
Member Reviews

By a Charm and a Curse was a unique read and unlike anything I have read before. I feel like that is something very common people say a lot, but in this case, it is true. I’ve read quite a few carnival-themed books, but not once did I compare this beauty to them, and that’s because there is nothing to compare. The magical idea behind By a Charm and a Curse is wholly original and one that peaked my interest. I mean, a curse AND a charm involved in a carnival?! That’s definitely an attention grabber!
The curse, itself, is such an intriguing part of the story. I spent most of the book trying to figure out how the curse came to be and why this carnival was cursed. I was also very much captivated by the charm of the carnival. When I did find out why the curse and charm were created, I was not disappointed.
The two main characters, Emma and Ben, are what pull the story together. The dual narration gives the reader the wonderful opportunity to peek inside each character’s mind and see what it is really like to live with a cursed, yet charmed, carnival. And when things start going wrong in the carnival, the reader gets to see how Ben and Emma react to each incident.
The setting of this book was not just magical, but also captivating. I love the carnival setting and Jaime Questell does not fall short in describing the beautiful setting and landscape of each carnival night. She really goes into detail of the Girl in the Box and her role, while also giving the reader the chance to see the main attractions of the carnival. My favorite attraction was by far Gin and Whiskey’s (you’ll have to read the book to find out which attraction they performed 🙂 ). The pace of the novel was also steady and I did not get that feeling of anything being rushed.
The secondary characters—the carnival workers and performers—were fantastic and relatable and they felt so real. I felt like they were people who I would most definitely befriend. Well, I’d befriend almost all of them. There are some who are questionable and you will understand why when you read By a Charm and a Curse.
By a Charm and a Curse is a novel I am so thankful I stumbled upon. This beautiful and intoxicating read kept me up late into the night and even had me reading some chapters when I should have been working. Everything about this book pulled to me and made me feel like I was actually there with the characters. I cannot wait to read Jaime Questell’s next work.
By a Charm and a Curse can be found at your local bookstore. I highly recommend this book!

I don't normally read young adult fantasy but this book caught my eye with its pretty cover and intriguing synopsis so I figured I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did. The whole concept of everyone in the circus being protected by a charm except for one person who is cursed was fantastic. The characters were extremely likeable and I love that the romance has such a slow build to it. It's a nice change from all the insta-love in the book world. There isn't just an overwhelming amount of magic in the story and I thought it was blended perfectly in to give it a nice twist. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

Personally, I loved this story. I'm always a sucker for a good story that takes place in a carnival or circus. This one hit all the points that I love about stories like this. The characters were really great, I felt so much for Emma, and couldn't help but like Ben so much. When I picked this one up, I hated whenever I had to put it down. I mostly read during lunch breaks at school, so it made going back to work really hard. I got swept into the mythology behind the curse and the charm. I liked how there were people you would assume would be a problem with trying to break the curse, but they surprised you. I loved how Sidney even became someone you empathized with, and wanted to see him get his true love finally. And then there was all the horrible things those with the curse had to endure. The initial breaking to start the curse, followed by the coldness and twitching. Not being able to feel anything. Then the guilt of having to either do the same terrible thing to another innocent person in order to save yourself, or else having to be stuck with the curse yourself, not being able to go back to your own family. Also the curse was related to the rest of the carnies "charm" and how much they were able to do as part of their amazing acts.
I loved the connection to New Orleans. And the story behind the curse was so good. Solving the curse was a very heart-breaking solution, and it was easy to understand why Emma didn't want to do it the way it had to be done. A great story, a book I will definitely be purchasing for my school library!
Now, my only issues. First, the aerial family members that were the "bad guys" in the story. I almost feel like I needed a little more reason for what they did. For how evil they got at the end. I didn't quite understand what their solution was with Ben and Emma. My other thought is one I had about teens today. I wonder, do teens today really know or get what a carnival or traveling circus show is? I mean, Barnum and Baileys are going out of business, right? So what circuses are there anymore? And even as I was growing up, there weren't really the carnivals like this story is about. The reason I began thinking about this, is that another of my favorite stories, Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond, is about a circus, and I can barely get students to even look at it. I guess I just wonder if carnivals or circuses mean the same to teens today as they did when I was growing up.

