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A review by thekissballad
Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I didn't realize that I had higher hopes for this book until I finished it and felt severely let down.
Starting out, it was a little rough and slow paced. Plus, keeping track of the princesses, their curses, and other secondary, yet still important characters, was a little cumbersome. Also, there was a lot of switching from pre-curse/pre-present day mini-flashbacks to provide important/background information, to present day, and the transition wasn't always smooth. In the beginning, it happened often enough that it contributed to the rough start.
Multiple POVs (between Jane and Reagan) wasn't actually a problem, until closer towards the end when chapters got shorter and keeping track of the switches was a bit more difficult.
About halfway through, I was absolutely over the name of Ever and all the other, unoriginal naming. I try not to be critical of authors, since I know how difficult writing can be, but it seemed like Haydu couldn't think of original names and settled on using regular words - like ever - and capitalizing them. Serious, AndNot?
Finally, the ending felt like a cop-out. Nothing ever felt truly resolved. I don't want to spoil it, though, so I'll just leave it that the ending was a mix of predictable - after the "significant reveal," which I totally guessed earlier on, btw - and disappointing.
Starting out, it was a little rough and slow paced. Plus, keeping track of the princesses, their curses, and other secondary, yet still important characters, was a little cumbersome. Also, there was a lot of switching from pre-curse/pre-present day mini-flashbacks to provide important/background information, to present day, and the transition wasn't always smooth. In the beginning, it happened often enough that it contributed to the rough start.
Multiple POVs (between Jane and Reagan) wasn't actually a problem, until closer towards the end when chapters got shorter and keeping track of the switches was a bit more difficult.
About halfway through, I was absolutely over the name of Ever and all the other, unoriginal naming. I try not to be critical of authors, since I know how difficult writing can be, but it seemed like Haydu couldn't think of original names and settled on using regular words - like ever - and capitalizing them. Serious, AndNot?
Finally, the ending felt like a cop-out. Nothing ever felt truly resolved. I don't want to spoil it, though, so I'll just leave it that the ending was a mix of predictable - after the "significant reveal," which I totally guessed earlier on, btw - and disappointing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder