A review by e_flah
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Of Curses and Kisses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a boarding school, all of which sounded firmly up my alley. It was disappointing that this ended up being just an okay read for me. I never fully bought into the romance between Jaya and Grey because they aren't really developed beyond surface-level facts. Jaya in particular seemed defined solely by her feelings of duty toward her family and her position. I really wanted more out of her character, particularly to see the kindness that Grey often said she showed toward him.
It always bums me out when a book set in a boarding school spends basically no time developing the setting. St. Rosetta's Academy had so much potential. It's a boarding school outside of Aspen, Colorado for kids of the rich and famous. The glimpses of St. Rosetta's we got were intriguing but I just really wanted more. Even in areas where the setting ties into the Beauty and the Beast story, like Grey's abandoned tower, there wasn't much description given.
It always bums me out when a book set in a boarding school spends basically no time developing the setting. St. Rosetta's Academy had so much potential. It's a boarding school outside of Aspen, Colorado for kids of the rich and famous. The glimpses of St. Rosetta's we got were intriguing but I just really wanted more. Even in areas where the setting ties into the Beauty and the Beast story, like Grey's abandoned tower, there wasn't much description given.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent