Title: Defy the Night (Defy the Night #1)
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
ISBN: 978-1547604661
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Copyright Date: 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance
Format: Novel
Reading Level/Interest Level: Grades 7-9, Age 13+
Awards or Honors: None
Plot Summary
Apothecary by day, vigilante by night, Tessa Cade and her best friend Wes risk their
lives delivering much-needed Moonflower potion to the dying people of Kaldera, who are afflicted by a deadly fever sweeping the land. Tessa and Wes brave the wrath of the Night Guard to steal Moonflower from the wealthy citizens who can afford this expensive medicine and distribute a watered-downed down version to those who cannot pay for the potion.
Simultaneously, we follow Prince Corrick and his brother, King Harriston, who are on the other side of this dilemma that plagues their nation: how to quell the rising talks of revolution and save the peasantry who are dying from the fever, while satisfying the rich nobles who control the stores of Moonflower. When Tessa sneaks into the palace and is captured, she finds herself at the intersection of two worlds and must contend with political intrigue while finding a solution that will save her people.
Author Background
A New York Times bestselling author, Brigid Kemmerer is most widely known for her take on the classic story of Beauty & the Beast in the form of her 3-book YA series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely. As a well-established author in the YA world, Kemmerer has written a number of books, including More Than We Can Tell, Letters to the Lost, The Elemental Series, and Thicker Than Water. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting and spending time with her husband, sons, cats, and dogs at their home in Baltimore (Kemmerer, n.d.b).
Critical Evaluation
Set in a fantasy world of Kemmerer’s imagination, the land of Kaldera and the troubles that plague it are eerily similar to our current world and the COVID-19 pandemic. The establishment of the political workings of the world and the character development in this novel are excellent, allowing readers to envision themselves in Kaldera and imagine how they might fare in Tessa’s shoes. With memorable characters, witty banter, and a swoon-worthy romance, this novel is a solid fantasy tale with themes of defiance (hence the title), viewing situations from another’s perspective, and the courage it takes to stand up and make a difference.
Teens will certainly be drawn to the fast pace of the first 100 pages of the book, which I read in one sitting, with many twists and turns to keep them captivated. The pacing does lose steam toward the middle section, where we get caught up with lots of political details and descriptions of courtly life. We do pick up the pace again in the last 1/3 of the book, with an exciting and dramatic climax and conclusion that definitely sets up the next book in the series (to be published in September 2022). The character development and their voices are some of the strongest points of the book: we switch between the perspectives of Tessa and Corrick, who both have unique and easily distinguishable voices.
The only other criticism I’d like to discuss is that although this book is a fantasy novel, there is no magic whatsoever. This lack of a classic fantasy aspect made me personally feel that the genre choice felt a bit arbitrary and may have been better suited as historical fiction as opposed to fantasy. The world-building also could have been richer, with less focus on the political aspects and more on what makes Kaldera unique.
Creative Use for a Library Program
In the spirit of Tessa and her potions, create your own cologne or perfume at the apothecary workshop at the library.
Speed-Round Book Talk
Your people are dying and there’s only one cure, but here’s the catch: it’s expensive and being hoarded by the rich nobles of the land. You have the ability to acquire the cure by stealing from the elites and distributing it in the dead of night to your people, but at the risk of your own life. What do you do? Boasting political intrigue, infiltrating the elites, and finding beloved characters in unsuspected places, join our heroine as she risks it all to save her people (and the world).
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
There are no official challenges to date, but with the parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is definitely possible that there are patrons who would find this novel problematic in terms of the wealth disparities between the peasants and nobles and the connections to our world. There is also one romantic scene that suggests the intent of sexual content, as well as descriptions of violence throughout. My defense for these challenges would be to say that art imitates life, and this novel is a way for us to work through the trauma of the pandemic by seeing it in a different light. In terms of the violence, I would argue that this is a work of fiction and readers can certainly skip over any descriptions that make them uneasy. The sexual content is also extremely mild and most likely would not cause any issues.
Reason for Inclusion
I have seen this book recommended all over Bookstagram and TikTok and it definitely did not disappoint. Teens who love fantasy and multiple "OMG" moments won't be able to put this book down.
References
Brigidkemmerer. (2021, August 24). Meet Tessa Cade [Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CS9OmVaLYGc/
DarkFairyOfLegend. (2021, October 16). Defy the Night aesthetic [Image]. Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/defy%20the%20night?sort=recent
Kemmerer, B. (n.d.a). Defy the Night [Cover Image]. Brigid Kemmerer. https://brigidkemmerer.com/books/defy-the-night/
Kemmerer, B. (n.d.b). Media kit. Brigid Kemmerer. https://brigidkemmerer.com/bio-2/
Yeollie.hvirus. (2021, October 13). Defy the Night [Image]. Instagram. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/yeollie.hvirus/
Comentarios