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betwixt_the_pages 's review for:
Of Curses and Moonlight: A Swan Lake Fairy Tale Retelling
by J. Ann Curtis
Rating: 4.25/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: Swan Lake retelling for the WIN!; gorgeous, descriptive prose; spicy...but only JUST; complex, believable character arcs; morally grey MMC AND FMC; "villain" gets the...guy?!
HUGE thanks to J. Ann Curtis for the ARC copy of this title! My review of this book is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by this gesture.
As always, the mixed feelings crashed through her when she thought of her dead mother, leaving her wondering whether she loved or loathed the woman. Perhaps that was love--some crazy mix between selfless caring and self-preservation.
This is a gorgeously written retelling of Swan Lake and y'all. When I tell you I went practically FERAL signing up to read this ARC? Oh my sharp, shiny beak. The Swan Princess is one of my favorite animated movies. I have pretty much every line memorized by heart. But THIS?!?! This is the GROWN UP version I never knew I needed, and I am SO HERE for it!
J. Ann Curtis went to great lengths to bring creativity and a unique eye to a fairly well-known tale. I adored the elements of magic. The idea that our captive swans are actually assassins and, therefore, potentially more morally grey than our wizard MMC who captured them was above and beyond anything I could have dreamed. The characters and their motivations (and...UNmotivations, in certain instances) are fully believable, and I found myself almost just as ensnared as our swans (except...ensnared by the magic of the read, not by transformative magic itself).
"I stabbed you," she muttered.
He chuckled, his warm breath washing over her face. "That was very naughty of you, Odette." He pressed even closer, his arms coming on either side of her, his gaze darkening. "Perhaps you'd like to find out what happens to those who stab me under the ribs."
I definitely recommend this to retelling obsessionists, fairy tale enthusiasts, and those looking for an adventure they can really get sucked into! I'm sure it doesn't hurt that there's also some spicy lurking between these pages. Will you break the curse, Penguins...or will you let it take control? Are you brave enough to find out?
Quick Reasons: Swan Lake retelling for the WIN!; gorgeous, descriptive prose; spicy...but only JUST; complex, believable character arcs; morally grey MMC AND FMC; "villain" gets the...guy?!
HUGE thanks to J. Ann Curtis for the ARC copy of this title! My review of this book is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by this gesture.
As always, the mixed feelings crashed through her when she thought of her dead mother, leaving her wondering whether she loved or loathed the woman. Perhaps that was love--some crazy mix between selfless caring and self-preservation.
This is a gorgeously written retelling of Swan Lake and y'all. When I tell you I went practically FERAL signing up to read this ARC? Oh my sharp, shiny beak. The Swan Princess is one of my favorite animated movies. I have pretty much every line memorized by heart. But THIS?!?! This is the GROWN UP version I never knew I needed, and I am SO HERE for it!
J. Ann Curtis went to great lengths to bring creativity and a unique eye to a fairly well-known tale. I adored the elements of magic. The idea that our captive swans are actually assassins and, therefore, potentially more morally grey than our wizard MMC who captured them was above and beyond anything I could have dreamed. The characters and their motivations (and...UNmotivations, in certain instances) are fully believable, and I found myself almost just as ensnared as our swans (except...ensnared by the magic of the read, not by transformative magic itself).
"I stabbed you," she muttered.
He chuckled, his warm breath washing over her face. "That was very naughty of you, Odette." He pressed even closer, his arms coming on either side of her, his gaze darkening. "Perhaps you'd like to find out what happens to those who stab me under the ribs."
I definitely recommend this to retelling obsessionists, fairy tale enthusiasts, and those looking for an adventure they can really get sucked into! I'm sure it doesn't hurt that there's also some spicy lurking between these pages. Will you break the curse, Penguins...or will you let it take control? Are you brave enough to find out?