A Curse so Dark and Lonely - Cursebreakers #1 - Brigid Kemmerer
Sum up: (Goodreads)
Fall in love, break the curse.
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. 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 constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? 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..
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. 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 constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? 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..
Some scenes contain violent contents that may offend sensibilities of readers.
Plot:
Prince Rhen has had it all. A perfect life in a perfect castle. He enjoys being the attention of all the girls in the kingdom. One night, he meets Lilith. She is beautiful. The prince shares a bed with her but when comes morning. he chases her away. Heartbroken and hurt in her pride, she reveals she is a powerful enchantress and as a punishment, she curses the castle and the prince. He will live the autumn of his 18th birthday over and over again. To break the curse, the prince needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is. She grants Commander Grey a small gift: the possibility to cross the veil between their world and our modern world to find suitable women. If the suitors do not fall in love with him, he turns into a hideous beast. And then each season will start all over again until he finds the one.
But after years of trying, Prince Rhen and the enchantress make a pact: this will be the last season...
Harper comes from Washington D.C. She is a young girl who hasn't had an easy life.
1. She was born with cerebral palsy, which makes her limp,
2. Her father left them with a huge amount of debts,
3. Her brother is trying to find a way to pay them back by working for loan sharks,
4. Her mother is dying of cancer and she only has a couple of months left,
5. And she was abducted to a whole new universe when trying to help out a woman who was being taken away by a strange man.
Let's go back a little bit! One night, she decides to wait for her brother who has to collect some debts. She then witnesses a man dragging an unconscious girl. Her instincts scream that something is wrong. Thinking this man is going to kill the woman, she launches at the man and finds herself teleported to a huge castle in a city named Emberfall. A city she has never heard of. Only two people live in the castle: Prince Rhen and Commander Grey (who just abducted her).
Despite her best attempts to try to go back to Washington D.C., it slowly sinks in that it won't be that simple. But the worst is yet to come. Prince Rhen confides that he and his people have been stuck for years with a curse that only love can break. And their time is running for it is their last season before the beast comes back and kills everyone.
As Harper is stuck with Rhen, Grey and everyone in the kingdom, she notices that Rhen is not the arrogant prince she first thought. But how can she help break the curse when her mom is dying of cancer and her brother is in danger? Should she stay in Emberfall to free its people from the curse or should she return home to help her family?
But after years of trying, Prince Rhen and the enchantress make a pact: this will be the last season...
Harper comes from Washington D.C. She is a young girl who hasn't had an easy life.
1. She was born with cerebral palsy, which makes her limp,
2. Her father left them with a huge amount of debts,
3. Her brother is trying to find a way to pay them back by working for loan sharks,
4. Her mother is dying of cancer and she only has a couple of months left,
5. And she was abducted to a whole new universe when trying to help out a woman who was being taken away by a strange man.
Let's go back a little bit! One night, she decides to wait for her brother who has to collect some debts. She then witnesses a man dragging an unconscious girl. Her instincts scream that something is wrong. Thinking this man is going to kill the woman, she launches at the man and finds herself teleported to a huge castle in a city named Emberfall. A city she has never heard of. Only two people live in the castle: Prince Rhen and Commander Grey (who just abducted her).
Despite her best attempts to try to go back to Washington D.C., it slowly sinks in that it won't be that simple. But the worst is yet to come. Prince Rhen confides that he and his people have been stuck for years with a curse that only love can break. And their time is running for it is their last season before the beast comes back and kills everyone.
As Harper is stuck with Rhen, Grey and everyone in the kingdom, she notices that Rhen is not the arrogant prince she first thought. But how can she help break the curse when her mom is dying of cancer and her brother is in danger? Should she stay in Emberfall to free its people from the curse or should she return home to help her family?
Opinion:
I loved this book. This book was also one of my first books written by Brigid Kemmerer but I think I will have a look on what other books she wrote for I thought this book was really well written.
