This is possibly my favourite Beauty and the Beast retelling. I loved the mixture of the modern world and Emberfell, the magic kingdom set in medieval times. Kemmerer brings the world of Emberfall to life with her vivid descriptions, not just of places but of her characters. 

Harper is a fantastic heroine, described as having cerebral palsy, shes a character you cant help but bond with and aspire to be like. Having a character in a book with such a big disability is rare but to have her be the main character is even rarer and made for a fresh perspective. Rhen starts off as your typical stoic and entitled prince, with his trusted guard Grey , whom I love, they feel Harper is completely the wrong type of woman to break the curse, taken by accident and fighting them both at each turn. They couldn't be more wrong.

Though predictable, which you have to expect with it being a re-telling, the perspectives felt fresh and certainly kept me entertained and hooked until the end. Though it is classed as a stand-alone it ends on an almost cliffhanger which made me check whether there would be a sequel... which there will be, Phew! An easy 5/5 read for me, an easy read but a story that sticks with you after you've finished.

I ADORE THIS BOOK AND HONESTLY I JUST KEEP SCREAMING ABOUT IT FOR THE ENTIRE OF THE YEAR.

The writing, the characters, the everything!

I love Beauty and the Beast like for ever. As retellings are popular these days, many of them retells the story of Belle and the cursed prince. And I love exploring the different ways authors play with this storyline, so when I spotted A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I knew I had to read it. And it was great.

We're in Washington, DC, where Harper's father took loan from the bad guys and now their family has to pay. One night, when Harper spots a man trying to kidnap a woman, she tries to save her, but he takes her instead. So she appears in Emberfall, a cursed kingdom, where she meets Rhen. The curse lasts for one season. And she has to fall in love with him.
The story's told from two POVs - Harper's and Rhen's. Sometimes I was wondering if it's a good match since we knew all the secrets Rhen kept from Harper and so on, but in the end, I'm glad it was told this way. Both Harper and Rhen are unique characters and Brigid Kemmerer wrote their characters so good I was able to tell difference even though I got lost with the name at the beginning of the chapter.

It's hard to be original when you're retelling a well-known story, but this was absolutely fantastic. Harper is not that typical YA girl protagonist, she's able to fight for herself, and she was so fun I was laughing the whole time. This book, although it has many serious scenes, is full of funny scenes between Harper and men from Emberfall that I was laughing out loud. Rhen and Grey are fabulous characters. I loved them both.
I even love the way the story goes. You know, when you think about it, you can be sure about the plot in some way since it really goes with the original Beauty and the Beast. But still, there were many scenes where I was surprised, I didn't expect that, and I was glad. Author was able to make me astonished, to make me worried and almost made me cry. If that's not a sign of a good book, then I don't know what is.

The book si long, yes. But it has to be. I didn't even realize that while reading because there's so much to be told, so much what has to be told in this story that I was browsing through the pages just to know more.

And the end? I definitely want to know more.
I was wondering to give it 4* because I wasn't able to understand some scenes, but then I decided I love it anyway. The highest rating without any regret. Right now I'm looking forward to the time I read it again.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me an arc ebook for an honest review.

This story was fantastic! A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which to be honest was just going to be a filler book to read while I am waiting for a book to be released on Monday..... but I was certainly mistaken as this has become one of my favourite books of the year. It was fast paced and exciting, the world building created a vivid picture for me of what Emberfell was like and the relationships between Harper, Rhen and Grey were filled with tension, friendship and a bit of swoon. The ending came too quickly and while I was left feeling satisfied, I am also now on edge wondering more there is to come.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for the copy via Netgalley.

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a real sting in the 'tale'. I am exceedingly grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ARC
provided to me in exchange for a review.

Prince Rhen's life is a living hell, and experiencing it with him is the stalwart Commander Grey; Grey is doing his best to help Rhen break the curse which has caused them both such unmitigated misery.
Harper meets first Grey and then Rhen, when she attempts to assist the young woman whom Grey is in the process of kidnapping... what makes her actions particularly courageous is that Harper has Cerebral Palsy.
Although initially Harper is convinced that Grey and Rhen must be 'bad guys' but begins to see that the reasons for their behaviour are complex, bitter and deadly dangerous.

I found this title to be well written, with engaging characters and a fantastic ending as the curse is proven to have a deadly sting. Even though it is a standalone novel I am just so pleased that a sequel is planned as I want more of these characters and their world.

Loved it :)

I always love a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I thought that this one was fresh and brought something new to the table.

