BOOK REVIEW : A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY (CURSEBREAKERS #1) BY BRIGID KEMMERER

TITLE : A Curse So Dark And Lonely (Cursebreakers #1)

AUTHOR : Brigid Kemmerer

GENRE : YA Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy

FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars

FR REVIEW

A Curse So Dark And Lonely is a fairytale retelling romantic fantasy of Beauty And The Beast. I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. The book was definitely interesting. I loved how the author took the very popular and classic fairy tale and made it into a fun and entertaining fantasy novel with amazing characters. It was unique and had a lot of interesting elements.

The story is about a Prince who gets cursed by an enchantress and has to go through a lot of difficulty season after season transforming into a monster. The Prince needs to find a girl who will love him and only love can break the curse. The prince has already failed to find love and he is at a point of giving up and makes a deal with the enchantress to let the next season be the last one. The Commander to the Prince is tasked with finding girls and like every season he transports to our world and brings back girls for the Prince to woo and make them fall in love in a 3 month time period. Commander has to pick up Harper a young woman instead of the woman he had planned when she tries to attack him. They get transported back to the Kingdom and now Harper has to figure out how to escape the Kingdom and get back to DC.

The story was very well written and it was fast-paced and action-packed. The book starts off from the get-go and pulls you into the story effortlessly. It was incredibly engaging and entertaining to read. I loved how the story starts off from the very beginning and how high-stakes it was. The book manages to keep the momentum going throughout the book and I loved every second of it.

The story is told from a dual perspective and we get to see and learn about the world from both the Prince and Harper’s perspective. The POVs help us learn about the characters and world in an organic manner. I loved the gradual introduction of the world and how things work as Harper learns about it. The world is simple and straight-forward in its setting. I thought it was great to learn about the world from both of the characters which helped us get acquainted with the system in an effortless manner.

Harper is a young woman with cerebral palsy and I loved the representation of it. She is one of the best characters in this book. I loved how great she was. She was a loving, loyal, compassionate, driven, and no-nonsense kind of person. She is strong and she is not afraid of putting herself in challenging situations. I loved her so much. I loved how despite having a disability she manages to bring out her strength and fierceness throughout the story. I loved how she did not forget about her family and she constantly thought about her family back in DC. Despite being forced to stay in the world she still decides to be useful and help the Prince out to break the curse.

Rhen and Grey were terrific. I really felt for Rhen and Grey and how they had to deal with being at the mercy of the enchantress and also the cruel games she was playing. The Prince and Commander dynamics were interesting to see, and also their interactions with Harper was exciting to read. I did not think there was a love-triangle as most people thought. I found that their individual interactions were different and also believe Harper didn’t have any romantic interest in the Commander. I do think that the Commander and Harper had more chemistry and seemed to have proceeded into friendship territory before the Prince and Harper did. I loved how the relationship progressed and how they decide to continue their relationship.

The story is easy to read and comprehend. I loved the simplicity of the world as well. It was an exciting read. I read through the book quickly and am now reading the next book in the series. I can’t wait to see what the author does in the next book. With an epilogue like that, I think we are in for an unexpected turn of events that will be entertaining and enjoyable.

I really enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I believe this is one of the fantasy series that can be picked up by someone who is new to fantasy and love romance as well. It is most definitely a starter fantasy book and easy to read through. The world is simple and straightforward. The story is very well written and the characters are likable and easy to root for. I gave the book 5 stars. I really loved it and definitely recommend checking it out.

SYNOPSIS

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.