For the past couple of years, I have been a sucker for retelling stories (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Hunted, The Lunar Chronicles...). As you can guess from the summary, this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. We all know the story starting by "Once upon a time...". This story though is both unique and recognizable. The storyline remains the same and you identify elements from the fairytale. However it is also unique in a way that Brigid Kemmerer uses a modern world and a parallel world. The world depicted by Brigid Kemmerer is so imaginable and fantastical at the same time. It is quite dark and alluring. It is not overly described to the point of being overwhelming and boring but it is just enough to actually feel like we are there. We adjusted to every little elements at the same time as Harper.
I liked the characters Brigid Kemmerer created. Using POV helped us understand better what Harper and Rhen are going through. One is new to this world while the other is exhausted by it.
Harper is a passionate woman. She is smart, strong, fierce, brave, loyal and caring. She is a bit tomboyish but that only made me like her more. She was not the cliché of the future princess. As soon as she understands how the curse works, she tries her best to help Emberfall in any way she can. However, as soon as some results are seen and she has a true influence on events, she thinks on how she let down her own family. I totally get it. Her family has a situation on its own but it was sometimes getting on my nerves.
She was not born a princess but she carries herself like one. She knows the skills a true leader needs: she is attentive and she can think through any type of situation. Her brother always thought that her disability meant she was not capable enough to help him in repaying their father's debts but I liked that Rhen and Grey never saw her disability as an obstacle.
The dynamic around the relationship between Rhen and Grey is very interesting. It walks a thin line between friendship and hierarchy. Grey is Rhen's guard and the last member of the castle left. He is truly devoted to Rhen, no matter what. His loyalty truly knows no bound. If I had to define Grey in only a few words, I would say: loyal, intense, serious, silent and super-freaking-handsome!! Rhen has been despicable with him, arrogant, mean but then the reader understands that Rhen grew up and became the man he is today through this relationship. The two of them have been lonely and isolated until Harper came along and dragged them out of their shelves.
With Harper, Rhen becomes a wonderful prince. He was so focused on the curse that he forgot he also has people counting on him, people who thought they were to fend for themselves. He has been alone with Grey for sometime now, repeating the curse over and over again. He even started doubting himself since no one could fall for him and after seasons of seeing the curse undefeated, he stopped caring for the girls. He tried sacrificing himself so many times to stop the curse. At this point, it feels like the curse broke him and Harper gave him a purpose again.
Lilith is the only character with no real depth. We know for it was said before that she was a woman hurt in her pride and that she comes from a line of powerful enchantresses who were hunted down by the previous king. But I feel like she could have been more than just an empty villain.
I have to admit I was a bit scared there would be a love triangle. The story focuses mainly around these three characters (especially at the beginning) and even tough we had hints that she could fall for Commander Grey, her main attention was on Prince Rhen. This story was also not just about romance. It was about trust and friendship. It is always hard to know who you can rely on. Rhen and Harper found each other at the worst moments in their lives and yet, they helped each other through those dark moments.
I really liked her representation of the LGBTQ+ community through Harper's brother and his romance with Noah as well as Kemmerer's representation of people with disabilities with Harper herself. At some point, I also wondered if Grey didn't have deeper feelings for Rhen? It was such a strange relationship between the three main characters.
The writing was really easy to go through and the story was so interesting that I read the book in only a few days. There is not a lot of action except at the end but I thought it was okay. It gave the reader time to understand the court, the curse, the characters... There was a bit of political intrigue but not too much. Just enough to set up the scenery and understand how each court work and add a bit of suspense. I was honestly hooked from the first page to the last page. But be warned, it ends on a cliffhanger!
Have you read it? Please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on this book :)
Words spoken in the dark in the middle of the night always feel so much heavier than they would at any other time.
