Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu is an outstanding and lyrical feminist fairy tale. As the blurb states, it is a great combination of Damsel by Elana K. Arnold and A Heart in the Body of the World by Deb Caletti. If you've read either of those two novels, that description should give you an idea of what you're going to be in for with this new release. The story of the cursed princesses of the Kingdom of Ever is brutal and spare yet lyrical. The dual perspective between Jane, one of the cursed, and Reagan, the witch who cursed the family, is absolutely fascinating decision on the author's part. I was swept up as we begin to learn more of the details of the nature of the curse on the sisters, the cost of casting a curse on the witches, and the horrifying reason the curse was placed on the princesses. Although, this story is presented as a timeless fairy tale it still feels all too timely. Overall, I highly recommend Ever Cursed if you're looking for a tough but ultimately hopeful fairy tale. I'm going to need to try more of Haydu's work in the future.

The literary world is currently saturated with fairytale retellings. They come in many shapes and forms, whether it be inspired by, a twisted tale, or gender bent to name a few. Ever Cursed brings a uniqueness to this genre that is so pure and utterly unexpected. It is a beautifully rhapsodic tale that spins the traditional elements found in fairytales on their feminist heads.

Ever Cursed is the story of the Princesses of Ever. These five sisters are beloved by their Kingdom and their father, The Good King. They are also cursed. Each sister has been cursed to live Without one essential thing, to eat, sleep, love, remember, or hope. For the last five years, on their thirteenth birthdays the curse afflicts another sister. On the day of the youngest Princess' thirteenth birthday, they are given one chance to break the curse but all is not as it seems and Jane, the eldest Princess, must put her trust in her enemy but discovers along the way that all is not as it seems. 

I want to put it in very early on, as does author Corey Ann Haydu, that this book has elements that may be triggering for some readers. These include sexual assault and eating disorders. If any of these things are known triggers for you, I urge you to consider this before  reading both the book and this review with care, being mindful of what content is safe and comfortable for you. I will say that Haydu includes these elements, particularly sexual assault, with class and purpose and uses her platform to call them out.

The story is told from alternating points of view which is a writing style I adore. This gives the reader the perspective of Princess Jane and Reagan, the young witch that cursed her. Throughout each woman's chapters, the reader is given insight into life within the palace and in the kingdom of Ever. The beginning of the book focuses on building the layered world and at times felt a bit slow, but as you read further, you realise that the author has poetically sowed the seeds of this world and your detailed knowledge of the land and its people really come into play. 

The magic system within Ever Cursed is very unique and in my humble opinion, brilliant. I am not a fan when a magic user can wave their hands or wand and conjure a spell without any form of payment or consequence. In this story, for every spell a witch casts, a permanent skirt appears around their waist. Each skirt is a direct reflection of the type and strength of the spell it correlates to. The greater the spell, the heavier the skirt and the more the witch is weighed down by it. This physical manifestation of their magic is a constant reminder and such a poetic representation of the magic.

Ever Cursed is filled with incredibly strong and powerful women across a range of ages. It is a fairytale like no other because these women aren’t looking for the man to save them from their predicament. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Jane and Reagan are determined to break the curse together and throughout that journey to do that they learn some shocking truths about their own families and the people of Ever. These two main characters are supported by a host of passionate and powerful women. It was truly wonderful to see such an amazing cast supporting these two young women.

Haydu uses this book to call out many things. She uses the Princes from the other kingdoms and their vile behaviours and attitudes toward the Princesses to make commentary on the social treatment of young women. Their entitlement and sense of sense and power is on full display at the birthday celebration with each Prince claiming a Princess, any Princess really, in her cursed state and willing them to remain that way for the rest of their lives, despite the fact they are immensely unhappy and on the verge of death. These Prinelings are contrasted perfectly by Abbott Shine, a male feminist fighting for what is right and for a better Ever. This is where the trigger warning around sexual assault comes into play. The King is a self-entitled man who believes that his predatory actions against the women in his castle are just and that the women he preyed on wanted his advances. This call out by Haydu is refreshing and a perfect example of the vast landscape YA fiction can tackle. Consent is a huge topic of relevance in the YA reading bracket and Haydu broaches this with class and passion. Despite the Kings atrocious behaviour there is one redeeming feature to his character. His acceptance and love for his transgender daughter Princess Alice is a beautiful inclusion along with his attitude of his daughters loving who they choose.

