A Curse So Dark and Lonely, by Brigid Kemmerer | Book Review

Hello friends! Today I have my book review of

A Curse So Dark and Lonely, by Brigid Kemmerer.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is the first book in the Cursebreakers trilogy.

Trigger Warnings: Death, Death mention, Death caused by Cancer, Cancer mention, suicide mention, suicide attempt, Murder. (if I’ve missed anything, please let me know)

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.

I was so, so excited to read A Curse So Dark and Lonely… and that’s why I believe that I didn’t end up enjoying it as much as I wished I had.

Let me get this straight though, I still kinda enjoyed the novel.

What I Enjoyed

I did like that Brigid Kemmerer’s rendition of Beauty and the Beast was really only loosely based off of the Disney version, and that of its own means that A Curse So Dark and Lonely is kind of…unique to itself.

I liked that there was an urban fantasy twist to the story. That’s probably the only reason why I both wanted to read the story, and didn’t want to read the story.

I actually really liked the slow build up to the romance between Harper and Rhen. I like that they were enemies to friends to lovers. I especially appreciate that the romance wasn’t instant and…overdone. If anything I think the romance is understated. In fact, the romance aspect of this book doesn’t come into full play until…I want to say around the last 6/8ths of the novel.

Another thing that was quite enjoyable was the relationships that Harper built with the people around her.

Something else that was both touch and go is that Harper has Cerebral Palsy. I don’t think I know anyone around me who has Cerebral Palsy, so I cannot say how realistic Harper’s symptoms were. What I can say though, is that Kemmerer made it known, through Harper, that just because Harper has CP doesn’t mean she’s any less of a person. Harper can do anything she puts her mind to, and when her CP get’s in the way, she learns to find ways in which Harper can work around her condition.

What I Didn’t Enjoy

I didn’t notice this until it was pointed out to me, and I still don’t quite see it, but there’s a lot of “I’m not like the other girls” scenarios. But at the same time, Harper isn’t going to be like the other girls, because she’s the last one. If Harper and Rhen couldn’t break the curse this final time, then it was the last chance that Rhen would have….ever.

I ended up giving A Curse So Dark and Lonely, 3 stars.

With how A Curse So Dark and Lonely ended, I’m left wanting to anticipate the next book.

Was anyone else left like that? What are your thoughts on the story? 

Thank you for stopping by!

See you soon, and Happy Reading!
Adele