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ielerol's review
3.0
I like the concept of this book a lot, but I struggled with the execution. The whole first third of the book moves very slowly, which I wouldn't mind except that it's also very repetitive, and Jane is super boring early on, because being an incredibly sheltered and self-centered princess does not make a person particularly interesting. Reagan is less so, but her point of view early on is frustrating because she shows up and immediately gets into arguments with everyone without context or anything else to ground us in her character. I got more interested when they start having things to do beyond just feeling sorry for themselves, but I was very close to abandoning the book before getting there.
The other issue is that the tone, style, and world-building just feel all over the place. At times I thought the book was trying to be a stylized, fairy-tale kind of story, and sometimes I think it hits that tone. Like, the way the magic system doesn't make any real sense, but has an internal, poetic kind of logic to it. I can be ok with that, if that's what you're committing to! But then there are other places where it seems like we're supposed be getting more grounded details of life in Ever, and they're just, wildly implausible.
I mean, despite myself I don't need all my second-world vaguely-medieval European fantasy stories to read like a historical study of daily life in the time period, but I do need to believe that the author is familiar with the contents of such books, if you're going to try and portray bits and pieces of it. And I tried so hard not to let it bother me, but when Jane repeats like, 3 or 4 times, that the entire population of the "kingdom" of Ever is 500-some people, I just cannot handle it. That is a not a kingdom that can support a castle with fancy balls and multiple levels of nobility, it's barely a subsistence-level agricultural community. Even by historical standards! Lords of medieval castles supported only by a town of 500 (and productive agricultural land even, not land that's been been cursed with two decades of famine..) did not live in the lap of luxury! They froze in the winter and ran out of good food before the spring vegetables were ready and even small exotic trade goods were rare and extremely valuable. I mean, there appear to be three groups of people in the whole kingdom: nobles, witches, and farmers. No skilled artisans, no traders, no source of wealth that could be used to trade for silks and jewels and exotic foods even if traders existed. How are these people getting chocolate??
Again, I can accept a fairy tale sort of story that doesn't worry about those details, but you have to actually, consciously, make that choice and not undermine it. Honestly I think half the problem is my personal YA nemesis, first-person present tense. There's a reason fairy tales start with "once upon a time," the idea of a dreamlike fairy tale is directly at odds with the kind of detailed immediacy that first-person present forces.
Then there's the use of language. Early on the story is told in fairly simplistic, repetitive language, then halfway through the story people start swearing a lot, and it just didn't feel consistent. I think maybe it was supposed to be a deliberate mirroring of the shift in the tone of the plot itself, but it didn't feel well-executed and I found it very distracting.
I did like the ending a lot, which is ultimately what pushed this to 3 stars for me instead of 2.
The other issue is that the tone, style, and world-building just feel all over the place. At times I thought the book was trying to be a stylized, fairy-tale kind of story, and sometimes I think it hits that tone. Like, the way the magic system doesn't make any real sense, but has an internal, poetic kind of logic to it. I can be ok with that, if that's what you're committing to! But then there are other places where it seems like we're supposed be getting more grounded details of life in Ever, and they're just, wildly implausible.
I mean, despite myself I don't need all my second-world vaguely-medieval European fantasy stories to read like a historical study of daily life in the time period, but I do need to believe that the author is familiar with the contents of such books, if you're going to try and portray bits and pieces of it. And I tried so hard not to let it bother me, but when Jane repeats like, 3 or 4 times, that the entire population of the "kingdom" of Ever is 500-some people, I just cannot handle it. That is a not a kingdom that can support a castle with fancy balls and multiple levels of nobility, it's barely a subsistence-level agricultural community. Even by historical standards! Lords of medieval castles supported only by a town of 500 (and productive agricultural land even, not land that's been been cursed with two decades of famine..) did not live in the lap of luxury! They froze in the winter and ran out of good food before the spring vegetables were ready and even small exotic trade goods were rare and extremely valuable. I mean, there appear to be three groups of people in the whole kingdom: nobles, witches, and farmers. No skilled artisans, no traders, no source of wealth that could be used to trade for silks and jewels and exotic foods even if traders existed. How are these people getting chocolate??
