Quiz A Vow So Bold and Deadly Brigid Kemmerer

A Vow So Bold and Deadly Quiz – 20 Questions

Test your understanding of the concluding volume in Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreaker trilogy. This quiz covers plot turning points, character motivations, central themes, and synthesis questions that ask you to connect events and ideas across the story. Each question links to a specific moment from the book; a full answer key with brief explanations follows.

Plot and Sequence Questions (8)

  1. Multiple choice: What is Rhen’s initial ultimatum to Grey after the curse breaks?
    A. Surrender Emberfall in thirty days
    B. Surrender Emberfall in sixty days
    C. Meet him in single combat
    D. Return to Syhl Shallow permanently

  2. Short answer: Who kills the scraver Iisak?

  3. Multiple choice: Which weapon does Grey test and find that his magic cannot heal?
    A. A steel broadsword
    B. An Iishellasan steel dagger
    C. A silver arrowhead
    D. A cursed spear

  4. Short answer: What physical reaction does Lia Mara have when she sees Grey alive after the final battle?

  5. Multiple choice: Who attacks Harper in her chambers while disguised as Freya?
    A. Nolla Verin
    B. Lilith the enchantress
    C. Chesleigh Darington
    D. Captain Solt

  6. Short answer: What trick does Harper use to escape Lilith’s creature in the woods?

  7. Multiple choice: What is Chesleigh Darington’s true identity?
    A. A Syhl Shallow princess
    B. Ellia Maya, an advisor to Lilith
    C. A spy from Disi
    D. Rhen’s long‑lost sister

  8. Short answer: Whom does Grey find missing from training, leading to a confrontation with Captain Solt?

Character Motivation Questions (5)

  1. Multiple choice: Why does Grey initially refuse to rescue Rhen when Harper begs him?
    A. He thinks Rhen is already dead
    B. He is loyal to Lia Mara and his soldiers
    C. He wants to claim the throne for himself
    D. He fears Lilith more than Rhen

  2. Short answer: What motivates Rhen to yield to Grey in the castle hallway and beg for death?

  3. Multiple choice: Why does Lia Mara decide to let Grey go to rescue Rhen despite her jealousy?
    A. She is tricked by Nolla Verin
    B. She trusts Harper’s account and values compassion
    C. She fears Grey will betray her if she refuses
    D. She wants to start a war with Emberfall

  4. Short answer: What drives Nolla Verin to order troops through the mountain pass without the queen’s consent?

  5. Multiple choice: Why does Harper hide Lilith’s attack from Rhen?
    A. She wants to protect him from worsening his paranoia
    B. She is ashamed of being hurt
    C. She plans to confront Lilith alone
    D. She believes Rhen already knows

Theme and Symbol Questions (4)

  1. Multiple choice: What does the Iishellasan steel dagger symbolize in the story?
    A. The unity of Emberfall and Syhl Shallow
    B. The threat that magic can be repelled or neutralized
    C. Harper’s independence from Rhen
    D. Lilith’s former humanity

  2. Short answer: How does the scar (lost eye) that Rhen carries after the final battle connect to a major theme?

  3. Multiple choice: Which theme is most clearly explored through the contrast between Lia Mara’s and Nolla Verin’s leadership styles?
    A. Fate versus free will
    B. Mercy versus brutality
    C. Romance versus duty
    D. Magic versus technology

  4. Short answer: What does Rhen’s transformation into a monster (and his return to human form) symbolize in the climax?

Synthesis Questions (3)

  1. Short answer: Compare how Rhen and Grey each approach leadership at the end of the book.

  2. Multiple choice: How does the defeat of Lilith reflect the series’ overarching message?
    A. Individual heroism is always enough
    B. Collective action and trust can overcome manipulation
    C. Magic must be destroyed for peace to last
    D. Only a rightful heir can save a kingdom

  3. Short answer: In what way does Harper’s journey from Washington, D.C. to Syhl Shallow represent a synthesis of two worlds?

Answer Key

  1. B – Surrender Emberfall in sixty days. Grey gives Rhen a sixty‑day ultimatum at the start of the book (Chapter 1 outline).
  2. Lilith stabs Iisak with a magic‑binding dagger and kills him. The scraver attacks Lilith in Chapter 44; she drives the Iishellasan blade into his ribs multiple times (Chapter 44 evidence).
  3. B – An Iishellasan steel dagger. Grey tests the blade in Chapter 35 and cannot heal the cut it makes (Chapter 35 evidence).
  4. She vomits onto Grey’s boots. In Chapter 47, the overwhelming relief of seeing him alive makes her physically ill (Chapter 47 outline).
  5. B – Lilith the enchantress. Lilith impersonates Freya in Chapter 18 to torment Harper (Chapter 18 outline).
  6. She flips her breastplate, a trick Rhen taught her. In Chapter 25, Harper uses the move to free herself from the creature (Chapter 25 outline).
  7. B – Ellia Maya, an advisor to Lilith. Chapter 37 reveals that Chesleigh is actually Ellia Maya, Lilith’s agent (Chapter 37 outline).
  8. Tycho. Grey finds Tycho in Noah’s infirmary instead of at training, sparking the conflict with Solt (Chapter 13 outline).
  9. B – He is loyal to Lia Mara and his soldiers. Grey explains he cannot abandon the army and queen who trust him (Chapter 35 evidence: “I cannot make this a mission to rescue him”).
  10. Despair; Lilith has convinced him that Harper is dead, and he wants to end his suffering. In Chapter 41, Rhen drops his sword and kneels, begging Grey to kill him (Chapter 41 evidence).
  11. B – She trusts Harper’s account and values compassion. Despite jealousy, Lia Mara chooses to trust and let Grey go (Chapter 33 outline).
  12. Her aggressive stance and impatience with Lia Mara’s gentle rule; she belongs to the anti‑magic faction. Nolla Verin acts without permission in Chapter 30 (Chapter 30 outline).
  13. A – She wants to protect him from worsening his paranoia. Harper begs Dustan not to tell Rhen, fearing it will feed his fear (Chapter 18 outline).
  14. B – The threat that magic can be repelled or neutralized. The dagger is made of magic‑binding steel and cannot be healed by Grey’s power (Chapter 35 evidence).
  15. The scar represents survival, the cost of war, and Rhen’s changed identity after losing his eye. In Chapter 48, Rhen struggles with his scarred face and feeling worthless (Chapter 48 outline).
  16. B – Mercy versus brutality. Lia Mara wants to rule with compassion; Nolla Verin favors harshness and violence (Chapters 9, 12, 14 outline).
  17. It symbolizes the loss of control under Lilith’s power, but also that love (Harper’s declaration and Grey’s words) can anchor him back to humanity. In Chapter 45, Harper’s love and Grey calling him “Brother” reverse the transformation (Chapter 45 outline).
  18. Rhen yields his claim to the throne and admits his faults, while Grey steps up as a ruler who values collective leadership; they agree to work together for the good of both kingdoms. Chapters 48–51 show Rhen saying “as my king commands” and Grey asking for Rhen’s counsel (Chapters 50–51 outline).
  19. B – Collective action and trust can overcome manipulation. Lilith is defeated when Rhen, Grey, Harper, Iisak, and Tycho act together; no single person could stop her (Chapters 44–46 evidence).
  20. Harper brings modern‑world resilience and a belief in redemption to a medieval fantasy realm, bridging cultures and sacrificing her own safety to forge alliances. Her journey from DC to Syhl Shallow and her insistence on hope (Chapter 50) exemplify this synthesis (Chapter 50 outline).

Test your knowledge of the entire series with our plot summary. For deeper discussion, visit the questions and answers page or read the ending explained.