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.

Content Warning: Defy the Night includes topics of illness, violence, murder, and death.

Plot Summary

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.