elliefufu's review against another edition
4.0
The Cursed, League of the Black Swans #1, By Alyssa Day
Grade: B+
“Luke, are you-and I mean this in the nicest way possible- are you nuts?”
“You were hurting, and I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how, so I blew something up.”
Rio Jones is just an ordinary bike messenger living in Bordertown, a small section of Manhattan occupied by all types of paranormals and humans with special gifts, who can sometimes read minds depending on how powerful the person is. Rio never expected that her twenty-fifth birthday would put her in so much danger as well as unlock the secrets of the parents that abandoned her. When private investigator Luke Oliver, Rio’s long time crush, asks for her help Rio jumps at the chance and soon sparks are flying between the two. With Luke’s help Rio can finally start to put the pieces together of her past and hopefully her future.
Luke Oliver is a the person people in Bordertown come to when there is a problem and as a powerful wizard he is the best for their jobs. Luke lives his life with everyone at arm distance due to a curse that was put on him as a child but all that changes when the beautiful Rio Jones falls into his lap. Luke knows he should stay away from Rio but when she is put in danger over and over again Luke just can’t walk away. When the League of the Black Swan starts sniffing around wanting information on Rio, Luke is determined to do everything he can to keep her away from danger and in his life forever.
I really had no idea what to expect from this newest series from Alyssa Day but I am happy to say that it blew me away! From the very first pages I was swept up into this new world of Bordertown and its supernatural residents of wizards, demons, goblins, fae and more. I found myself staying up late at night and sneaking away whenever I could to get back to this magical world and Luke and Rio.
Oh Luke and Rio you are everything that I want in a paranormal romance couple. Rio is smart, funny and fearless while still having a heart of gold. She sometimes does the silly thing of putting herself in harms ways to save others but she is great at making friends and not being annoying (very hard for female heroines I’ve found). Luke, Luke, Luke I just adore you and I love you are a very powerful wizard with no game and that you put your foot in you mouth so much when trying to woo Rio. Luke is so cute and awkward with Rio, something you don’t find very often, and he is now one of my favorite heroes in romance.
There are tons of side characters besides Luke and Rio that make this book so magical. Even though there was a lot going on it was never too much and it kept the story moving without getting boring. There are still a lot of secrets and mysteries to uncover in Bordertown and with the League of the Black Swan which I cannot wait to read more about. I fell in love with this world, the characters and I can’t wait to jump back into it. This is a great book for all urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers!
Grade: B+
“Luke, are you-and I mean this in the nicest way possible- are you nuts?”
“You were hurting, and I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how, so I blew something up.”
Rio Jones is just an ordinary bike messenger living in Bordertown, a small section of Manhattan occupied by all types of paranormals and humans with special gifts, who can sometimes read minds depending on how powerful the person is. Rio never expected that her twenty-fifth birthday would put her in so much danger as well as unlock the secrets of the parents that abandoned her. When private investigator Luke Oliver, Rio’s long time crush, asks for her help Rio jumps at the chance and soon sparks are flying between the two. With Luke’s help Rio can finally start to put the pieces together of her past and hopefully her future.
Luke Oliver is a the person people in Bordertown come to when there is a problem and as a powerful wizard he is the best for their jobs. Luke lives his life with everyone at arm distance due to a curse that was put on him as a child but all that changes when the beautiful Rio Jones falls into his lap. Luke knows he should stay away from Rio but when she is put in danger over and over again Luke just can’t walk away. When the League of the Black Swan starts sniffing around wanting information on Rio, Luke is determined to do everything he can to keep her away from danger and in his life forever.
I really had no idea what to expect from this newest series from Alyssa Day but I am happy to say that it blew me away! From the very first pages I was swept up into this new world of Bordertown and its supernatural residents of wizards, demons, goblins, fae and more. I found myself staying up late at night and sneaking away whenever I could to get back to this magical world and Luke and Rio.
Oh Luke and Rio you are everything that I want in a paranormal romance couple. Rio is smart, funny and fearless while still having a heart of gold. She sometimes does the silly thing of putting herself in harms ways to save others but she is great at making friends and not being annoying (very hard for female heroines I’ve found). Luke, Luke, Luke I just adore you and I love you are a very powerful wizard with no game and that you put your foot in you mouth so much when trying to woo Rio. Luke is so cute and awkward with Rio, something you don’t find very often, and he is now one of my favorite heroes in romance.
There are tons of side characters besides Luke and Rio that make this book so magical. Even though there was a lot going on it was never too much and it kept the story moving without getting boring. There are still a lot of secrets and mysteries to uncover in Bordertown and with the League of the Black Swan which I cannot wait to read more about. I fell in love with this world, the characters and I can’t wait to jump back into it. This is a great book for all urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers!
jaded_kitty's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea what to expect and ended up loving it. :)
funsizelibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
More tell than show, characters with no sense and too much angst, overacting, and drama that rivals a telenovella....think I'll pass on any further books in this series.
cranberrytarts's review
3.0
I discovered The Cursed while browsing Audible Escape and decided to give it a go. Shortly after I checked the author's website to see the series had been cancelled by the publisher and no follow up book has been released. This does not end in a cliffhanger, so I continued on with it.