For the past couple of years, I have been a sucker for retelling stories (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Hunted, The Lunar Chronicles...). As you can guess from the summary, this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. We all know the story starting by "Once upon a time...". This story though is both unique and recognizable. The storyline remains the same and you identify elements from the fairytale. However it is also unique in a way that Brigid Kemmerer uses a modern world and a parallel world. The world depicted by Brigid Kemmerer is so imaginable and fantastical at the same time. It is quite dark and alluring. It is not overly described to the point of being overwhelming and boring but it is just enough to actually feel like we are there. We adjusted to every little elements at the same time as Harper.
I liked the characters Brigid Kemmerer created. Using POV helped us understand better what Harper and Rhen are going through. One is new to this world while the other is exhausted by it.
We are all dealt a hand at birth. A good hand can ultimately lose - just as a poor hand can win - but we must all play the cards the fate deals. The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless.
Harper is a passionate woman. She is smart, strong, fierce, brave, loyal and caring. She is a bit tomboyish but that only made me like her more. She was not the cliché of the future princess. As soon as she understands how the curse works, she tries her best to help Emberfall in any way she can. However, as soon as some results are seen and she has a true influence on events, she thinks on how she let down her own family. I totally get it. Her family has a situation on its own but it was sometimes getting on my nerves.
She was not born a princess but she carries herself like one. She knows the skills a true leader needs: she is attentive and she can think through any type of situation. Her brother always thought that her disability meant she was not capable enough to help him in repaying their father's debts but I liked that Rhen and Grey never saw her disability as an obstacle.
“Not all scars can be seen, my lady.”
The dynamic around the relationship between Rhen and Grey is very interesting. It walks a thin line between friendship and hierarchy. Grey is Rhen's guard and the last member of the castle left. He is truly devoted to Rhen, no matter what. His loyalty truly knows no bound. If I had to define Grey in only a few words, I would say: loyal, intense, serious, silent and super-freaking-handsome!! Rhen has been despicable with him, arrogant, mean but then the reader understands that Rhen grew up and became the man he is today through this relationship. The two of them have been lonely and isolated until Harper came along and dragged them out of their shelves.
“She attacked you?” My eyebrows rise. “Grey. She is half your size.”“She makes up for it in temperament. She most assuredly was not my first choice.”
With Harper, Rhen becomes a wonderful prince. He was so focused on the curse that he forgot he also has people counting on him, people who thought they were to fend for themselves. He has been alone with Grey for sometime now, repeating the curse over and over again. He even started doubting himself since no one could fall for him and after seasons of seeing the curse undefeated, he stopped caring for the girls. He tried sacrificing himself so many times to stop the curse. At this point, it feels like the curse broke him and Harper gave him a purpose again.
Lilith is the only character with no real depth. We know for it was said before that she was a woman hurt in her pride and that she comes from a line of powerful enchantresses who were hunted down by the previous king. But I feel like she could have been more than just an empty villain.
I have to admit I was a bit scared there would be a love triangle. The story focuses mainly around these three characters (especially at the beginning) and even tough we had hints that she could fall for Commander Grey, her main attention was on Prince Rhen. This story was also not just about romance. It was about trust and friendship. It is always hard to know who you can rely on. Rhen and Harper found each other at the worst moments in their lives and yet, they helped each other through those dark moments.
“Rhen,” she calls after me.I pause in the doorway and face her.
“I’m not going to fall in love with you,” she says.Her words are not a surprise. I sigh.
“You won’t be the first.”
I really liked her representation of the LGBTQ+ community through Harper's brother and his romance with Noah as well as Kemmerer's representation of people with disabilities with Harper herself. At some point, I also wondered if Grey didn't have deeper feelings for Rhen? It was such a strange relationship between the three main characters.
The writing was really easy to go through and the story was so interesting that I read the book in only a few days. There is not a lot of action except at the end but I thought it was okay. It gave the reader time to understand the court, the curse, the characters... There was a bit of political intrigue but not too much. Just enough to set up the scenery and understand how each court work and add a bit of suspense. I was honestly hooked from the first page to the last page. But be warned, it ends on a cliffhanger!
Have you read it? Please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on this book :)
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