As the title suggests, this book is about the breaking of a curse placed on the lovely, witty, and sometimes snappy Princess Julianna. The story is fun and despite being in that typical YA trope, the author has enough twists and turns that it didn’t hit full on predictable, which I appreciated. Also, there are some one liners in this book that just got you out of no-where and make it worth the read.

I thought this was a fun novel! The concept was interesting, however there were problems with the pacing. It went from fast and then slow, which made it kinda annoying and made me almost put it down. I liked the characters, and I really enjoyed the writing style! However, sometimes the characters did things that just didn't feel true to what it was written about them?? Like the dad. Overall, it was an entertaining book but it wasn't anything special. Solid ending though.

If you love magic, pirates, royals and fantasy reads, then this one is for you. I very much enjoyed the multiple povs that were used in this story as while as the several storylines it followed. There were lots of fun and exciting moments and it definitely leaves you wanting more. I also liked how it didn’t quite fit the standard read of where you expected it to end up.

This felt less YA and more middle-grade. I didn't like the decisions the characters made or the writing- it felt too bland. Thee setting was interesting but nothing that kept me hooked and wanting more. The cover is beautiful but i feel like a teenager or younger readers would get more out of this!

3.75 stars.

First, the cover is amazing! I chose this book just because of it. Also, the premise was so intriguing. A cursed princess in a dungeon, unable to see the light of day. She needs to find a cure for her and her father's kingdom. I enjoyed going on the journey with her. I think the author did a great job with the secondary characters (the ghosts!) and I loved her imagination.
My only problem with this book is the writing style. It took me too long to finish it just because of it. It's unfortunate because I liked the characters and cared about them.

*** I received an e-ARC of this book from the author and the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Laura Morrison & Black Spot Books. ***

This was a fun read, but I felt that it didn't quite reach it's full potential. I enjoyed the MC a lot, but struggled with a few aspects of the plot. I read this during a beach day which worked perfectly for me. I would give this story a shot & recommend it. I would really rate this a 3.5/5 vs a 3/5. It was allllllmost a 4/5.

This book started out cute and funny and then it just kept going and going and adding more characters and their backstories and going and going. In short bites I enjoyed it, but it's just too much. This might have worked as a series of short episodes, but a fairy tale needs something more to become a saga.

How to Break an Evil Curse was a RIDE. Cursed princess. What more do you want?! I really enjoyed this as an adult. It wasn't too YA, but just enough to be believable. I love a good breaking stereotypes trope and this one delivered.

I am a massive fan of both Princess Bride and Monty Python, so I was delighted to have the chance to read How to Break an Evil Curse in exchange for a review. Regrettably, Morrison took an artistic choice in the 'voice' she used to tell the story that did not mesh with me at all. I constantly found myself interested in the characters but dreading reading how their story was told.
The story has interesting characters and a twisty plot. There are things to like about it. I just didn't happen to like how they're told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the read.

2.5 stars rounded to 3 stars

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

As a book that is being advertised as middle grade, I found it slightly difficult to read with the storyline and switching perspectives. It was hard to concentrate and understand what characters were who and how they blended themselves to the story. Especially near the beginning, there was a lot of introductions to many characters that overwhelmed me.

As a lover of fantasy and fairy tales, I was really excited to read this book. It sounded so interesting and I was intrigued by how the story would play out. While it is still an interesting concept, I was confused by some of the character's actions and the writing, in general, wasn't as engaging as I would have hoped. There were times when the writing felt flat and I struggled to keep my interest in reading. I do think the story and concept itself is very interesting.

I do think there are people out there who will enjoy this story more than I. And I encourage anyone who does love books about curses, magic and fairy tales to check this story out!

Sadly, this book was simply not for me. The style was strange, and the cartoonish behavior of all the characters did not work for me at all.

Princess Juliana is cursed to dwell in darkness, but she's too resourceful to stay in the castle dungeons. She explores the city at night and bumps into Warren Kensington, a member of a seafaring theater troupe. He breaks her curse, and they discover a plot against Juliana's father. The more Juliana learns, however, she realizes that the world is far more complicated than a fairy tale.

How to Break an Evil Curse is written in a conversational style, as if the author is speaking directly to you. In fact, there's often "you" or "dear Reader" dropped into the text. We also have occasional footnotes comparing the kingdom to our modern world. This is probably also why the opening chapters skip back and forth in time before we get to Julianna's birth and life in the dungeon. It's probably also why the language isn't as old-fashioned as magical fantasy novels usually are. For example, there's a "rockin' theater troupe" mentioned.

