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3.07 AVERAGE
3.07 AVERAGE
I liked this! The beginning was very dark and the tone lightened up throughout the novel. I really thought the alternating chapters kept the story moving and how it was easy to understand even with multiple character perspectives. The writing style was very simplistic but descriptive. My only complaint is that some of the drawings didn't match up with the writing. I liked how at the end of the story all of the Arthurian connections were made when characters names were revealed.
I loved this book. This story was different and the artwork by Frank Miller that is sprinkled throughout the novel to illustrate epic scenes only adds to its uniqueness. Check out my full review here:
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THIS WAS BLOODY AMAZING!!!! I honestly cannot understand why it hasn’t received higher ratings - I loved every single part of the book (except for the ugly illustrations that added nothing)!
I’m so glad I read this before watching the show because, after watching the first episode, I think the bad acting would have convinced me the book would be terrible too. But it was anything but!
The characters were awesome, the world building/magic systems were great, the storylines were amazing and there was so much action! Some reviews are saying the pace was slow or the writing wasn’t great but I didn’t have a problem with either and actually really enjoyed the author’s writing style.
I’m not very familiar with the Merlin/King Arthur/magic sword story so I’m not sure if this made the book better for me? However, in the acknowledgments Wheeler mentions a book 2 which I am soooo excited about. I’m also keen to read the original story and continue with more modern spin offs like Kiersten White’s ‘Guinevere Deception’.
I’m so glad I read this before watching the show because, after watching the first episode, I think the bad acting would have convinced me the book would be terrible too. But it was anything but!
The characters were awesome, the world building/magic systems were great, the storylines were amazing and there was so much action! Some reviews are saying the pace was slow or the writing wasn’t great but I didn’t have a problem with either and actually really enjoyed the author’s writing style.
I’m not very familiar with the Merlin/King Arthur/magic sword story so I’m not sure if this made the book better for me? However, in the acknowledgments Wheeler mentions a book 2 which I am soooo excited about. I’m also keen to read the original story and continue with more modern spin offs like Kiersten White’s ‘Guinevere Deception’.
It was... Interesting. While the artwork was great, it was weirdly at odds with the story at times... Subtle descriptions were off, which irritated me.
Also, as far as being called an 'origin story' or 'retelling' of Arthurian legend... It just doesn't measure up. To many conflicting characters that you know as one name end up letting slip that their actual name was a knight of the round table...
I dunno. Not what I expected. But it was visually a beautiful story... This may be one of the few where the Netflix adaptation may be better than the original.
Also, as far as being called an 'origin story' or 'retelling' of Arthurian legend... It just doesn't measure up. To many conflicting characters that you know as one name end up letting slip that their actual name was a knight of the round table...
I dunno. Not what I expected. But it was visually a beautiful story... This may be one of the few where the Netflix adaptation may be better than the original.
I want to like this. It's certainly a perfectly fine story and it made a decent(ish) Netflix watch, but the writing leaves so much to be desired. The character development is shallow at best, and the overall world-build is fairly lackluster. The amount of potential within these pages makes me so sad, and I wish the writer would have spread the story out more in order to develop the imagery, scenes, relationships, and conflicts more thoroughly. Within a few hundred pages, the book introduces far too many characters, subspecies of Fey, Shadow Lords, two human kings, and far too many additional villains. The potential to flesh out the "big name" characters' development (Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Morgan, etc.) is utterly wasted by the brevity and shallow emotion of this novel!
No one fucking told me this wasn't a stand-alone story. Where the fuck is the second book???
I rated this book 3.5 but closer to a 3 then a 4 star rating for me. It was on the better end of good but not great. I wasn't too sure going into this book. The reviews were either averagely good or just very very bad. Going into it I felt confused, they introduced a lot of characters right off the bat and they switch perspectives without identifying that so that took a bit to follow. After getting through all of that mess I actually enjoyed the story. I do recommend finishing it if you decided to not finish the book, I read a lot of reviews stating they decided they weren't going to continue. The middle and end are the best parts. It was gruesome but that doesn't bother me, a lot of beheading. I am not happy with the ending at all, I thought I would find out what happened and be fine with the book and be able to sleep at night but now I find myself wondering WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED. I'm genuinely confused like huh??? But yeah pretty good book, would recommend it to my friends who are into heavy fantasy and a strong female lead.
