Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But 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.

You might have seen from my post last week that I was taking part in the Global #Cursebreakers Readalong . It is my first time reading it if you can believe that. Why I didn’t get on this fandom this year was the hype and I’ve really been trying to be mood reader too. Now was the time, the perfect season and cosy nights to just to escape into Emberfall.

Right now, as I’m writing this, I’ve just finished it and I’m a little hangover from it. In once sense I want to continue to A Heart So Fierce and Broken but I feel I need time to sink in and read it when it’s the Christmas holiday and relaxing by the fire on Christmas Eve.

I think I’m having a immersive Emberfall moment… I can’t seem to get my mind to reality. Sorry I guess you would like this review then. HAHA.

So if you didn’t know, A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast? Can I assume that we all know this fairytale?! Alright, I’ll tell you.

There’s a handsome prince who was cursed by the Enchantress, named Lilith. Then he turns into a beast, in this retelling he turns every season and reeks despairs and havoc on his lands. Each season his Guardsman Grey, seeks a girl in the real world to break the curse and he stumbles upon Harper who has quite the right hook. She tries to reason with the Prince to save his kingdom and not give up. After all this is his last season.

As I mentioned in my first little discussion post of the first 20 chapters, I had didn’t have expectations. I escaped the hype and spoilers and I’m not sure how to be honest. I haven’t really read many retellings apart from ACOTAR. But It’s been a while since anything has lived up to ACOTAR and boy did this book do that.

I loved Brigid’s writing style between both Rhen and Harper, I love how they are distinctly so different but together they unleash something in them they have lost or forgotten. Rhen forgot to feel, forgot to believe in kingdom, his people. He forgot about living when living with a curse has become exhausting. Harper, you wonderful human being. It’s that right there that I love the connection of it being a modern retelling. Her character, her fire of being human and that she isn’t weak, that all other worlds consider us to be. She certainly has gumption, and certainly a right hook, she isn’t afraid of telling it how it is even to a Prince. This certainly lens a spark, a freshness Rhen hasn’t encountered before. Oh I forgot Grey considering I was talking about him a lot in the beginning. I felt there was something there, I still think there could be but for now Rhen has my heart. We always do fall for the beast don’t we?!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is more than just a romance, or even a curse. It’s about learning to sacrifice, and believe that you can sacrifice for more than just her world, but to save another. To believe and conquering your weaknesses. It’s about finding who you truly are and standing up for yourself. Harper is the vision of this and by far my favourite royal after Feyre. If you haven’t joined the most talked about bookish fandom this year, then please pick it up instantly and read it, you won’t have long to wait for the sequel either.

Become a #Cursebreaker, I know I will forever be.

What a book! *sigh*

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA UK for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.