Young Adult Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Posted March 30, 2022 by jrsbookr in Fantasy / 0 Comments

Young Adult Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

by Brigid Kemmerer
Young Adult Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid KemmererA Curse So Dark and Lonely Series: Cursebreakers #1
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on January 29, 2019
Source: Owned Hardback
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic, Juvenile Fiction / Love & Romance, Juvenile Nonfiction / Health & Daily Living / Physical Impairments, Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / General, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Pages: 384
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Format: Hardcover
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

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.

Review:

 

Bloomsbury is hosting a read-along for this entire series to build hype for the release of Brigid Kemmerer’s new book Forging Silver into Stars coming in May 2022. A Curse so Dark and Lonely is unique in its retelling of Beauty and The Beast as the author does a rep for a character with Cerebral Palsey. The setting is set in more modern times, with the addition of modern-day problems. Harper has stolen away to Emberfall while leaving her brother and dying mother behind in the contemporary world. She struggles to grasp the reality of where she is and how she will get back before her mother dies.
The many layers of emotion, world-building, and character development are lovely. The story is played out between Harper, Grey (solider), Rhen (prince), and eventually the monster that Rhen eventually becomes. The tale does not try to paint the beast as anything but what he is and also that each time he transforms, he is different than the season before. Within the darkness, though, the light will be found, and the progression of the series will shine even brighter as we unweave the layers of this story.

About Brigid Kemmerer

Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring Young Adult novels like A Curse So Dark and Lonely, More Than We Can Tell, and Letters to the Lost (Bloomsbury), as well as paranormal YA stories like The Elemental Series and Thicker Than Water (Kensington). A full time writer, Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her husband, her boys, her dog, and her cat. When she’s not writing or being a mommy, you can usually find her with her hands wrapped around a barbell.