Overall, there is a lot going on emotionally in this book. It is filled with social commentary about the society we live in and the inequality surrounding women. Haydu brazenly and unapologetically shines a feminist light on the flaws of society and it is a beautiful thing to behold. The inclusion of both strong female characters and allied male characters is something I haven't seen in other works before and it is such a breath of fresh air.

Ever Cursed is packed full of heavy topics. It is a story of family, loss, sacrifice, and pain but also love, strength, and the power that can be achieved when you fight for a common goal. This book was inspiring, refreshing and such a wonderful reading experience.

I feel like I need to preface this review by saying that, personally, I'm a little over these kinds of books. I'm not saying they aren't important, because they are, and I think they are 100% necessary. I can think of dozens of readers I would recommend them too. But for me, I'm just tired, and the real world sucks a lot, so reading another book about a society that's oppressive toward women really just weighs me down right now. I'm not sure that I would have even said this six months ago, but like I said, I'm just tired now. So, that said, I think personal preference played a huge part in what I liked and disliked about Ever Cursed, and it's why I just didn't have as much fun reading it as I'd hoped I would.

Let's start with the characters. Reagan and Jane are the main characters, and they alternate chapters in the story. I liked both, can't say that I had a favorite. They were really interesting. All of the characters in Ever Cursed were interesting, but getting a much closer look at Reagan and Jane, at what was going on in their heads, was pretty fascinating. They were so complex, and I appreciated that they were very flawed in their own ways. It made them both feel very real and very relatable. I don't know if it was intentional, but I felt like those two characters were the best tools used in the book to get important messages across. More than the story, more than the setting, more than the villain, Reagan and Jane were the true heart and soul of this book.

The world building on the other hand... it just didn't do it for me. It felt very much like a fairy tale, all surface and no depth. Facts were presented, the basis for a story was laid, and that was it. Nothing about the world building made it memorable or outstanding. It all felt very glossed over and bland to me. The book is pretty short, and I feel like minimal world building was the big contributor to that, but it didn't work for me. It didn't even help it to be a faster read, I just felt bored by the lack of depth.

The pacing was pretty good. I felt like the story was always moving forward steadily. Like I said though, it's a really heavy story at times, so despite being fast-paced, I definitely had moments where I had to step away. So I would definitely recommend keeping that in mind. This is a book I needed to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy and I just don't think I was.

Overall, Ever Cursed wasn't bad. It had great messages that really have stuck with me over the last few weeks. But I can't really say I enjoyed reading it. I just think that, with who I am and where I'm at now, this book wasn't for me.

Rating 3.5/5

I was quite excited to read this, I mean it sounds amazing from the description, although I have to say that it was a bit different from what I had expected. The book is told through Jane and Reagan’s perspectives and whilst I enjoyed getting to see both sides of the story, I have to admit I was a bit miffed that we didn’t really get much from the other princesses. I had the impression that they were going to be in it a lot more and would be invested in breaking the curse but I don’t feel like I got to know them as well as I would have liked.

However I really liked the thought behind the story, the magic system was interesting, I liked the idea of fully owning the weight of your actions anytime you practised magic, I also liked that there was reasoning for the peace between Ever and the witches but that it was a constant question mark, something that was just accepted instead of really explored by the kingdom, it kept me guessing until the end.

There are some darker elements to the story, something in the kingdom's history that changes how things are run and shows how fear can be a dangerous thing. There is also an event that is the driving element for the characters, it is never described in any detail but is a feeling that I think many women will understand even in a small way, I think this was handled very well by the author, not in any way gratuitously done.

