A review by paperbacksandsnacks
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

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

4.0

This was a book that had been on my tbr forever. I don’t know why, but I just never gravitated towards it once I owned it. But I do wish I’d read it sooner.

I asked my husband to pick my next book for me and this is what he chose and I’m actually super glad he did. I really enjoyed it. 

This beauty and the beast fairytale retelling was just different enough to be engaging whilst still holding true to the classic. The modern day parallel universe vibe was fun for sure! I loved the characters and felt attached to all of them, but I think I was rooting for the wrong love interest (sorry not sorry). 

It had a nice level of representation for disabled people, and the LGBTQ community without being super obvious about it. It didn’t feel like a plot point or that is was there for the sake of meeting a diversity request. Just added to the story in a great and subtle way.

I am super intrigued to see where this series goes next. I have a lot of questions and I am invested so that’s a positive sign. I would say maybe slightly longer than it needed to be. Perhaps a bit of a frustrating ending too, but I do see the point of it as it’s building up to the next book. But maybe something to note. I also felt like this was mostly YA but then some moments felt a bit unnecessary for this particular series. Maybe that’s just me being super fussy. 

Overall, an enjoyable fairytale retelling and I am looking forward to the next. 
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