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A review by kaitie_reads
Heirs of the Cursed by L.C. Emerson, Denna Selen
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
🩷 Dual POV
🏰 Cursed Kingdom
🩷 Strong FMCs
🏰 LGBTQ Rep
🩷 Betrayal and Sacrifice
I really wanted to love this story, but I feel as though it lacks finesse, and after reading, I'm left with too many questions that I think should've been answered in this first installment. Although it is very readable and I never found myself losing interest despite those perceived flaws.
Darcia and Naithea are lost princesses - two cursed heirs - who were stolen from their confinement and whose freedom is threatening the entire kingdom - unbeknownst to them. My largest issue with this story is that I'm just very confused about the curse altogether. I tried to go back and read, and I tried to understand the connection, but I still don't understand the details about why they are cursed and how their stories are interconnected with the royal family. It could definitely be a me problem, but I feel like this wasn't hashed out enough for comprehension.
The twins also have magical powers, but I don't really understand how that magic works because it conveniently seems to give them more power when needed. Frustratingly, they both pretty much refuse to learn to harness and develop their own powers unless it's convenient for the plot progression.
~
Many elements in the story just don't make sense to me, like:
• Darcia is ruthlessly beaten by her stepbrother, which is a major plot point, and their father has absolutely no idea but lives in the same household, even though she's constantly sporting bruises and whip marks. It mentions that she muffles her own screams so that he won't find out, but it feels unrealistic.
• Naithea is a hetaira who is under the strict rule of Madame Dimond. At the beginning of the story, she can't even leave the brothel for simple errands, but soon she's running through the streets trying to solve the mystery of the lost princesses and training with the dangerous knights who are seeking her and her twin sister. It feels like some minor details are lost or overlooked for the sake of story progression.
• The commanders of the king's army were unbelievably naive for supposedly cutthroat war masters. There was just way too much getting past them.
~
I did love the sex worker representation in this story and how Naithea never lets the world get her down. Both of the protagonists are fiercely loyal and wonderful women, so I really appreciate these strong female characters.
One more point I have is that I think certain readers are going to take issue with a tragedy that occurs in this story, just because of how the story is marketed and how it almost brushes off an important part of one of our protagonists' lives. I think how this particular element of the story carries through will have a lot of impact, but I have a sense of where the direction will go... and I don't like it.
I did really enjoy the writing; the worldbuilding doesn't feel too infodumpy (but again, it also feels too incomplete), and I liked the characters, but overall, there was just too much missing for me to want to continue with this series.
Thank you so much to the authors for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
🏰 Cursed Kingdom
🩷 Strong FMCs
🏰 LGBTQ Rep
🩷 Betrayal and Sacrifice
I really wanted to love this story, but I feel as though it lacks finesse, and after reading, I'm left with too many questions that I think should've been answered in this first installment. Although it is very readable and I never found myself losing interest despite those perceived flaws.
Darcia and Naithea are lost princesses - two cursed heirs - who were stolen from their confinement and whose freedom is threatening the entire kingdom - unbeknownst to them. My largest issue with this story is that I'm just very confused about the curse altogether. I tried to go back and read, and I tried to understand the connection, but I still don't understand the details about why they are cursed and how their stories are interconnected with the royal family. It could definitely be a me problem, but I feel like this wasn't hashed out enough for comprehension.
The twins also have magical powers, but I don't really understand how that magic works because it conveniently seems to give them more power when needed. Frustratingly, they both pretty much refuse to learn to harness and develop their own powers unless it's convenient for the plot progression.
~
Many elements in the story just don't make sense to me, like:
• Darcia is ruthlessly beaten by her stepbrother, which is a major plot point, and their father has absolutely no idea but lives in the same household, even though she's constantly sporting bruises and whip marks. It mentions that she muffles her own screams so that he won't find out, but it feels unrealistic.
• Naithea is a hetaira who is under the strict rule of Madame Dimond. At the beginning of the story, she can't even leave the brothel for simple errands, but soon she's running through the streets trying to solve the mystery of the lost princesses and training with the dangerous knights who are seeking her and her twin sister. It feels like some minor details are lost or overlooked for the sake of story progression.
• The commanders of the king's army were unbelievably naive for supposedly cutthroat war masters. There was just way too much getting past them.
~
I did love the sex worker representation in this story and how Naithea never lets the world get her down. Both of the protagonists are fiercely loyal and wonderful women, so I really appreciate these strong female characters.
One more point I have is that I think certain readers are going to take issue with a tragedy that occurs in this story, just because of how the story is marketed and how it almost brushes off an important part of one of our protagonists' lives. I think how this particular element of the story carries through will have a lot of impact, but I have a sense of where the direction will go... and I don't like it.
I did really enjoy the writing; the worldbuilding doesn't feel too infodumpy (but again, it also feels too incomplete), and I liked the characters, but overall, there was just too much missing for me to want to continue with this series.
Thank you so much to the authors for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.