I loved the message that I got from the book, that just because something has always been a certain way doesn’t mean you can’t fight against it and change it and it’s never too late to try. I think this message is something that is relevant to more than just the context that it is used in the book and I liked that it showed that you can still be scared and do the right thing.

I was a little bit disappointed with events at the end of the book, the magic system was laid out very early on and even though the reader learns more as the story progresses you do get used to “the rules” of it. However at the end suddenly it all changes and I wouldn’t have minded this as much if there had been subtle hints at it throughout the rest of the story but it kind of appeared out of nowhere.

That being said I did like the camaraderie between the women in the book, even when they are on opposing sides Jane and Reagan are opening themselves up to see what the other has suffered. They both have a lot of growth as characters and especially when they realise that their actions also affect the people of Ever as well.

Ever Cursed was a story that I was invested in for its interesting plotline, it is a little slow to start but does start to get more intense the further into the book you get. Whilst it was a little different to what I was expecting I really liked the message that the story held and left me with a feeling of hope.

"Don't Judge a book by its cover" I never believed in this line until I read this book "Ever Cursed" by Corey Ann Haydu. It has one of the beautiful covers I have come across. I was so intrigued by the title but was hugely disappointed by the story.

The writing style was simple and not interesting. There was no character development for any characters in the book. I don't feel connected to any of them. The reason for the curse is worthy and predictable but the persons who were cursed makes no sense. The plot is about sexual assault which was strong but hadn't delivered properly.

The book is filled with weak characters. I have read books with strong female characters with "ZERO POWERS". This book is filled with WITCHES who are weak and made decisions which had no sense at all. The author mentioned a witch with "strongest and special magic" who can't even defend herself in front of a human. This happened not only with one witch but over two generations of witches.

Reagan, the witch who cursed the princess Jane, said at the near end of the book "We're goddamn witches. Don't tell us we can't". That's what I was thinking throughout the book "You are a goddamn witch, then why can't you defend yourself". I'm not surprised by the twist, it made me dislike the book even more. Overall I don't like this book in any aspects.

Ever Cursed feels like the start of a potential story, but it never quite reaches that potential. I'm left with more questions than answers. I never quite connected to either main character, and I often found it hard to distinguish between the two points of view. Any plot twists or exciting reveals fells short because I didn't know enough about this world, the characters, and the magic that controls them all.

This is also a slow read. It takes chapters for the conflict to begin and even then, the characters linger until the last few chapters wrap up everything in a rush of movement and chaos.

But the biggest hang-up for me was the focus on sexual assault and control. I'm all for books that address hard topics that need to be discussed. But the way this book approaches sexual assault is unnerving. It was uncomfortable to read--which, yeah, it probably should be--but I don't think it worked. There was no resolution, no turn where I felt the characters triumphed because there was no moment of change.

The way it paints all men as awful, disgusting creatures was unfair and unbelievable. That there is one "good" male character in the entire story is problematic. Yes, there are men who do horrible things to women--which needs to change--but I can't support a book that seems to ignore that there are also many men who respect and support women as well.

Ever Cursed didn't work for me. It might be a good story for someone else, but I found there were too many problems with it for me to enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Ever Cursed

Author: Corey Ann Haydu

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Diversity: trans side character!

Recommended For...: witches, twisted fairytales, feminism

Publication Date: July 28, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, TW rape allegories and mentions, TW eating disorder allegory, TW creepy comments made by men on at least one barely legal girl)

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 304

Synopsis: The Princesses of Ever are beloved by the kingdom and their father, the King. They are cherished, admired.

Cursed.

Jane, Alice, Nora, Grace, and Eden carry the burden of being punished for a crime they did not commit, or even know about. They are each cursed to be Without one essential thing—the ability to eat, sleep, love, remember, or hope. And their mother, the Queen, is imprisoned, frozen in time in an unbreakable glass box.

