-associates and repeats himself, straying from whatever script may be at hand. He did some of that on Friday, but his manner was subdued. The matter was also curiously flat: a rehash of the trial, with a few gestures toward the larger political stakes.

The persona Mr. Trump presented on Friday was that of an aggrieved New York businessman — a Trump that seemed like a throwback to an earlier, pre-MAGA era. He didn’t sound like a candidate in campaign mode. The showboating populism that he brings to his rallies — the mix of piety and profanity that gets the crowds going — was hardly in evidence.

It’s true that he began and ended with familiar tropes and themes, painting a grim picture of a declining, crime-ridden America overrun by foreigners (some speaking languages “that we haven’t even heard of”). He framed his legal troubles as an assault on the Constitution and used religious imagery to depict what had happened in the courtroom. Some witnesses were “literally crucified” by the judge, Juan Merchan, “who looks like an angel, but he’s really a devil.”

As a longtime journalist (and lifelong pedant), I’m compelled to point out that nobody was literally crucified. And as a student of Renaissance love poetry, I’m tempted to linger over Mr. Trump’s oddly tender description of the “highly conflicted” judge: “He looks so nice and soft.” A citizen looking for campaign issues might find some boilerplate in a peroration that conjured images of Venezuela and Congo emptying their prisons and asylums onto America’s streets, of Little League ball fields swamped by migrant encampments, of “record levels of terrorists” flooding the country.

Invasion and crucifixion were the bookends. Sandwiched between was almost a solid half-hour of quasi-legal quibbling, as Mr. Trump charged into the weeds of the prosecution’s case against him. Most of what he said in the wake of the trial was a version of what he might have said during it had he testified (as he insisted he wanted to).

On camera and not under oath, he tried to adhere to the letter of Judge Merchan’s gag order, naming no names when he spoke about his former lawyer Michael Cohen and his former chief financial officer at the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, and for that matter about the angelic, diabolical judge himself.

Mr. Trump said nothing about sex and very little about money, stripping the case of its tabloid elements. He sounded less like a martyr than like a motorist trying to talk his way out of a traffic ticket by insisting that he had done nothing wrong, that other cars were going just as fast and that the authorities had more serious matters to deal with. “Most of the people in this room have a nondisclosure agreement with their company,” he said — a claim hard to fact check, but in that particular room possibly true. On the day of the verdict, he pointed out, there was a machete attack in a Midtown McDonald’s. “Crime is rampant in New York,” he said, but the district attorney, Alvin Bragg (whom he did name), had singled him out for punishment.

There was a lot of legalistic spinach, and not much in the way of red meat. But Mr. Trump’s supporters brought their own. He didn’t need to rile up the base; the jury had done that for him, just as it would have with an acquittal. While the former president groused about a “rigged” process and parsed the meaning of the phrase “legal expenses,” right-wing social media erupted with upside-down flags, prophecies of civil war and proclamations of the death of the American Republic.

The inflamed and inflammatory rhetoric — the rage, the messianism, the dark warnings — was not in the speech because it’s everywhere else, part of the air we all breathe. In that respect, Friday was a normal day in 2024 America. Mr. Trump didn’t really need to say anything at all.

A.O. Scott is a critic at large for The Times’s Book Review, writing about literature and ideas. He joined The Times in 2000 and was a film critic until early 2023. More about A.O. Scott

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

Guilty Verdict : Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened his bid for the White House in 2016, making him the first American president to be declared a felon .

What Happens Next: Trump’s sentencing hearing on July 11 will trigger a long and winding appeals process , though he has few ways to overturn the decision .

Reactions: Trump’s conviction reverberated quickly across the country and around the world . Here’s what voters , New Yorkers , Republicans , Trump supporters and President Biden had to say.

The Presidential Race : The political fallout of Trump’s conviction is far from certain , but the verdict will test America’s traditions, legal institutions and ability to hold an election under historic partisan tension .

Making the Case: Over six weeks and the testimony of 20 witnesses, the Manhattan district attorney’s office wove a sprawling story of election interference and falsified business records.

Legal Luck Runs Out: The four criminal cases that threatened Trump’s freedom had been stumbling along, pleasing his advisers. Then his good fortune expired .

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Book Review: Defy The Night
Book Review
Book Review : Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
Defy The Night by Brigid Kemmerer Book Review
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Review of Defy the Night (9780825443213)

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60 second book review of Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer #shorts

