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echristian3 's review for:
The Curse that Binds
by Laura Thalassa
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to Laura Thalassa, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Curse That Binds in exchange for my honest review.
The Curse that Binds is the prequel to the Bewitched series. It tells the story of Roxiliana and Memnon. It gives readers a look into what their relationship looked like and what happened leading up to the curse. When this book was first announced, I was skeptical. I was unsure why we really needed this book when we seemingly had all the information that we needed. However, the insight this book gives us is invaluable. We get to know Roxilana as a character, what she was like, and what she has been through. I think this is going to be essential because even though in Bewitched we follow Selene, Selene is Roxanne and has her memories. What is even more invaluable is getting insight into Memnon as a character. What was he like, what were his quirks, and what were things that Roxilana noticed during their time together when they were happy? I think these insights are going to make the reading experience for book 3, whenever it comes out, invaluable. We now get to understand Memnon in a way that we didn't before, and we know a bit more about how his brain works. We get to wonder how that will translate into the modern world. I will say that I struggled at times, not because I was not having fun, but because I knew the ending. I knew what would happen in the end. It took time for me to get invested enough in the characters and the side characters that I wanted to learn more about them, even though I knew how it would end. I will say that for those who have not read this series at all, this should be the first book you read. Even though it is 2.5 in the series, I think knowing the background before going into BeWitched will not only make the reading experience for BeWitched better, but also your overall experience with this book, because you won't know what is going to happen.
The Curse that Binds is the prequel to the Bewitched series. It tells the story of Roxiliana and Memnon. It gives readers a look into what their relationship looked like and what happened leading up to the curse. When this book was first announced, I was skeptical. I was unsure why we really needed this book when we seemingly had all the information that we needed. However, the insight this book gives us is invaluable. We get to know Roxilana as a character, what she was like, and what she has been through. I think this is going to be essential because even though in Bewitched we follow Selene, Selene is Roxanne and has her memories. What is even more invaluable is getting insight into Memnon as a character. What was he like, what were his quirks, and what were things that Roxilana noticed during their time together when they were happy? I think these insights are going to make the reading experience for book 3, whenever it comes out, invaluable. We now get to understand Memnon in a way that we didn't before, and we know a bit more about how his brain works. We get to wonder how that will translate into the modern world. I will say that I struggled at times, not because I was not having fun, but because I knew the ending. I knew what would happen in the end. It took time for me to get invested enough in the characters and the side characters that I wanted to learn more about them, even though I knew how it would end. I will say that for those who have not read this series at all, this should be the first book you read. Even though it is 2.5 in the series, I think knowing the background before going into BeWitched will not only make the reading experience for BeWitched better, but also your overall experience with this book, because you won't know what is going to happen.