Lately, we've been getting so many retellings in YA and I'm living for it. I love a good fantasy retelling and I am particularly invested in Beauty and the Beast ones as it was my favorite tale as a child. Unsurprisingly, the similarities between this story and other ones based on the same fairytale, are plentiful. That being said, it's not something that bothers me at all. Rhen is self-absorbed and narcisistic in the beginnig of the book and the interactions between him and Harper are exactly what you would expect. I quite enjoyed this and I'm interested in reading more from the author.

I enjoyed this one, i liked the pace and the writing. The characters were good and overall enjoyed my time reading. I think the authors fans will be happy she is back. I would continue the series eventually, am happy i was given the chance to read an advanced copy.

Harper Lacy is used to life throwing difficulties her way; though with her mother dying, and her brother in danger, her cerebral palsy isn't going to get in the way. When Harper is kidnapped, she finds herself inside of a castle seemingly in a different time, and soon learns she's in a whole other word entirely. Trapped in the city of Emberfall, held captive by the Crown Prince Rhen and his royal guard, Harper learns of a curse that befell this land... and how she must be the one to stop it. But Harper isn't the type to fall in love with a kidnapping, arrogant Prince, and the more she sees of Emberfall, she realises there's a lot more at stake than a curse and the threat of a monster that's ripped apart families and villages.

From the very beginning, there is so much more to Harper than what meets the eye. Her confidence, beliefs, strength, and bravery are tested countless times throughout the novel, and every step of the way, she surprises the reader with how quickly she can adapt. To put it blatantly - Harper makes fear and pain her bitch. As a younger sister, she's put into the box of "weaker" and "incapable", and for a time it appears she fits the role. Harper describes her brother, Jake, as a dumb jock however it's clear his view of Harper is borne of love and worry. There's not a moment throughout the story when Harper considers allowing cerebral palsy to slow her down. She speaks out about it several times throughout the novel, though it is never any more than a hindrance to her.
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As the girl dragged to Ironrose Castle kicking and screaming, Harper is a constant source of awe to Rhen and his guard, Grey. Though she's caring, she's not stupid. Harper thinks strategically. Like a warrior, she knows and understands pain and she uses it not only to her own advantage, but to those who cannot save themselves. Despite the secrets uncovered throughout the story, and the ever worsening hardships she, Rhen, and Grey must endure, Harper is a quick learner, unwilling to leave anyone behind to suffer - including her mother and brother back in DC. While the pressure of the curse thickens with each passing day, and the stakes increase as she does not fall for the Prince, Harper stays true to herself. She is unwilling to be courted like the countless others who failed to break the curse, but instead throws her efforts into helping the people of Emberfall - those who already suffer from effects of the curse. ​​ I cannot express how refreshing this was to read!


Prince Rhen, at first glance, is the arrogant, selfish, and uncaring character we all know from the story of The Beauty and the Beast. At the time of meeting Harper, Rhen has seen hundreds of seasons go by - each ending in more brutal or heartbreaking ways than the last. He has long since given up hope, and learning that this will be his final season, with only Harper, the girl least likely to fall for him after everything he took from her, to end the curse and free him and his people, Rhen is more defeated than ever. Yet he sees how Harper does not fear him, sees how she cares for his people, and puts herself at risk to help them when even he hadn't dared.

Rhen is tormented by Lilith, the sorceress who ensnared him with her spell all those years ago, and it soon becomes clear that he is not the man he once was. Rhen can be selfish, wreckless, and yet he does not set limits for Harper. He encourages her decision making and doesn't overrule her; he involves Harper in conversations with Grey, and allows her to make orders as she sees fit. While there were many opportunities for Rhen to take advantage of Harper's growing admiration for him, despite everything resting on Harper falling for him, he refuses to jump in at an unnatural pace, or without her expressed permission. Of all things about Prince Rhen's character, this is what speaks volumes of him the most.


Grey, the royal guard and sarcastic friend, is unquestionably loyal. Despite all he's seen and been through with the Prince, despite how little hope is left, he is always ready to serve the crown. While there is a certain amount of mystery surrounding his character, it is impossible not to trust him. Grey is respectful and clever and unafraid of Rhen, and can be a good friend when needed. Throughout the story, Grey is often left playing the mediator between Rhen and Harper, and in those small moments we see snippets of his true self, which I wish I could have seem more of.

Although "real world meets fantasy world" isn't usually a story I tend to enjoy, the atmosphere of both worlds were so wholly different that it was easy to get lost in them both. Personally, it took me more time than usual to settle into the world of Emberfall as we saw it through Harper's eyes, though this was an issue I anticipated beforehand. The world-building and action were immediate, and the more time we spent in Emberfall, and the more we learned of the world and its ways, the more believable it became. While there wasn't detailed description of the setting and surroundings with each passing page, it wasn't hard to conjure a clear image of the scenes. Emberfall itself wasn't unlike other fantasy settings, however - though I have high expectations of the next book to come (if my hopes happen to come true!).


For the first third of the book, I wondered if the writing would have best suited third person in place of first, however the problem seemed to lie in the pacing. For a time, the focus of the story surrounds Harper's disbelief of her travelling between worlds, and her anger at the expectation of her to fall in love with the Prince. While this was essential, there was a lull in the story as as we continued to deal with this, and so it possibly could have been cut short. Beyond this, the story quickly picks up in pace and we begin to see how our characters react in the face of danger (of which there is no shortage). At times, there were a few cheesier lines that pulled me out of the world/story ("you and what army?" will always remind me of Shrek - that's on me!), and yet I can't not commend the author for the reminders that Harper was from Washington, not Emberfall.

As a retelling, this story still stands on its own as original. There were constant surprises and twists, and very rarely was I able to guess at what would happen. Retellings can be a bit of a double edged sword - the author has the pressure of doing the original story justice for those fans going in, while also contending with creating an entirely new story from the original concept. Toward the end of this novel, I was in awe of the originality. This just worked. Any moment of doubt in which I believed I knew where the plot was heading due to the original tale was eviscerated completely each time. The author did an amazing job at weaving mystery and intrigue into her story, and once I was past my own personal hangups, I couldn't put this book down. (In truth, I haven't sat and read over 250 pages in a single sitting in YEARS, so please take this as currency for how much I enjoyed this story).


​Another compliment to this story is that, again, with this being a "real world meets fantasy world" situation, there was never any issue with the logic. The possibility of travelling between worlds wasn't over-explained or given an "easy out", and yet there was never a moment when I thought "wait.. what??". The cryptic intentions with which Harper is transported to this other world was always the focus, and this was something I highly appreciated about the story. Overall, I highly enjoyed this novel - particularly the final 50-60% when there never seems to be a good stopping point for reading. Emberfall became a well-built place within my mind, and I cared for the characters every step of the way. There is also a gay relationship within this story, that I won't spoil, but I must give credit where it is due - this is something I haven't seen enough of in this genre!

The story wrapped up smoothly, transitioning to the end with an electric pace, and no stone was left unturned. Each time our characters faced a villain, enemy, or monster, I truly feared for their safety. In regard to Rhen and Harper toward the end, I can't say much as I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that I was gleeful. As heck. Those characters never stopped surprising me, and I can't wait to see what comes next from them and their world(s), particularly with magic and magic users.
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Overall, I highly recommend you check this out. As a standalone first book in a fantasy series, it's great, and as a retelling, it's even better!

Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆

Characters: ★★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★☆☆
Writing: ★★★★☆
Plot: ★★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★☆

You have to resign yourself to the fact that the "beast" or prince is a jerk most of the time. He's is a self-absorbed spoiled kid who never grew up and because of his cold-hearted nature has been cured to be a beast and has to genuinely fall in love with someone and get her to love him back before the last petal of an enchanted rose falls to break the curse. Enter Belle, a local girl who is shunned by her fellow villagers for being 'different' aka being a bookworm or an inventor.



Belle's father stumbles upon the Beast's castle and is taken as a prisoner, so Belle gives up her freedom in exchange for her father's release. Together, Belle and the Beast learn that physical appearances are a shallow way of judging people and eventually the curse is broken.



However, in A Curse So Dark and Lonely the ‘beast’ Rhen is sensitive, caring, yet tortured and hopeful for change. He's still a pain in the butt until you get to that growth but that's to be expected with any Beauty and The Beast story so suck it up, princess.



Belle in this story is named Harper. Harper is a strong female lead who happens to have cerebral palsy and is beyond fantastic. I loved how Brigid writing style made was clear about what caused it, how it influenced her childhood and growing up (therapy, surgeries, etc), and what it means for her as an adult.



In this Beauty and The Beast retelling, Prince Rhen is the ruler of the fantasy kingdom of Emberfall and is under a curse where he keeps repeating the autumn of his 18th birthday until he can get one of the women his commander kidnaps to fall in love with him. Rhen also occasionally turns into a beast and terrorizes his people and causes more and more bloodshed each reset. Time outside of the enchanted castle keeps moving and Rhen barely has a kingdom left to rule and there are threats looming. But after three-hundred seasons, this season will officially be the last.



Let’s get back to the inspiring Harper she lives in the DC area and is used to being underestimated by everyone, even her own family, because of her cerebral palsy. Her mum is dying from cancer, her dad is gone and left them in debt, and her brother's in a lot of sketchy trouble. But when she spots what looks like a kidnapping, she rushes over to help she intervenes and is taken instead to Emberfall. Harper's a fierce main character who really drove the story and it was wonderful to see a lead not only be an intelligent female but who had cerebral palsy, yet was never defined by it. Anyway, she's kind of awesome and I loved her.



Brigid Kemmerer manages to put her own fresh spin on a well-loved tale; she tells a story of a fantasy land that lives parallel to our own modern-day world. Brigid writing is incredibly addictive right from the start. There's a really interesting and the world building and the settings are so vividly written. I loved the contrast between Harper’s modern-day DC experience and the fantasy realm of Emberfall. Seeing the protagonist adjust throughout the story and develop as her situation changes make her all the more realistic. Even though the book is told in alternating points of view it remains gripping, addictive and magical. There is a dialogue in this book about feeling accountable for things that you have no control over. Whether that be mistakes that your loved ones are making or the deteriorating health of loved ones. Some things are absolutely out of our control.

Every now and then, you hear about a book being hyped before release and it totally matches those high expectations. For me, A Curse So Dark and Lonely was one of those books. I’ve had it on my Netgalley TBR pile for absolutely ages, but since the book is shortly to be released, I figured it was time to sit down and actually read it. And honestly, I’m a little lost for words. It is everything I wanted in a YA fantasy novel. There’s a good dose of slow-burn romance in there, some brilliant Beauty and the Beast retelling moments in there (let’s be honest, it’s the best Dinsey movie), and the characters are well-developed. Plus, and I feel like a bit of an asshole for even having to mention this in 2019, we get actual diversity in this book.

I’ll admit, at first I wasn’t entirely sold. The story starts out in DC which for me was a bit of a detraction. I get that Harper is a ‘real world’ character who gets thrust into a fantasy world she has to navigate, but for me I wasn’t a big fan of the brief bit of urban fantasy we get. Don’t get me wrong, it can be done well, but I just fell out of love with it a while back. I wasn’t the biggest fan of City of Bones being set in NY, and the weird blend of fantasy and real world in The Hazel Wood also didn’t quite cut it for me. Thankfully, it’s a pretty brief glimpse of DC before we are thrown into the world of Emberfall.

The descriptions here are gorgeous and I fell in love instantly. I liked that the world was revealed in little pieces, and that so much of it remained a mystery. Admittedly, coming straight off the back of reading Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, there were a few worldbuilding gaps in this book for me, but I didn’t think there was too much of an issue with that. I guess because the characters are isolated in one area due to the curse, there’s a lot of worldbuilding stuff that can be forgiven. Also, we’re getting a book two, so I’m hoping some things will be addressed later.

As for the characters, this is where I truly lost my mind. I was curious to see how another retelling of Beauty and the Beast would hold up, considering the phenomenal success of SJM’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but boy was I wrong to worry. I loved Harper so much. She was so strong and resilient and her kindness totally shone through on every page. I liked seeing her challenge Rhen’s prejudices and general distrust and temper them with bravery and trust. On the flip side, at no point did the character come across as ridiculously naïve either, which was quite refreshing. Instead, Harper is incredibly complex and nuanced. She also has cerebral palsy, which is something I have never actually seen well-written in YA before (although tbf I’ve only read two books that included characters with the disability). It’s very well handled and I can’t commend the author enough for doing all the research before going and publishing this. I liked how some characters responded to Harper’s disability by seeing it as a weakness and tried to compensate by protecting her as though she were a delicate flower, and how Harper never really accepts that. In fact, she’s as damn badass as they come. She climbs out of windows, learns how to throw knives, tries multiple times to escape on horseback and is generally just too awesome for words. But just as her disability isn’t a defining part of her character. It is also something she doesn’t just brush under the carpet. There are moments when she accepts that she sometimes struggles to walk, or gets fatigued quicker than others. And though she doesn’t rely too much on other characters to help her deal with that, neither does she just pretend it isn’t a thing. Like I said, I thought it was really well handled. This is my opinion here though. I do not have cerebral palsy so I’m not sure if I’ve just naively skipped over some stuff others might have picked out (I did read a review the other day that complained about a lot of ablest language from the villains).

The other characters are also pretty cool. Rhen is revealed in stages, and he’s a bit like a Shrek onion because there’s so many layers to him. He’s an easy character to dislike earlier on but he really comes into his own later in the book and the transformation was very sweet. Likewise, Grey was well developed and seemed realistic. He was kind and loyal and made some tough decisions, But I also liked that both he and Rhen were sometimes incredibly selfish and made decisions that would harm others for the good of the kingdom. Not that that’s a good thing at all, but as flaws go, I think that’s a pretty interesting one for a prince and his guard to have. I wasn’t quite so keen on the brother later on in the book, but I think that’s because we didn’t see enough of his character to actually understand his swinging mood changes. Again, I hope this is something that is explored in later books.

There were also several plot twists at the end of the novel. Although I figured out how the plot of this book would end about halfway through, I did find the twist that paves the way for the sequel to be surprising. I’d be curious to know what others thought of that one (though please keep comments spoiler free at least until the book is released).

I will say that this retelling is incredibly dark, and there are several trigger warnings I want to mention for anyone who might be interested in picking up a copy of the book. Obviously, as a Beauty and the Beast retelling there are trigger warnings for abduction and false imprisonment, but also talks about cancer, attempted sexual assault, sexual assault, mentions of suicidal thoughts and torture. That’s a pretty long list, and the content may not be suitable for everyone.

Overall, I’m going to give A Curse So Dark and Lonely a 10/10 stars. I truly loved it, and I practically flew through the book, and I am already itching to purchase a physical copy when it gets released later this month.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a book that was hyped even before the publication date. I know that it shouldn’t, but when a book is surrounded by so much excitement and publication then my expectations go up. To be honest I was blown away by that amazingly beautiful cover and the very intriguing synopsis. Retellings are kind of my thing, but it has been quite a while since I read a decent Beauty and the Beast retelling. So I was hoping that this original take on the story with a heroine coming from our world, could rectify this.
Allthough I had a really good time reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely I wasn’t blown away by the story as some other bloggers are. Don’t get me wrong I understand all the hype and there are multiple reasons why you should read this book and love it. But there are two reasons why I just wasn’t blown away.
But let’s start off with 3 reasons why you should most definitely read this book!
• Diversity
This book is so diverse! Harper, the heroine in the story has Cerebral Palsy. Her brother is queer and has the most wonderful coloured boyfriend.

• Dark
This story is dark. Even darker than the original fairy-tale. I personally loved how dark and real it was. Blood, death, war… it’s all in here. I also liked the fact that Rhen, the cursed Prince has trouble dealing with what his curse contains. He sometimes has very dark thoughts and his suicidal thoughts are touched upon in the story.

• Kick Ass Heroine
Readers of my blog by now know that I absolutely love stong, female characters. And Harper is without a doubt that strong female character I have been missing in many YA fantasy stories. She is strong, fierce and loyal. Even with her cerebral palsy she is ready for action and never settles into the victim role. She was the main reason I kept enjoying the story so much.

But as I said… I wasn’t blown away by the book. So here are my 3 main reasons why I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.
• The Romance: Part 1
Yes, two parts on the romance. I have my reasons… keep reading and find out. If you don’t like a good romance story, you will possibly love A Curse So Dark and Lonely. There is almost no romance in the story!

• The Romance: Part 2
I think it is quite hard to talk about this issue with the book without giving away spoilers. But I will just say that I didn’t buy the romance in the end of the book. I felt it betrayed the rest of the story and it was not the ending the overall story was working towards. But maybe that is just me?

• No engagement
It was very hard to get engaged with the story. I really enjoyed the overall story, but I never got an actual connection with any of the characters. The characters lacked debt apart from Harper and Grey.
I could close the book and pick it up days later without missing it and that is never a good sign for a story.

So overall I enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely. Is it worth all the hype? No, in my honest opinion it isn’t. Is it a good Beauty and the Beast retelling? Yes, it is one of the best retellings I have read in a while. (Although maybe that says a lot about the other retellings.) The story is compared to A Court of Thorns and Roses, but really… who made that comparisation? It’s like comparing an orange to a apple. They are fruit and that’s it.
When I started this story I thought this was going to be a standalone… be prepared it is not! I am curious to see where the next instalment is going to go and if it is going to rectify the mistakes of this part of the story.

review will be posted on my blog on 28/01/2019

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book.

I mean, it’s a retelling if my favourite fairytale so I was always going to, but I loved how this included faithful elements that are often not included or handled as well. And I loved the mythology of it all, the mix of modern and fantasy, how it plays out, just everything.

Let’s start with Harper. Princess Harper rocked my socks off. First, I love that she has CF and it’s just a thing that’s part of her, not something that defines her. LOVE. And she’s fiesty and fierce and protective and sometimes a little selfish and just wonderful. She’s not perfect, and that’s why she is, to me. She’s not always seeing the bigger picture (unlike Rhen who can’t see anything but!) and often worrying about her family. Understandable but makes for gloriously frustrating reading when you know Harper and Rhen would understand each other if they could only TALK properly. Lol. My favourite sort of frustration.

And Rhen. Oh Rhen. Closed off and fiercely protecting his people, big hearted, understanding, and also sometimes a little selfish. Heh. I sometimes wanted Grey to smack him round the head lol. But I loved how much he does care about Grey, about his people, and he’s doing what he thinks he can. He’s never had enough time to think about how to solve the wider problems, he just gets handfuls of weeks at a time to concentrate on the main one. I totally get that, but I love Harper coming and making him realise that a little.

Grey is also amazing. And his ending was AMAZEBALLS. I think I may have a thing for these characters just for being so awesome and protective of each other. Grey embodies that so well. And I cannot wait for more.

I desperately need to punch Lilith. So much. I was all over the crazy “why don’t you love me” stuff anyway, but every time she was on page she made it worse. So evil. And I definitely want to find out more about her background and her people. I just hate her motivation, it never feels real to me. To be so self centred or so angry that something didn’t work out the way you want to curse an entire land in that way for that long? Ugh. Just no. But then, I love the way her story works for this version - I have always hated the witch character in Beauty and the Beast, and Lilith is no different, but her curse and how it works makes so much more sense than the traditional.

And then there’s the ending. I’m going to try and keep it spoiler free - I’ve already mentioned Greys part in it which I didn’t see coming and was so good, but also they way Rhen and Harper’s story ended and everything with the curse. Omg. I love this book.

I think it was cleverly ended as well, as I wasn’t sure if we’d get enough resolution, given it’s a series (don’t worry, we do!), or I was worried that it wouldn’t have enough of a continuing on point (it definitely does). Very well done.


Review will be on my blog on 26th Jan

If you're a fan of retellings and Beauty and the Beast then this is the perfect read for you. Harper has cerebral palsy, her mother is dying and her brother is in trouble but when she ends up crossing worlds accidentally to Ember Falls she doesn't let anything hold her back.

Harper struggles stubbornly at first but she puts the people in trouble first. She never lets her CB hold her back and when a chance to go home comes back she falters.

Will she find her way back to Ember Falls and break the curse? What will become of them all? And who is the true heir to the throne?

I really enjoyed this as a Beauty and the Beast fan, I found it to be a very engaging read and I loved the way it was done, I love Harper's character her determination and loyalty. A really good read I'd read it again.

This review will be posted on my blog Foxes and Fairy Tales on January 6 2019.
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2019/01/06/arc-review-a-curse-so-dark-and-lonely

I love Beauty and the Beast. I really do. I've read loads of retelling and reimaginings. So, of course, when I saw A Curse So Dark and Lonely I just absolutely had to pick it up.

Beauty and the Beast.

It's a bit of a portal fantasy, with the protagonist Harper arriving in Emberfall from contemporary D.C. This initially threw me a little, but it actually works perfectly with the story Kemmerer is telling. As a BatB retelling, I think the author did a wonderful job. All the classic elements are recognisably there, but with a twist. I adored the spin she put on the ending and the resolution of the curse. It was wonderfully ambiguous and something I'd never seen done before.

At first, I wasn't so sure about the 'Beast' character angle. For most of the book, Rhen is just a slightly arrogant (and attractive) human. I'm always a little more hesitant about this kind of Beast,  because often the heroine ends up overlooking a lot of inexcusable behaviours and, honestly, because I really want to see the author come up with a cool take on the monster. Kemmerer managed to pull this off wonderfully though. Rhen is arrogant but not irredeemable, and the flashes we see of the past seasons and his actions as the beast are dark and brilliant. I really loved the idea of Groundhog Day style 'seasons', and that Rhen becomes a slightly different monster in each. The hints were enough for this story, but I'd love if the author ever went back and wrote some shorts based on past seasons.

Representation.

I've no experience with cerebral palsy (although I'd love to link to some ownvoices reviews if they become available) but it seemed well handled to me. Harper's condition is mentioned when relevant to the conversation or action, but it isn't a defining characteristic. I was really happy to see that my fears were completely unfounded: there's no magical CP cure, and Harper doesn't have CP as a way to solve a plot point. There's also a touch of queer rep from Harper's brother Jake, who features a little more towards the end with his secret boyfriend Noah.

Romance and Continuing the Series.

I was a little baffled by the love triangle. As much as I adored the second love-interest, there are two POVs and it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling so it seemed a bit of a foregone conclusion. But the ending sets up some interesting things which might be developed in the next book, so I'm willing to wait and see how it plays out. I'd also love to see more of the supporting female characters, Zo and Freya, perhaps in less duty-bound roles.

Wow!! What a way to kick of 2019!!!

I got a chance to read this book before the release in exchange for a fair and honest review, and I was not disappointed!

This book is a fantastic story and is definitely one to put on your TBR list! It does have a slight Beauty and the Beast feel to it but only because of the enchanted prince aspect.

The characters are wonderful! They are full bodied and well rounded, you definitely root for them and grow to care for them. Harper is a feisty and independent girl that is a worthy heroine. Prince Rhen is a stubborn so and so but I found myself liking him more and more with each page swipe. Also we have Grey to add to the company, which fills out the equivalent of the “best friend” role to a tee!

The world of Emberfall is richly described and the story weaves seamlessly on. I could not put this book down and loved it so much that I immediately pre-ordered the physical book! I applaud Brigid Kemmerer for her amazing gift and I truly hope that there will be a follow up!!!

A wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

The story of A Curse so Dark and Lonely is told from two point of views. The story is told by Harper and Rhyn. This makes the story engaging and the reader gets insight into both Harper's and Rhyn's world view. The story begins in DC, but the majority of the story is set in Emberfall. The story is well-written and the world building is amazing.

Wanted to read this as soon as I read the synopsis!
This is an imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which interested me particularly because it looked at the wider political ramifications of a royal family disappearing. The sorceress, Lillith's, motivation seemed a little thin to have lasted hundreds of years, but she was a fearful antagonist. I loved Harper as a character, especially the fact that cerebral palsy is only one of many things about her, rather than being a major plot point. Grey was another favourite although I took longer to warm up to Rhen. The ending seemed to leave a few plot threads dangling, perhaps for a sequel, which I will definitely be reading!
I will be reviewing in more detail on my blog closer to the publication date!

For over three hundred seasons Prince Rhen of Emberfall has been cursed.

He must repeat the season and become a monster until he falls in love. Prince Rhen thought it would be easy, who wouldn’t want to fall in love with handsome prince. The monster destroys everything in it path. It has kill everyone in Rhen family and all but one of his royal guards.

Harper Lacy life has never been easy, with a disability, deadbeat father, a dying mother and an older brother doing anything he to keep a roof over there heads. When on the look out for her brother, she see a girl in trouble and can’t stop herself trying to help. One moment she was in D.C the next she is in Emberfall. 

Harper is now stuck in Rhen cursed world, her only wish is to go home. But when Harper start to realised what is at stake she know she must do something to help.  With her offer to help Rhen start to realise that Harper may not be the girl he wanted but is the girl he needs. This season is going to be different from the rest as this time Rhen has the glimmer of hope. The hope that Emberfall need before it is utterly ruined.







A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a Beauty and the Beast retelling that bring more fantasy to this classic Fairytale.

This reimagining is darker than the Disney version, but has so many light moments to balance it out. It clear from the beginning when it opens with the quote;

"There is blood under my fingernails. I wonder how many of my people I've killed this time."
A Curse so Dark and Lonely has a great cast of characters, there are three  main character.

Harper she is 18 years old from D.C who has Cerebral Palsy. Harper is an interesting character as she doesn't do what is expected of here. That is one of my favourite aspects of Harper personality. That Harper body may have been broken but that won't stop her.

Rhen is the Cursed Prince, I started to like him more as a character when he stop acting. When Rhen started living in the moment and not control every situation.

Grey is the last of Then Royal Guard. Grey is the great middle man between Harper and Rhen. He is a character that I would love to find out more about.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely is more than just breaking the curse, it about responsibility and what you will do for the betterment of others. Having the added drama of the invading of Emberfall.

A question was asked on Goodreads about if this book is going to be a stand alone, good news a sequel is planned and I can not wait to read it.

My rating for A Curse so Dark and Lonely is 4.8 out of 5

I received a free copy via Netgalley for my true and honest opinion.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In this version we follow a young girl Harper Lacy from Washington, DC. Harper has an absentee dad, a dying mother and her brother forced to be a money collector to keep their family intact for as long as possible. Harper is used to people underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy but she has learnt how to be tough and survive each day.

Our story starts when Harper is waiting for her brother at a diner when she sees a stranger with a woman; she steps in to save the lady but gets transported to this parallel world where magic exists. The strange man's task was to select a woman who might help break the curse on the kingdom. The man in question is Grey, a royal guard to Prince Rhen. Prince Rhen needs to break the curse before the cycle of the season repeats itself. And our story starts.


The story does remind me of ACOTAR a lot.

For example the characters:
Prince Rhen: Tamlin
Grey: Lucien
Harper: Feyre

Harper does acknowledge and repeats that she has been kidnapped and doesn't believe Rhen in his sincerity. That he is much practiced in the art of seduction and faking his feelings to break the curse. This is always the awkward part in a beauty and beast retelling; because these females characters are literally been taken. I think the author did an okay job in not normalising this and acknowledging it is wrong but it just feels weird. (Also, why isn't there a story with the roles changed? The beast is the female and beauty the male?) Rhen isn't an ass like Tamlin but if this book has a second instalment I can see a love triangle coming up. I really liked the character of Grey and Freya! I mean Grey is loyal to a fault and Freya is not only taking care of a newborn but the children of her sister like they were her own.

I can see that this book will be very popular with certain readers and not that popularly with others. If you did enjoy ACOTAR, this is a slightly better version of the first book. While A Court of Mist and Fury was much better, I also feel that this book does have a lot of potential to grow. It would be best to avoid the tropes and try to establish itself seperate from ACOTAR series. If the author every does read my comment, I would say be different and introduce something new. Take risks and don't be a cliche YA book.

I would give this book 3 stars. I didn't hate it or love it. For me its the abduction plotline I can't get over and I get it is a retelling of beauty and the beast but for some reason when retold in novel format it just doesn't work. The Disney movie (cartoon and live action) doesn't appear as disturbing in comparison to when it is retold in a novel format.


Content and trigger warnings for attempted sexual assault, sexual assault, abduction, captivity and thoughts of suicide.

I loved A Curse so Dark and Lonely! It's a beauty and the beast retelling with a difference. I was a bit nervous going in because retelling can be so hit and miss, but I like how Brigid takes the classic elements of Beauty and the Beast and puts her own twists on it.

The review will be spoiler free and there's a content warning at the end. I was sent this book via netgalley for an honest review.





[book-info]



Harper is a teenager who has cerebral palsy. She is high functioning and I can't speak on the accuracy of this representation. If you know more about this or have written a review and are own voices then let me know in the comments and I'll link to you!

A Curse so Dark and Lonely is indeed dark, both in the real world where Harper is from and Rhyn's world. Make sure you check out the content warnings as I can see this being difficult for some people.

I really like that the beast isn't, you know, a beast. It gets rid of the whole bestiality aspect which makes Beauty and the Beast a bit hard to swallow usually.

There's also queer rep in the form of Harper's brother, who's relationship is just cute af!

There's some twists in this that will send you reeling and honestly I can't wait to see how the whole thing plays out in the next one!



A Curse so Dark and Lonely is told from two POVs, Harper and and Rhyn. It means you get an insight into how both view the world which makes it really engaging. We spend most of our time in Emberfall, with it beginning in DC and setting up Harper's life.

The world building is brilliant. Emberfall is well developed and I really liked the disparity between the life Rhen led and the life his people led. All the characters and locations were well established and didn't feel like filler.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the characters and the almost love triangle that keeps threatening to poke it's head out.



Harper aka Belle is not what Rhyn was expecting when he sent Grey into DC to capture a new girl to try and break the curse. Harper has had a hard life and has learnt to overcome a lot. This makes her tough as nails despite her disability. However, she is the most caring of them all. Her kind nature gets her into trouble but keeps the story interesting.

Rhyn aka The Beast has his eyes opened by Harper. As I mentioned earlier, I really loved this disparity between his life and his people's, and Harper really opened his eyes to it. He develops quite a bit throughout the book, much like the traditional beast we're used to. I look forward to seeing how he continues to develop.

Grey. He's going to be a favourite for many people, I just know. He's dark and broody, sacrifices his own interests in order to serve Rhyn, what's not to love? I really can't wait to see what happens with his story in the next one!

Lilith is the real evil b**** here. A sorceress who condemns not just Rhyn for his rejection, but an entire kingdom. She is twisted and abusive, you'll love to hate her.

Another notable character is Freya. She adds a bit of light in the darkness, and seems to take up the mantle that the lack of miss Potts and her crew leave.

Full review at: https://jenniely.com/a-curse-so-dark-and-lonely-by-brigid-kemmerer-book-review/

I really enjoyed <i>A Curse So Dark and Lonely</i>. I would even say it is my favourite Beauty and the Beast retelling I have read so far. The book has dual narration by Harper and Rhen. Harper is a girl from Washinton DC, who happens to have cerebral palsy (CP). Rhen is the crown prince of Emberfall. Harper gets accidentally kidnapped to the world of Emberfall and that is where the story takes off.

I found this book so enjoyable especially because Harper is from our world which even let to some funny moments in the book <spoiler>For example, teaching guards to fistbump, the "Kingdom of Disi" I just love that stuff</spoiler>

I recommend this book to everyone who likes fairy tale retellings, slow-burning romances, great male-female friendships, and mystical worlds.

The trend of fairytales retelling does not run out of steam and Beauty and the Beast is always an upbeat, so today review is a new retelling of this story.