But when Eden’s curse sets in on her thirteenth birthday, the princesses are given the opportunity to break the curse, preventing it from becoming a True Spell and dooming the princesses for life. To do this, they must confront the one who cast the spell—Reagan, a young witch who might not be the villain they thought—as well as the wickedness plaguing their own kingdom…and family.

Told through the eyes of Reagan and Jane—the witch and the bewitched—this insightful twist of a fairy tale explores power in a patriarchal kingdom not unlike our own.

Review: Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book. The book did well to describe the trauma and the mental health of the characters. I really liked Alice, who was a trans character, and I liked how the story was a twist on modern fairytales to show their ugliness that we rarely talk about. I thought the book also did well on the feminist side of the story too.

However, there were some issues I had with the book. I didn’t like all the similarities to eating disorders as I didn’t see a trigger warning. The book didn’t really discuss it but alluded to it through one of the main characters and I could see where it could be upsetting for some people. There were also a lot of rape allegories without a trigger warning and the book was generally hard to get into. The book didn’t do well describing the world building and the characters weren’t that well developed in my opinion. You’re also thrown into the story and it takes a bit to orient yourself in it.

Verdict: It was good, but I wanted it to be a bit more fleshed out and I would like to see some trigger warnings in the final version.

I've read all of Corey Ann Haydu's contemporary YA fiction so this was my first look into what she could do with fantasy. And it doesn't surprise me at all that this tale is filled with feminist themes, vivid imagery, and a very unique take on what it means to be a princess. The story alternates between Jane and Reagan's points-of-view. Jane is one of the six cursed Princesses of Ever and she, along with her sisters, are cursed to be Without one essential thing. It could sleep, love, hope, or in Jane's case, the ability to eat. Their mother, the Queen, is frozen in time in an unbreakable glass box while their father, the King, roams free. And Reagan? She's the witch who cursed them, for reasons the princess don't know or understand. But when their youngest sister's cursed sets in, they now have the chance to break the curse as long as they work with Reagan. It turns into an adventure of self-discovery, uncovering long hidden secrets, sisterhood, and learning more than they ever realized about the kingdom they're meant to rule. I thought Haydu's subversive take on fairytales was very timely; my only wish was that more time had been spent on each of the girls and the backstory.

Do I recommend? I would recommend borrowing this from the library but if you're in the mood for a unique, feminist take on fairy tales then this one is for you.

As always, thank you so very much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early via e-ARC!

Okay.

Please read this book. Please. It is just... so good. Amazing. Wonderful. I read it in basically one day, because I just couldn’t put it down. It sucked me in. It tumbled me around... and it spit me out and I feel quite a bit different! It is about empowerment, and friendship, and family, and all kinds of other wonderful things! I don’t want to spoil anything... but it’s IMPORTANT. So incredibly important! I loved every moment, and I also wish there was so much more!

I really enjoyed this book! I absolutely love the way it flips the fairy tale trope on its head, but still works within a fairy tale world to tell a really riveting story. The plot does move slowly, and it takes a while to get comfortable and gain some understanding of the world the story takes place in, but that doesn't usually bother me. I really liked how the book ended, and I will definitely recommend it to my teens in the library.

A Very important look at how a fairytale can have so many sides to its stories, sides that are not pretty. The king may not be good, the princess' curse may not be her fault and not all witches are bad. It's an important feminist work that needs to be read to remember that cautionary tales are meant to caution of monsters that are not all men. It's a good look at how people can be deceived, even by those the love most when the veil of truth is cleared away.

Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu had all the makings of a book I’d love. Kings and queens, witches and magic, unique and creative magic system, a beautiful cover, and a killer story idea.

But what you see is not always what you get.

While there are many redeeming qualities to Ever Cursed, the flaws outweigh the sparkles in my opinion.

Let’s jump right in.

Ever Cursed Review

I need to get it all off my chest, so I’m going to plow head first into the negatives, and we’ll look at what I loved at the end.

Ever Cursed is a slow book. I mean a really slow book. Aside from the opening moments, there’s not a lot going on until a good halfway through the book or more.