Kemmerer, I think, has built a well thought out, intricate world that feels current yet nostalgic and the characters reflect this.
I thought the plot, characters and writing was well developed and I found this book engaging and exciting.

Supposedly a standalone but I think there's definitely enough left open that could possibly mean a sequel......please?

I really enjoyed this! Everyone should go and preorder now :p

My Rating 5 star

A refreshing and stunning take on the beloved ‘Tale As Old As Time’.

My Thoughts

I’ve been waiting for an incredible Beauty & The Beast retelling to come my way and It’s finally blessed me with its presence!

Retellings of stories can become stale real quick, with their reused plot lines and repetitive outcomes, they can really miss the mark. But this one felt very different to me, with a mix of modern-day times and the old-fashioned and primitive other world, it gave a refreshing take on a beloved ‘tale as old as time’.

Our main character Harper is certainly a unique one. She has cerebral palsy, which is something I have never come across in a book before. The authors inclusion of this disorder is a brave one and I applaud her courageous movement and hope that other authors take note and begin to write about these conditions too! – Although Harper has this impairment, she doesn’t let it hold her back and stubbornly refuses help throughout the book. She’s very spunky and it’s not to say she doesn’t have fear, but she charges ahead with confidence and tries to get the job done. She also has a kind heart and wants to do everything and anything in her power to help the people of Emberfall.

Rhen isn’t the usual ‘beast’ we have come accustomed to either. He only becomes a monster at the end of each season, after attempting to woo a girl into falling for him. Rhen would have once thought this to be easy, his good looks and charm would have saved him years ago – it’s safe to say that his ego was through the roof. But his hopes have long since dwindled and he’s a shadow of that man. Rhen broke my heart numerous times though the book, with his despondent mood and dispirited personality, it was truly sad to witness. Harper’s attitude and foolhardy persona makes Rhen think twice and hope blossoms once more – he begins to show signs of life within himself and he attempts to become the King he is worthy of.

Rhen’s right hand man Grey is probably my favourite character. He has stood alongside Rhen all these years – his loyalty is impeccable. Grey believes in what is right to do and follows through each time, even if he suffers in the process. He has a dark sense of humour that I just adore and his rare smirks give me life! He teaches Harper how to throw knives and builds a real friendship with her which was so lovely to see. I’m completely besotted by this commander and I can’t wait for his story to be told in the sequel!

I was on tender hooks for the entirety of the book and finished it within a day. It was SO addictive and utterly gripping from start to finish. When I thought it was all over and my heart was breaking into teeny tiny pieces, the author threw in one last twist and completely ruined me – I need the sequel like I need air!

If you love Beauty & The Beast and want to read an exhilarating take on the story, then please give this a go – though your heart will truly break!

Find The Book
The book is due for release on 29th January 2019 – you can preorder it now!

Goodreads
Amazon UK
Amazon
Book Depository

I want to thank Bloomsbury and Netgalley for sending the book my way in return for an honest review.

Hope you enjoyed! Until next time ❣

Sarah xo

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book!

Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance (retelling)
Released: 29th January 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Trigger/content warnings: Mentions of attempted suicide, some violence and gore

Loosely based on The Beauty and the Beast fairytale, this story follows Harper, a 17-year-old girl from our world, who at the beginning of the book is kidnapped and taken to the magical realm of Emberfall. Once there, she meets Rhen who is the crown prince of this world but suffers from a terrible curse, shut away in his castle with only his commander, Grey, for company, Rhen struggles to break the curse and Harper seems to be his last hope.

I loved our main female character, she was very strong and feisty and while she has cerebral palsy, that is the last thing that stops her and it definitely doesn't define her. However, at times I felt like Harper suffered from the "not like other girls" trope and there was a bit of girl shaming in the first half of the story that I didn't care for at all.

I had no love for Rhen in the beginning, he was arrogant and treated all women the same, as something to be "tamed". He viewed everyone as objects he could command until Harper comes along. He did grow on me as the book went on, but I am still unsure.

The story was so engaging and hooking, before I knew it I was 50% of the way in! I was so engrossed I finished within a day. A very action-packed and gripping storyline.

I feel like with a story like this, romance should be one of the main focuses, but it was lacking in this book. The slow burn, enemies to lovers trope is a favourite of mine, but I just felt no connection between Harper and Rhen, at times I thought she had more connection to Grey and I feared that it would turn into a love triangle.

For some reason I thought this was a standalone, however, there is a lot left unanswered at the end so I am excited to see what happens next.

One thing that did confuse me was the time frames mentioned. It didn't seem to add up to me. Grey states that there have been hundreds of girls, 1 per season, but that they have only been frozen in time for 5 years. Maybe I have misunderstood but the whole magical system confused me a little.

Overall, this is definitely a book I recommend reading if it sounds like something you would enjoy and I will be picking up the next book!


I have linked my blog below where I have already posted my review.

I wanted to love it but it was so basic. I wasn't captured by the writing or the characterisation, it was so fast I couldn't get a grip on the atmosphere and it wasn't for me. I DNF'd at about 5%.

Beautifully written and a lovely remastering of beauty and the beast. Very original twists that make this book different to what’s out there at the moment. I love the fact that it sheds light on cerebral palsy and that despite so many challenges the main protagonist, Harper overcomes each and every one of them. Definitely will be recommending and I’m really hoping this turns into a series!!!

I was really looking forward to this book, BUT... it wasn't exactly, what I expected. And I'm disappointed, because this book seemed to be awesome!

First of all, I have to say, that I'm so in love with author's writing. Brigid Kemmerer can write so good, that I read this book at once and I enjoyed every single scene in it. Literally, from the beginning to the very end, I couldn't tear off my eyes from screen, while I read.

Even characters were amazing. Although Harper seemed to be a little bit like stereotypical YA character, I had to admire her braveness and strength (and I love that she's cheeky). Rhen has usual personality like a prince - he may be kind and clever, but beware - he's also confident and sometimes a little bit arrogant. And then, there is Grey - Rhen's guard, who is without doubt the most mysterious character in book.

Well, and here comes problem in this book. Plot. In annotation this book looks amazing. But, literally in 70% of plot, there's nothing hapenning. No plottwists, only one big cliffhanger in the end. And that's why I was so disappointed. I wanted more action, more complicated plot, but this was more like romance without plot. And I'm not even mentioning love triange, which I definitely didn't like.

So, this is my opinion on this book. Nevertheless I still want to read another part of this series and I hope that it will be better than this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for ebook ARC!

HDSJFDFKSDJFH, this book was absolutely amazing, I devoured this in just a matter of hours it was incredible. I promise you that it does live up to the hype that it gets and that you SHOULD PREORDER THIS NOW! Also look at that cover!!! If I saw this in a shop it would totally be a cover buy 

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Done from two points of view, our main character Harper is from Washington D.C, and she hasn't had an easy life, a sick mother who is dying, a dad who has run off leaving his family with all his debts and her brother doing his best to keep his family together. Harper has cerebral palsy and her brother, whose in with some bad people thanks to their dad, doesn't understand that she's not as weak as he thinks she is. While helping her brother she tries to save a young girl from getting seemingly kidnapped, Harper herself ends up being the one getting trapped into another world.

Our other main character is Rhen, a prince who is cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat each autumn of his eighteenth year until he finds true love, but at the end of each autumn he is cursed to turn into a beast to wreck havoc on his land. Because of the vicious beast he's lost his family, friends and destroyed his castle.

I've read quite a few Beauty and the Beast retellings and I can honestly say, I've not read one like this before! It's so different compared to them all and the MC has a disability?! I don't think I've read many fantasy books where the MC even has a disability if I'm being honest with you.

Rhen had lost all hope in saving his kingdom before Harper came along, she reignited his hope and by doing so for the first time in a long time, he is reconnecting with the people of his kingdom because of Harper. With Harper around he finds out that it's not just the beast to contend with, there are other powerful forces that are coming for his kingdom and he needs to find a way to save his kingdom from ruin.

Brigid has mentioned that this story arc is complete so you could technically read this as just a standalone and that's it however there will be a sequel which I'm looking forwards to after how this ended!! But I'm sad because now I'll probably have to wait even longer for the sequel.. #worthit

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is quite a hefty book, it's just under 500 pages long but despite this, I found it to be a really quick read as I thought it was addicting and gripping. preorder this book. you won't regret it. 

I've not read any of Brigid's other books but I'm not sure if they're my type, if you've read her other works please let me know if I should give them a try!

eARC provided by NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book, the story gets straight into it but still managed to give you a good understanding of the character bonds and what they’ve been through before the story starts, I felt easily immersed in the world and could easily picture it all.
A twist on the beauty and the beast storyline but it really stands alone as it’s own story. I loved the characters and their relationships, The loyalty and dedication between Rhen and Grey is clear and deep. Harper’s disability is important but doesn’t overpower the whole plot. It’s refreshing to have such an awesome heroine.

