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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't realize that I had higher hopes for this book until I finished it and felt severely let down.
Starting out, it was a little rough and slow paced. Plus, keeping track of the princesses, their curses, and other secondary, yet still important characters, was a little cumbersome. Also, there was a lot of switching from pre-curse/pre-present day mini-flashbacks to provide important/background information, to present day, and the transition wasn't always smooth. In the beginning, it happened often enough that it contributed to the rough start.
Multiple POVs (between Jane and Reagan) wasn't actually a problem, until closer towards the end when chapters got shorter and keeping track of the switches was a bit more difficult.
About halfway through, I was absolutely over the name of Ever and all the other, unoriginal naming. I try not to be critical of authors, since I know how difficult writing can be, but it seemed like Haydu couldn't think of original names and settled on using regular words - like ever - and capitalizing them. Serious, AndNot?
Finally, the ending felt like a cop-out. Nothing ever felt truly resolved. I don't want to spoil it, though, so I'll just leave it that the ending was a mix of predictable - after the "significant reveal," which I totally guessed earlier on, btw - and disappointing.
Starting out, it was a little rough and slow paced. Plus, keeping track of the princesses, their curses, and other secondary, yet still important characters, was a little cumbersome. Also, there was a lot of switching from pre-curse/pre-present day mini-flashbacks to provide important/background information, to present day, and the transition wasn't always smooth. In the beginning, it happened often enough that it contributed to the rough start.
Multiple POVs (between Jane and Reagan) wasn't actually a problem, until closer towards the end when chapters got shorter and keeping track of the switches was a bit more difficult.
About halfway through, I was absolutely over the name of Ever and all the other, unoriginal naming. I try not to be critical of authors, since I know how difficult writing can be, but it seemed like Haydu couldn't think of original names and settled on using regular words - like ever - and capitalizing them. Serious, AndNot?
Finally, the ending felt like a cop-out. Nothing ever felt truly resolved. I don't want to spoil it, though, so I'll just leave it that the ending was a mix of predictable - after the "significant reveal," which I totally guessed earlier on, btw - and disappointing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault
I’ve never really read a fantasy book like this. Where there are consequences for magic and it’s not great to cast large and powerful spells. Where the kingdoms aren’t beautiful and full of happy people. Where everyone believes that if royalty does something wrong, it can’t be wrong because they’re royal. The only thing I didn’t love was that some things were a little predictable, for me at least, and it just didn’t blow my mind. It’s not the book’s fault, it’s just how I feel. The ending was better than what I imagined. This book wasn’t what I expected, but it was still really good!
The tone and the subject matter don't match. The setting is described with such whimsy and fantastical elements, that when the heavy topics of rape and verbal/physical abuse show up it feels like getting whiplash on a roller coaster.
This book has the potential to be really good, I just personally felt that the hard subjects needed to be handled much better. To the author and publisher's credit, there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. Still, each time such rough language and events occurred I was taken back.
This book has the potential to be really good, I just personally felt that the hard subjects needed to be handled much better. To the author and publisher's credit, there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. Still, each time such rough language and events occurred I was taken back.
3.5 stars. Ever Cursed is about the Spellbound princesses of Ever - five sisters who are Without - because an angry, vengeful witch cast a spell. It's five years later, and just as the last princess falls under the spell, the princesses also finally get the chance to undo it. For Princess Jane, who cannot eat, breaking the spell is literally the difference between life and death.
Ever Cursed is told from the POV of Princess Jane, the oldest princess, and Reagan, the witch who cast the spell. We learn the reason for Reagan's anger early on in the story as we follow them both as they try to break the spell. What follows is a painful, eye-opening experience for the both of them. Ever Cursed tackles rape culture, class differences, and the privilege that comes with money/power (magic). It's a lot to take on, and the book is often heavy handed when discussing these themes. Also, for a good chunk of the book, some of the characters (e.g. Abbott, Olive, and Reagan's grandmother) talk in riddles when giving advice to Reagan or Jane. It gets frustrating that the characters won't just come out and say what they mean, but eventually they get there. By the end, everyone is telling the truth and expressing their pain clearly.
Despite these frustrations, this is a great book that explores important, relevant topics through fantasy. At first I didn't understand why Reagan punished the princesses and queen when it was the king who did such an awful thing. But isn't that always the case? Women often suffer for the sins of men. Or, on the flipside, think of the woman in the fridge trope. Hurt a woman to make a man's story more meaningful. The king certainly uses the pain of his daughters to his advantage.
Jane and Reagan were fascinating characters who learned a lot and changed a lot over the course of the story. I especially liked the history of Ever and its missing princess and the way it tied into the present story. While I found the ending a little baffling(crowns for all?) , the journey was still worthwhile. I will recommend this book to readers looking for fractured fairy tales or feminist reads.
Ever Cursed is told from the POV of Princess Jane, the oldest princess, and Reagan, the witch who cast the spell. We learn the reason for Reagan's anger early on in the story as we follow them both as they try to break the spell. What follows is a painful, eye-opening experience for the both of them. Ever Cursed tackles rape culture, class differences, and the privilege that comes with money/power (magic). It's a lot to take on, and the book is often heavy handed when discussing these themes. Also, for a good chunk of the book, some of the characters (e.g. Abbott, Olive, and Reagan's grandmother) talk in riddles when giving advice to Reagan or Jane. It gets frustrating that the characters won't just come out and say what they mean, but eventually they get there. By the end, everyone is telling the truth and expressing their pain clearly.
