Synopsis:
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.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
3.5 stars. I was really excited for this, but it ended up being a pretty standard YA fantasy. This probably would've been a ~2 star book for me if not for two things: the cerebral palsy rep and Grey.
I hate to say it, but this is the first book I've read that depicts cerebral palsy. I've never read a book with cerebral palsy rep in it until now. And that is a damn shame. Because while I don't have cerebral palsy, I do have two degenerative, herniated discs in my back that cause me chronic pain and weakness. Seeing Harper embrace her condition and realize that it doesn't define her, but is simply a part of her really spoke to the core of me and my experiences. This novel could have very easily taken the route of Harper "overcoming" her cerebral palsy - which would've been fine I guess while still having issues - but it wouldn't have rung as true, nor have had as powerful an impact on me. Harper becomes a badass in harmony with her cerebral palsy, not despite it, and having that narrative depicted in YA is so important.
The second thing that made me really enjoy this book was GREY!!! Heart eyes directly @ him, honestly. In a YA fantasy that features pretty stereotypical characters for the genre, Grey alone stood out as unique to me. I did like Harper as a character, but I feel like I enjoyed the depiction of her cerebral palsy and character arc as a result of it more than I actually liked her as a character. Rhen I didn't really care for, as a result of him being really cookie-cutter YA fantasy love interest. But Grey, with his to-death dedication and stony demeanor, felt really original to me. He was hard to pin down and I could never call how he was going to react to things, which naturally made me more interested and invested in him than the other characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book.
But other than that, A Curse So Dark and Lonely doesn't really bring anything new to YA fantasy. You've got your badass girl, your arrogant yet tortured princely love interest, a kingdom in peril that needs to be reclaimed...sound familiar? The events of the book itself weren't anything especially stand-out and honestly edged on boring sometimes. The world-building doesn't really exist and is superficial at best. Even the plot twist was something that I called from a mile away.
Overall, I enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely, but only because it brings in a new element or two to an otherwise really standard and kind of bland YA fantasy. However, I encourage you to read it if only for the cerebral palsy rep, because as someone who doesn't have cerebral palsy but similar experiences with chronic pain and weakness, its portrayal meant a lot to me.
I hate to say it, but this is the first book I've read that depicts cerebral palsy. I've never read a book with cerebral palsy rep in it until now. And that is a damn shame. Because while I don't have cerebral palsy, I do have two degenerative, herniated discs in my back that cause me chronic pain and weakness. Seeing Harper embrace her condition and realize that it doesn't define her, but is simply a part of her really spoke to the core of me and my experiences. This novel could have very easily taken the route of Harper "overcoming" her cerebral palsy - which would've been fine I guess while still having issues - but it wouldn't have rung as true, nor have had as powerful an impact on me. Harper becomes a badass in harmony with her cerebral palsy, not despite it, and having that narrative depicted in YA is so important.
The second thing that made me really enjoy this book was GREY!!! Heart eyes directly @ him, honestly. In a YA fantasy that features pretty stereotypical characters for the genre, Grey alone stood out as unique to me. I did like Harper as a character, but I feel like I enjoyed the depiction of her cerebral palsy and character arc as a result of it more than I actually liked her as a character. Rhen I didn't really care for, as a result of him being really cookie-cutter YA fantasy love interest. But Grey, with his to-death dedication and stony demeanor, felt really original to me. He was hard to pin down and I could never call how he was going to react to things, which naturally made me more interested and invested in him than the other characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book.
But other than that, A Curse So Dark and Lonely doesn't really bring anything new to YA fantasy. You've got your badass girl, your arrogant yet tortured princely love interest, a kingdom in peril that needs to be reclaimed...sound familiar? The events of the book itself weren't anything especially stand-out and honestly edged on boring sometimes. The world-building doesn't really exist and is superficial at best. Even the plot twist was something that I called from a mile away.
Overall, I enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely, but only because it brings in a new element or two to an otherwise really standard and kind of bland YA fantasy. However, I encourage you to read it if only for the cerebral palsy rep, because as someone who doesn't have cerebral palsy but similar experiences with chronic pain and weakness, its portrayal meant a lot to me.
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