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

adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

WOW it's been so long since I've felt this way about a book and for that I say thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't stop thinking about this book. It exceeded all my expectations and the hype I saw on instagram. To be honest, I was quite skeptical about this book cause I'm not too big a fan of beauty and the beast, so I had pretty low expectations going into this, but I loved it so much!!

First of all, I LOVE Brigid Kemmerer's writing style. It's utterly mind-blowing. I mean, just look at this:
Hope blooms in my chest anyway, a tiny bud giving way to the first light of spring, petals daring to open to reveal the colour inside. 
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THAT?? And the way she so effortlessly alternates between the "modern" and "old" povs like Harper vs. Rhen was just amazing. The way you can tell who's speaking even if she didn't put the name in there. I think that's really well done. 

In terms of the characters, I loved them all. I like how Brigid didn't make having cerebral palsy as Harper's dominating personality trait. I love how Harper acknowledges it and isn't ashamed of it and doesn't let it get in her away and she's just so strong and smart. And another thing I find sort of refreshing is that Harper isn't a "natural" badass you know? Like she's not like Inej or Aelin or Zoya who, when we read their stories, they're already "men-killers" and super skilled assassins, but in this case, Harper is still in her learning phase and she's so resilient and I just love that.
They believe her limp is the result of a war injury, but Harper is quick to correct them. 
"I was born this way," she'll snap, "and I'm going to die this way, so teach me to work around it."
I also loved Rhen's character. I like how he seems like a self-indulgent arrogant prince in the beginning and we get to see him shed his layers. I love how he cares so much about his people and tries time and again to sacrifice himself to save them. His story is so, so sad and he's had to go through all that grief and pain and confusion all alone. Grey was such a good friend/loyal commander. I think he's my favourite character. 

Also something worth noting - how both Rhen and Harper were scared to fall in love with each other cause neither of them could tell if it was for real. I MEAN--bye I'll be staring at the ceiling for the next few hours.

Some of the themes covered in this book are 
- cerebral palsy
- abandonment (Harper's father) 
- guilt
- grief 

Some of the political intrigue was lost on me, but that's just a me-thing. I think this book was so close to perfection but for some reason I just can't give it a 5 star. But yeah, awesome read.
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