A review by alexiab
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
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
4.25
I dunno how I can rate this 4.25 stars it’s just about the vibes, 4 was too low but 4.5 was too high.
I’m genuinely VERY surprised by this book. The idea of another BATB retelling interested me but didn’t overly excite me, but this story went several directions that I was not expecting at all and I was genuinely very impressed.
I love this approach to the curse/what Harper knows about said curse, and addressing how a leading lady tries to figure out her feelings when she knows she’s supposed to fall in love with someone who abducted her. Overall I think Harper’s mixed emotions about the conflict/Rhen were really well done.
The climax was also super exciting and very well done. It just kept coming and kept coming. I like a book with *good* conflict and I think this delivered.
If this was supposed to be a love triangle I think that definitely fell flat. Grey was a pretty monotone, uninteresting character for the most part, and his unyielding oath felt like it removed a lot of personality from him. I dunno man “loyal to a fault” isn’t really a personality trait.
Also not a fan of Jake. Harper spent so long worried about this dude just for him to act like a Jack ass for most of his scenes. But shout out to Noah the exhausted gay and Rhen the broodiest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen.
I’m genuinely VERY surprised by this book. The idea of another BATB retelling interested me but didn’t overly excite me, but this story went several directions that I was not expecting at all and I was genuinely very impressed.
I love this approach to the curse/what Harper knows about said curse, and addressing how a leading lady tries to figure out her feelings when she knows she’s supposed to fall in love with someone who abducted her. Overall I think Harper’s mixed emotions about the conflict/Rhen were really well done.
The climax was also super exciting and very well done. It just kept coming and kept coming. I like a book with *good* conflict and I think this delivered.
If this was supposed to be a love triangle I think that definitely fell flat. Grey was a pretty monotone, uninteresting character for the most part, and his unyielding oath felt like it removed a lot of personality from him. I dunno man “loyal to a fault” isn’t really a personality trait.
Also not a fan of Jake. Harper spent so long worried about this dude just for him to act like a Jack ass for most of his scenes. But shout out to Noah the exhausted gay and Rhen the broodiest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gore, Violence, and Blood