I rated this book 3.5 but closer to a 3 then a 4 star rating for me. It was on the better end of good but not great. I wasn't too sure going into this book. The reviews were either averagely good or just very very bad. Going into it I felt confused, they introduced a lot of characters right off the bat and they switch perspectives without identifying that so that took a bit to follow. After getting through all of that mess I actually enjoyed the story. I do recommend finishing it if you decided to not finish the book, I read a lot of reviews stating they decided they weren't going to continue. The middle and end are the best parts. It was gruesome but that doesn't bother me, a lot of beheading. I am not happy with the ending at all, I thought I would find out what happened and be fine with the book and be able to sleep at night but now I find myself wondering WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED. I'm genuinely confused like huh??? But yeah pretty good book, would recommend it to my friends who are into heavy fantasy and a strong female lead.
To me, Cursed is one of those easy books you read when you want to waste your time waiting for the newest book in a series to come out or if your just in a general reading slump.
It kept me captivated and wanting to find out what if going to happen with Nimue and the other characters, but the book still left me frustrated with certain things.
1) the characters are kind of just there? I feel like I barely know anything about the characters, which is especially disappointing when it comes to the main characters. Almost nobodies background gets explored, which left me uninterested in most.
2) What was the point of the romance between Nimue and Arthur. The romance also felt like it came out of nowhere. Nimue sees Arthur for the first time and recognizes he's cute (and he kind of acknowledges her back), but then when they "team up" Nimue, understandably, shows not much interest. But suddenly Morgan comes out of nowhere saying that the two "make a great pair" or something along the lines and boom, we are made aware of Nimue's interest in Arthur again, totally out of the blue. Few chapters later the two kiss and their relationship barely gets explored after. The romance feels useless and unnecessary. If you're going to have characters get involved, do it so it feel genuine and not just shoehorned in to check of some list.
Overall, I just can't say much of the book. The ending did leave me curious, but I most definitely wouldn't recommend this to a friend or family member. Maybe watch the Netflix show? It might be better?
It kept me captivated and wanting to find out what if going to happen with Nimue and the other characters, but the book still left me frustrated with certain things.
1) the characters are kind of just there? I feel like I barely know anything about the characters, which is especially disappointing when it comes to the main characters. Almost nobodies background gets explored, which left me uninterested in most.
2) What was the point of the romance between Nimue and Arthur. The romance also felt like it came out of nowhere. Nimue sees Arthur for the first time and recognizes he's cute (and he kind of acknowledges her back), but then when they "team up" Nimue, understandably, shows not much interest. But suddenly Morgan comes out of nowhere saying that the two "make a great pair" or something along the lines and boom, we are made aware of Nimue's interest in Arthur again, totally out of the blue. Few chapters later the two kiss and their relationship barely gets explored after. The romance feels useless and unnecessary. If you're going to have characters get involved, do it so it feel genuine and not just shoehorned in to check of some list.
Overall, I just can't say much of the book. The ending did leave me curious, but I most definitely wouldn't recommend this to a friend or family member. Maybe watch the Netflix show? It might be better?
Another Arthur fan, who was disappointed. I didn't hate it, but I can't say I liked it. It isn't a gender bent Arthur retelling, it isn't honestly even an Arthur retelling. It's a story loosely based on it, with many of the same character names, but not same stories. Nimue is your heroine. She who becomes lady of the lake... and this I guess is a stab at that retelling, weaving in some of the other players. It read like something that was made for tv / movie... as apparently it was. Will probably check out the show on Netflix just to see how they translate it to screen and if it addresses any of the issues with the book.
Listed as YA - the level of violence in this one make it more of a HS fit than younger in my opinion.
Another reviewer said it didn't end in a cliffhanger????? um... well I guess that if you consider you can go read what happens in other retellings it doesn't.. but yeah it doesn't end with your characters in a good place all tied up with a neat and tidy bow.
Listed as YA - the level of violence in this one make it more of a HS fit than younger in my opinion.
Another reviewer said it didn't end in a cliffhanger????? um... well I guess that if you consider you can go read what happens in other retellings it doesn't.. but yeah it doesn't end with your characters in a good place all tied up with a neat and tidy bow.
I honestly hated this book and the entire experiencing reading this book. I wanted to like Nimue but she had no depth. She was fueled by her rage and rage of the sword. I wanted to like Merlin but he was a dud. Arthur too was horrible. The best part of the book was seeing Nimue embrace the Hidden but that didn’t last long — a few chapters? The books ending was horrible and if there is ever another book I will most definitely not be reading it.
The book was written for the show (clearly). Maybe the show is better than the book?
The book was written for the show (clearly). Maybe the show is better than the book?