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A Vow So Bold and Deadly

(Cursebreakers #3)

Brigid Kemmerer (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 6,899 ratings · 1,635 reviews

Face your fears, fight the battle.

Emberfall is crumbling fast, torn between those who believe Rhen is the rightful prince and those who are eager to begin a new era under Grey, the true heir. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Emberfall, and in that time, Rhen has turned away from everyone—even Harper, as she desperately tries to help him find a path to pe ...more

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Hardcover, 408 pages

Published January 26th 2021 by Bloomsbury YA

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· 6,899 ratings · 1,635 reviews

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Jan 11, 2020 Lia Carstairs rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, fantasy, young-adult, he-who-has-my-heart, author-is-a-professional-torturer

wait, wait WHAT-

that cannot be the end. I-

I don't know how to feel.

that moment when the ending prevents a book from being a 5 stars *sadness*

I'll start off with this—RHEN. DESERVED. MORE.

I refuse to believe that this is the end of the Cursebreakers world. There literally has to be more because that ending did not resolve everything and if I'm being honest, I'd say the only people who truly got their happy ending are Grey and Lia Mara...and I could care less about them (I know, ✨unpopula ...more

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Jan 30, 2021 jessica rated it liked it

well, it might have been a mistake to have had high hopes for this. i gave the previous book the benefit of the doubt and told myself i wouldnt judge everything until i read this, hoping for redemption, but man. this was rough.

i mean, if this was a book all on its own, completely unrelated to ‘a curse so dark and lonely,’ this is objectively a very good book. the writing is great, the pacing is decent, and the characters are complex. but i have to look at the bigger picture.

i dont want to spoil ...more

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Jun 25, 2019 ✨ A ✨ marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2021-release, young-adult, fantasy

With how AHSFAB ended I'm actually quite nervous for this one. I know that Rhen (view spoiler) but who knows, maybe Kemmerer will change my mind.

I think what we all need is for Harper and Lia Mara to become fr ...more

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Sep 25, 2020 Helena of Eretz ✰ marked it as to-read

Shelves: young-adult, buddy-reads, faery-tales, annual-tbr, arcs, unpopular-opinions

I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

This was another buddy read with Gabriëlle!!!

This is a sampler of just the first four chapters...
WAHHHHH :((( ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Yun rated it liked it

After loving the first two books of this series, I have just been bubbling with excitement, ready to completely immerse myself into what surely must be the epic last book of this trilogy. There is no way A Vow So Bold and Deadly would let me down, right?

Sigh.

Diving into this book was like diving into... nothing. Because nothing happens in the first half (that's 200 pages!) of this book. When we left off at the end of book 2, it was clear that war is coming. So I expected to jump right into war, After loving the first two books of this series, I have just been bubbling with excitement, ready to completely immerse myself into what surely must be the epic last book of this trilogy. There is no way A Vow So Bold and Deadly would let me down, right?

Sigh.

Diving into this book was like diving into... nothing. Because nothing happens in the first half (that's 200 pages!) of this book. When we left off at the end of book 2, it was clear that war is coming. So I expected to jump right into war, or conflict, or excitement. But instead, we are treated to scene after scene of preparing for war, talking about war, training for war, and petty squabbles about war.

We are also treated to Lia Mara's insufferable dithering in pretty much every scene. In the previous book, it wasn't as irritating because she was still growing and figuring out where she belongs. But the character growth I expected out of her never materialized in this book. She is still doubting herself and never standing up for what she believes in, instead allowing everyone to walk all over her. She is constantly hesitating and gasping and being startled. At one point, she almost cried when there was food in front of her. Ugh, how am I supposed to cheer for her as a leader when she doesn't even have the courage to eat?

In this book, all four main characters' stories converge, and we get to see it from each of their perspectives. I have been looking forward to this, but it left me a little confused. Often, I didn't really understand each character's reasoning for doing what they were doing. They all say they want peace, but then their actions would make the other side believe the opposite, which leads to unnecessary conflict.

