Skip to main content

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, #1)


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prince Rhen, heir of Emberfall, is cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th birthday until a girl falls in love with him. This is however made difficult by the fact that, towards the end of each season, he turns into a beast/monster with no control of who he is and often hell-bent on destroying everything/person around him.

Harper is a girl from Washington D.C. Her mother is dying; her brother is in with a bad bunch of people as he tries to make good on his father's debts and look after the family. Harper is often underestimated because she has cerebral palsy, often judged by her physical limitations rather than by what she can do. One day, her life changes as a mysterious man transport her into a magical world.

My Thoughts

I have to admit I am a sucker for fairytale retellings. A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. The storyline and the cast of characters themselves aren't anything new. It all initially feels clichéd if you were to read the outline on its own. 

However, what Brigid Kemmerer does really well in this book, and what I loved about this, are the characters themselves. There is something engaging and true about each character and their relationships grow naturally. Even if the timeline is relatively short, Rhen's feelings for Harper develops naturally, nothing feels forced or sudden. Similarly with Harper though she is still a little more reserved. Grey was probably my favourite character. I dunno... I think I am partial to the brooding, stoic guard, loyal to a tee. 

You could see the twist to the story a mile off but it does make me look forward to the next book.

Do you have a favourite fairytale retelling? Please let me know what your favourite retelling are as I would love to read more!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Top Ten Tuesday (03/03): Top Ten Books You Would Classify As All Time Favourite Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . It's fun to do and interesting to read what other bloggers have to say as well! Join in the fun! Top Ten Books You Would Classify as ALL TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS From the Past 5 Years 1. The Night Circus   by Erin Morgenstern. This is the most recent in this list. I loved how Erin Morgenstern wove the story around the characters and the circus. She also has a wonderful writing style that just makes you see, smell, hear and feel what she is writing, like you're right there. I wrote a review on this here . 2. Where She Went  by Gayle Forman. I really enjoyed If I Stay  and literally bought and read Where She Went  straight after I finished it. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. This book is from Adam's perspective and he really does have a lot of sadness, doubt and anguish. Gayle Forman does a great job portraying Adam's feelings. Gut-wrenchingly beautiful, is al

Review: All That I Am by Anna Funder

All That I Am by Anna Funder My rating: 5 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads): All That I Am is a masterful and exhilarating exploration of bravery and betrayal, of the risks and sacrifices some people make for their beliefs, and of heroism hidden in the most unexpected places. When eighteen-year-old Ruth Becker visits her cousin Dora in Munich in 1923, she meets the love of her life, the dashing young journalist Hans Wesemann, and eagerly joins in the heady activities of the militant political Left in Germany. Ten years later, Ruth and Hans are married and living in Weimar Berlin when Hitler is elected chancellor of Germany. Together with Dora and her lover, Ernst Toller, the celebrated poet and self-doubting revolutionary, the four become hunted outlaws overnight and are forced to flee to London. Inspired by the fearless Dora to breathtaking acts of courage, the friends risk betrayal and deceit as they dedicate themselves to a dangerous mission: to inform the British government

Top Ten Tuesday (24/02): Top Ten Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish . Join in the fun! Top Ten Heroines (in no particular order) 1. Ella  ( Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine). This was one of my favourite books as a child and Ella is just phenomenal. She's smart, witty and has a lot of guts. Plus she captures Prince Char's heart (I majorly fell in love with Char when I first read this book). I have to admit I wasn't a fan of the movie adaptation; a huge fail for me even though I adore Anne Hathaway. 2. Hermione Granger  ( Harry Potter series  by J. K. Rowling ) . Of course, what's a heroine list without Hermione. What would Harry do without Hermione? She's the brains in the famous trio and gutsy too.  3. Emma Donahoe  ( Dark Heavens trilogy by Kylie Chan). A devoted fan to this series (now into it's third trilogy). Dark Heavens  is the first and best of the three trilogies, with Emma being the kick-ass main character, putting