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readmoreyall's review
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I love the inclusivity and the not graphic depictions of sexual assault. This book will still be triggering for many but it’s written very well Definitely not for my middle school Library But I will suggest to my HS colleagues.
adelionax's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
mermaird's review
5.0
Ever Cursed is a story about princesses being cursed by a witch, and how they went through all sort of odds to undo it. Sounds like your typical childhood fairy tale, doesn't it? Well, maybe think again.
The story is told from two perspectives—Jane, the eldest princess and Reagan, the witch who cursed the princesses. When I first decided to read this book, I had thought that Reagan would be a much older witch to want to curse the royals with something that big. But she was the same age as Princess Jane; she was barely thirteen when she cast the curse to the Queen and princesses. It made me wonder just how terrible the reason behind her anger was, because unlike most other fairy tales where witches do not receive any consequences after performing any spells, the witches from Ever Cursed gain a skirt for each spell they cast.
It sounded funny to me at first, because seriously? Skirts? But when I really considered it, it was actually a brilliant point of the story. A great spell should come with a great price in order for witches to not simply curse everything in front of their way. The heaviness and quality of the skirts depended on how heavy a spell is, and the greater the spell, the more it will weigh down a witch. Despite knowing she would be weighed down permanently by that, Reagan still cursed the princesses.
The reason behind Reagan's anger to the royals was truly horrible, and it was understandable why she cast the curse even if it was directed in the wrong way. I'm glad the author included the trigger warning at the first part of the book, because the topic is a very sensitive one and possibly not suitable with everyone. Just in case, although there was nothing graphic about it, I'll just mention here that it involves the topic of sexual assault. I don't think I've seen much of this topic being discussed in fantasy young adult novels (or perhaps I don't read as much), so it was quite an eye-opener for me.
Reagan did not gain much support from other witches after the curse, but I'm thankful her sweet cousin, Willa, and best friend, Abbott, were there for her even when they did not share the same views. Before I knew the reason of the curse, I had no idea what to feel about Reagan. From what the witches around her claimed, she seemed to be selfish for casting the spell without considering the others' opinions about it. But it was obvious that she only wanted the best for her loved ones, and when she realised her mistake, she worked hard to help the princesses overcome the curse. She's compassionate and bold, willing to go out of her to make things right for everyone.
As for Princess Jane, I think she's a strong character even from the start. It takes a lot of strength to continue pretending to be fine when you "lose" your mother and is cursed with your siblings in a blink of an eye. It takes a lot of strength to continue pretending to be fine when princes and princesses from other kingdoms want you to stay being spellbound and fragile for their own disgusting desires. And it takes a lot of strength to be fine when you learn that the real villain is someone that you cared for your entire life. Princess Jane is a strong woman, and despite doubting her qualities to become a queen, she still managed to overcome the hurdles like a true queen.
The alternating point of views between Reagan and Jane provided a lot of insight on the world building, and I think it allows the plot to move smoothly. I'm saying that Ever Cursed is a feminist fairy tale like no other is because it's a story that portrays girls that can be strong and independent; girls that are brave enough to fight for the right thing; girls that support each other; girls that survive. This is not a story to bring down boys or men, because even if the perpetrator might be a male, that does not cancel the fact that there are girls or women that condone the disgusting behaviours. This can be seen by the behaviours of the princes and princesses of other kingdoms towards Jane and her sisters. I appreciate that the author did not make it into a gender role issue, because men can be feminists as well if they protect women. In here, Abbott's character is the perfect example of it.
Overall, I would say that there's a lot to unpack from Ever Cursed. It's a story of a lot of things; of witches, princesses, family and siblings' love, surviving, lies, painful truths, growth, acceptance; of so much more. This review of mine is a mess, but all I could say is that this book is wonderful and I loved the way everything was laid out. I'm thankful with the way the story is concluded because after everything, these girls and women deserve only good things from the world.
I would like to thank Pansing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
The story is told from two perspectives—Jane, the eldest princess and Reagan, the witch who cursed the princesses. When I first decided to read this book, I had thought that Reagan would be a much older witch to want to curse the royals with something that big. But she was the same age as Princess Jane; she was barely thirteen when she cast the curse to the Queen and princesses. It made me wonder just how terrible the reason behind her anger was, because unlike most other fairy tales where witches do not receive any consequences after performing any spells, the witches from Ever Cursed gain a skirt for each spell they cast.
It sounded funny to me at first, because seriously? Skirts? But when I really considered it, it was actually a brilliant point of the story. A great spell should come with a great price in order for witches to not simply curse everything in front of their way. The heaviness and quality of the skirts depended on how heavy a spell is, and the greater the spell, the more it will weigh down a witch. Despite knowing she would be weighed down permanently by that, Reagan still cursed the princesses.
The reason behind Reagan's anger to the royals was truly horrible, and it was understandable why she cast the curse even if it was directed in the wrong way. I'm glad the author included the trigger warning at the first part of the book, because the topic is a very sensitive one and possibly not suitable with everyone. Just in case, although there was nothing graphic about it, I'll just mention here that it involves the topic of sexual assault. I don't think I've seen much of this topic being discussed in fantasy young adult novels (or perhaps I don't read as much), so it was quite an eye-opener for me.
Reagan did not gain much support from other witches after the curse, but I'm thankful her sweet cousin, Willa, and best friend, Abbott, were there for her even when they did not share the same views. Before I knew the reason of the curse, I had no idea what to feel about Reagan. From what the witches around her claimed, she seemed to be selfish for casting the spell without considering the others' opinions about it. But it was obvious that she only wanted the best for her loved ones, and when she realised her mistake, she worked hard to help the princesses overcome the curse. She's compassionate and bold, willing to go out of her to make things right for everyone.
As for Princess Jane, I think she's a strong character even from the start. It takes a lot of strength to continue pretending to be fine when you "lose" your mother and is cursed with your siblings in a blink of an eye. It takes a lot of strength to continue pretending to be fine when princes and princesses from other kingdoms want you to stay being spellbound and fragile for their own disgusting desires. And it takes a lot of strength to be fine when you learn that the real villain is someone that you cared for your entire life. Princess Jane is a strong woman, and despite doubting her qualities to become a queen, she still managed to overcome the hurdles like a true queen.
The alternating point of views between Reagan and Jane provided a lot of insight on the world building, and I think it allows the plot to move smoothly. I'm saying that Ever Cursed is a feminist fairy tale like no other is because it's a story that portrays girls that can be strong and independent; girls that are brave enough to fight for the right thing; girls that support each other; girls that survive. This is not a story to bring down boys or men, because even if the perpetrator might be a male, that does not cancel the fact that there are girls or women that condone the disgusting behaviours. This can be seen by the behaviours of the princes and princesses of other kingdoms towards Jane and her sisters. I appreciate that the author did not make it into a gender role issue, because men can be feminists as well if they protect women. In here, Abbott's character is the perfect example of it.
Overall, I would say that there's a lot to unpack from Ever Cursed. It's a story of a lot of things; of witches, princesses, family and siblings' love, surviving, lies, painful truths, growth, acceptance; of so much more. This review of mine is a mess, but all I could say is that this book is wonderful and I loved the way everything was laid out. I'm thankful with the way the story is concluded because after everything, these girls and women deserve only good things from the world.
I would like to thank Pansing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
pantsreads's review
3.0
I feel a bit conflicted about this book; I think it's a very clever statement on modern times couched in a fantasy/fairy tale package, but I was frustrated with the main characters and was maybe looking for more of an escape?
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
daniellerobb's review
4.0
This book really hit me hard at the end when I saw how everything tied together and the metaphors for the real world (the woods and the night, 2 things that are dangerous for women, disappearing completely was really subtle but beautiful). However, the way it was written was kind of clunky which lessened my overall enjoyment.
whitneymouse's review
5.0
Ever Cursed is about five princesses who were cursed to be without something - Jane, who can't eat, Nora, who can't love, Alice, who can't sleep, Grace, who can't remember, and Eden, who can't hope. Determined to break the spell cast on them, they set out into their kingdom for the first time and learn what they've been told isn't actually their history.
I was in a HUGE slump before I started this and this book turned it around significantly. I read it very quickly. The book is told in alternating perspectives between Jane, the eldest princess, and Reagan, the witch who cast the spell, both of whom learn there is more to their story than they were each separately taught.
Haydu's take on classic fairy tale retellings discusses themes of the patriarchy and sexual assault. I found it very ambitious for what I expect from a YA novel. I loved how female friendships were explored, the discussions of what makes a character "complicit" in the crimes of their father, the discussions of actual ignorance v. willful ignorance (or not knowing vs. not wanting to know), etc. The female characters are not wholly "good" or "bad", but more nuanced.
And that cover
I was in a HUGE slump before I started this and this book turned it around significantly. I read it very quickly. The book is told in alternating perspectives between Jane, the eldest princess, and Reagan, the witch who cast the spell, both of whom learn there is more to their story than they were each separately taught.
Haydu's take on classic fairy tale retellings discusses themes of the patriarchy and sexual assault. I found it very ambitious for what I expect from a YA novel. I loved how female friendships were explored, the discussions of what makes a character "complicit" in the crimes of their father, the discussions of actual ignorance v. willful ignorance (or not knowing vs. not wanting to know), etc. The female characters are not wholly "good" or "bad", but more nuanced.
And that cover
litwithlauren's review
2.0
I wanted to love this book so much but I simply couldn't.
While I understand and admire what Corey Ann Haydu was trying to achieve in Ever Cursed, the book itself simply didn't deliver. At the heart of the story, there is a condemnation of the patriarchy and a message about the power women hold, together and apart, but the way the message is written was, to put it bluntly, not great. The pacing never felt right, some characters simply seemed unnecessary, and the compelling side characters weren't given enough screen time. More than anything, though, I think this book is marketed incorrectly - while the world building takes inspiration from fairy tales and tries to subvert them, this is a story about abuse and healing, which creates different expectations going in.
cw: sexual assault, eating disorder
While I understand and admire what Corey Ann Haydu was trying to achieve in Ever Cursed, the book itself simply didn't deliver. At the heart of the story, there is a condemnation of the patriarchy and a message about the power women hold, together and apart, but the way the message is written was, to put it bluntly, not great. The pacing never felt right, some characters simply seemed unnecessary, and the compelling side characters weren't given enough screen time. More than anything, though, I think this book is marketed incorrectly - while the world building takes inspiration from fairy tales and tries to subvert them, this is a story about abuse and healing, which creates different expectations going in.
cw: sexual assault, eating disorder
singsthewren's review
4.0
This is a surprisingly complex book for something that is presented so simply. It's a powerful, haunting story, and while it wrapped up a little too easily and conveniently, I really liked the characters and the unique setting. It did a good job balancing the reality of trauma and how different people respond to it. I liked the dual narrators, and their different takes on rage and unfairness.