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A review by spicycronereads
The Cursed by Harper L. Woods
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don’t think I can read any more books by Harper L Woods. The author has some good ideas but the writing leaves much to be desired. There are too many other books out there to give these ones any more of my time.
The plot of this one is somehow simultaneously absent *and* convoluted. It takes Willow, the FMC, 74% of the book to arrive at a conclusion that should have taken a few chapters at most. I can be patient while a character goes on a journey of self-discovery but this was not that. Instead you get a wishy-washy FMC who lets herself be pushed around. Not much there in terms of plot.
Also, it is called The Cursed, so one might expect that it would center, at least to some degree, on the characters previously referenced as “the cursed.” Well, one would be wrong. It starts to go that direction and then backs away from it. I still have no idea who the cursed are that the book title is referencing. The book felt like filler. If Willow’s indecisiveness had been resolved earlier there could have been a really interesting plot by focusing on the cursed, or introducing Michael earlier, or even bringing Ash back into things. So much untapped potential there…
Lucifer is the only likable character though it feels like Leviathan has potential that is not developed. Which is the case with all of the secondary characters, who are truly all side characters. We get no sense of why they are important to the MCs and their relationships remain totally superficial.
There were moments in this book that should have had me in tears. It doesn’t take a lot. The two that stand out most are when Willow has to return all the witches to death and when she stabs Lucifer . I should have been wrecked by these scenes and I just felt nothing. When I say the author has some good ideas, this is what I mean. Unfortunately, the scenes were not executed with the kind of nuance that makes the reader feel what the characters are feeling.
Which brings me to the actual writing…I realized when reading this one that one of the things that makes the writing difficult to parse is that most of the sentences are structured exactly the same. Subject verb object, dependent clause starting with a gerund. Rinse and repeat. There are occasional introductory clauses, random comma splices, and just general messiness. But a good chunk of the sentences are that format. The author needs an editor. If she already has one, she needs one with a heavier hand. I realize that I am reading self-published genre fiction and so maybe I have to make allowances for developing craft. However, I didn’t see any development in the writing between this one and the last one.
Speaking of continuing trends…As with the last book, there are plenty of spicy scenes but they really don’t bring the heat. I think it may be the same issue that doesn’t convey the feelings during emotional scenes.
There is not much to speak of in the way of diverse representation here: a couple of people with golden or brown skin and one same-gender pairing. But given the issues with superficial side characters, none of these characters are substantive enough for me to consider the book as representing the diversity of the world around us.
With the last book, my initial rating was a 3 and I gave it some extra points because Willow’s magic was so cool and because the cliffhanger ending made me want to read more. My initial rating for this one was a 2 and I added a half star because at least I didn’t DNF it. I’ll admit that the author almost got me again with the cliffhanger ending to this one. This is definitely one of those “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” situations. I don’t think I will be reading the next in the series.
The plot of this one is somehow simultaneously absent *and* convoluted. It takes Willow, the FMC, 74% of the book to arrive at a conclusion that should have taken a few chapters at most. I can be patient while a character goes on a journey of self-discovery but this was not that. Instead you get a wishy-washy FMC who lets herself be pushed around. Not much there in terms of plot.
Also, it is called The Cursed, so one might expect that it would center, at least to some degree, on the characters previously referenced as “the cursed.” Well, one would be wrong. It starts to go that direction and then backs away from it. I still have no idea who the cursed are that the book title is referencing. The book felt like filler.
Lucifer is the only likable character though it feels like Leviathan has potential that is not developed. Which is the case with all of the secondary characters, who are truly all side characters. We get no sense of why they are important to the MCs and their relationships remain totally superficial.
There were moments in this book that should have had me in tears. It doesn’t take a lot.
Which brings me to the actual writing…I realized when reading this one that one of the things that makes the writing difficult to parse is that most of the sentences are structured exactly the same. Subject verb object, dependent clause starting with a gerund. Rinse and repeat. There are occasional introductory clauses, random comma splices, and just general messiness. But a good chunk of the sentences are that format. The author needs an editor. If she already has one, she needs one with a heavier hand. I realize that I am reading self-published genre fiction and so maybe I have to make allowances for developing craft. However, I didn’t see any development in the writing between this one and the last one.
Speaking of continuing trends…As with the last book, there are plenty of spicy scenes but they really don’t bring the heat. I think it may be the same issue that doesn’t convey the feelings during emotional scenes.
There is not much to speak of in the way of diverse representation here: a couple of people with golden or brown skin and one same-gender pairing. But given the issues with superficial side characters, none of these characters are substantive enough for me to consider the book as representing the diversity of the world around us.
With the last book, my initial rating was a 3 and I gave it some extra points because Willow’s magic was so cool and because the cliffhanger ending made me want to read more. My initial rating for this one was a 2 and I added a half star because at least I didn’t DNF it. I’ll admit that the author almost got me again with the cliffhanger ending to this one. This is definitely one of those “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” situations. I don’t think I will be reading the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent