Reviews

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

greergreer's review against another edition

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2.0

Well that was one of the most blah books I have every read. This would have been better as a novella.
It felt like the author was trying to push this story into something it just refused to be. No love for this book.

antireading's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The end wraps up too quickly but this was a great read

k_winchester's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was cute, though I didn't end up loving it as much as I was hoping. I loved the concept, and there were lots of little things I enjoyed. Honestly surprised but how many mature or healthy conversations were had between many of the characters and things didn't devolve into typical chick flick/sitcom misunderstanding angst which I frequently expected when certain moments arose and I kept getting pleasantly surprised by how the characters handled many of those. 

That being said, I feel like the pacing was kinda weird - a lot of Grey and Jaya's thoughts/internal narratives felt verrry repetitive, and the ending felt weirdly rushed for all the build up (and Grey's speech on the phone - without being spoilery - while good and warranted, also completely came out of nowhere. A lot if Grey's white boy brooding angst and both of thier repetitive musings could've been used to build some foundation for that speech). 

As well, given that Jaya's entire focus/drive is supposed to be her sister, Isha is baaaarely in the book. I get the focus of this story is supposed to be Grey and Jaya, but aside from basically chapter 1 and the very last chapter, the sister relationship which is supposed to be SO important (to the point that Jaya is molding her life around protecting/avenging/steering/etc her) is non existent. We get a lot if Jaya thinking about how important her sister while basically never seeing them interact, which just feels very weird. 

Overall though, a solid 3.5 stars - it really was cute and light hearted.

forsakenfates's review against another edition

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2.0

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 2
Writing: 6
Plot: 4
Intrigue: 4
Logic: 5
Enjoyment: 4

This was a massive disappointment. I think I will be sticking to Sandhya Menon's contemporary romances from now on not these weird delves into alternate worlds with royalty.

bookishnicole's review

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4.0

Cute loved the beauty and the beast references!

girlreading's review against another edition

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4.0

A super fun, Beauty and the Beast retelling that goes beyond the classic tale.
I brilliantly explores familial pressures and expectations, stereotypes placed upon women, friendship and sisterhood, all while featuring the slowest of slow burn romances (love that for me) and weaves elements of the original story throughout in a brilliantly clever way.
Whilst I didn't love this quite as much as her previous books (although, to be completely honest, I think this was more down to my reading slump than anything) Sandhya Menon has once again proved she can do no wrong and is the Queen of YA.

nlfrey's review against another edition

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5.0

It's hard to find fairytale retellings that are good. Especially "modern day" retellings.
This is one of the good ones.
It's easy to see the original "Beauty and the Beast" storyline, but there's enough fresh material to keep you turning the pages and the story moving forward at a good pace.
Fun read!

witchinmyguy's review against another edition

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When I first saw this premise I thought - well, this will either be a disaster or an absolute delight. Turned out there was another option: 100% middling.

book_dolphin's review against another edition

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the writing was cringey

mercemr's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0