Thankfully, the plot finally starts to coalesce around the halfway point. And once the action gets going, all the things I have loved about this series up to now emerges again. My girl Harper is as badass as ever, showing courage and strength in the face of overwhelming adversity. Our favorite villain is back in force, wrecking havoc and destruction in our characters' lives. And Rhen and Grey come face to face again, and their interactions are as wonderful and heartwarming as I remember.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad book. But it was the weakest of the trilogy simply because it didn't have enough meat to fill out its bones. There was so much unnecessary filler in the beginning, it completely bogged down the pacing. And since all the action and development was saved for the end, the rest of the book felt meandering and plodding.

Still, I enjoyed the way the conclusion wrapped everything up, and felt it sufficiently brought a terrific series to its end. I'm just walking away a little disappointed that the last book of the trilogy wasn't as superb as the earlier ones.

My heartfelt thanks for the advance copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review. ...more

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Feb 03, 2021 Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, ya

I AM SO DISAPPOINTED I MIGHT CRY 😭😭

I really feared this was what was going to happen with this book. I LOVED the first one SO MUCH! I loved Harper, Rhen and Grey. They second book caught me by surprise and didn't fully live up to the first but I was okay with it. But it also made me fear for the conclusion of this series. It made me fear, that the magic of the first book would be completely lost. Sadly, for me at least, that fear came true.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Lia Mara: I was okay with Lia Mara in ...more

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Jan 04, 2021 Cait (Caitsbooks) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, reviewed, 2021-releases, im-so-excited-to-read-this, made-me-cry, young-adult, retelling, i-love-these-ships, fantasy, cute-romance

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury YA for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Quick Stats:
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 5/5
Awesomeness Factor: 5/5
Review in a Nutshell: A Vow So Bold and Deadly is exactly what I wanted in a finale. It was epic, full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, with amazing characters that I absolutely adored.

// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Torture, Chronic Illness, Suicide Mention, War Them ...more

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Feb 04, 2021 ~Poppy~ rated it really liked it

4.5 Stars

flag 91 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2021 Stephanie rated it did not like it

What the actual fuck? Did I read the same book as everyone else? Fair warning, this is a super long, ranty and spoilery review. Yet, let the record reflect that I loved ACSDAL.

The tl;dr is that: Every character in this book is an idiot. Oh, and watching Rhen getting cucked into oblivion made my blood boil.

I'm so sad that this story became a series when it should have remained a standalone. I really didn't enjoy AHSFAB but I was so invested in the characters and confident in BK's writing ability ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 Cardan Greenbriar marked it as to-read

Shelves: fangirling, desperately-want-to-read, super-curious, grabby-hands, my-cup-of-tea, panicking

...more

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Sep 26, 2020 Devanshi rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021, most-anticipated-releases

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Warning: This review has been written by a Prince Rhen admirer. There are chances others might get hurt. And this is all over the place. No method. No order

One poor choice shouldn’t undo a thousand good ones.

So buckle up everyone. I'm gonna tell you a story about a series that could have been full five stars but the end takes one of those shining stars away. This is me trying to get over that end, if you can even call it an end.

So much loss, and yet there’s always room for more.

Let me get one t ...more

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Jun 25, 2019 ♠ TABI⁷ ♠ marked it as to-read

Shelves: edelweiss

EDELWEISS HAS DELIVERED AND SO I MUST BINGE THE SERIES AND BE BROKEN

I JUST SHRIEKED IN THE LIBRARY AND I DON'T CARE BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING A 3RD BOOK

well they LIED ABOUT THE PURPLE COVER but I'm okay with that because that red cover looks fierce and I've already got so many epic Bookstagram ideas

...more

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Jan 19, 2020 L rated it did not like it

Shelves: king-queen-palace-and-lot-of-swords, couldn-t-get-worse, fantasy, what-kind-of-ending-was-that

This book is messier than my bedroom and I'm not even being sarcastic (I wish I was though. Life would've been better)

I know this is probably going to be the only review with such a low rating and this is going to be one of the most unpopular opinion in the history of unpopular opinions but you know what? screw that

Ugh! I'm so disappointed and frustrated right now I can't even...

The things ~~all of us~~ me wanted from this book:

- Rhen to be sorry for what he did. He needs to understand what a scum ...more

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Jan 18, 2021 ☆ ∙ Nara ∙ ☆ marked it as to-read

NOBODY better die *squints at Brigid Kemmerer* ...more

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Dec 29, 2020 Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ added it

Shelves: fairytale, netgalley, romance, fantasy

Just a small sample!

