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A review by despinareviews
The Cursed And The Broken by Chloe Hodge
4.0
3.75 stars
This fantasy book follows Kitarni, a young witch who finds herself with darker power than everyone around her for reasons unexplained to her. When cultists start acting around her village, intent on serving a long-ago Dark Queen, things start to happen and she is in the middle of an epic battle including Death and Fate.
I'll start with a tiny bit of critique before getting to the good part:
This book really took it's time setting up the context we found ourselves in and the pacing, for me, was a bit off, but the ending really saved it for me. It went from very tell-y not show-y in the first half, to a very action-packed second half (and past the 90% mark, my jaw dropped!). I genuinely didn't predict the ending at all (and I normally do) and that piqued my interest to read the next one a LOT.
I didn't love our MC's inner monologue and they way she spoke about and to people. I don't think all MCs have to be particularly likeable or fit a certain mold, but I think she was supposed to be 'not like the other girls' and it showed. I really liked her family members and also the main love interest as well as his sister and best friend (I won't name anyone for spoiler-y reasons) which made my lack of attachment to Kitarni even more confusing. This definitely softened a bit towards the latter quarter of the book, and I hope I will grow to love her more in the second instalment.
And now the good stuff:
I really enjoyed the setting, and have never read a book based in Hungary before. I really found myself hungry after reading some of the scenes and googling the names of some of the foods!! I also really liked the way the author wrote about Kitarni's feelings of not fitting in and anger/frustration/hurt about the way she had been treated by those surrounding her, you really got into her head and felt the pain that Kitarni has felt through her life of feeling like an outcast. I think truly once the pacing issue is sorted out, Chloe Hodge will be an author I continue to read.
The spice was *chef kiss* when it did happen, and I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters a lot actually. I feel like the main love interest has a LOT of layers to be explored and is a bit of a gold mine, so I hope that is taken forward.
All the above being said, this book deserves a read and I will be picking up the second instalment when that's around.
I received an complimentary advance review copy via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This fantasy book follows Kitarni, a young witch who finds herself with darker power than everyone around her for reasons unexplained to her. When cultists start acting around her village, intent on serving a long-ago Dark Queen, things start to happen and she is in the middle of an epic battle including Death and Fate.
I'll start with a tiny bit of critique before getting to the good part:
This book really took it's time setting up the context we found ourselves in and the pacing, for me, was a bit off, but the ending really saved it for me. It went from very tell-y not show-y in the first half, to a very action-packed second half (and past the 90% mark, my jaw dropped!). I genuinely didn't predict the ending at all (and I normally do) and that piqued my interest to read the next one a LOT.
I didn't love our MC's inner monologue and they way she spoke about and to people. I don't think all MCs have to be particularly likeable or fit a certain mold, but I think she was supposed to be 'not like the other girls' and it showed. I really liked her family members and also the main love interest as well as his sister and best friend (I won't name anyone for spoiler-y reasons) which made my lack of attachment to Kitarni even more confusing. This definitely softened a bit towards the latter quarter of the book, and I hope I will grow to love her more in the second instalment.
And now the good stuff:
I really enjoyed the setting, and have never read a book based in Hungary before. I really found myself hungry after reading some of the scenes and googling the names of some of the foods!! I also really liked the way the author wrote about Kitarni's feelings of not fitting in and anger/frustration/hurt about the way she had been treated by those surrounding her, you really got into her head and felt the pain that Kitarni has felt through her life of feeling like an outcast. I think truly once the pacing issue is sorted out, Chloe Hodge will be an author I continue to read.
The spice was *chef kiss* when it did happen, and I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters a lot actually. I feel like the main love interest has a LOT of layers to be explored and is a bit of a gold mine, so I hope that is taken forward.
All the above being said, this book deserves a read and I will be picking up the second instalment when that's around.
I received an complimentary advance review copy via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.