I like high adrenaline books. And I even recently engaged in a conversation in defense of slow books, primarily because it took me 3 years to finish Mistborn, but when I did, I devoured books 2 and 3 in a week.

Ever Cursed did not take me that long to finish. I actually read it rather quickly in about 2-3 days or so. But it’s mind-numbingly slow to start.

It probably doesn’t help that the author used absolutely no creativity in crafting her world at all. The kingdom’s name is Ever. There’s another kingdom named AndNot, and another named Soar. Spells are quite literal. The Spell of Without (that leaves you without something) and the Spell of Always Day, which, you guessed it, means it’s always day.

And then there’s the War We Won, and a whole slew of terms like that, like the witches live in the House on the Hill, which is a house on the hill.

I researched the author after the fact and saw that she writes Middle Grade and younger books, and that’s probably the best way to describe the world building. It’s like she forgot she was writing YA and stuck to her MG naming conventions.

Ever Cursed was probably also very slow because all the surprises aren’t really surprises, and you can see them coming from a mile away. Most reviewers I saw pointed this out as well.

Trigger Warnings

But let’s talk about what really doesn’t belong.

Any book that has to give me a disclaimer before I read it, really probably shouldn’t have been written in the first place. At least not the part requiring the trigger warning.

There’s some very obviously disgusting parts in this book, and while it’s meant to provoke outrage, it mainly was revolting, but was not executed as well as it could have been to create the desired emotions. Both within the characters and the reader.

Oh, and the characters are bland. Bland, bland, bland.

I frequently forgot which main character POV I was supposed to be reading. The two are near indistinguishable in voice, and most of the supporting characters have almost no personality. There’s only one character that I can particularly say I enjoyed and it was Olive, the attendant. And even she didn’t really have a large enough part for me to really really like her.

The Gems

Ever Cursed wasn’t all bad though.

The magic system is really really well done. When a witch casts a spell before her 18th birthday, it’s a Slow spell. And when she turns 18, it becomes True. In order to prevent a spell from becoming permanent, you must break it before it becomes True.

Our main character, Jane (plain Jane), was cursed with not being able to eat. She hasn’t eaten a thing in 5 years. Any normal person would die, but because it was a Slow spell, it didn’t kill her right away. But the moment the spell becomes True, she’ll die. So there’s the stakes. Stop the curse before it becomes too late.

There’s other stakes too, but that’s obviously the most pressing.

When a witch casts a spell, a skirt of varying fabrics appear around their waist. The stronger or more brutal the spell, the heavier the skirt. Reagan’s (the witch who cast the curse on Jane) grandmother has cast so many spells she has so many skirts that she’s literally stuck in a chair and can’t move.

It’s a very interesting concept that limits power, and I’ve never seen something quite like it before. It’s really quite genius. I love magic systems that take something mundane, like metal in Mistborn or scissors in Spin the Dawn, and make it magical and amazing.

The In-Betweens

I also really enjoyed the ending of Ever Cursed. But I must add that my feelings on the way it all played out are mixed.

What I mean is that I loved seeing all the pieces come together, but I felt the pieces were forced or misshapen to the point that you couldn’t put the puzzle together on your own.

While some parts of the story had very obvious twists, others had no way of ever being deduced from the story except you be told in a monologue format from a secondary character.

Since we are reading this book from the first person perspective of Jane and Reagan, we can only know the world to the extent of their knowledge. And since Jane’s father and Reagan’s grandmother haven’t exactly been forthright with information, you just simply can’t know things until the 90% mark of the book where Reagan’s grandmother spills the beans.

I enjoyed learning the information. I did. But it felt all very deus ex machina if you will.

Final Thoughts

Ever Cursed could have done without sexual assault scenes. And if the world building had been a tad more YA and the characters a bit more fleshed out, I would have really absolutely loved this book.

As it stands, the best I can give it is half marks. The story is there. It’s interesting. The magic is awesome. But the flaws are as blatant as a snag in the witch’s skirt or the itch from the wool of a powerful spell.