I wasn’t too happy to find out I just got a sample of the book it is 4 very small chapters. I am one that never reads long excerpts or if a writer has a chapter available early on, I never read it. I want to read the whole book at once. Though since I grabbed this from Netgalley I figure I have to honor my commitments and do at least somewhat of a review.

The sample definitely whet my appetite for the book. It has all our favorite characters Rhen, Harper, Grey and Lia Mara. I ...more

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Jan 13, 2021 Trisha Tomy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hny-jan-2021, netgalley-arcs, unfinished-arcs

Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2...

I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This excerpt was nowhere near enough. At all. It was all nice and slow and just easing into the story, when the last page of the excerpt really went, BOOOM you thought, girl?

I'm really scared about Rhen because oh God he doesn't know about Grey's abilities, and Grey's not telling him, and these two fools are going to destroy the world because of miscommunication.

Its just s ...more

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Feb 01, 2021 Zain ✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-releases, beautiful-covers-owned, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I currently don’t have enough brain cells to rate and review this so I’m gonna have to do that tomorrow when it’s not 1 a.m and I should be sleeping

...............................................................................................................................
4.5⭐️

“For the good of Emberfall.”
“For the good of all.”

I just....

This was a satisfying ending to the trilogy but I have to say I was waiting for the final battle. I was expecting a huge final battle where Grey uses his magic I currently don’t have enough brain cells to rate and review this so I’m gonna have to do that tomorrow when it’s not 1 a.m and I should be sleeping

...............................................................................................................................
4.5⭐️

“For the good of Emberfall.”
“For the good of all.”

I just....

This was a satisfying ending to the trilogy but I have to say I was waiting for the final battle. I was expecting a huge final battle where Grey uses his magic against Lilith and all but instead Rhen was turned into the monster once again, killed Lilith and transformed back into his normal form. Again I actually liked the ending quite a lot actually, it’s just that I was just excepting something different.

Let’s start with Harper and Rhen.. I was very happy that their POVs were back cause I truly missed them in the last book. I really loved the dynamic of their relationship in this book and I’m glad Rhen is back to his senses. I loved how Harper supported Rhen through everything and of course didn’t fail to impress me with her courage, I mean she literally faced Lilith without fear and dragged herself to Syhl shallow while injured to try and save Rhen.

Also Rhen deserved more, it’s not that he didn’t get a happy ending but I felt like after all he’s been through he deserved more. I mean he lost a freaking eye, he deserved better than that 😕

It was very interesting to see Grey and Rhen dealing with the conflict on whether to got to war or not and to see how much it hurt them. The development Grey went through from the start of the first book is absolutely incredible, his character changed so much and we love to see it.

In AHSFAB I wasn’t a big fan of Grey and Lia Mara’s relationship but in this book I enjoyed seeing it a lot more. Lia Mara and Grey truly got their happy ending.

Overall this was very enjoyable, I mean I read in 24 hours but I’m a lil disappointed Rhen didn’t get a happier ending, maybe an ending where he didn’t lose a freaking eye. ...more

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Jun 25, 2019 ♡ Dakota ♡ (Sarcasm is my middle name) marked it as to-read

Hi, I demand Brigid Kemmerer go to jail because she’s trying to kill me :)

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Mar 03, 2021 Layla marked it as to-read

I've litterly been waiting for a copy to be available at the library for over a month because one of my 2021 goals is to not buy anymore books until I read at least half of my unread ones, and now it FINALLY is ready!

(Even though I was 10th in line and there are 9 copies...)

I'm both really excited and scared to start, just looking at all the mixed reviews I've seen . ...more

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Jan 30, 2021 Anna *Bran. San. Stan* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: have-or-will-reread, fantasy

4.5 stars. My heart. My poor, poor heart... What started as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, has grown into something bigger and better in the course of this series. Something truly heart-wrenching and beautiful. If you’re into YA fantasy, you should definitely pick this up! (And if you’ve liked the first two books, you’ve undoubtedly already put this on your TBR.)

Brigid Kemmerer‘s prose is beautiful, her dialogues well-written and witty; the way she casually disperses truths deep and meaningf 4.5 stars. My heart. My poor, poor heart... What started as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, has grown into something bigger and better in the course of this series. Something truly heart-wrenching and beautiful. If you’re into YA fantasy, you should definitely pick this up! (And if you’ve liked the first two books, you’ve undoubtedly already put this on your TBR.)

Brigid Kemmerer‘s prose is beautiful, her dialogues well-written and witty; the way she casually disperses truths deep and meaningful. There is this sense of longing and melancholy her writing instills, which keeps an emotional hold on head and heart – all of which make for the best form of blissful escapism. No need to think; just feel and join four (mostly) equally lovable characters – Rhen and Harper, Grey and Lia Mara – on their journey. I’m already planning a reread via the excellent audiobooks. (I also recommend her Elemental series, by the way, though Cursebreakers will remain my favorite.)

Now to A Vow so Bold and Deadly: There are equal parts of action/plot twists and character arcs/relationship development which proved a nice balance. As far as characters are concerned, I was a bit irritated, though, with Lia Mara being so afraid when I remember her being so strong before (will need to confirm after rereading book 2) and Harper‘s naïveté and impulsivity, her seeming inability to consider the consequences of her actions (when will she learn?!), made me want to shake her sometimes. Still, their flaws made the characters believable and real; characters need a chance to grow, after all, and they get theirs.

As for our heroes, Grey and Rhen, I love them both. At times, I might favor Grey a little; don’t know what that says about me but I have a thing for stoic, confident, determined dudes who manage to not betray any emotion. (Well, in fiction anyway.) Rhen, however, is dealt quite a hand in this book and my heart broke for him.

That leads me to the ending. Without spoiling anything, the narrative leads to what has felt inevitable and thus the ending is fitting. I will say, however, that it doesn’t feel like an absolute ending. Matters are resolved, yes, but there are some loose ends which makes me hope for another book arc (*fingers crossed*).

All in all, a worthy finish to an amazing series – with the potential for more books to come. Yay! ...more

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Oct 19, 2020 human marked it as to-read

Shelves: cover-love, netgalley, will-sell-soul-or-kidney-for, drama-to-rival-my-mothers-soaps, not-released

That little teaser was not enough! I NEED more!

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Feb 16, 2020 A y a rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-shine-like-the-stars

In a land of myth, and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name…

Weeeellll actually it rested on the shoulders of a young group and their names were: Harper, Rhen, Grey, Lia Mara, Tycho, Noah, Jake, Zo, Iisak *carries on naming characters*

I know I just keep getting bad at these but bare with me please.

…

The final battle for the throne of Emberfall is about to commence, the one true heir has been revealed and the people's loyalty have been left ...more

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Jul 02, 2020 Sentranced Jem marked it as to-read

Raise your hand if you're excited for A Vow So Bold and Deadly. 🙋🙋
Raise your hand if you're nervous-excited. 🙋🙋
Raise your hand if you're freaking out after reading the first line of AVSBAD. 🙋🙋🙋

Update 1:
Isn't the cover so beautiful 😍😍😍

Update 2:
👑TEASER 👑

...more

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Feb 01, 2021 Shauni rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult-fantasy

This was a beautiful conclusion to one of my favorite series. I'm left a little sad that it's over, yet deeply satisfied with how it all came together at the end.

I'm always intrigued by the villian in a story. I love a good villian that really deserves the reader's disgust, yet sometimes I feel they are a bit lacking and not quite believable. I felt like the villian in this story was truly despicable. She really crawled under my skin and it was a relief when she finally met her end. I thought t ...more

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Jan 26, 2021 julia ☆ [owls reads] rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-fantasy

#1 A Curse so Dark and Lonely: ★★★✮☆ | 3.5 stars
#2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken: ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars

*

A Vow so Bold and Deadly gets:

1 full star for the writing style - it was super easy to get into and the way Kemmerer handled the different POVs was wonderful. Rhen, Harper, Grey and Lia Mara had very distinct voices and the changes from one perspective to the other flowed smoothly.