The world was interesting and the early chapters really pulled me in. I enjoyed Rio and Luke, both, as well as the secondary characters. As the story wore on, I became more and more frustrated with the way Rio and Luke both put their heads in the sand and refused to deal with all the questions concerning Rio's past. Everyone but her seemed to know who she was and what was coming, but rather than follow up they both just sort of ignored everything. Plus, the way things were glossed over about Luke's "curse" and how quick both of them were to storm off in a huff was annoying.
I really liked certain aspects of the book, and I would have read another had it been available, but overall this was a pretty underwhelming listen.
The world was interesting and the early chapters really pulled me in. I enjoyed Rio and Luke, both, as well as the secondary characters. As the story wore on, I became more and more frustrated with the way Rio and Luke both put their heads in the sand and refused to deal with all the questions concerning Rio's past. Everyone but her seemed to know who she was and what was coming, but rather than follow up they both just sort of ignored everything. Plus, the way things were glossed over about Luke's "curse" and how quick both of them were to storm off in a huff was annoying.
I really liked certain aspects of the book, and I would have read another had it been available, but overall this was a pretty underwhelming listen.
chelsjulian's review against another edition
2.0
Stalker possessive alpha male saves poor orphan Mary Sue. Blah.
jaclynder's review
3.0
The Cursed is the first in a new series by Alyssa Day. Here, readers are introduced to an alternate Manhattan, Bordertown – the dimensional fold between the human and supernatural realms. Rio Jones is a bike messenger with no apparent past, but after witnessing a kidnapping she’s thrust into the political dealings of Bordertown. Rio knows there’s only one person that she can trust to help her find the kidnapped girl – the Dark Wizard, Luke Oliver, who just so happens to be the guy who rejected her when she asked him out. The pair team up and discover a much larger concern, one the deals directly with Rio’s unknown past, and may just come at the cost of her life.
Luke Oliver agrees to help Rio against his better judgement. He likes her (really loves her, *sigh*), but he knows he should stay away since he was cursed long ago and he knows that getting entangled with Rio could activate his curse. When Luke learns that Rio’s life is in danger he will stop at nothing to protect her and in the process realizes that he wants to keep her around and will do anything to make that happen. The question is whether the fae or the demons will allow Rio to live past her twenty-fifth birthday.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with this one. I really liked the premise for this urban fantasy, but in the end I found it difficult to finish the book. What I didn’t like was the pacing, as I found it was up and down constantly; it was ultimately a very uneven reading experience for me. For example, the kidnapping that instigates the plot was resolved quickly but then it was one thing after the other for Rio and Luke to confront and it came off rushed rather than action-packed. Even the relationship between the two of them was uneven and felt off kilter to me.
Full review with read-alikes available here.
Luke Oliver agrees to help Rio against his better judgement. He likes her (really loves her, *sigh*), but he knows he should stay away since he was cursed long ago and he knows that getting entangled with Rio could activate his curse. When Luke learns that Rio’s life is in danger he will stop at nothing to protect her and in the process realizes that he wants to keep her around and will do anything to make that happen. The question is whether the fae or the demons will allow Rio to live past her twenty-fifth birthday.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with this one. I really liked the premise for this urban fantasy, but in the end I found it difficult to finish the book. What I didn’t like was the pacing, as I found it was up and down constantly; it was ultimately a very uneven reading experience for me. For example, the kidnapping that instigates the plot was resolved quickly but then it was one thing after the other for Rio and Luke to confront and it came off rushed rather than action-packed. Even the relationship between the two of them was uneven and felt off kilter to me.
Full review with read-alikes available here.
classicista's review
3.0
I will probably read more books in the series, despite all the Mary Sue-age, I didn't hate it.
cleocleveland's review
4.0
This was a fun start to this series. I enjoyed Rio & Luke as individuals and their growing relationship. The story takes place in Bordertown, and area in Manhattan where fae, demons, humans and other races live and work. I really liked the world building here. Although there will always be a place in my heart for your basic vampire story I'm really liking the new trend of having a lot of different supernatural races share space. I can't get into too much without spoilers but the end of this book really sets up the series to continue to explore the differences and politics of the region.
As a couple Rio and Luke are fun. There's some good banter and only a couple of instances of "why don't you just tell him/her". The secondary characters round out their personalities, especially for Rio as she's more outgoing and makes friends more easily. Add in an awesome pet "more than an fox" and I'm sold. While I enjoyed this enough to wish I had read it sooner, I'm also glad I waiting since book 2 is just coming out soon now.
As a couple Rio and Luke are fun. There's some good banter and only a couple of instances of "why don't you just tell him/her". The secondary characters round out their personalities, especially for Rio as she's more outgoing and makes friends more easily. Add in an awesome pet "more than an fox" and I'm sold. While I enjoyed this enough to wish I had read it sooner, I'm also glad I waiting since book 2 is just coming out soon now.