Again, I can accept a fairy tale sort of story that doesn't worry about those details, but you have to actually, consciously, make that choice and not undermine it. Honestly I think half the problem is my personal YA nemesis, first-person present tense. There's a reason fairy tales start with "once upon a time," the idea of a dreamlike fairy tale is directly at odds with the kind of detailed immediacy that first-person present forces.
Then there's the use of language. Early on the story is told in fairly simplistic, repetitive language, then halfway through the story people start swearing a lot, and it just didn't feel consistent. I think maybe it was supposed to be a deliberate mirroring of the shift in the tone of the plot itself, but it didn't feel well-executed and I found it very distracting.
I did like the ending a lot, which is ultimately what pushed this to 3 stars for me instead of 2.
devinrose666's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cl_critchett's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sapphicneverafter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laineypops1990's review
4.0
Enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. A bit slow and very confusing in the beginning but as the story all came together they where so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Loved it.
nerdylibrarian's review
3.0
I enjoyed the storyline of this, but I felt that the writing at times was confusing. Certain plot points were unnecessarily drug out and by the time of the reveal I had already figured it out what it was, so the shock of the reveal was lost. Nothing new or extraordinary about this story, but still a good, short read.
robyndansereau's review
4.0
"Ever Cursed" is an insightful twist of a fairy tale that explores power, and who wields it. This book teaches us that every woman is a witch, and her magic is powerful. Full review: https://robyntocker.weebly.com/ever-cursed.html
missprint_'s review
3.0
Everyone loves a lost girl, no one more so than the kingdom of Ever. The kingdom still mourns the Princess Who Was Lost decades ago, still demands justice for her.
Ever is slower to save the princess who still have a chance of being rescued.
Five years ago, a young witch named Reagan cursed all of Ever's princesses with the Spell of Without. Jane has not been able to eat anything since that day. Her sister's curses all began on their thirteenth birthdays. Nora can't love, Alice cannot sleep, Grace can't remember and soon, on her birthday, Eden will be without hope.
Ever is as it always was with the royals on their side of the mote and their subjects at a safe distance, their queen trapped in a glass box, and their princesses suffering. When Reagan forces the girls out of the castle for their one chance to break the Spell of Without, Jane begins to wonder if the way things are is really the way things have to be--for either the princesses or their subjects.
A princess without a curse on her is an ordinary girl. And no one cares about an ordinary girl. A witch without her spells is just a girl alone in the woods. And no one wants to be a girl alone in the woods. But as Jane and Reagan come closer to unraveling the spell before it becomes True, both girls will realize there is much more to Ever, its secrets, and themselves than either of them realized in Ever Cursed (2020) by Corey Ann Haydu.
Ever Cursed is a standalone fantasy. Despite the relatively short length, there's a lot to unpack with this one particularly in the context of the political climate (post 2016 US election) that may have helped to inspire it. Alternating chapters focus on Jane and Reagan's first person narrations. It's not a spoiler to say that something is rotten in Ever and Haydu, throughout the story, confronts the deep-seated misogyny and rape culture in the kingdom including discussions of sexual assault and a scene of attempted assault.
Jane's narration is, appropriately, very focused on her mortality. The Spell of Without has carved her down to nothing and, should the spell become True, will have fatal consequences for herself and for Alice who is physically incapable of sleep. Readers with a history of disordered eating should pick this one up with caution and read the content warning Haydu includes at the beginning of the book before proceeding.
Ever Cursed is an interesting examination of what it means to be an ally and to be complicit. Both Jane and Reagan have to unpack the privilege they’ve had in being able to look away from the day-to-day problems in Ever while focusing on their own (more personally pressing) problems of being royals and witches. Jane in particular unpacks what it means to benefit from years of her family being in power and abusing that power even when she herself is not complicit.
These conversations about privilege are important ones to have while dismantling white supremacy and male privilege however combining them with a fantasy setting where the consequences are very real instead of allegorical doesn't always lead to ideal handling of the material. Because of how the Spell of Without works, the idea of complicit privilege distills to children being punished in a very literal way for their father's transgressions. That another young girl (Reagan) is the one meting out this punishment in order to see the king suffer in retaliation for her own mother's pain adds even more complexity to this conversation and exposes the deeply internalized misogyny at Ever's center.
As a feminist allegory disguised as a fairy tale, Ever Cursed is very successful. As a feminist fairy tale it is less so. The world building is thinly sketched and sometimes haphazard with fantastic imagery (witches wearing cumbersome skirts for ever spell they cast so that they always carry the consequences) that doesn't hold up to any internal logic.
Ever Cursed has the bones of a truly sensational story that ultimately would have benefited from a bit more length to give proper space to both the world building and its characters; a fascinating if sometimes underdeveloped picture. Recommended for readers with an equal interest in feminism (or feminist theory) and fairy tales.
Possible Pairings: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski
Ever is slower to save the princess who still have a chance of being rescued.
Five years ago, a young witch named Reagan cursed all of Ever's princesses with the Spell of Without. Jane has not been able to eat anything since that day. Her sister's curses all began on their thirteenth birthdays. Nora can't love, Alice cannot sleep, Grace can't remember and soon, on her birthday, Eden will be without hope.
Ever is as it always was with the royals on their side of the mote and their subjects at a safe distance, their queen trapped in a glass box, and their princesses suffering. When Reagan forces the girls out of the castle for their one chance to break the Spell of Without, Jane begins to wonder if the way things are is really the way things have to be--for either the princesses or their subjects.
A princess without a curse on her is an ordinary girl. And no one cares about an ordinary girl. A witch without her spells is just a girl alone in the woods. And no one wants to be a girl alone in the woods. But as Jane and Reagan come closer to unraveling the spell before it becomes True, both girls will realize there is much more to Ever, its secrets, and themselves than either of them realized in Ever Cursed (2020) by Corey Ann Haydu.
Ever Cursed is a standalone fantasy. Despite the relatively short length, there's a lot to unpack with this one particularly in the context of the political climate (post 2016 US election) that may have helped to inspire it. Alternating chapters focus on Jane and Reagan's first person narrations. It's not a spoiler to say that something is rotten in Ever and Haydu, throughout the story, confronts the deep-seated misogyny and rape culture in the kingdom including discussions of sexual assault and a scene of attempted assault.
Jane's narration is, appropriately, very focused on her mortality. The Spell of Without has carved her down to nothing and, should the spell become True, will have fatal consequences for herself and for Alice who is physically incapable of sleep. Readers with a history of disordered eating should pick this one up with caution and read the content warning Haydu includes at the beginning of the book before proceeding.
Ever Cursed is an interesting examination of what it means to be an ally and to be complicit. Both Jane and Reagan have to unpack the privilege they’ve had in being able to look away from the day-to-day problems in Ever while focusing on their own (more personally pressing) problems of being royals and witches. Jane in particular unpacks what it means to benefit from years of her family being in power and abusing that power even when she herself is not complicit.
These conversations about privilege are important ones to have while dismantling white supremacy and male privilege however combining them with a fantasy setting where the consequences are very real instead of allegorical doesn't always lead to ideal handling of the material. Because of how the Spell of Without works, the idea of complicit privilege distills to children being punished in a very literal way for their father's transgressions. That another young girl (Reagan) is the one meting out this punishment in order to see the king suffer in retaliation for her own mother's pain adds even more complexity to this conversation and exposes the deeply internalized misogyny at Ever's center.
As a feminist allegory disguised as a fairy tale, Ever Cursed is very successful. As a feminist fairy tale it is less so. The world building is thinly sketched and sometimes haphazard with fantastic imagery (witches wearing cumbersome skirts for ever spell they cast so that they always carry the consequences) that doesn't hold up to any internal logic.
Ever Cursed has the bones of a truly sensational story that ultimately would have benefited from a bit more length to give proper space to both the world building and its characters; a fascinating if sometimes underdeveloped picture. Recommended for readers with an equal interest in feminism (or feminist theory) and fairy tales.
Possible Pairings: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski