desertcart.com: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker Series Book 1) eBook : Kemmerer, Brigid: Kindle Store Review: A New Tale as Old as Time & Just as Lovable - A Curse So Dark and Lonely is my first book by Brigid Kemmerer and it was a positively beautiful and amazing read. I pretty much love any kind of Beauty and the Beast retelling and Brigid's is bound to be a favorite for a long time! It uniquely combines fantasy world with our modern real world and I just love that kind of combination. Rhen is cursed. Every winter he turned into a beast, so every fall he sends his guard, Grey, out to bring a girl from our world back with him so he can try to have her fall in love with him and break the curse. He's failed every time the last 300+ years. The enchantress who cursed him, aptly named Lilith, tells him that this will be the last time for the curse. He must either succeed to break the curse or he will remain a beast for all time. ;) Harper is from our modern world and has had a rough go of things lately. Her mother has cancer and is dying, her dad is MIA, which leaves her and her brother, Jake, to try to get to by. Jake has to work for "bad people" in order to pay their father's debts to them. It's when Harper is on lookout for Jake on such job that she witnesses what she thinks is a kidnapping. While trying to stop it she inadvertently brings herself to the fantasy world when Grey decides to take her instead. And so begins our tale as old time. Harper is not too pleased to be in this other world and Rhen isn't too pleased as Harper isn't what he expected. Things are just complicated. But as you can expect, things slowly change over time. Harper shakes up Rhen's life. Her escape attempts end up leading to helping people. Rhen has been slacking in that area for years because of the curse. While it's been 300+ years for him, for his people it's been more like five. Time moves different within the curse. It gets explained rather well early on, so don't worry about any confusion. I had none of that while reading. Soon Harper is helping Rhen to better his kingdom, in trying to do more for the people he's forgotten. In doing so they uncover quite the nefarious plot as a neighboring ruler has their own plans for Rhen's kingdom. But that's not their only problem, Lilith visits frequently. She, as well, clearly has her own plans for Rhen, ones that were centuries in the making. All the while Rhen was subtly trying to get Harper to fall in love with in and break his curse. Though she clearly was having none of it. At first, naturally. Though we all know Beauty and the Beast to be a great love story, this one didn't put such emphasis on romance. It was still there, but I liked seeing it evolve over time. Much like our favorite Disney movie, though obviously it's a longer draw out then the 90 minute movie! I liked that Harper wasn't your perfect heroine either. It's not often that you have a fantasy heroine with any sort of medical issues. I don't know much about cerebral palsy, but I could relate to some of Harper's struggles, as I have an entirely different condition that prevented me from some of the things that she struggled with too. I liked how this one did well to follow the original fairy tale and yet still shine on its own. It was more like Brigid chose to use similar aspects to the story rather than make it a slightly twisted retelling. Like using two different worlds that are parallel. At one point Harper is allowed to return home to see her family, though, unlike Beauty, she longs to return to Rhen, for she is perhaps falling in love with him and wants to help him break his curse. The pacing to this was very ideal. It's a story that isn't really fast paced to begin with, but I felt like Brigid did exceedingly well to keep the story moving. I never felt like things were dragging. although I will admit to getting a little confused with some of the history of Lilith. She had a bit of backstory, but I'll admit I couldn't quite follow it. Though, I was traveling at the time and can easily blame that as the cause. The ending was pretty perfect. Coupled with an epic battle with shocking conclusions, it ended in a way that was just right. I do believe this is a series of some sort. That's all I really know at this point. While we aren't left with any dire cliffhangers, thank goodness, we are left with a pretty revealing revelation. And of course the ever present, what will our characters do next? Because there simply must be a next of some kind. A Curse So Dark and Lonely was my first Brigid Kemmerer book but it certainly won't be my last. It was a magical story that I whole-heartedly loved, even if Harper wasn't a bookworm, tragically. It had all the right elements of a Beauty and the Beast tale and of course the twist and turns of a retelling with an added bit of magic truly made this book a unique and enjoyable pleasure! Overall Rating 5/5 stars Review: I was so wrapped up in this story... - 4.5 stars — This was the kind of book that gave me tummy tingles from nerves and anxiety and had me growling in frustration and racing to the bathroom yelling “Dammit, I have to pee!” to my husband because my bladder interrupted my reading time. I think that speaks for itself. 😛 I loved Harper. She was fierce, bold, if somewhat impulsive and reckless. I didn’t mind that she made those missteps, because *I* would make those missteps when presented with a foreign world with completely different rules of living. I think, in the end, that Rhen (and Grey) really appreciated the unique and unfiltered perspective she brought, because she was unencumbered by traditions. I found the dichotomy of being so fierce with her soft heart and lack of stomach for violence to be intriguing. She is faced with this crazy situation, and she is threatened, and sometimes she’s jumping in headfirst attacking, and other times she cannot watch someone with ill intent be killed. It was…odd. It both worked and didn’t work for me. I think if she hadn’t been so attacking at times, I would have understood it more. And I did understand it to an extent, just…something. I did love how we got to see a strong disabled character, who had to deal with those limitations, but it was just a small part of her story, it wasn’t her whole story. Basically it was a perfect diversity story. Rhen was hard to love at first. I felt for his despair and pain, but I also boggled at his inability to see the truth of the entire situation. That he hadn’t even considered the logistics of finding someone to love, it was all just a means to an end. He was an interesting character in that way, because it was hard to like all of him at the beginning. But I think that made his growth and transformation that much more satisfying. It made me connect with him when he started to fall for Harper. It was so hard to see him develop hope only for Lilith to come in and destroy it. Sometimes I wanted him to defeat that better, to give people a bit more credit, to grow just that teensy bit more. And then there’s Grey. I loved him as a character, and I loved how he provided a counterbalance to Rhen. He was fiercely loyal, and incredibly frightening in his abilities. I definitely want to know more about him. I loved the almost friendship he had with Rhen, and I loved the friendship that he formed with Harper, and how he supported her. The romance had amazing parts, and had lacking parts. I loved the way they slowly got to know one another, and trust one another, and I appreciated that so much. And I definitely felt some chemistry between them. But at the same time, I was never quite certain if it was supposed to be a love triangle, or if I was misreading things. I wish it had been slightly more clear one way or the other. The ambiguity didn’t work for me. I, personally, am not a love triangle fan, but I could have tolerated it if I’d known if it was present. I know that sounds weird, but the middle ground was just unsatisfying. Even at the end there were these moments where Harper, Rhen and Grey each individually had these thoughts and memories, and I’m not entirely sure what point that was supposed to be driving home. Maybe I’m just too dense. I like things clear, at least by the end. And even setting aside the weird love triangle that was or wasn’t, the ending with Harper and Rhen wasn’t entirely satisfying for me. I’m not sure if we’ll get more in the next book, but I don’t think so. So I was a bit bummed. I wanted that literary romance ending where I’m gushing, you know? The secondary characters were fantastic. I loved the relationships that Harper developed with Freya and Zo — they made me so happy. I’m conflicted about her brother, Jake, and Noah. I didn’t really like how that turned out…but not sure if that will get more resolution in future books. So yeah…I had a lot of semi-critical things to say, but even despite all that, I was just so wrapped up and enjoying myself that I still can’t help but rate this high. Don’t try to figure me out, I can’t even figure me out.
| ASIN | B07CVFRJ8N |
| Accessibility | Learn more |
| Best Sellers Rank | #110,190 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #79 in Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tales & Folklore Adaptations eBooks #106 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Friendship #150 in Teen & Young Adult Paranormal Romance |
| Book 1 of 3 | The Cursebreaker |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (9,681) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| File size | 12.6 MB |
| Grade level | 9 - 12 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1681195094 |
| Language | English |
| Page Flip | Enabled |
| Print length | 507 pages |
| Publication date | January 29, 2019 |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury YA |
| Reading age | 14+ years, from customers |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Word Wise | Not Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
J**.
A New Tale as Old as Time & Just as Lovable
A Curse So Dark and Lonely is my first book by Brigid Kemmerer and it was a positively beautiful and amazing read. I pretty much love any kind of Beauty and the Beast retelling and Brigid's is bound to be a favorite for a long time! It uniquely combines fantasy world with our modern real world and I just love that kind of combination. Rhen is cursed. Every winter he turned into a beast, so every fall he sends his guard, Grey, out to bring a girl from our world back with him so he can try to have her fall in love with him and break the curse. He's failed every time the last 300+ years. The enchantress who cursed him, aptly named Lilith, tells him that this will be the last time for the curse. He must either succeed to break the curse or he will remain a beast for all time. ;) Harper is from our modern world and has had a rough go of things lately. Her mother has cancer and is dying, her dad is MIA, which leaves her and her brother, Jake, to try to get to by. Jake has to work for "bad people" in order to pay their father's debts to them. It's when Harper is on lookout for Jake on such job that she witnesses what she thinks is a kidnapping. While trying to stop it she inadvertently brings herself to the fantasy world when Grey decides to take her instead. And so begins our tale as old time. Harper is not too pleased to be in this other world and Rhen isn't too pleased as Harper isn't what he expected. Things are just complicated. But as you can expect, things slowly change over time. Harper shakes up Rhen's life. Her escape attempts end up leading to helping people. Rhen has been slacking in that area for years because of the curse. While it's been 300+ years for him, for his people it's been more like five. Time moves different within the curse. It gets explained rather well early on, so don't worry about any confusion. I had none of that while reading. Soon Harper is helping Rhen to better his kingdom, in trying to do more for the people he's forgotten. In doing so they uncover quite the nefarious plot as a neighboring ruler has their own plans for Rhen's kingdom. But that's not their only problem, Lilith visits frequently. She, as well, clearly has her own plans for Rhen, ones that were centuries in the making. All the while Rhen was subtly trying to get Harper to fall in love with in and break his curse. Though she clearly was having none of it. At first, naturally. Though we all know Beauty and the Beast to be a great love story, this one didn't put such emphasis on romance. It was still there, but I liked seeing it evolve over time. Much like our favorite Disney movie, though obviously it's a longer draw out then the 90 minute movie! I liked that Harper wasn't your perfect heroine either. It's not often that you have a fantasy heroine with any sort of medical issues. I don't know much about cerebral palsy, but I could relate to some of Harper's struggles, as I have an entirely different condition that prevented me from some of the things that she struggled with too. I liked how this one did well to follow the original fairy tale and yet still shine on its own. It was more like Brigid chose to use similar aspects to the story rather than make it a slightly twisted retelling. Like using two different worlds that are parallel. At one point Harper is allowed to return home to see her family, though, unlike Beauty, she longs to return to Rhen, for she is perhaps falling in love with him and wants to help him break his curse. The pacing to this was very ideal. It's a story that isn't really fast paced to begin with, but I felt like Brigid did exceedingly well to keep the story moving. I never felt like things were dragging. although I will admit to getting a little confused with some of the history of Lilith. She had a bit of backstory, but I'll admit I couldn't quite follow it. Though, I was traveling at the time and can easily blame that as the cause. The ending was pretty perfect. Coupled with an epic battle with shocking conclusions, it ended in a way that was just right. I do believe this is a series of some sort. That's all I really know at this point. While we aren't left with any dire cliffhangers, thank goodness, we are left with a pretty revealing revelation. And of course the ever present, what will our characters do next? Because there simply must be a next of some kind. A Curse So Dark and Lonely was my first Brigid Kemmerer book but it certainly won't be my last. It was a magical story that I whole-heartedly loved, even if Harper wasn't a bookworm, tragically. It had all the right elements of a Beauty and the Beast tale and of course the twist and turns of a retelling with an added bit of magic truly made this book a unique and enjoyable pleasure! Overall Rating 5/5 stars
L**S
I was so wrapped up in this story...
4.5 stars — This was the kind of book that gave me tummy tingles from nerves and anxiety and had me growling in frustration and racing to the bathroom yelling “Dammit, I have to pee!” to my husband because my bladder interrupted my reading time. I think that speaks for itself. 😛 I loved Harper. She was fierce, bold, if somewhat impulsive and reckless. I didn’t mind that she made those missteps, because *I* would make those missteps when presented with a foreign world with completely different rules of living. I think, in the end, that Rhen (and Grey) really appreciated the unique and unfiltered perspective she brought, because she was unencumbered by traditions. I found the dichotomy of being so fierce with her soft heart and lack of stomach for violence to be intriguing. She is faced with this crazy situation, and she is threatened, and sometimes she’s jumping in headfirst attacking, and other times she cannot watch someone with ill intent be killed. It was…odd. It both worked and didn’t work for me. I think if she hadn’t been so attacking at times, I would have understood it more. And I did understand it to an extent, just…something. I did love how we got to see a strong disabled character, who had to deal with those limitations, but it was just a small part of her story, it wasn’t her whole story. Basically it was a perfect diversity story. Rhen was hard to love at first. I felt for his despair and pain, but I also boggled at his inability to see the truth of the entire situation. That he hadn’t even considered the logistics of finding someone to love, it was all just a means to an end. He was an interesting character in that way, because it was hard to like all of him at the beginning. But I think that made his growth and transformation that much more satisfying. It made me connect with him when he started to fall for Harper. It was so hard to see him develop hope only for Lilith to come in and destroy it. Sometimes I wanted him to defeat that better, to give people a bit more credit, to grow just that teensy bit more. And then there’s Grey. I loved him as a character, and I loved how he provided a counterbalance to Rhen. He was fiercely loyal, and incredibly frightening in his abilities. I definitely want to know more about him. I loved the almost friendship he had with Rhen, and I loved the friendship that he formed with Harper, and how he supported her. The romance had amazing parts, and had lacking parts. I loved the way they slowly got to know one another, and trust one another, and I appreciated that so much. And I definitely felt some chemistry between them. But at the same time, I was never quite certain if it was supposed to be a love triangle, or if I was misreading things. I wish it had been slightly more clear one way or the other. The ambiguity didn’t work for me. I, personally, am not a love triangle fan, but I could have tolerated it if I’d known if it was present. I know that sounds weird, but the middle ground was just unsatisfying. Even at the end there were these moments where Harper, Rhen and Grey each individually had these thoughts and memories, and I’m not entirely sure what point that was supposed to be driving home. Maybe I’m just too dense. I like things clear, at least by the end. And even setting aside the weird love triangle that was or wasn’t, the ending with Harper and Rhen wasn’t entirely satisfying for me. I’m not sure if we’ll get more in the next book, but I don’t think so. So I was a bit bummed. I wanted that literary romance ending where I’m gushing, you know? The secondary characters were fantastic. I loved the relationships that Harper developed with Freya and Zo — they made me so happy. I’m conflicted about her brother, Jake, and Noah. I didn’t really like how that turned out…but not sure if that will get more resolution in future books. So yeah…I had a lot of semi-critical things to say, but even despite all that, I was just so wrapped up and enjoying myself that I still can’t help but rate this high. Don’t try to figure me out, I can’t even figure me out.
J**O
Me encantó este libro, al ser un retelling nos presenta la historia de un príncipe maldecido y que para romper la maldición debe enamorarse, pero eso no es lo más importante sino lograr salvar a su reino. Los personajes para mi fueron sumamente entrañables y bien estructurados, los adoré; la protagonista es fuerte, valiente y eso me pareció un punto muy bueno. Se lee rápido y se disfruta mucho, lo recomiendo ampliamente si se busca aventura, acción y romance. El producto llegó antes del día previsto y en buenas condiciones, está muy bonito, solo con el inconveniente de que las primeras y últimas páginas no están totalmente bien pegadas y la goma de las demás hojas podría desprenderse al abrirlo mucho.