Despite these frustrations, this is a great book that explores important, relevant topics through fantasy. At first I didn't understand why Reagan punished the princesses and queen when it was the king who did such an awful thing. But isn't that always the case? Women often suffer for the sins of men. Or, on the flipside, think of the woman in the fridge trope. Hurt a woman to make a man's story more meaningful. The king certainly uses the pain of his daughters to his advantage.
Jane and Reagan were fascinating characters who learned a lot and changed a lot over the course of the story. I especially liked the history of Ever and its missing princess and the way it tied into the present story. While I found the ending a little baffling
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Ever Cursed is about the princesses and queen of Ever cursed by a young witch and the journey to undo the curse by the witch and the bewitched. The story is told through the POVs of Reagan, the witch who curse the princesses and Jane, one of the cursed princesses.
Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between Reagan and Jane's POVs. Other than that Ever Cursed is a fairytale with diverse and inspiring characters and plot.
*Reflection*
Ever Cursed make me think of the history and story taught to us. Are they actually true or are they biased? Are they actual facts or just propaganda? Or should I believe that these history and story are all true depending on which perspective I am considering? So how do we consider we are really learning from our past, and not repeating it when we were told only one side of the history or story? ...
Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between Reagan and Jane's POVs. Other than that Ever Cursed is a fairytale with diverse and inspiring characters and plot.
*Reflection*
Ever Cursed make me think of the history and story taught to us. Are they actually true or are they biased? Are they actual facts or just propaganda? Or should I believe that these history and story are all true depending on which perspective I am considering? So how do we consider we are really learning from our past, and not repeating it when we were told only one side of the history or story? ...
challenging
dark
slow-paced
not a lot.... happened? & when it did it was v e r y s l o w
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Ever Cursed
Author: Corey Ann Haydu
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Diversity: trans side character!
Recommended For...: witches, twisted fairytales, feminism
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, TW rape allegories and mentions, TW eating disorder allegory, TW creepy comments made by men on at least one barely legal girl)
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 304
Synopsis: The Princesses of Ever are beloved by the kingdom and their father, the King. They are cherished, admired.
Cursed.
Jane, Alice, Nora, Grace, and Eden carry the burden of being punished for a crime they did not commit, or even know about. They are each cursed to be Without one essential thing—the ability to eat, sleep, love, remember, or hope. And their mother, the Queen, is imprisoned, frozen in time in an unbreakable glass box.
But when Eden’s curse sets in on her thirteenth birthday, the princesses are given the opportunity to break the curse, preventing it from becoming a True Spell and dooming the princesses for life. To do this, they must confront the one who cast the spell—Reagan, a young witch who might not be the villain they thought—as well as the wickedness plaguing their own kingdom…and family.
Told through the eyes of Reagan and Jane—the witch and the bewitched—this insightful twist of a fairy tale explores power in a patriarchal kingdom not unlike our own.
Review: Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book. The book did well to describe the trauma and the mental health of the characters. I really liked Alice, who was a trans character, and I liked how the story was a twist on modern fairytales to show their ugliness that we rarely talk about. I thought the book also did well on the feminist side of the story too.
However, there were some issues I had with the book. I didn’t like all the similarities to eating disorders as I didn’t see a trigger warning. The book didn’t really discuss it but alluded to it through one of the main characters and I could see where it could be upsetting for some people. There were also a lot of rape allegories without a trigger warning and the book was generally hard to get into. The book didn’t do well describing the world building and the characters weren’t that well developed in my opinion. You’re also thrown into the story and it takes a bit to orient yourself in it.
Verdict: It was good, but I wanted it to be a bit more fleshed out and I would like to see some trigger warnings in the final version.
Book: Ever Cursed
Author: Corey Ann Haydu
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Diversity: trans side character!
Recommended For...: witches, twisted fairytales, feminism
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, TW rape allegories and mentions, TW eating disorder allegory, TW creepy comments made by men on at least one barely legal girl)
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 304
Synopsis: The Princesses of Ever are beloved by the kingdom and their father, the King. They are cherished, admired.
Cursed.
Jane, Alice, Nora, Grace, and Eden carry the burden of being punished for a crime they did not commit, or even know about. They are each cursed to be Without one essential thing—the ability to eat, sleep, love, remember, or hope. And their mother, the Queen, is imprisoned, frozen in time in an unbreakable glass box.
But when Eden’s curse sets in on her thirteenth birthday, the princesses are given the opportunity to break the curse, preventing it from becoming a True Spell and dooming the princesses for life. To do this, they must confront the one who cast the spell—Reagan, a young witch who might not be the villain they thought—as well as the wickedness plaguing their own kingdom…and family.
Told through the eyes of Reagan and Jane—the witch and the bewitched—this insightful twist of a fairy tale explores power in a patriarchal kingdom not unlike our own.
Review: Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book. The book did well to describe the trauma and the mental health of the characters. I really liked Alice, who was a trans character, and I liked how the story was a twist on modern fairytales to show their ugliness that we rarely talk about. I thought the book also did well on the feminist side of the story too.
However, there were some issues I had with the book. I didn’t like all the similarities to eating disorders as I didn’t see a trigger warning. The book didn’t really discuss it but alluded to it through one of the main characters and I could see where it could be upsetting for some people. There were also a lot of rape allegories without a trigger warning and the book was generally hard to get into. The book didn’t do well describing the world building and the characters weren’t that well developed in my opinion. You’re also thrown into the story and it takes a bit to orient yourself in it.
Verdict: It was good, but I wanted it to be a bit more fleshed out and I would like to see some trigger warnings in the final version.