Step 1: Move to Washington D.C. Step 2: Get kidnapped by a commander from another world. Step 3: Become the new princess of Emberfall. Yes, sounds like a plan. I’m all for it!
A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer had been laying around on my nightstand for months. Somehow, even though the story contains everything that I love – magic, fairy tales, princes and princesses – I never got round to reading it. Luckily, the book club I joined picked it as one of the first books to read.
Tale as old as time
This story is a new retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Prince Rhen was cursed by the enchantress Lilith and forced to relive the autumn of his 18th year again and again. Not that much of a punishment, I hear you thinking. And indeed, that was only the beginning of his curse: every time winter is coming (pun intended), Rhen is turned in a vicious and bloodthirsty beast. If the prince manages to find a girl who falls in love with him before the season ends, his curse will be lifted. If not, it starts all over again.
In order to help him find true love, Rhen needs the help of his loyal commander of the guard, Grey. Like the prince, Grey is stuck in a never-ending autumn, but he has the questionable honour of being allowed to travel to another world to find a suitable girl. And that other world? That turns out to be Washington D.C.!
In Washington, life isn’t easy for Harper: her mum is dying, her father has debts with the wrong type of people, and no matter what she does, her older brother Jake continues to treat her Cerebral Palsy as a weakness. Weak, however, is not exactly a word that Grey would use to describe Harper. When she happens upon his latest attempt to kidnap a young woman, she immediately tries to take him out, which results in her ending up in Emberfall instead. To make matters worse, she arrives in the last season that Rhen gets to lift his curse before…well, more unpleasantness is unleashed. Will she succeed in rescuing them?
A magical world
A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a fairy tale into which you can blissfully escape and which will make you swoon. As of the very first chapter, I was impressed by the writing and the way the characters come to life on the page. What’s even better is that the rest of the book even surpassed the expectations set by this first chapter. It is, without a doubt, one of the best fairy tale rewritings I’ve read and, actually, also one of the best books I have in my collection. Enchanted musical instruments, a curse, a ridiculously handsome prince and a romance that makes you soar: this book will not simply let you go once you’ve finished it!
Just a final illustration of my appreciation: as soon as I finished reading book 1, I immediately ordered book 2 and reserved book 3 (it had not yet been published at the time) and possibly – I do not admit anything here – also bought book 1 and 2 in Dutch (the Dutch editions have the most amazing illustrations, but I clearly prefer the original text over the translation).
If I could, I would give this book 10 gemstones out of 5, but since that’s simply not possible:
Age category: Young adult, suitable both for a younger teen audience and for adult readers.
Representation: Main character with a disability and LGBTQ+ supporting characters
Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)
Very mild. Warnings for attempted suicide, cancer and debt collection.Do you want to discover more?
If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores. If you decide to buy it via one of the following links, I will receive a small percentage at no extra charge for you!
Amazon.nl: Paperback English Edition
Amazon.nl: Hardcover English Edition
Fairyloot included this book in their Young Adult book box of February 2019. This book had rather limited special features, as far as I know it only differs from the normal edition in that it has a ribbon bookmark. It did come with an author letter though.
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If you liked A Curse so Dark and Lonely , I have great news for you! You – unlike me – will not have to suffer the wait, seeing that part 2 of Cursebreakers (A Heart so Fierce and Broken) and part 3 (A Vow so Bold and Deadly) have now all been released. Interested? You can read my review of part two here, and of part three here.
Are you into fairy tale retellings? Then definitely also consider reading the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas, which is inspired by various fairy tales and folk tales like Beauty and the Beast, Tam Lin and East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Warning: heavily addictive (and not finished yet!). You can read my review of book one here.
I would also recommend Among the Beast and Briars by Ashley Poston. Strangely enough, I have not been able to find any online “proof” that this story was also based – although less clearly – on Beauty and the Beast, the entire book just screamed “Belle” at me. Not my favourite read of all time maybe, but definitely worth checking out and proud to have it in my collection. You can read my full review here.