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A review by egbella
A Curse of Gold and Beauty by Mary Mecham
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is such a cute book, and I finished it in one sitting. This was plenty to convince me to dive into more of the author's books! Rhys is the best <3
FULL REVIEW:
**minor spoilers ahead **
I absolutely loved this story, and didn't want to put it down. This was my introduction to Mary Mecham, after seeing her a few times on Instagram, and now I'm going to be reading the rest of her books as soon as I can! I absolutely adore her creativity, and also her heart and passion for including disabilities in her stories.
In this story, I LOVED that Rhys' disability wasn't something to be fixed. It was just part of him, just like his hair color and sense of humor. And as someone who struggles with chronic illnesses, I teared up at many of the things he said - especially reminding the protagonist that his pain didn't define him, and that he can still make his own choices. He wasn't trapped by his body, even if it might feel that way. They felt natural in the story - not forced - but man, was I impacted. I was also extremely convicted by how optimistic and joyful he was all of the time! He didn't feel sorry for himself or wallow in hardship. Instead, he was so inspiring and selfless. He's the best character <33
Story-wise, this is a cute, relatively light read, with some heartfelt romance and immersive worldbuilding. I enjoyed how Mecham wove the Rumpelstiltskin tale into the story without it feeling forced or cheesy. It was just subtle enough to not notice all of the connections right away, but once I did, it felt so obvious. It was very fun to read!
The father was a sympathetic and ultimately likable character, even if he was misguided and frustrating for the first part. He definitely redeemed himself by the end. And the King...disgusting. I hated him so much, which tells me that Mecham wrote him very well. I couldn't wait to be rid of him. And I didn't expect the final twists with the Captain. I found him to be a very interesting, and fun to read about, character.
Meg herself was one of the rare first-person protagonists that I felt like I could really relate to. She was well-written, strong, and capable, but not overly-masculine, fake, or cringe-y because she was so head over heels for Rhys. Their romance was well-established early on, and I definitely rooted for them to get their happily ever after from the very start. They make a very wholesome couple.
The only critique I can offer is that there is a lot of "telling" vs "showing" in the writing style, more than I usually prefer as it can get distracting. But it worked out in this style of story, and because it was so short, I understand that more summary is necessary to carry the plot forward.
Otherwise, I loved this book, and will be reading it again, as I really can't overstate how convicted and encouraged I was by Rhys. His character is 100% the best part of this book. If you're a fan of creative fairytale retellings, fascinating characters, and inspiring disability rep, you'll love this story.
CW: some mentions of one of the characters laying with her head on the other's shoulder ("cuddling"), brief kisses, mild descriptions of injury and blood, kidnapping.
FULL REVIEW:
**minor spoilers ahead **
I absolutely loved this story, and didn't want to put it down. This was my introduction to Mary Mecham, after seeing her a few times on Instagram, and now I'm going to be reading the rest of her books as soon as I can! I absolutely adore her creativity, and also her heart and passion for including disabilities in her stories.
In this story, I LOVED that Rhys' disability wasn't something to be fixed. It was just part of him, just like his hair color and sense of humor. And as someone who struggles with chronic illnesses, I teared up at many of the things he said - especially reminding the protagonist that his pain didn't define him, and that he can still make his own choices. He wasn't trapped by his body, even if it might feel that way. They felt natural in the story - not forced - but man, was I impacted. I was also extremely convicted by how optimistic and joyful he was all of the time! He didn't feel sorry for himself or wallow in hardship. Instead, he was so inspiring and selfless. He's the best character <33
Story-wise, this is a cute, relatively light read, with some heartfelt romance and immersive worldbuilding. I enjoyed how Mecham wove the Rumpelstiltskin tale into the story without it feeling forced or cheesy. It was just subtle enough to not notice all of the connections right away, but once I did, it felt so obvious. It was very fun to read!
The father was a sympathetic and ultimately likable character, even if he was misguided and frustrating for the first part. He definitely redeemed himself by the end. And the King...disgusting. I hated him so much, which tells me that Mecham wrote him very well. I couldn't wait to be rid of him. And I didn't expect the final twists with the Captain. I found him to be a very interesting, and fun to read about, character.
Meg herself was one of the rare first-person protagonists that I felt like I could really relate to. She was well-written, strong, and capable, but not overly-masculine, fake, or cringe-y because she was so head over heels for Rhys. Their romance was well-established early on, and I definitely rooted for them to get their happily ever after from the very start. They make a very wholesome couple.
The only critique I can offer is that there is a lot of "telling" vs "showing" in the writing style, more than I usually prefer as it can get distracting. But it worked out in this style of story, and because it was so short, I understand that more summary is necessary to carry the plot forward.
Otherwise, I loved this book, and will be reading it again, as I really can't overstate how convicted and encouraged I was by Rhys. His character is 100% the best part of this book. If you're a fan of creative fairytale retellings, fascinating characters, and inspiring disability rep, you'll love this story.
CW: some mentions of one of the characters laying with her head on the other's shoulder ("cuddling"), brief kisses, mild descriptions of injury and blood, kidnapping.