C**A
A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY • • • ⭐️:5,0/5 • • 💬: A cursed prince and his commander repeat the same season over and over again until the curse is broken, unfortunately is not easy for our prince to fall in love and neither is the time when the creature appears. Feeling defeated and getting the news that its his last season to break the curse, his commander brings the wrong girl to try and fall in love with him. But Harper won’t let herself fall for the prince because she feels it’s all an act, that his words are all there to make her fall in love and not actually true. With an imminent war approaching, Prince Rhen decides to not give up easily and protect his people from enemies and from himself, while realizing that his last season brought him love for the first time. What can I say about this book without sounding utterly crazy? I LOVE THIS BOOK. You can give me any Beauty and Beast retelling that I will gladly read, but this one UOU, impressed me and moved in a way I wasn't expecting. I yelled at times and cried on others, it was a crazy ride!
H**A
Ich habe mich sofort in das Cover verliebt! Auch der Titel passt perfekt zur Gefühlswelt des Protagonisten. Handlung: Märchenadaption zu "Die Schöne und das Biest". Harper aus dem modernen D.C. wird in das Fantasyreich "Emberfall" entführt, um einen alten Fluch zu brechen. Sie soll sich in Prinz Rhen verlieben, der sich immer wieder nach Ablauf einer bestimmten Zeit, in ein Biest verwandelt und den Tag seines 18. Geburtstages immer wieder durchlebt. Er steckt seit vielen hundert Jahren in dieser Zeitschleife fest, an seiner Seite nur seine Leibgarde Grey. Rhen ist einsam, verbittert und ohne Hoffnung. Kann, nein "will" Harper diesen Fluch brechen? Meinung: So lange will ich dieses Buch lesen. Ich liebe den Schreibstil von Brigid Kemmerer und habe schon einige Bücher von ihr gelesen, jedoch keins aus dem Fantasybereich. Da Diese Reihe nun endlich 2021 übersetzt wird, wollte ich es zuerst auf Englisch wagen. Und ich bin begeistert! Es war definitiv anders als erwartet. Sehr abgewandelt zum eigentlichen Märchen, doch so kreativ und neu! Erfrischend! Die Charaktere haben sich sehr schnell in mein Herz geschlichen, vor allem der Prinz. Ich konnte seinen Schmerz und die Einsamkeit und Hoffnungslosigkeit auf jeder Seite spüren! Obwohl er so verzweifelt nach der Erlösung sucht, zwingt er Harper zu nichts und akzeptiert sein Schicksal! Harper und ihre Familiengeschichte in D.C. haben einen tollen Kontrast in die Geschichte gebracht. Sie war definitiv keine süße Prinzessin, sondern eine toughe, sture und manchmal etwas nervige Protagonistin. An Harpers Stelle wäre ich wahrscheinlich sofort beim Anblick des Prinzen eingeknickt, doch Harper blieb bockig. Die Nebencharaktere haben auch nicht wenig Szenen und besonders Grey wurde toll gezeichnet. Ich freue mich schon auf den 2.Band wo es um ihn geht. Der Plot konnte mich von Anfang an fesseln und hat mich tagelang nicht losgelassen. Die düstere, melancholische Atmosphäre war greifbar, ebenso wie die Emotionen der Charaktere. Das Ende hat mich sehr überrascht und macht Lust auf mehr! Dennoch bin ich mir fast sicher, dass dieses Buch nicht jedem gefallen wird, da die Story trotz großartiger Kulisse im Mittelteil doch eher ruhig bleibt und das dem ein oder anderen zu langatmig sein könnte. Info Nebenbei: Wenn ihr euch nur für die Lovestory interessiert, könnt ihr auch nur Band 1 lesen, da im 2.Band zwar die Grundstory um das Königreich weitergeht, jedoch andere Charaktere im Fokus stehen. Die Lovestory ist in diesem Buch relativ abgeschlossen erzählt. Doch nach dem krassen Ende, wollt ihr weiterlesen, versprochen! Für Fans von "Kuss der Lüge".
S**T
Awesome! A great reading. I loved the story, the characters. Interesting, intriguing, entertaining and touching. Pretty good character's development and evolution. I've enjoyed a lot Harper and her relationship with Grey, Then and other characters. She's a great female leader. She's brave besides her fears and can say thank you or I'm sorry and that doesn't make her any less cool, just the opposite. I've already started the next book of this series.
C**T
An amazing twist on the whole Beauty and the Beast retelling. It was a really enjoyable story and loved the characters.
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