I enjoyed this cute love story that's different from any other you'll read. There were actually 3 love stories in here but 2 were really focused on quite a bit. I loved the carnival atmosphere as that's not frequently used as a setting in books but you can get some really unique and fun characters. The charm and curse just made it even more interesting. This is definitely a young adult book, not necessarily one adults will enjoy. It all depends on the adult. There is some swearing sprinkled throughout and some violence as the charm begins to wear off and also due to certain characters' violence but nothing is super graphic so I'd recommend it for mid-teens and up,but it really depends on the kid. Overall though, it kept me turning the pages and I enjoyed this book.
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic isn’t like other traveling circuses. It’s bound by a charm, held together by a centuries-old curse, that protects its members from ever growing older or getting hurt. Emmaline King is drawn to the circus like a moth to a flame…and unwittingly recruited into its folds by a mysterious teen boy whose kiss is as cold as ice.
Forced to travel through Texas as the new Girl in the Box, Emmaline is completely trapped. Breaking the curse seems like her only chance at freedom, but with no curse, there’s no charm, either—dooming everyone who calls the Carnival Fantastic home. Including the boy she’s afraid she’s falling for.
Everything—including his life—could end with just one kiss.
My Review:
I received a copy of By a Charm and a Curse from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a completely unique and I loved every bit of it. Switching viewpoints between Emma, someone who desperately wants to go to the carnival, and Benjamin, who desperately wants to get out of the carnival. Emma and her siblings have been ditched by their mom at their dads house while she goes on a work vacation. Benjamin, on the other hand, knows nothing outside the carnival.
Emma and her friend Jules go to the carnival for a night they never forget. Their lives are changed forever, and she learns of the supernatural curse that has been put on the carnival. She's forced into it and all too quickly everything she knows is taken away. It takes a new turn to running away to join the circus.
This book is exciting and different than any other book I've read lately. The characters are interesting and all fit together well with the story. They react to situations like anyone would, really, and the world is just like ours. Another thing I liked was the cover. It caught my eye as soon as I saw it in the catalog, and after reading description I knew it would be something I would like. I definitely recommend you check this book out.
Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the authors twitter.
https://www.amazon.ca/Charm-Curse-Jaime-Questell/dp/1633759008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518208874&sr=8-1&keywords=By+a+Charm+and+a+Curse+by+Jaime+Questell
https://twitter.com/JaimeQuestell
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
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Amazing is what this book is. I loved it. I feel bad for what had to happen for Emma to get to know Ben. But that's how a well written story goes. You can't have it easy. In this book a kiss isn't just a kiss. It ends up being everything and also very little to do with just a kiss. I really liked how everything came together with the curse and charm. Sure I guessed a few things, but the twist I didn't exactly see coming. I really didn't think what happened was going to happen.

I absolutely loved this book!
The plot line surrounding this mysterious Carnival was what brought me into reading this book in the first place. The author formed all of the dimensions to where I felt like I was right in the middle of all of the amazing acts. There was great world building that switched from a festive to a fantasy aesthetic as the plot began to thicken.
The characters were one of my favorite aspects of this book. With the magic that is tied into their talents, I became engrossed in seeing how they developed. There is romance in this book, BUT it doesn’t follow through like any YA novel I’ve read in a long time.
I was completely surprised in how the title of this book tied in and switched the feeling of the plot about halfway through. I was completely entertained by how the author slowly added the curse into the plot while also focusing on building the foundation of the carnival’s history.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I didn’t give it that final star because the romance did come out of nowhere and there were a few parts to the dialogue that felt typical in YA. BUT I absolutely adored all the other parts.
There is a great mix of villainous characters, a fantastic carnival, a tragic curse, and curious characters that all made me read this book in a few sittings.
I highly recommend this book if you love carnival books as much as I do!

by a charm and a curse starts off on the fairgrounds, in claremont, oklahoma and takes us on a journey to new orleans a place where magic has always been a possiblity. the charm of invincibility inherent to the le grand's carnival fantastic is anchored by a terrible curse, something emmaline king learns when she's conned into taking it on after a visit to the fair with an old friend.
alone and terrified by the fact that her body is no longer her own. she's like a mannequin but alive. she doesn't have a pulse, can't cry, can't breathe but she still feels cold. she still feels. and the only way she can get rid of the curse is to pass it on to someone else. but she hasn't lost her humanity quite yet. she can't imagine condemning anyone else to this existence.
and then there's ben. he's grown up as part of the carnival. his mother is the master carpenter and he is her apprentice. from the moment he meets emma, though, he can't stay away. even as it infuriates his mother. she's worried he'll be emma's next victim. but emma cares too deeply about ben to let him suffer the way she has.
but as accidents begin to pile up on the carnival campgrounds, tensions begin to run high. suddenly the girl in the box and the carpenter's apprentice are under watch. because the closer they get the more it seems like the charm that's protected the carnival is wearing off. the question is, can they break the curse?
and how they figure this out, is so worth the read. i loved the setting, the relationship that evolves between ben and emma. the fact that she's trapped in this shell of a body and the moments they touch, when his heat infuses her and she can feel him close. it's super romantic. in some ways the setting imbues the story with some old-time sensibilities. so like in victorian novels where any explicit sexual touching is frowned upon, and they relied on small touches, like hand-holding, to show those moments of connection, the same is true for ben and emma.
and as the story moves forward, their connection gets stronger and the more contact they need between them. and i love how this heightens the feelings and emotions of their relationship.
this was a wonderful read, and i can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next.
**by a charm and a curse published on february 6, 2018. i received an advance digital copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled teen) in exchange for my honest review.

Who doesn’t love a book about a magical circus? A circus with both a charm and a curse? Sign me up!
What Fed My Addiction:
The circus atmosphere.
I don’t know what it is about a traveling circus or carnival, but I just love this setting. There’s already such a sense of awe and wonder there that it works really well for a fantastical story. Plus, they’re a little creepy (I think I always think back to Something Wicked This Way Comes), which works well for this story.
Emmaline’s curse.
The curse itself is, again, creepy in all the best ways. Emmaline is turned into something along the lines of a living puppet. She’s solid, her senses are dulled, and she’s suddenly living a sort of shadow life. There was a lot to play with here, and Questell does it well. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for Emmaline as she suffers the effects of the curse.
Ben.
Poor Ben has been trying to escape the circus life for a long time, but he can’t seem to break ties with the people there that he loves. His mother is overprotective of him (for a reason, but still) and he can’t really live his own life. I enjoyed the romance between Emmaline and Ben, though it did perhaps move a little quickly into true love territory.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Few plot holes?
I had a hard time understanding why everyone seemed to act like Emmaline would be able to trick someone into taking her place almost immediately when the last person had been in her position had been there for years. And why did no one seem to know the specifics of the charm and the curse or be all that interested in them? It seemed odd to me. But the biggest lack in logic was that when things started to go wrong, people didn’t immediately figure out that it was tied to the curse—Emmaline and Ben, especially—I didn’t understand the doubt there.
Bullying villains.
The tumbling brothers were bullies for the sake of being bullies, it seemed. The book just needed a villain, maybe?
This book was utterly unique and it was definitely entertaining. I had enough hang-ups about the plot that I was close to cutting it down a half star, but I eventually settled on 4/5 Stars. A solid debut.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

So I am a sucker for stories about Carnivals, circuses, fairs. I love the atmosphere of these places and believe setting is just as important as characters and plot when it has to do with these settings. That being said I think the reason why I didn't like this as much as I thought I would was because they didn't spend enough time on the actual setting of the Carnival. The whole story was lacking that magic the was in the Night Circus. The story was rushed and I didn't really connect with the characters like I wanted to. The relationship between Emma and Ben felt like a mystery. It felt like I missed key moments and then one day they are in love. It didn't feel like an organic love story. I was interested in the story behind the curse and the twins, and Sidney (though he was an ass and I should hate him) I actually really liked him. The ending was mediocre and too cheesy for my tastes.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All I know is that someone mentioned that this book was able a carnival and I has just finished reading Caraval and was looking for another book that would suit my love of carnivals. First of all can we just take a moment to prevaricate the beauty that is that cover, its such an eye catching book that even if I didn't know what this book was about I would've picked this book up simply because of that cover. That story line was interesting and I give this book props for being a unique story. I can definatly say I haven't read another book like this which I really appreciate. I loved the characters and how the book progressed in the story. I will admit that I was a bit confused about the curse but as the story went on it slowly became clear enough for me to understand what was going on. When it came to Emma man it must of sucked being her and having to make that choice as picking a new person for the box and I couldn't help but think if I was in her shoes it would've been tough for me to make that decision that she was placed with. I honestly cant say more without spoiling the book but if you love books that feature unique carnivals then this book might be for you, I really enjoyed it!

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
I COULD NOT sit By a Charm & a Curse by Jaime Questell down! I loved the setting and the mystery surround the curse. I ached for Emma and fell in love with Ben. If you enjoy YA urban fantasy, carnivals, and curses, I highly recommend it!
When the book opens, Emma is struggling. She’s been sent away by her mother to live with her father and brothers in rural Oklahoma. That in itself isn’t so bad. It’s the being away from her mother for over a year that Emma struggles with. Emma comes full circle in this book, seeing the error in her thinking almost immediately. She misses her family, and yet she’s can’t return. It’s heartbreaking!
Ben is ready to run at the open. He’s spent most of his life with the carnival, and he’s ready to leave and find a place to call home. He’s tired of the traveling, nomadic life. BUT his mom is there, and they are there because she wants to keep him safe. The charm tied to the carnival protects them from accidents, makes their shows magical, and even stops their aging. Despite all of this, Ben wants a normal life until the new Girl in the Box arrives.
So the premise of the book is in the title. There is a curse on the person in the box and that curse is directly related to the charm protecting everyone in the carnival. The story opens with Sidney, the Boy in the Box. I picture something like those old fortune teller boxes that you drop a coin in and the mannequin gives them a card of their future. This is exactly what it is except Sidney is alive. Then he tricks Emma into the Box and she takes his place, forced to travel with the carnival, unable to go home and unable to apologize to the family she is leaving behind.
I think this is where the book lost me a bit. I loved Emma and Ben. I even liked their budding relationship. But the curse and charm, those confused me, which is why the book gets four instead of five stars. It’s well thought-out and is explained some, but I still had a hard time understanding how the curse is passed on and why no one has thought to break it before now. Granted that is also explained.
Overall I really enjoyed By a Charm & a Curse, even if some of it was predictable. I found myself engrossed in Emma and Ben’s story, their relationship and how they overcome the odds. I loved Duncan and Whiskey and the other side characters, and I hurt for Sidney and Audrey. I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys the whimsy of carnival life, the charms of first love, and a seemingly unbreakable curse.
Note: This book contains strong language, underage drinking, and some violence. While it is written for YA, I would recommend it for 16+ or the mature teen.

When I received the review request from the publisher for By A Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell, the request emphasized how much I had loved Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond which I reviewed here. I considered the Gwenda Bond novel one of the best books I read in 2014. It's also among my favorite circus novels of all time.
It's definitely true that I love books about circuses and carnivals, but I'm also very picky about them. I called the bestselling Erin Morgenstern novel The Night Circus inauthentic and superficial in my review of Girl on a Wire. So let this be a warning to those who want me to review their circus or carnival novels. I did obtain an ARC of By A Charm and a Curse via Net Galley in return for this honest review.
So let's start with what worked. The romantic heroine and hero were very sympathetic. Their relationship was intense and moving. Jaime Questell should definitely continue writing romance. She understands how to engage the reader's emotions.
I thought that the fantasy aspect of the charm and the curse could have applied to any high risk occupation. They could have been a unit of mercenaries, for example. There is nothing that makes this inherently a story about carnival performers.
There also weren't any performers with high risk acts who were central to the novel. So we don't really get very much of their perspective. There was relatively little space devoted to performances or training. For me, a tumbler or aerialist's breathtaking act is what makes carnivals and circuses magical. So there wasn't enough of the content that draws me to novels of this type.
Girl On A Wire was about an especially daring aerialist who filled me with awe. The novel was about the risks she took and her motivations for taking them as much as it was about a Romeo and Juliet romance. By A Charm and a Curse was primarily about characters who didn't belong in a carnival and didn't want to be there. I felt that as a fan of carnivals, I was not part of the intended audience for this book.
For me, the romance aspect was the most appealing part of By A Charm and a Curse. Romance fans should be satisfied by it.

I am pleasantly surprised to say that I completely enjoyed this book. The beginning started a little rocky for me, as I kept saying to myself this is not believable. However, I decided to stick with it and once I got a feel for the book and the magical elements I was completely in tune with the story and characters. There are certain things that you have to overlook when reading this, some parts that don't make total sense or are not explained until later on in the story. That being said the story was engaging and kept you turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I wished at the end we would have found out exactly how the curse worked and why it ended but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. I'd give this 3.5 starts

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell! Emmaline and her siblings are spending a year with their father in a small, uneventful town while their mom works in Guatemala, since she received a grant. Emma attends the carnival with her friend Juliet before it leaves town and takes the last bit of entertainment with it. Benjamin works for the traveling carnival but he wants to leave it to finally stay in one place and start a life there. Emma meets and takes a Ferris wheel ride with Sidney; a young man that runs the fortune teller box attraction. Emma unknowingly submits herself to the curse and charm that runs the carnival. Her friends and family believe that she’s run away and she is nothing but trapped until she can trick someone else into taking the curse. Emma and Benjamin form a bond and they’re determined to figure out a way to break the curse once and for all. A supernatural fantasy written for young adults, 4 stars!

This book had an interesting bit of quirkiness to it. I would expect nothing less from a book that takes place at a carnival with carnies. I loved the history behind the curse and found the different facets of it to be unique and intriguing. It seemed like the book was built around the curse with it being the main focus of the story. It was as if it was it's own character of the story.
I would have liked to have had more character development within the book. I felt badly for Emma and Sidney but I feel like the author could have gotten me more invested in the characters and the curse that was forced upon them if she had focused more on the emotions and reasons why the curse is so horrible. She did this somewhat but I wanted to know more about the emotional turmoil. I wanted Emma's emotions to leap out and take hold of me as I read. I was able to feel the hardship that the curse was for her to some extent but felt outside of it.
I also would have liked more story development. I felt that some of the things that took place in the story were things I have seen before which felt like cop outs. There are "bad guys" in the book that I didn't feel needed to be included in the story because the curse was enough of an issue to focus on. I also would have liked for things to have been more difficult for the main characters. Everything fell into place far too easily for my taste. I wanted them to struggle more so that there was more desperation to break the curse. The ease made the curse seem like no big deal.

Review posted on https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
"I think about how all I ever wanted was somewhere to call my home, unaware that home could be a person and not a place."
Emma is not thrilled to be living with her father again in a deadbeat town while her mother is off for work, but at least the circus is in town for a few days. When she goes with her friend Juliet to the show, she realizes how left out and out of place she really is when Juliet goes off to talk to her friends. But Emma is not alone, she is approached by the quiet fortune telling boy from the box who wants to spend time with her. After some questionable choices, Emma finds herself alone with the boy when he kisses her- her first kiss, a kiss she can never get back.
I have been obsessed with the idea of carnivals and circuses since I read Carnival last year, and it was then made even worse after seeing the movie The Greatest Showman last month, so when I first hear about this book I knew I had to read it- it was not an if but a when. The concept of being swept up in the excitement and flair that makes up a circus, the ability to suspend your beliefs for a moment to just enjoy the performance is such a cool idea. But there is also a darker side to the circus as well, and that is where Jaime created her story. I found By A Charm and a Curse to be a dark, interesting, twisty read, full of the mystery and magic that I hoped for as well as brand new, super unique plot line that I have never encountered before- and at the heart of it all was romance. As a side note, marionette dolls are creepy, but maybe that is just me...
By A Charm and a Curse was my first read from Jaime and I can't wait to see what else she wants to imagine. I enjoyed her writing style, it was effortless to read the story, the words flowed so smoothly that I blew through the pages in just a few sittings. I enjoyed the characters and the world, and the fact that this was a standalone fantasy made my heart so happy (I really don't have the patience to wait for sequels!) I highly recommend her book for fans of the carnival/circus theme, dark twists and an endearing love that can last through epic challenges.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