What I liked immediatly in the book is the choice of the author to mix modern world and fantasy world with prince, king and magic. This gives an explosive encounter between Harper and Rhen, because unlike the traditional tale, she is not there by choice and she intends to show it, she is not a damsel in distress and I loved it a lot. The novel is also much less centered on romance than other retelling I had read in the past, indeed the kingdom of Rhen is on the verge of war with a neighboring kingdom. He decides to use the arrival of Harper to create a political game and give a chance to his kingdom. I loved that the author stands out from the fairytales, even if we still find many elements of the story from it, she change many things.

Harper end up unwittingly in the world of Rhen and she does not intend to be docile. She will fight to return home, but she is also understandable in the face of the curse. Rhen has lived through hundreds of cycles because of the curse, Harper is his last chance, however, he will not force her to do or feel anything and instead will accept his fate and do anything to help his kingdom. I liked these two characters, because they are detached from the fairytale, but also many rewrites that I had read. The author has really managed to bring modernity to the story and it also passes through hers characters who are not archetypes.

For the plot, I really liked what I read, as I said the novel is not a simple romance, there are political issues, questions about family, and choice, free will and I had a great time. To date, I do not know if this book is a oneshot or not, but it works very well as such and yet if the author wishes, I'm sure she could do a sequel. Overall, I find that this novel brings a touch of modernity to the traditional tale and the author has been able to detach enough to offer some new things.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s for the ARC. 3.5 stars

I was quite excited for this one as I’ve read Brigid’s other books and wondered how her writing style would translate in a fantasy genre.

I loved Harper and her determination and attitude, and Grey’s character was also interesting. I felt for Rhen, though sometimes he was a tad too dramatic for my liking. I think one of my favourite quotes would have to be ‘You accomplished these things because you dared to act like you could’ from Grey to Rhen, and I thought there was a lot to learn from that. There are many dark moments in the book where Rhen loses hope, and I think it illustrates well how these moments can push us to dare and do things we think we can’t.

I knew this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it put an interesting twist on the trope in that Grey kidnapped girls to try to break the curse. However this was a really dark element that seemed to be brushed over - they admit to kidnapping women and yet not one of them is mentioned by name, and they don’t dwell on them at all. Additionally, I struggled with believing that after so many years of this, Harper was supposedly the only woman to fight back.

However, the plot of the story was very interesting, especially wondering how they would break the curse and how it would fit in with Harper’s ties to DC and her family. I thought this made it a very original take, as well as seeing how everyone in the fantasy world started to respect Harper and see past her cerebral palsy to her true strength. I think the heart of Brigid’s writing, which is often very skilled at dealing with emotional subjects, made the core of this book much more interesting than a standard retelling. I am quite interested if there will be a sequel to this as I feel the ending implies, but as always, I’m more invested in the side characters than the central romance.

Fans of S J Maas will love this book. Great plot, fabulous ending and fantastic representation of someone with a chronic disease. Loved it.

The cover is really wonderful. I love the thorns, the blue coloring and also the writing of the title - so basically quite everything.

I also was really fond of the writing style. It was fluent and it totally pulled me into the story. The book is written from the personal perspective of Rhen, Harper and Grey, which was a really nice way to get to know and also to love each character deeply.

Harper is not perfect - she has CP - but not as other people, who might be a little fragile and sensitive, she is a really strong character. She really knows what she wants and always tries to do, what she thinks is right. Rhen is a wonderful conflicted character. He has his past, which has a lot of dark parts and if you would just know that part, you would think he is quite a fool. However, through the curse, he learned the hardest way, what is really important and who he wants to be in life and for his kingdom. Also his strong feelings of responsibility for his people was very sympathetic. A character, which I also really liked was Grey. Sometimes it feels like he is a safe haven and the calmness around the emotional ocean waves of the other two. His humor was really nice and it was really fun to read all the dialogues with him. I also liked, that he feels as well also a little conflicted, but would never go away from his unbroken royalitx to Rhen and the kingdom. Also the tension between Harper and Grey was quite interesting.
There were also a lot of great other characters, which all felt very vivid and manifold.

The story - as might be guessed a little from the cover - is a new adaption of the Beauty and the Beast. A lot of you might ask - do we really need another adoption of that story - after reading this one, I would definitley say YES. There were some nice elements of the original fairy tale, but there were also some genious new aspects, which I really enjoyed.

Also the ending of the fairy tale is known to me, it was really unsure how this story might end. There was a lot of action and thrilling story twists. On one hand the end felt quite satisifying, but on the other hand it left me with a longing for more.

Fazit:
Fascinating fairy tale adaption with characters to fall in love with, some action and exiting story twists - I give the book 5 out of 5 stars :)