***
Grey sighs and gathers up the cards “You asked how I got her to play with me. As if there were some trick to it.” He wraps up the stack “My lord, I did nothing, I sat down and I asked”

I fell in love with Brigid Kemmerer’s stories this year after I read Letters to the Lost. The moment I saw this book was about to be published in a few months I asked for it and crossed my fingers.
I couldn’t than Bloomsbury Publishing enough for granting my wish!
But you know what they say when you have great expectations, they can be deceitful…
A Curse so Dark and Lonely certainly did not disappoint me in the least!
Brigid Kemmerer wrote a dark, uncompromising yet fantastic tale that reminds me of the series Once Upon a Time as we have two parallel universes. One having a medieval feel and another being our modern world.

I won't say much about the plot as I don't want to spoil your fun but when I read these opening lines ...I was all "Wow! That's terrifying and horrifying and not what I expected and....give me more of it!"
I was hooked from the beginning. Sold to this twisted story where a scary commander with an unreadable face kidnapped girls in the hope of breaking the curse befallen on his at that time arrogant, entitled and foolish prince. It had me fall head over heels in love with Harper, Rhen and Grey’s story!

The title of the book could not have been chosen better!
A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a modern/fantasy retelling of the Beauty and the Beast but is certainly not some rosy fairy tale!
Forget gentle beasts who has never killed.
It IS dark. You have gore, slaughter, eviscerating ...the beast is a beast. An angry monster ready to kill everyone strangers and friends alike.

Characters are also feeling lonely for a long time now. Not only the cursed prince of Emberfall, Rhen is feeling lonely and desperate but Commander Gray as well. They both lived this curse for 300 seasons now and live in an empty castle isolated from the rest of the Kingdom in its own seasons.
Rhen is crumpling under the weight of guilt, of what he’s done for countless times. Yet the evil enchantress ensured he could never escape this curse except in finding true love.

Harper was the girl neither prince Rhen neither Commander Grey expected! She did not meet any of their criteria.
Born with cerebral palsy she fought all her life to work around her handicap. Courageous, determined, fierce she refused to let it cripple her life and determine who she was! I loved that Brigid Kemmerer chose a “flawed” heroine, one born with bad cards yet who managed through sheer determination to raise above her handicap and accomplish extraordinary things.
Harper was not only brave but also extremely generous and wore her heart on her sleeve.
Life had been hard on more than one way on her and she learned not to trust easily and to call it rubbish when it was.
She was the least classic fairy tale princess from all the "chosen" girls yet she could not have been better suited for the role!

When she meets commander Gray she fights! He may be a seasoned warrior and her an untrained handicapped girl she will be fierce and resourceful!
The same can be said with Rhen! He won't be the boss of her and the prince will be disconcerted with this daring girl!
“Am I supposed to call you Your Highness now?” “Only if you can do it without such contempt.”

Yet if she mistrusts Grey and Rhen *of course she does not trust them, they kidnapped her* she does not hesitate to brave danger and death to save innocent women and children. Earning Rhen and Grey's admiration and respect.

I loved everything in this book!

-the characters of course (see above);
-the way the characters developed and evolved. They became what they were meant to be, a better version of themselves. Rhen went from arrogant and distant to loving and ready to fight for his people. Because let’s face Rhen really was a jackass and spoiled pompous prince before Lilith cursed him!
I am not saying he deserved to be cursed but I wouldn’t have minded a good “beating some sense into him” and “learn your manners young boy!” if I had met her pre-curse. Honestly if he had stayed the same man he was before being cursed I would never have liked this story as much as I did. But he did learn some humility and kindness the hard way.
Harper also bloomed in this story. All her life she’s been seen as fragile and in need of being protected by her big brother Jack. Here she became so much more as she took the lead and acted to protect other’s lives. She learnt to be in charge and that she was strong and resourceful.
-the writing was excellent, flowed effortlessly. I also really loved Brigid Kemmerer’s choice to narrate a harsh story far from the conventional sugary tale. It made fro a much more realistic story as life is not a bed of roses indeed;
-the ending was so Brigid Kemmerer and I won’t say more about it.

Recommend it? Absolutely!

Retelling a classic with a dark twist... How to do it right: THIS BOOK. 👌

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this arc off @netgalley with huge thanks to the author @brigidkemmerer and publisher @bloomsburypublishing.❤ This book is perfect for fans of The Grisha Trilogy, ACOTAR and Throne of Glass. 💫

Prince Rhen reminded me of a mix of Nikolai and the Darkling so suffice to say I was head over heels quite quickly.😍 it also helps that it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a few twists and these twists made it so much darker and interesting to be honest.
The world of Emberfall is wrapped up in magic, mystery and bloodshed but it's the characters that truly take the show.🙈 Harper is phenomenal. She has cerebral palsy but this doesn't stop her in the slightest. In fact it's only a part of her strong, endearing, powerful character and it doesn't define nor limit her. I'm beyond grateful for seeing more representation of people with differing levels of chronic pain or physical "limitations". The relationship between Rhen and Harper (Prince of Emberfall and kidnapee turned false princess respectively) develops beautifully and realistically. It's not insta-love or hate to love trope but a more realistic rollercoaster of trust and wariness.
I'm definitely going to get a hard copy of this bad boy! The monster in this reminds me of Abraxos from the ToG series towards the end and of course that made me love this even more. 😍

TLDR: Dark fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast with strong characters and bittersweet romance.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales, and I’ve read countless retellings since I first started reading. Having been wowed recently by Hunted, I really wasn’t sure I had space in my heart for another new retelling so soon, but A Curse So Dark And Lonely surprised me by being so wholly different and original that it was easy to fall in love with it.

It’s always interesting seeing which aspects of the traditional story authors keep, and which they change up. Here, we have a Beast (Prince Rhen) who was cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th birthday over and over, until he manages to win the heart of a woman. However, he quickly realises how damaging this is to the women of his country, and begins to steal women from further afield – namely, our world. The most important part of the curse is that he is not condemned to Beast-form all the time; rather, as time progresses over each autumn, he begins to change into a monster. This is quite helpful, since he does have some time to woo a woman while looking human; but it also causes a lot of problems when he pretends that there is a separate monster ravaging the kingdom.

Rather than have our Beauty, Harper, trade herself to save her father from the Beast, we actually find her attempting to stop a drunk woman being abducted from the streets of DC. As the woman runs away, the abductor grabs Harper instead. This is actually a really neat way of showing Harper’s bravery, and made me instantly warm to her – who doesn’t love women trying to save women? I also really like that it’s immediately apparent that she is so not the type of girl the prince usually gets.

When I first realised that this book was going to offer a modern, real-world Beauty transported into the magical land of the Beast, I was actually really wary. I read a lot of fairytale retellings because they possess a special kind of atmosphere, and I really wasn’t sure that having a modern American teenager wouldn’t completely ruin that. I was prepared to hate Harper. However, events like the above meant that she very quickly charmed me. She’s savvy and strong in a 21st century way, but she isn’t all pop-culture references and technology. She quickly begins to think and act in ways appropriate to her new setting. I really liked that adaptability, partly because it made her an interesting character, and partly because it meant that she didn’t harm the fairytale feel at all.

I can’t speak to the accuracy of the cerebral palsy rep, but I loved that it was included. It felt really well-handled in that Harper is always factoring in her limits, and working out ways to get around them – for example, early on she uses the furniture in the stable to be able to mount a horse, which she couldn’t do from the ground. Again, it shows how very adaptable she is – she knows herself very well, but she isn’t going to let her disability get in her way.

The sorceress behind the curse is way more present than in the original. She’s an out-and-out villain here, with cackling and seemingly limitless powers. She’d twirl a moustache if she had one. It’s a good way to ramp up the tension, since the Beast is a fairly mild-mannered prince most of the time. I really enjoyed her presence – having a direct face of the curse to talk to, rail against, and fight with makes for much more personal scenes. Actually, the whole book is an excellent example of very personal insights into characters. The POV alternates between Rhen and Harper, and both have very distinct voices. I liked seeing how they kept secrets from one another – having this window into both their heads made them seem really well-rounded characters.

The story plays out along the basic plot lines of Beauty and the Beast, in as much as there’s the slow romance; the bit where Beauty returns home to see her family, then comes back to the castle to find it’s all gone a bit tits up; the dramatic moment where they realise they love each other and the curse breaks… These aren’t really spoilers when the story’s been around for thousands of years! What is extremely clever is everything else that Brigid Kemmerer weaves around these bones. We get a story of the political logistics of running a kingdom where the ruler is, well, a beast; a deep look at how guilt and regret can either make or break a person; a really clever plot involving Harper pretending to be a princess from the mythical land of ‘Disi’ (DC!). There are quiet moments and dramatic ones, and the whole flow of the story is just really gorgeous.

I was absolutely swept away by this story. It’s a brilliant retelling, but it’s also a really lovely and well-written fantasy book in its own right. It publishes in January 2019, so make sure it’s on pre-order if you’re a Beauty and the Beast fan!

3.5 stars.

I liked the first half better than the second - the characters, the world building, not knowing which path the story would take, the writing style. Everything seemed so promising. But... When both worlds collided, for some reason it did not work for me, it did not help that the plot went downhill by then, the story was too rushed at that point and, even though plenty things were happening at once, my enthusiasm started to wane.

The curse manifested in a sort of different way (compared to what I've read before) and that felt refreshing. Also the romance had a slow pace, making it feel a lot more plausible than anticipated. I liked how our girl made a huge difference by changing the focus for the prince, how she made him take into accounts other aspects of the curse - and this was what made her feel special. We are not spoon fed a story about how lovely and different she is, but we actually see the difference in her and the change in him.

The side characters were enjoyable too - one in special, though my heart stoped for a second, not for the obvious reason though - it's way too early to elaborate, but I hope it won't be the case in the next book.

The epilogue makes me eager to read the sequel badly. It was a nice touch and I can't wait to see what the author will come up with next.

All in one, I enjoyed this take on the fairytale, it was original and surprinsing in many ways.

I love fairy tale retellings, especially Beauty and the Beast retellings so as soon as I heard about A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I just couldn't wait to read it. And right from the very first line I was in love with the story, the charcters and the world the author creates.

It is so incredible to see positive disability representation in a fantasy novel, and as one of the main characters no less! As someone with a disability it is so wonderful to read about disabled characters who are not defined by it. I loved Harper, she was fantastic and I love the development of her character as well as her attitude towards her Cerebral Palsy.

In fact, I loved all three of the main characters in A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Harper, Rhen and Grey were so interesting to read about, and I loved how the dynamics of their relationships changed over the course of the book. (I was also beyond happy that we weren't faced with a love triangle).

The world building is incredible, and I loved the way that the world beyond the vale was introduced to us, and they way that it shapes how the main trio of characters develop and change.

I didn't wait to put A Curse so Dark and Lonely down, I needed to know what happened next, it was such compelling reading and there were never a dull moment over the course of the book. I was so sad as I neared the end of the book as I really didn't want it to be over! And the ending of the book was incredible and left me guessing right to the end.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely is an absolutely incredible book, and a fantastic retelling of one of my favourite fairytales. I loved every page. I would definitely recommend to anyone who love fantasy and fairytale retellings.

Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

I rarely review books which are going to be published NEXT YEAR but in this case, I needed to make an exception. Because...hello? A Beauty and the Beast fantasy with an extra twist? Sign me up for the long haul with this book!

Harper and her brother Jack live a hard life with her mother being sick with the c-disease and Jack having to work as a shark-loan's enforcer. When Harper witnesses a young man abducting a fainted young woman she will rush to the rescue...and find herself in the world of Emberfall.

Where a prince lives in a shining castle, cursed to repeat his 18th birthday.

Rhen has one more chance before turning into a Beast and devouring everyone, losing himself. With Grey his Commander as the only ally and subordinate, he must make a young woman fall in love with him before time's out. When Harper arrives, they will both set new plans in motion which will become bigger than themselves.

What I enjoyed here was the constant action. Some said that the book is big, but for me, this e-ARC was a delight to read. Harper also has cerebral palsy, and she is described by Rhen with a stumbling gait, but that doesn't stop her from learning more about defensive fighting, riding horses and becoming a warrior. I enjoyed the dialogue between everyone and also the side characters which were introduced.

How Harper found out quickly that there is a curse and didn't succumb to the whole plot 'you abducted me to make me fall in love with you'.
The romance is slow-burning and the general plot follows lightly in the steps of Beauty and the Beast. Another fact which was new to me was how the curse worked and the extra addition to the characters which I will not spoil.

The ending was a surprise, making me realize that I will probably read the next book of this tie-in series in 2020... *gasps*

But I am not regretting the early reading. When it comes to Beauty and the Beast retellings, you have found my kryptonite!

Read the book, if you get the chance to have an early copy! You will not regret it!

I really enjoyed this retelling of Beauty & the Beast and appreciated the heroine and how she was written, very much. She's modern, kind, quick and intelligent.
Its a brilliant fantasy adventure, full of charm, sword fights, magic and characters to root for. It's also, and I say this with gladness, not a big world building book. So it was easy to fall straight in and enjoy the characters and plot without also having to get my head round a convoluted setting.
I think it's a great adventure to curl up with and get lost in.