Give the book a try if you’d like. I’d by no means discourage someone from reading Ever Cursed if they had their heart set on it. It was a good book. Not the best book. But not a bad book either. I didn’t DNF it, and it didn’t take me weeks to read.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. We first meet the princesses 5 years after the family was cursed by the Spell of Without, where the princesses each live without a piece of themselves: without food and drink, love, sleep, memory, or hope. The witch that cursed them is about to turn 18 and the spell becomes permanent. This book mainly features Princess Jane, whom has been unable to eat or drink for 5 years, and Reagan, the witch that made it happen. I really enjoyed bits of the world building. My absolute favorite was the consequences of using magic. For each spell a witch casts, they gain a new skirt that is permanent-they can never take it off . The bigger the spell, the heavier the skirt. I also appreciated the diversity throughout the books.

The book was very slow for me. I thought it was going to be fast paced and exciting when I read the blurb, but I was let down quite a bit. The witch was very cruel in her spells (which I understand, emotions are hard to control at 18) but it felt like she never grew up. Even after she accepted that what she did was harsh, it still felt like she was never truly sorry. By the time the plot sped up, the book was nearly over and the ending was rushed.

I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't love it either. I might recommend it to others.

I appreciate a YA fantasy book attempting to address these serious issues, but Ever Cursed was difficult to get through. It's bleak and the characters don't really inspire you to root for them. Haydu relies heavily on narration and inner thoughts, which ended up feeling very repetitive. I often couldn't tell when I'd switched from Jane's POV to Reagan's because they both felt like incomplete characters. I will say that I did really appreciate the metaphors in this book, which highlighted the themes of freedom and finding strength in yourself and others.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Trigger warning: Sexual assault & eating disorder

Magic doesn't have to be forever, Even the strongest flames are extinguished. Spells are meant to be broken." -

“There’s more than one way to survive”. -

This unusual fairy tale explores power in a patriarchal kingdom fairy with some dark themes.
#MeToo

Five years ago, the five princesses of Ever were cursed
Jane can't eat
Nora can't love
Alice can't sleep Grace can't remember
Eden, upon her Thirteenth Birthday celebration, won't be able to hope.

All because of a young witch Reagan, impulsively cast a spell in retaliation for the unspeakable horrifying actions of the princess ruling father.
Told in dual POV’s, alternating perspectives by Jane and Reagan, one of the cursed princess and the young witch who cast the devastating curse.
I struggled with this book, I was completely immersed within the storyline and I had a hard time finishing it. A little diversity adds some depth to the ya fantasy.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I love the inclusivity and the not graphic depictions of sexual assault. This book will still be triggering for many but it’s written very well Definitely not for my middle school Library But I will suggest to my HS colleagues.

Powerful, painful, profound.

This story of survival and survivors was as beautiful as it was difficult to read. I was moved to tears, with my skin covered in goosebumps in several places. It was a wonderfully immersive fantasy world with magic and intrigue. The characters were real and flawed and vulnerable, yet brave and strong and perfect. They came to life in ways that made them people you know. The way each and every survivor dealt with and grew in their own ways was an important message in itself and one that struck me throughout. We survive how we can. It isn't always pretty and that's OK. I love the way these women came together, found themselves, and each other and their truths. The message will speak to survivors and hopefully also to those who see/support them and even more important to those who need to see them and look away. The end moved me to tears. So much love for the bravery and the one who was there to be just what was needed in the moment fear crept in.

The curses, the relationship between witches and royalty, and the missing princess are fascinating and weave around the world with a tightening grip as what you sense becomes what you fear and the pieces fall tragically into place. The magic of the world, especially as the depth of things in the history are revealed leaves you with a lot to think about as well.

Highly recommend, an important and timely message wrapped in a wonderful fantasy.

