ARC Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
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Series: Cursebreakers #1
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Published January 29th 2019 by Bloomsbury YA
Goodreads Synopsis
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.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
I don't know why I waited so long to read this book, but boy do I wish I'd picked it up as soon as I got it. In one word, fantastic! As a Beauty and the Beast retelling, A Curse So Dark and Lonely has it all - we have a beast, a handsome prince, darkness and anguish, and a feisty heroine. When Harper sees a girl being kidnapped, she tries to intervene and soon finds herself in a mysterious castle, with two guys there, and no one else. Her phone won't work, and there's a whole load of magic, like musical instruments playing by themselves, a bath being perpetually hot, and a fully stocked kitchen, with food all ready to eat, at any time. She soon learns that Prince Rhen and Grey, his sole guard, are all that are left in the castle at Emberfall, and that a monstrous beast ravages the kingdom, and has killed the rest of the royal family. The kingdom is suffering, and rather than lying down and taking what is coming, she fights to get home, and in turn helps to reclaim the kingdom as an enemy nation plots to invade. She is told of the curse, but can't be forced to fall in love to break it, though she is intrigued by Rhen, and slowly falling for him. As the beast, he can't imagine anyone would ever love him, and blames himself for the mistake that led to he and the kingdom being cursed. He'll do anything to break the curse, even killing himself if that would work, but after every 'season' he reappears, good as new, and nothing can hurt him - a fact the sorceress uses to her advantage to torture him whenever she wants.
I loved Harper. She was so feisty and fun, and her character growth within the book was astronomical. She suffers from Cerebral Palsy, which leaves her with a noticeable limp, and she believes this is a failing of hers, but won't let it stop her when others are in danger. She often jumps in the way of others who are suffering, which works to the advantage of her and Rhen when she masquerades as a Princess from an unknown kingdom, engaged to Rhen, and helps to bolster and boost the morale of the whole kingdom, who have been left feeling forgotten and abandoned by their monarchs. From the girl at the beginning of the book who only wanted to get home to her brother and sick mother, she finds herself really caring for the people, and even would give up seeing her family for the last time, if it would help everyone she's come to care about.
Rhen was such a conflicted character, broken inside and at a loss of what to do. After killing his family - not his fault, he was the beast at the point - he closes down the borders to the kingdom, hoping it would protect everyone. Instead, it leads to five years of hard struggles, and when he realises that was his fault too, he sort of wants to curl up and scream. He only has Grey as his companion, even then he doesn't understand why Grey remains, but he does. His growth was amazing throughout this book too, going from a scared young prince, who made the mistake of sleeping with the wrong women, to a strong and just ruler, was phenomenal. I found him the better love interest for Harper, though I know some reviewers like Grey more. I did like Grey's character, and as we learnt more of his back story, he did grow on me, but not as much as Rhen.
The plot was amazing, with a 500 page book feeling like nothing as I flew through it. The one reason I'm glad I've waited until now to read the book is that I haven't got as long a wait for book 2 as I would've had, because that ending killed me, and I need more now! Definitely a book I'd recommend, and I'm in the process of getting Brigid's other books now.
Dates Read:
July 20-22, 2019Rating
4 Stars
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