Defy the Night is touted as a fantasy romance. It is definitely a romance, but the fantasy part is a bit of a stretch since there is no magic system. The setting is in a fictional kingdom that has a medieval feel in its society, political, and military structures (think horses and crossbows), but there is electricity in the wealthiest households–so, a bit of a mix. It is tempting to categorize this as an action or adventure book because there is a lot going on.
So many good things to say about this book! Foremost were the protagonists, Tess and Prince Corrick. The author did a fabulous job of building, tearing down, and then building up these characters. They are complex, they are earnest, they are imperfect, but they try and grow. There is also compelling action and a story-line that ripped along. This is all set against a back-drop of a complicated health and political situation that was thoughtfully developed by the author. An important part of the book is for characters on the opposite sides of the issues to learn that simplistic views are incomplete and there are not clear-cut solutions to the problems. This was artfully explored amid all the action and the romance.
The book is structured is in first person and the chapters alternate between Tess and Prince Corrick. The audiobook version uses two separate readers to voice Tess and Prince Corrick, which is particularly effective; both were enjoyable readers.
Review of the audiobook version
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 2 mild obscenities; 2 derogatory names; 1 anatomical term.
Violence/Gore: Recollection of parents being executed; character vividly imagines all the way someone could be put to death by guards; reports of death from illness; character throws rocks at guards and is shot with an arrow, body kicked and left in the street; character has a bad dream in which a friend is tortured and killed; report of execution by lions, no details; recollection of assassination in which parents were killed in front of teenage children, injury by arrow, and how a teenager killed an attacker by stabbing them in the neck with an arrow; physical struggle where head is rammed into bars, punch in the face, broken arm; scene of public execution involving crossbows, rioting, injuries in riot; body is hung from gate, graphic description and mention of blood and daggers in eyes; thoughts of violence; verbal threats; scars on a person’s body from where they have been attacked in the past; explosions and fire set in an attack, injuries and deaths implied; character executes two prisoners by slitting their throats, no details but there is a mention of blood and that it was brutal; character has blood on their clothing and on their face; character tries to hit another but hand is stopped; report of attack on a supply chain; prisoners are viewed in a cell and it is evident that they had been brutally treated with broken bones and other severe injuries that left them incapacitated; report that someone who was executed for stealing was also guilty of raping the woman he stole from; male implies that he will have his way with a female (he does not); struggle between a male and female when the female believes a man is going to rape her (he has not intention of doing this) she strikes him, he restrains her and sits astride her, in the struggle her gown rips exposing her breast (which he then covers to preserve her modesty); calls for violent revolution; extended scene in which authority figures are going to shoot a 13-year-old character and other characters intervene with a fight resulting hitting, tackling cross-bows, knife to the neck, mention of blood resulting in injuries and deaths; characters are captured/kidnapped and treated roughly by hitting, tripping, poking with arrows, etc.; female character is threatened with harm unless a character complies; extended scene in which a mob is riled up and encourage to attack a bound character, which they do by hitting, kicking, punching resulting in severe injuries; character grabs another characters injured hand and twists and throws the person; a character is going to be executed/shot by a crossbow; detailed scene of wound treatment and stitching up cuts, mention of blood; character punches another character in the face; extended scene of fire, explosions, attacks, not a lot of description because smoke is obscuring ability to see, but there are resulting injuries, deaths; brief descriptions of treating wounds, mention of blood; several scenes in which bodies of the dead are seen laying in the street with some brief, graphic descriptions; scene in which characters are bound and threatened with death in a stand-off between two groups, two are executed point blank when their demands are not met; character is punched, tied, and kicked.
Sex/Nudity: Male and female embrace; young woman attracted to a young man and they have romantic feelings; touching of face, waist back; brief scene of passionate kissing (male and female); person says they are pregnant out of wedlock (this is a lie) to deflect suspicion; rumor that someone is caring someone’s child; male has romantic feelings for a woman and he thinks on these often; male and female hold hands; three scene in which a female notes the physique of a male when he removes his shirt in order to wash-up, change clothes, etc. and her feelings of lust and attraction to him; struggle between a male and female when the female believes a man is going to rape her (he has no intention of doing this) she strikes him, he restrains her and sits astride her, in the struggle her gown rips exposing her breast (which he then covers to preserve her modesty); innuendo; reference to someone as a concubine (they are not); extended scene in which male and female kiss passionately, pressing of bodies, touching of thigh, French kissing.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent, assassination, execution, illness, smuggling, theft, treason, politics, mob, revolution/insurrection.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
Flowers used for medicine; drinking of wine with meals; frequent drinking of brandy, whisky, and other hard liquors by adults (18+).
