A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury YA
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-0399547966
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a modern re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Rhen, the prince and heir to Emberfall, has been cursed to repeat the same season until a girl falls in love with him. Harper is a spirited girl with cerebral palsy from Washington D.C., who finds herself taken to Emberfall by mistake. Starting another season, Rhen is not only faced with the realities of how his curse has affected his people, but Harper, Rhen, and Grey, the commander of the Royal Guard, have to also deal with an invading army and an evil enchantress as well.
What makes A Curse So Dark and Lonely a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers title is that the story grabs the reader’s attention from the start. It is character-driven with a strong female heroine who does not let anything stand in her way whom readers will find relatable. Readers will also enjoy the action, the fantasy elements, and how atmospheric and absorbing the world-building is throughout the novel.
Readers who enjoy fairy-tale retellings with a strong female heroine like Hunted by Meagan Spooner or stories filled with magic and fantasy, but with a darker undertone like Cruel Prince by Holly Black will no doubt enjoy A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. It is a great book that completely takes a familiar fairytale and changes it into something new.
–Kat Reynolds
