A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker Series)

Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is an excellent re-spin of the classic Beauty and the Beast. What made this story feel so fresh was the modernity to it. It blends the real world and the fantastical world thoughtfully. Firstly, Harper is from Washington D.C. and is kidnapped and brought to the world of Emberfall, a mystical land. Harper is truly a force to be reckoned with as she tries to reconcile her new reality, that magic has trapped her in this world where the prince’s hopes lie with her.

Compelling and Fresh
Their dynamic is fresh because even though they both know that she has to fall in love with him in order to break the curse, they are not forcing that on each other or the reader. The very idea of whether they do fall in love is left entirely up in the air. However, they have such a strong dynamic with one another that makes them unique. Harper spends most of the novel trying to help Prince Rhen try to gather his kingdom together with false promises, an alliance with the kingdom of DC. They play off each other and grow stronger together. Rhen has lived in fear of the monster and the curse, letting it control him and forget his kingdom, but now he has the chance to rally his kingdom together in the hopes of preventing war.

It is a compelling idea brought to life by careful pacing and development. What is also great about the novel is that the curse was not placed there by a fairy in the hopes of teaching him a lesson; the curse was because he spurned the wrong women. Lilith is a malevolent force to be reckoned with and her voice captures that. She works as the perfect foil for Harper, and together they give the depth of the curse new dimension instead of letting it become repetitive.

Final Thoughts
The novel may be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but many things make it different and wholly unique. The structure of the magic, the world-building, and the added element of an invading army give the idea some freshness to it and make it an exceptional and stand-out retelling.

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4.5 ⭐️
I loved this book from the first chapter! The only thing I was missing was a bit more of a win at the end, HOWEVER, I feel like the second book is gonna bring that home for me

I love finding new authors and series to follow!! This fantasy had me laughing and on the edge of my seat. I haven’t read just fantasy in a while. Glad I picked a good one. 🥰

I got this from a "Blind Date with a Book" at a local bookstore. I liked the slightly unconventional main character, but I didn't love her. I didn't really love anything about this book, and I don't plan to read the rest of the series. The world building and magic are fine but don't always make sense. The characters are fine or unlikable. I think Grey was probably the most interesting character,

and I'm gonna assume he stayed a good and loyal person and lived happily ever after rather than reading whatever might happen with him in the following books.
I have read plenty of Beauty and the Beast retellings; this one isn't the worst and it isn't the best.

I’m so glad I picked up this book. I love fairytale re-telling, but this is not the Beauty and the Beast normal re-telling, I love the twists. I immediately connected to the main characters Harper, Rhen, and Grey. I think Grey was my favorite. I’m so glad that the author decided not to have the FMC as the run-of-the-mill perfect, tall, blonde, skinny model-type character. Harper has cerebral palsy, but that did not hold her back from being the strong-willed, independent, and resilient heroine which made me love her even more.

Harper is thrown into the kingdom of Emberfall after being taken from D.C. when she tries to save a girl being kidnapped. Harper quickly adjusts to the new, unknown world where she uses her fearlessness and determination to fight against the bad guys and stand up for the less fortunate of the kingdom. The only downside is I wish the author would've described the kingdom and the surroundings kingdoms in more elaborate detail but it did not take away from the story.

As I said, this is not the normal retelling, Harper doesn’t get to the castle and explore the library and have the castle's furniture sing and dance for her, this is a tragic and dark story of breaking the beast's curse. The villain, Lilith, came off as a well-written sinister, brutal, and heartless character which is the way a villain should be portrayed. Although, dark and tragic there are some funny and lighthearted moments that hit all the feels.

The pacing was great and the entire book kept my attention from the start, as the book is told from alternating views of Harper and Rhen, I had to remember to look at whose view I was reading to ensure I would not get displaced but I easily fell into the style after a few chapters. I was instantly hooked and at no point did I feel bored. The story builds to an immense climax which literally had me on the edge of my seat trying to speed-read the last few chapters just because I couldn’t wait to see what happened. I will definitely be buying the rest of the series.