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Defy the Night (Defy the Night, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
Defy the Night. King Harristan and his brother, the King's Justice, Prince Corrick, are tasked with maintaining order in the kingdom, which they do by ruling with an iron first. Tessa, a common girl and apothecary's daughter, and her friend Weston steal, Robin-Hood style, medicine from the rich and give to the poor.
DEFY THE NIGHT
Autumn's chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they'll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn.
Review: Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
About Defy the Night. The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand. King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents' shocking assassination, leaving the younger ...
Review: Defy The Night by Brigid Kemmerer
Defy the Night is a fantastic start to a new series by Brigid Kemmerer as it's thrilling and adventurous with lots of danger to round it all out. I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time waiting to see where Tessa and Wes' story was going to go. Kemmerer's storytelling is compelling and draws in the reader to a world that ...
Book Review: Defy the Night
The Review 📚 Defy the Night. The Title/Cover Draw: I was in love with the Cursebreakers series so this one was highly anticipated. Thank you to Bloomsbury for letting me read this book! 💜 What I liked: This book sucks you in from the beginning. The world is rich and deep, the characters are relatable and the writing is fantastic.
Book Review: Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
*I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own. * Book: Defy the Night Defy the Night (Defy the Night, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer | Goodreads Author: Brigid Kemmerer Publisher: Bloomsbury YA Published Date: September 14th, 2021 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Series: Defy the Night Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 Book
Book Review: Defy The Night
Defy the Night - Brigid Kemmerer - Bloomsbury YA. Published 14 September 2021. ♥♥♥♥♥ . Okay, so Brigid Kemmerer is one of my all time favourite authors so it is completely unsurprising that I loved Defy The Night. Maybe not as much as I adore The Curse So Dark and Lonely, but that's a pretty high standard of adoration to live up to and Defy The Night does not disappoint in any ...
Book Review: 'Defy the Night'
Book Review: 'Defy the Night' ... Defy the Night is a brand new novel from Brigid Kemmerer. If you are familiar to my reading tastes and blog, you will already know that I devoured Brigid's trilogy 'A Curse so Dark and Lonely' not that long ago. I am officially a hard-core fan and will be reading any fantasy books she creates.
Amazon.com: Defy the Night: 9781547604661: Kemmerer, Brigid: Books
"Brigid Kemmerer has woven her compelling heroine into a kinetic tale of the tension between duty, love and trust." ― Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST HOURS "Immersive and engaging, Defy the Night is a romantic epic that blends magic and politics with a deft hand." ― Adrienne Young, New York Times Bestselling author of FABLE " Defy the Night is a ...
Review: Defy the Night (Book 1)
Review of Brigid Kemmerer's, Defy the Night. A mysterious illness is killing the people of Kandala and the only known cure is a political battleground. Stealing and making cures for as many people as she can is Tessa, a young apothecary. Trying to keep the kingdom together by appeasing politicians is Prince Corrick, the King's Justice.
Defy the Night (Defy the Night, 1)
About the Author. Brigid Kemmerer is the author of the New York Times bestseller Defy the Night, the New York Times bestselling Cursebreaker series, which includes A Curse So Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and A Vow So Bold and Deadly, and Forging Silver into Stars. She has also written the contemporary young adult romances Call ...
Book Review
As the story continues, the divide between the rich and impoverished grows until rebellion takes hold. "A spark of rebellion is all it takes to defy the night.". ― Brigid Kemmerer, Defy theNight. I enjoyed reading this novel and made my way through it quickly. It was an easy and fun read. Prior to picking it up, I had been on quite a book ...
Defy the Night, by Brigid Kemmerer
Weaving together strands from fantasy, dystopia, and science fiction, Defy the Night is a rollercoaster narrative that touches on many of the concerns of twenty-first-century readers, from the risk of a society-destroying pandemic to the need for social justice and equity. Thrown into the mix is a gripping Robin-Hood-style adventure with an ...
Book Review: Defy The Night
Book Review: Defy The Night. In the midst of war, one teenager is determined to make a difference. If no one will do anything, she'll have to do it herself. In 1941 France is still "free.". But fifteen-year-old Magali is frustrated by the cruel irony of pretending life is normal when food is rationed, new clothes are a rarity, and most of ...
Amazon.com: Defy the Night eBook : Kemmerer, Brigid: Kindle Store
Defy the Night. Kindle Edition. Instant New York Times Bestseller! From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes an electrifying fantasy romance, perfect for fans of Holly Black and Victoria Aveyard. A desperate prince. A daring outlaw. A dangerous flirtation. In the Wilds of Kandala, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade has been ...
Defy the Night
Spoiler free review of Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer Check out the book: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50022883-defy-the-nightBuy me a coffee? ...
Defy the Night Summary and Study Guide
Overview. Defy the Night is a young adult fantasy novel published by American author Brigid Kemmerer in 2021. The novel is the first in a series of the same name and takes place in the fictional kingdom of Kandala, which has been stricken by a plague with only one known cure—the Moonflower. Only two of Kandala's nine sectors grow the ...
Defy the Night
Defy the Night is a delightful introduction to Kemmerer's new series. The assassination of a much loved monarch and the rise of a suspicious fever has the kingdom on the cusp of rebellion. The new young king and his brother both struggle with the strain their public personas are placing on their personal beliefs.
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Lawmakers and the governor's advisers said Ms. Hochul had grown increasingly concerned in recent weeks over disapproval of congestion pricing among New Yorkers. A Siena College poll in April of ...
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A Photo Mode is also coming to Alan Wake 2 on June 8 as a free update, which includes a free camera, preset and custom preset picture settings, a selection of effects, and more.In Night Springs ...
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Remedy Entertainment should have won Game of the Year at The Game Awards for Alan Wake 2.Just putting that out there. And now the Helsinki-based company is unveiling Alan Wake 2 Night Springs ...
Defy the Night (3 book series) Kindle Edition
In the thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Defy the Night series, Brigid Kemmerer crafts heartrending twists and devastating turns that will keep readers breathless to the very end. Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom. Prince Corrick is out of options.
'Fire Exit,' by Morgan Talty book review
Morgan Talty, the author of the award-winning "Night of the Living Rez," returns to Maine's Penobscot Reservation. Review by Ian Shapira June 4, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. EDT
'Late Night with the Devil' Review David Dastmalchian Commands ...
Late Night With the Devil. Late Night with the Devil sees David Dastmalchian come alive even as people begin to die in this found footage horror romp. 8 /10. Pros. When it breaks free of the ...
Why Trump's Speech After His Guilty Verdict Was All Business, No
A.O. Scott is a critic at large for The Times's Book Review, writing about literature and ideas. He joined The Times in 2000 and was a film critic until early 2023. He joined The Times in 2000 ...

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Review: Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

Defy the Night Brigid Kemmerer Bloomsbury Published September 14, 2021

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