A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker Series) Hardcover – January 29, 2019

Harper's life in DC isn't going well. Her mother is sick, her father borrowed money from the wrong person, and her brother has put his life in danger trying to fix the family's problems. Without warning, she is swept into another world where fairytales are real.I love a good fairytale, and Beauty and the Beast retellings are my favorite. Harper is spunky and brave, exactly what Rhen needs in his life as he tries to break his curse one last time. Grey is the perfect supporting character, and I'm thrilled to see that he will take a more important role in book 2. Emberfall's main problem may be solved, but war is still on the horizon, and there is a twist at the end of the book that will take center stage in the sequel. I can't wait, and this book is 5 stars!

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.

A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY was so enjoyable from start to finish! I've been struggling with some YA reads lately so I was afraid that like many others I've read recently that this would fall into a pit of tropes, but this book soared beyond my expectations! Right off the bat, I loved the tone of the book and I think the crossover/connection between the modern world in Washington DC and the fantasy world of Emberfall really made a difference. The readers are able to get a unique twist on this fantasy concept with a modern voice from Harper and that old-world, medieval-type feel from Rhen.You may have heard that A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY is a Beauty and the Beast adaptation and I thought that was done brilliantly! Concepts are taking from the classic fairy tale but still given their own twist. Not every piece of Beauty and the Beast was made to fit this novel and A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY also goes along its own paths, not needing to stick to the concept 100%. What I loved even more was seeing the book's originality lead back to the fairy tale adaptation without realizing we were on that road and I was so impressed seeing things circle back around to the adaption in their own way. I've read a lot of retellings over the years and some stories stick too religiously to the original work so I was really happy to see how expertly the author's original concepts were woven in with the inspiration from Beauty and the Beast.The characters here were just wonderful and they really made this story what it is in so many ways. Harper is strong and fierce but the way that Brigid Kemmerer chose to craft this character was really special. There are so many badass YA heroines out there that get too cocky or are just magically perfect, but Harper felt more like a real person to me than most of those other leading ladies. I loved that Brigid Kemmerer included Harper's cerebral palsy and how it was portrayed as the way that Harper was born and not as a disadvantage or weakness. It was also great to see Harper grow into her boldness, from being a little sheltered by her brother to being thrown into this fantasy world and having to make a name for herself, quite literally. She didn't change in personality but merely let that side of her grow in the proper atmosphere and situation. The reader was able to see that potential in Harper and with her situation in Emberfall and the other people by which she was surrounded, Harper was able to really grow into her confidence and it really felt so natural.Rhen was another fantastic character in so many ways. Harper originally felt that he was a cocky prince but really he had so many levels that unfolded as the book progressed. Readers learn of his remorse for everything that's happened to the kingdom and how much he really took it all to heart. Rhen's challenge in the book seemed to be with his emotions and feelings, having to trust in his heart and let go of some of his overthinking. Being forced to repeat so many scenarios due to his curse, he essentially has ages to plan without growing older and somewhat replaying the opportunity to fall in love to break the curse, he employs different strategies, none of which work, of course, because love can't be won by strategy. Harper and Grey, Rhen's commander, help Rhen learn how to trust his heart and not feel so forced to fall in love. He has to let go before he can really latch on.One of my favorite things about the book was the romance, which doesn't happen often these days. So many people get excited over big love scenes, passionate kisses, and fiery romances. I was all about this gorgeous slow burn romance that took its time and really established those deep emotions! It's not quite a hate-to-love situation but since neither Harper nor Rhen trust each other (naturally), there's quite a spark of mistrust and Harper's brashness also leads to a few spats that have these two at odds in the beginning. I really loved that as well because it's so much more rewarding seeing the two soften towards each other and really piques that curiosity if the two can manage to fall in love. That's the whole point of the book so you assume it's coming and yet there's still the question if that really is what will happen and how they'll both come to believe it. It's so expertly crafted and those quiet, stolen moments were absolutely everything in this book! I love those moments more than anything in books and I think they're some of the most special scenes to read.Finally, there's the fact that this book delivers something of its own with a few unique twists that I did not see coming! I loved the set up for the next book and reading something like this actually made me glad that it's a series whereas usually I'm wishing for more stand-alones. I do think that this book could have been made into a stand-alone if that's what the author had wanted and it would have been beautiful, but I'm also glad that I get to keep reading about these characters, this world, and this beautiful writing for a little bit longer!