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A review by zanybibliophile
The Curse by Jina S. Bazzar
4.0
The Curse is a short story that follows Yoncey Fosch, the leader of the Unseelie Dhiultadh clan. There is a mysterious plague that is claiming the lives of many in his clan and when his brother begins to show signs of the plague, Yoncey will do anything to save him. Desperate, Yoncey makes a deal with Oberon, Queen Titania’s consort - a way to heal his clan in exchange for Yoncey siring a human hybrid.
The character of Yoncey is admirable but also short-sighted. Yoncey is described as a great leader - fair and kind - and his heart is in the right place when he makes the impossible deal with Oberon in order to save the members of his clan, but he really should have thought about the consequences of that deal. He tried to outsmart Oberon and it backfired.
The character of Oberon is similar to the Oberon in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream so, having read that play, I felt I already knew the character and expected him to requests tricky terms in his deal with Yoncey. What I was not expecting was the punishment that would follow if Yoncey did not follow through with his side of the deal.
It is not necessary to read The Curse before Heir of Ashes, though the plot of the prequel provides a fair amount of background information for the main novel and acts as a sort of prologue. It is also not necessary to read Heir of Ashes before The Curse as this short story holds up pretty well on its own. The story did fast forward through the timeline a little, however, it was detailed enough to get a good idea of the world and the fee (faeries) that inhabit it.
While I would have liked to know more about Yoncey and his life before the deal with Oberon, I did think The Curse was a lovely prequel that complimented Heir of Ashes.
The character of Yoncey is admirable but also short-sighted. Yoncey is described as a great leader - fair and kind - and his heart is in the right place when he makes the impossible deal with Oberon in order to save the members of his clan, but he really should have thought about the consequences of that deal. He tried to outsmart Oberon and it backfired.
The character of Oberon is similar to the Oberon in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream so, having read that play, I felt I already knew the character and expected him to requests tricky terms in his deal with Yoncey. What I was not expecting was the punishment that would follow if Yoncey did not follow through with his side of the deal.
It is not necessary to read The Curse before Heir of Ashes, though the plot of the prequel provides a fair amount of background information for the main novel and acts as a sort of prologue. It is also not necessary to read Heir of Ashes before The Curse as this short story holds up pretty well on its own. The story did fast forward through the timeline a little, however, it was detailed enough to get a good idea of the world and the fee (faeries) that inhabit it.
While I would have liked to know more about Yoncey and his life before the deal with Oberon, I did think The Curse was a lovely prequel that complimented Heir of Ashes.