Review - 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely' by Brigid Kemmerer

"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 fate deals. The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless."

I love me a good fairytale retelling, so when I heard about A Curse So Dark and Lonely back in 2019, I immediately started salivating. The problem is that I have terrible book memory, so I try not to start a series until all the books are out. Fast-forward two years, the third book is released, and the agony of the long wait is finally over.

I always approach fairytale retellings cautiously. After all, it must be no easy task to take on Beauty and the Beast, arguably one of the most well-known and beloved fairytales out there. So many have tried, with mixed results. But my concerns here were unfounded. Kemmerer knocked it out of the park. She made this a unique story in its own right, while still staying true to the spirit of the original fairytale.

This story swept me away. It grabbed me from the very first moment, and I was instantly smitten. It has so much going for it. The curse is hopelessly cruel and dark. The characters are flawed, but nonetheless strong and courageous. They are deserving of our sympathy, and it was so much fun to cheer them on in their quest. And the world-building feels natural and intuitive, seamlessly fitting into the real world. When our heroine crossed over into Emberfall, I felt like I did too.

The most important thing this story gets right is that its narrative and its conflicts make sense. This seems like such an obvious thing, but more often than not, a lot of fantasy books fall short for me in that regard. This misstep affects everything, making it hard to understand the characters and their subsequent actions. Here, everything comes together. As a result, all the difficult choices that follow feel genuine and believable.

I also particularly enjoyed the love story in here. A lot of YA rushes through this part, making it feel superficial and instant. But this story really takes its time. The two main characters are both cautious, having been hurt and disappointed many times before. It's satisfying and joyful to see their partnership slowly develop, before it turns into something more.

What I love most about reading is you never know how a book might surprise you. I knew going into this that it would be fun and thrilling, even a little romantic. But it turned out to be so much more. Something in this magical story really spoke to me and brightened my day at exactly the moment when I needed it the most.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!