Review: A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

A Vow so Bold and Deadly is the last book in a trilogy. It is a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling set in the world of Emberfall. This book starts us off with the kingdom of Emberfall and the kingdom of Syhl Shallow. They are fighting over which one of their rulers is the true heir to the throne.

The story is told from four of the characters’ perspectives, Rhen, Harper, Lia Mara and Grey. One character, Harper, has cerebral palsy and I feel like that representation is very good, because not many authors write about it as a characteristic of a main character. The characters are very well-developed, and each perspective made me feel like I was them and I had to make the decisions they were making. The plot was really fast-moving and no part of the book felt slow to read.

A good bit of the book was only leading up to the main action. This might not be a bad thing for some, as I really enjoyed reading about every one of the characters and how they spent their day-to-day life. It gave me an insight into how they think, feel, and how they react in situations. Brigid Kemmerer knows how to write her characters to be enjoyable. Another thing that Kemmerer does very well is writing relationships, for example brotherhood. I loved how Rhen and Grey’s relationship develops over time. The end action was a tiny bit rushed for me and I would have liked more detail about what happened after all of it came to an end. The ending, when you find out about a plot twist and everything starts connecting, was very satisfying and very well-written. This was a very beautiful book and it gripped me from the start. I definitely recommend reading it.

Maya Silasi, teen reviewer