H 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. (From the book blurb) My thoughts: With the second part coming out on January the 7th (I am going to post my review of A Heart So Fierce and Broken on Monday, January the 6th), I decided to go back and review the first part of this magic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. Harper's life has experienced quite a lot of pain in her short life. Her father made a few bad business decision and then when the loansharks came after him ran away leaving Harper, her brother and their ill mother to fend off for themselves. With their mother suffering from final stages of lung cancer, Jake would do anything to protect Harper, even do the loanshark's dirty work of collecting debts by threatening and beating up people. Harper is waiting for her brother finishing on of 'his jobs', when she sees a tall stranger about to murder a young woman. Harper doesn't think twice- she rushes to save the girl and ...finds herself transported into a different place, a magic kingdom of Emberfall. Her kidnappers name is Grey and he is the Commander and the only surviving Royal Guard. There isn't anybody else in the castle apart from him and Prince Rhen, who is about to start a new season of trying to break his curse. Harper is such a fantastic character, full of courage and determination. She has cerebral palsy, but this doesn't stop her from standing up for poor and disadvantaged. She is a real warrior, despite the weaknesses of her body, which just make more aware of other people's pain or suffering. You might think you know how the story is going to end, but ...Rhen doesn't make it easy for her to fall in love. He is a weird mixture of arrogance, charm, strategic mind and indecisiveness. Grey, on the other hand, is direct, loyal and committed to protecting his Prince and the Kingdom. There are a few supporting characters, each of which is fascinating in their own way: cruel Lilith, the enchantress that put Rhen under the curse, Freya, Harper's lady in waiting, Zoe, Jake, Noah. There is also a bloodthristy Queen of a neighbouring country ready to step in and take Rhen's kingdom away. The story of the original fairy-tale is the exact opposite of my least favourite of all tropes, the insta-love. The protagonists of the Curse So Dark and Lonely have to get to know each other and learn to trust one another before their feelings can become real. There are plenty of adventures, but there are also quiet moments that show how the characters grow and develop during the book to become better versions of themselves. Compelling, intriguing, entertaining, the Cursebreaker series is a perfect read for this time of year, when winter holidays with their magic are still here with us and everything seems possible in the brand-new year. |
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