Scan barcode
A review by writervid
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
3.0
3.5/5
Overall, a very solid read. The character arc execution was fantastic, and the way the characters were written was so realistic. Jaya's character development was excellent in the way that she grappled between tradition and rebelling against it, and the way Grey is written so clearly compliments her as he finds his way in the world being neglected by family and tradition. The side characters also had plenty of depth to them; Caterina and DE weren't just stereotypes in a love triangle over a boy, they were fully fleshed out people that were very compelling, even if what DE was doing was wrong. If there's one thing a contemporary should nail, it should be characters, and this book certainly did that. Similarly, if there's one thing a retelling should nail, it should be the themes of the original story, which this book certainly achieved while adding plenty of nuance. I LOVED the rose pendant element; it was such a clever tie in to the movie while keeping the backstory of the book alive throughout. One of the cleverest mechanisms I've seen in a retelling in a while.
My issue with this book is that it left me wanting MORE. More worldbuilding and boarding school elements, more description, more showing of that evolution in Grey and Jaya's relationship. I didn't fully connect to the voice of this book like I did Menon's others. It felt too distant from the characters' heads. I also wasn't super into the excessive switching between Grey's and Jaya's PoVs, even though I think both were done well. I honestly just really want this to be turned into a movie so I can be *fully fulfilled,* because the story and the characters are all there, but for me, the full connection wasn't.
Overall, a very solid read. The character arc execution was fantastic, and the way the characters were written was so realistic. Jaya's character development was excellent in the way that she grappled between tradition and rebelling against it, and the way Grey is written so clearly compliments her as he finds his way in the world being neglected by family and tradition. The side characters also had plenty of depth to them; Caterina and DE weren't just stereotypes in a love triangle over a boy, they were fully fleshed out people that were very compelling, even if what DE was doing was wrong. If there's one thing a contemporary should nail, it should be characters, and this book certainly did that. Similarly, if there's one thing a retelling should nail, it should be the themes of the original story, which this book certainly achieved while adding plenty of nuance. I LOVED the rose pendant element; it was such a clever tie in to the movie while keeping the backstory of the book alive throughout. One of the cleverest mechanisms I've seen in a retelling in a while.
My issue with this book is that it left me wanting MORE. More worldbuilding and boarding school elements, more description, more showing of that evolution in Grey and Jaya's relationship. I didn't fully connect to the voice of this book like I did Menon's others. It felt too distant from the characters' heads. I also wasn't super into the excessive switching between Grey's and Jaya's PoVs, even though I think both were done well. I honestly just really want this to be turned into a movie so I can be *fully fulfilled,* because the story and the characters are all there, but for me, the full connection wasn't.