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A review by adelle_bookworm
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
5.0
Ten konec jsem teda nepobrala. Chci víc. Vážně.
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I love Beauty and the Beast like for ever. As retellings are popular these days, many of them retells the story of Belle and the cursed prince. And I love exploring the different ways authors play with this storyline, so when I spotted A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I knew I had to read it. And it was great.
We're in Washington, DC, where Harper's father took loan from the bad guys and now their family has to pay. One night, when Harper spots a man trying to kidnap a woman, she tries to save her, but he takes her instead. So she appears in Emberfall, a cursed kingdom, where she meets Rhen. The curse lasts for one season. And she has to fall in love with him.
The story's told from two POVs - Harper's and Rhen's. Sometimes I was wondering if it's a good match since we knew all the secrets Rhen kept from Harper and so on, but in the end, I'm glad it was told this way. Both Harper and Rhen are unique characters and Brigid Kemmerer wrote their characters so good I was able to tell difference even though I got lost with the name at the beginning of the chapter.
It's hard to be original when you're retelling a well-known story, but this was absolutely fantastic. Harper is not that typical YA girl protagonist, she's able to fight for herself, and she was so fun I was laughing the whole time. This book, although it has many serious scenes, is full of funny scenes between Harper and men from Emberfall that I was laughing out loud. Rhen and Grey are fabulous characters. I loved them both.
I even love the way the story goes. You know, when you think about it, you can be sure about the plot in some way since it really goes with the original Beauty and the Beast. But still, there were many scenes where I was surprised, I didn't expect that, and I was glad. Author was able to make me astonished, to make me worried and almost made me cry. If that's not a sign of a good book, then I don't know what is.
The book si long, yes. But it has to be. I didn't even realize that while reading because there's so much to be told, so much what has to be told in this story that I was browsing through the pages just to know more.
And the end? I definitely want to know more.
I was wondering to give it 4* because I wasn't able to understand some scenes, but then I decided I love it anyway. The highest rating without any regret. Right now I'm looking forward to the time I read it again.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me an arc ebook for an honest review.
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I love Beauty and the Beast like for ever. As retellings are popular these days, many of them retells the story of Belle and the cursed prince. And I love exploring the different ways authors play with this storyline, so when I spotted A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I knew I had to read it. And it was great.
We're in Washington, DC, where Harper's father took loan from the bad guys and now their family has to pay. One night, when Harper spots a man trying to kidnap a woman, she tries to save her, but he takes her instead. So she appears in Emberfall, a cursed kingdom, where she meets Rhen. The curse lasts for one season. And she has to fall in love with him.
The story's told from two POVs - Harper's and Rhen's. Sometimes I was wondering if it's a good match since we knew all the secrets Rhen kept from Harper and so on, but in the end, I'm glad it was told this way. Both Harper and Rhen are unique characters and Brigid Kemmerer wrote their characters so good I was able to tell difference even though I got lost with the name at the beginning of the chapter.
It's hard to be original when you're retelling a well-known story, but this was absolutely fantastic. Harper is not that typical YA girl protagonist, she's able to fight for herself, and she was so fun I was laughing the whole time. This book, although it has many serious scenes, is full of funny scenes between Harper and men from Emberfall that I was laughing out loud. Rhen and Grey are fabulous characters. I loved them both.
I even love the way the story goes. You know, when you think about it, you can be sure about the plot in some way since it really goes with the original Beauty and the Beast. But still, there were many scenes where I was surprised, I didn't expect that, and I was glad. Author was able to make me astonished, to make me worried and almost made me cry. If that's not a sign of a good book, then I don't know what is.
The book si long, yes. But it has to be. I didn't even realize that while reading because there's so much to be told, so much what has to be told in this story that I was browsing through the pages just to know more.
And the end? I definitely want to know more.
I was wondering to give it 4* because I wasn't able to understand some scenes, but then I decided I love it anyway. The highest rating without any regret. Right now I'm looking forward to the time I read it again.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me an arc ebook for an honest review.