A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker Series)

A New York Times bestseller!
"Has everything you'd want in a retelling of a classic fairy tale." - Jodi Picoult

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

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496 pages

Average rating: 7.5

16 RATINGS

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3 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
8/10 stars
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.
Philly3974
Oct 07, 2024
8/10 stars
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.
faetedfantasy
Aug 18, 2024
10/10 stars
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

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