This book was received as an ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing - Simon Pulse in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this book tremendously with the drama and action included in the plot. The sisterhood bond that Jane, Alice, Nora, Grace and Eden show for one another was so refreshing to read. Eden while cast with a terrible curse that will take effect on her 13th birthday, the girls will stop at nothing to work together to stop at nothing to break Eden's curse and save their sister. In order to do that, they had to confront the witch that cast the spell in the first place of which whom may not be the villain they thought she was and that there may be more to the story for all they know. Secrets are uncovered and the truth is revealed as the sisters will stop at nothing to save their kingdom once and for all. What best describes this book is Sleeping Beauty meets Ella Enchanted and I know our teen book club will have a lot to say about it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA Collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I loved the idea of this feminist fairytale where a witch and and a bewitched princess need to unite in order to save their kingdom. The magic was unique and interesting including details of how spells are cast and the cost of them to witches. I adored the strength of Princess Jane and Reagan. They both came into the story with strong beliefs but were open to learning and changing. I also appreciated That the author provided trigger warnings regarding sexual assault that is discussed in this story. I thought it was handled in a way that really imparted the seriousness of the issue and it’s impact on victims of sexual assault. I will say that topic was prevalent throughout the story and could be difficult for some readers.

While I enjoyed the main characters, the magic system and the message behind this book I found myself wanting something more after I finished reading it. I am not sure whether it was the pacing Of the story or wanting more detail about the residents of Ever that left me with that feeling. I’d definitely be interested in reading more from this author particularly regarding the other kingdoms mentioned.

Many thanks to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for the ARC!

Ever Cursed is a young adult, feminist fairy tale that deals with some heavy subjects, most notably sexual assault and disordered eating. Corey Ann Haydu provides a content warning at the beginning, which immediately gave me a positive first impression of her and the book. As someone who is easily triggered by one of these, I appreciated it so much and I know a lot of other readers will too. Overall, Haydu handles the difficult topics very well. She does a particularly great job showing how people often turn a blind eye to sexual assault. A large portion of the plot is about bringing it to light and forcing the perpetrator to face consequences.

Haydu has created a truly fascinating and unique world. The naming of the countries and various places and events contributes to the fairy tale feel of the book. Countries are called Ever and AndNot, the witches live at the Home on the Hill, and the princesses are cursed with the Spell of Without. Some could find it jarring at first, but I found it quite charming. But the true star of Haydu’s world is the magic system. When witches cast a spell, a new skirt magically appears around their waist. The material of the skirt depends on the severity of the spell cast. A minor spell results in a lightweight material while a major one with dire consequences, such as the one Reagan places on the princesses, results in a heavy material like burlap. If a witch casts lots of heavy spells, she might find herself unable to move due to the weight of her skirts, which is what happens to Regan’s grandmother. It’s so different from anything I’ve seen before, and I loved it!

This is the closest I have ever come to seeing eating disorder representation in fantasy literature. Due to the Spell of Without, Princess Jane is unable to eat. Now, this is not actually an eating disorder since it is magically induced rather than a mental illness, but the harrowing physical and emotional consequences are mostly the same. I noticed that several of the princesses’ curses match up with some kind of disorder or mental illness, including depression, insomnia, and dementia. Sometimes it’s easy for issues like these to be romanticized in fiction, but Haydu avoids that; it is very clear throughout that these are serious and dangerous problems. In fact, she takes it a step further and critiques the romanticization of these disorders and illnesses that occurs especially when they appear in women.

My biggest problem with Ever Cursed is that the characters’ voices aren’t distinct enough. The first person narration switches between Jane and Reagan for each chapter. I found that their voices sound essentially the same and I frequently forgot whose point of view I was reading from. In general, all of the characters would have benefited from a little more development. It was difficult to connect with them or even care about them in some cases. Reagan in particular I really just disliked the whole time. I also found the ending rushed and anticlimactic. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how or why some things happened at the end. While one major issue is resolved, there are a whole host of smaller problems that are glossed over and suddenly all better just because.

Overall this is a feminist fairy tale that takes on some difficult topics quite well. Despite it’s flaws, it’s definitely worth checking out.