The story begins from the point of view of Emmaline. Just arrived in town from her father, in Claremore, Oklahoma. Le Grand's Carnival Fantastic is in town and Emmaline and her friend Jules are about to enter and see the beautiful circus waiting for her. Everything is colorful, there are wigs, bright clothes and make-up and really amazing shows. Emmaline is divided by Jules and that's where a mess will happen. Emmaline will know a young boy who will love her, take her to a ferris wheel and kiss her. Emmaline's first kiss is not what she expects: she feels cold and the body stiffens irremediably. .a little later, Emmaline will discover that she is the victim of the curse of the circus herself and that she will be the new "Girl in the Box", she can not leave her and will have to give up her family, her father, her brother and her mother.
What will happen to Emmaline? Will Benjamin help the young Emma on her way inside the circus? What will happen to our characters? How will they get rid of the curse and charm of Le Grand's Carnival Fantastic?
The plot is well written even if the final part I would have saved myself to keep a little 'more of suspense for the story itself. However, I find it well done for the purposes of reading and curiosity of the volume in question.
The title is the fulcrum of the whole book. and I think it is well built for the purposes of history, in fact for this reason I was immediately tempted to read this book. You do not like?
In terms of setting we move from Claremore to various places where the circus moves, that is Texas. The era in which this story is set seems modern enough even if it is not precisely specified a period in which it takes place.
The characters that we will meet in the reading are many but the two most important are the protagonists themselves of this story. Between the two, the best built is definitely Benjamin but we will also find Emmaline .
Emmaline is a stubborn, impulsive and not at all nice girl. At least this is presented at the beginning then change during the reading, I must admit, becoming pleasant compared to how it was before. she's a girl who loves the circus so much that she finds herself inside as a girl in the box.
Benjamin is a young circus who will find himself immediately fascinated by the young and new girl in the box. He can not help contradicting his mother, so much so as to make the exact opposite of what he was ordered to do. From the beginning I thought it was a really nice and good character.
The central pivot is precisely the charm and curse that surround this circus for years. Nothing seems to be able to break it and anyone who works for the circus can not grow old or get hurt. Emmaline will find herself involved in this situation and will have to convince us ?!
The style used was not fluid enough, far from it. Initially I did not bear much Emmaline, it is not an easy to digest type of way of narrating has helped in the course of reading.
There are several things that have not gone down during the reading and I will explain to you step by step.
Emmaline is not a problem about the curse? Is it possible that everything is so normal for you? Do not try to escape and support those who keep you in a place that is not your home. the curse hit her is true but when the police come looking for you you even force yourself to stay "because there is something strange in this curse". But what? What do you say Emmaline? The author here has decided not to identify with the female protagonist.
The beginning is essentially very slow and repetitive. Ok the explanations but nothing happens in the first 30%; the most interesting thing was the arrival of the police to look for Emmaline, but even then everything did not last long, all too easy.
The solution of the story is far too obvious. I can not, I want to make spoilers about it but I found it all very simplistic. Is it possible that everything is so simple? What is reduced all this? That there is not a bit more emphasis, plot and history? possible that this plot and this beautiful cover have deluded me so much?
I was really positive about this book when I was released on Netgalley. Unfortunately it did not convince me as it should and I'm sorry because I had huge expectations about it.
The context of the circus created by Questell was all very nice pity the banality on which revolves around. Unfortunately, and I'm really sorry, the book disappointed me with quite high expectations about it. The fact is still subjective but I do not know if I would advise you to read it. maybe just as light reading and nothing else.
My vote for this book is: 2 and a half.

Emmaline gets tricked into a curse by a kiss. This just adds insult to injury because she is forced to stay with her father for a year while her mom is doing research. She feels like an outcast even though she’s with family and friends. So a night of fun at the local carnival turns into anything but fun……
Benjamin, I can see why he gravitated towards Emmaline. His mother, Audrey was so overbearing at times. I don’t know how he dealt with her all these years.
The cover caught my attention and I’m happy to report the story was just as good as the cover. I’m very picky when it comes to paranormal reads and YA as well. So, I’m happy this book was a winner. I loved the whole curse aspect, how to break the curse and the ramifications if the curse was broken.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and I enjoyed the story. The writing was solid, the pacing was good and the story held my attention. This was a very refreshing read and I enjoyed the whole premise. I hope we get a novella to see how the characters are doing. I will be sure to check out more books by this author especially for this genre. It had the right blend of fantasy, paranormal and romance.