Fall in love, break the curse.
It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But 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.
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Review:
A Curse So Dark and Lonely is Brigid Kemmerer’s latest release and is a unique and delightfully told take on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, drawing readers into a bewitching world where danger, magic and romance mingle and two very different individuals find themselves drawn together to prevent a war and cure a curse.
Prince Rhen is the heir to the throne of Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress, Rhen is doomed to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year until over and over again until he can find a woman to fall in love with him. Once a charming and charismatic young man, Rhen believed that the curse would be easy to break, but with each failed year where he turns into a brutal monster at the end, Rhen has all but lost hope. With his family long killed by the monster he can’t control, Rhen has watched helplessly as the kingdom fell into disrepair and his monster ravaged his people. Life has never been easy for Harper Lacy. Her father left long ago, her mother is dying from cancer and her brother works for a mobster in order to keep their family afloat. Despite her cerebral palsy, Harper has always been tough which is why when she sees a woman being attacked in the streets, she steps in to help. Before she knows it, Harper is waking up in a land so very far away from her native Washington DC. Dragged into Rehn’s cursed world, Harper doesn’t know what to think of everything she sees, but as she and Rhen attempt to find common ground, will Harper be just the thing to break Rhen’s curse. Or will forces outside their control see the kingdom doomed forever?
Brigid Kemmerer is one of those authors whose novels I always enjoy. Whether she’s writing contemporary or supernatural YA or now fairy-tale retellings, Kemmerer manages to create vivid and compelling stories. A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a prime example of this; darkly vibrant and alluring with likable characters, magic and authentic storyline development. Unfolding through the back and forth perspectives of both main characters, A Curse So Dark and Lonely was a forward moving story that captured my attention from the beginning and didn’t let go until the final page.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely introduces readers to two strong and likable voices in Rhen and Harper. I appreciated the growth both characters undertook throughout the story and felt they were genuine developments that fit the story well without seeming forced. Easy to follow and care about, Rhen and Harper had a compelling relationship that developed steadily over time. Brigid Kemmerer won me over with the lack of insta-love, instead choosing to build on Rhen and Harper’s initial distrust of one another and create a friendship with perfect hints of romantic tension and possibilities.
Rhen himself is a far cry from your ordinary prince; tormented and hopeless who had already come a long way from the spoilt, conceited prince be was pre-curse when the novel kicks off. Rhen is controlling of situations and determined, a by-product of his upbringing and princehood. This is something that sees him clash with female protagonist Harper, but his desire to do the right thing for his people shines throughout the novel as Rhen has his eyes opened to the suffering of his kingdom as the novel progressed.
Harper on the other hand is a naturally tough in effortless way. Harper is a modern teenage girl thrust into a fairytale and I felt that her reactions were authentic and genuine. Brigid Kemmerer gives Harper some substance as a sufferer of cerebral palsy and showcases that disabilities in no way mitigate what a person can do. Harper grows in her time in Emberfall and truly begins to come into her own as she faces different circumstances.
The other important character within A Curse So Dark and Lonely is Commander Grey with Kemmerer writing Grey in a manner that you can’t help but like him straight away. I won’t give away spoilers but Grey plays an ongoing role in the novel and is someone I can’t wait to see more of!
With A Curse So Dark and Lonely ending this chapter of Rhen and Harper’s story beautifully, I for one can’t wait to see a sequel and/or companion novel released to expand on the revelations Brigid Kemmerer made at the end of A Curse So Dark and Lonely as I definitely wouldn’t mind getting lost in this entrancing world once more.
Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher via Netgalley (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Kindle copy via Netgalley
Release Date: January 29th 2019
Buy: Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: An effortless retelling, I can't wait to see what happens next.
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