A Curse so Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer (Cursebreaker #1)

My review of A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. This book swept me off my feet and completely surprised me, I’m so glad I picked it up because it is superb.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer

Themes: Fantasy, Young adult, Retelling, Romance

Reading Format: Paperback

Pages: 477

5 STARS

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this amazing book.

This book has been out for eight months and I have only just now picked it up. I delayed because I didn’t think the book would be any different to other YA retellings, I assumed it would be littered with tropes, full of fluffy romance that wasn’t believable and crushing any hopes of the woman not being a damsel in distress. I was WRONG. So wrong! This book defies the tropes and breaks the bonds that similar YA books have created. Based on a Beauty and the Beast retelling, this book was unlike anything of this genre I have read before.

Harper is the leading lady, a strong main character that uses this story to really find herself and be as strong as she can be. She is realistic, she has weaknesses and she isn’t amazing at everything. She asks to learn though and tries to better herself and correct her flaws and lack of knife throwing ability. She also has cerebral palsy which she never sees as a hindrance and refers regularly to how she was born with it and it’s part of her. I loved this, I’ve never read about a character with cerebral palsy before and I’ll be honest and say I didn’t know much about it. Now I think I have a better understanding, so I thank this book for that. I loved how Harper embraced herself throughout this book, she doesn’t shy away from challenges, she isn’t revolving around her looks or the looks of others, she judges people on their goodwill and kindness.

Rhen is the crown Prince and also has his flaws. He is tormented by a curse that is being held over him and of which he is reliant of Harper to break. But he is also guilty of neglecting his people and sees to change that in this book, with the help of Harper. He goes through a lot of character development in this book, you can see prior to this story starting he has gone through a lot of change too. He is quite cocky and strong-willed, he takes a while to let down his guard when met with a new challenge – – Harper.

Harper is constantly making this book better. She is a strong woman that knows how to look after herself. Through doing this she clearly impresses Rhen (I’d like to think on behalf of all women and demonstrating what they are capable of) and puts him back in his place at times. One of my favourite lines is “I did it. I saved myself”. She doesn’t need a knight in shining armour to help her, she is determined to do it all herself, even when danger is near. She surrounds herself with other strong women as the book goes on and I love the diversity she brings to Rhen’s castle. Any easy path to fall into with the Beauty and the Beast storyline is stockholm syndrome, but Harper makes the reader aware of this herself and notes that she won’t fall for it herself. Any emotions and feelings in this book are genuinely earnt and not as a pathetic result of needing a saviour, which I very much appreciated.

“When the word seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”

This book has some cracking lines, especially for anyone struggling with big decisions or hardships at the moment. I loved the motivation and encouragement that was littered through this book. It offered a lot for the reader to take away, which is one of the reasons it was a five star read for me.

As well as the above mentioned Rhen, we also have Grey taking a lead in this book. There’s a bit of unspoken love, but not love, triangle going on here. It is a case of which guy does the reader like better, which yes, is a trope and a half, but I loved it. Love can take all forms, romantic, friendship, family and I really think this book demonstrates it in so many different ways. Grey is always there for both Harper and Rhen, he dedication and love for the people he serves is clear. He is loyal, true and fair and he is an inspiration of a character. I very much liked both him and Rhen, so please don’t make me pick between them. But I do love it when Grey calls Harper My Lady so he may have a head start because of that regular line.

If you haven’t read this book yet, please do. I shouldn’t have put it off for so long because it was truly spectacular and I can’t wait to dive into the sequel.