And 1 full star for Grey's character - he was the only character who put his brain cells together to make sensible decisi #1 A Curse so Dark and Lonely: ★★★✮☆ | 3.5 stars
#2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken: ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars

*

A Vow so Bold and Deadly gets:

1 full star for the writing style - it was super easy to get into and the way Kemmerer handled the different POVs was wonderful. Rhen, Harper, Grey and Lia Mara had very distinct voices and the changes from one perspective to the other flowed smoothly.

And 1 full star for Grey's character - he was the only character who put his brain cells together to make sensible decisions that took into consideration everything that was going on and that didn't let his personal wants and feelings cloud his judgement.

My big problem with this series has been the departure from the world and characters that were introduced to us in A Curse So Dark and Lonely. The direction the series took did not work for me in any way. Rhen was a terrible person, Harper was reckless and still unable to see things from other people's perspectives unless she was forced to, and Lia Mara let others walk all over her. Grey seemed like the only smart character in the entire novel.

The premise here, like in A Heart So Fierce and Broken, also failed me. I once again was not convinced of the reasons people were doing what they did. Rhen keeping secrets from Harper, Lia Mara not standing up for herself, Harper staying with Rhen. Kemmerer didn't develop any of those points in a way that made sense to me--I could always think of another alternative that would solve people's problems and would stop all the war nonsense and the relationship angst.

I was also really! angry that the torture Rhen put Grey through was shown as Acceptable and Necessary, but Grey leaving Rhen was framed as a huge betrayal of their bond. Using Lilith as a blanket excuse for all of Rhen's choices was also not! a favorite.

And! this book ended with a lot of loose ends? I'm not sure why this was marketed as a conclusion when the final chapters set up more issues for all characters. I don't know if Kemmerer intends to write a spin-off series, but the way things end sure make that sound likely. ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Stacee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2021, physical-arc

Well, this has been everything.

I’ve loved these characters from the first page. As I saw in another review, book 1 was about Harper, book 2 was about Lia Mara, and this one was Rhen and Grey and that is so very accurate. I truly enjoyed getting to be in everyone’s head as this story progressed.

Plot wise, it’s still a bit of a slow burn, but mostly because there are a lot of moving pieces and it takes time to get everything into place. I was never bored, always captivated, sometimes surprised. ...more

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Jul 10, 2020 Arini marked it as to-read

*Synopsis contains spoilers for previous books and so does this post.

I know it’s coming, but there’s nothing I hate more than,

an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all.

Yes, I’m looking at you too, King of Scars .

Release date: January 2021

(To be Read) ...more

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Dec 07, 2020 Danielle (yaallegiance) rated it it was amazing

The easiest 5 stars I've ever given. Pick up this book the MOMENT it releases. Review to come soon!!! ...more

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Jan 31, 2021 pauline rated it it was amazing

wowowowwowow I AM IN LOVE!!!

i started this book SO HESITANT but only because I didn’t want the series to end. i now want to completely wipe the plot of all three books so i can re-experience it all over again.

JFC I loved this book so much. what a perfect ending and a perfect wrap up for the cursebreaker trilogy. if you haven’t read this series yet, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!!

harper is so strong willed and so brave; lia mara I WOULD JUST DIE FOR. i was very torn between rhen and grey but you kn ...more

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Feb 22, 2021 Chocolate rated it it was amazing

I know there are dark topics in this book, but it’s honestly such a comfort read to me. The characters and their relationships are so cute and now I’m attached. Hopefully there’ll be another series!

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Books Ever After: Jaartrilogie 1 A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers #3)	13	25	Mar 02, 2021 08:43PM
Challenge Corner: A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer --> Starting February 20th, 2021	12	14	Feb 24, 2021 10:13AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers #3) by Brigid Kemmerer - Starting February 13th 2021	17	12	Feb 20, 2021 09:23AM
Addicted to YA: A Vow So Bold and Deadly	27	160	Feb 12, 2021 08:37AM
2021 Reading Chal...: A Vow so Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers #3)	19	48	Feb 11, 2021 05:55PM

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About Brigid Kemmerer

Brigid Kemmerer

9,159 followers

Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring Young Adult novels like A Curse So Dark and Lonely, More Than We Can Tell, and Letters to the Lost (Bloomsbury), as well as paranormal YA stories like The Elemental Series and Thicker Than Water (Kensington). A full time writer, Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her husband, her boys, her dog, and her cat. When she ...more