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A review by whitneymouse
Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu
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