Ultimately I kept getting thrown out of the story by the asides and the language used. The story itself is fine, and I liked Julianna and Warren. Several characters around them were caricatures of people, and I would've liked to reach through the pages to smack them upside the head, especially the king. The queen, being an utter flake, is someone I'd rather shake. Julianna discovers a lot of truths, but like the meandering bits of story interspersed within the main one, there really isn't a sense of finality with the ending.

Though they once wore matching BFF bracelets, King Conroy of Fritillary and the wizard Farland Phelps are no longer besties. As it turns out, the powerful Farland was an evil wizard, and cursed Conroy’s first born child to die if sunlight ever touched them—unless, that is, the royal family found the countercurse. And so, it seemed that Princess Julianna was doomed to live a life in the (tastefully decorated) castle dungeon unless she could locate her seafaring, banjo/harpsichord playing, asparagus-allergic soul mate before Farland could get his evil hands on him. But the brave, stubborn, and slightly naive princess refused to let herself be kept locked away from the world forever. How to Break an Evil Curse is a testament to the resourcefulness of a young woman with a determination to see the world—as well as a stage for pirates, wizards, doctors, witches, ghosts, women’s rights, union organizers, asparagus tips, and terrible harpsichord playing.

Laura Morrison’s first fractured fairytale novel is a funny, sarcastic weave of several unique stories. Julianna is out of touch with the world—both literally because of her sunlight intolerance and also because she’s part of the royal family—but learns much about Fritillary from the three ghosts who haunt her bedchambers. She is kind at heart, though incredibly sheltered, and wants nothing more than to satisfy her wandering spirit and improve the lives of commoners. The man who was born to be her countercurse, Warren, is kind and loyal to his sea-faring, theatrical family. He is a likeable character, but I found him to be a bit boring overall because he seems to go along with the plans set out for him by other people. However Warren’s sister, Corinne, was a fun and interesting side character to read.

Overall, while I really loved the humor and the creative plot lines of the novel, I felt like there was too much going on. For example, the novel opened with a fantastically evil character, but she was never talked about after Chapter Two. There were so many characters with interesting backstories, but there wasn’t enough time for them all to fully develop. Regardless, if you’re looking for a chaotic fantasy read with a sarcastic narrator and a whole host of twisted story-book tropes, this might be the book for you.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This book had a really slow beginning, but once Juliana escaped the basement/dungeon it started to really pick up. I don’t think I enjoyed this book as much as I could have if I hadn’t just finished such a disappointing satirical novel just before I read this. I think I should have held off and I would have enjoyed this more. I liked all the characters they were well
Written, and the satire was not over the top. It was enjoyable, I just think I could have appreciated the humor more if I had been in a better mindset.

I quite liked this book at first, and then as it went on the tone just got to be... a bit much for me. It's a very silly type of fantasy that pokes a bit of fun of the genre as it goes. It reminded me a lot of the tone of Terry Pratchett's Discworld and Piers Anthony's Xanth novels. If those series are your brand of fantasy, you'll love the Chronicles of Fritillary!

DNF @ 12%

I just can't get invested in this one: the plot is cliched, the characters are flat, the worldbuilding is full of anachronisms, the fourth-wall breaks and jokes are not doing it for me.

First, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

I have a bit of a hard time getting into this one. The main plot is really interesting, but I don't know why for me it keep going everywhere with the two main characters and other plot and I have a hard time to follow where it was going.

Fritillary's KIng have been curse by an ex-bestie. Well, his first born will be the one who'll be curse. If his child be touched by sunlight, he or she will die. So Julianna, since she's born, have seen nothing but the dungeon who have been renovated and decorated to be her quarter. Never to go out ever. But with the help of some ghosts and eight year of digging a tunnel, she's finally be free to explore, at night of course.

I very much dislike to give bad reviews, but this one sadly did not hit the mark for me. Since it was an arc I've tried giving this one a chance multiple times, but had to give up around halfway through.
The characters I feel were very underdeveloped. I actually enjoyed the narration and the somewhat satiric tone, but the jumpings in the timeline cut the flow of the story too many times. I didn't really the plot evolving and felt zero connection to any of the characters.
The story idea is quite intriguing and promised a lot of potential, at the end of teh day I can see many people enjoying this one. It just did not hit the mark for me.

Unfortunately this book did nothing meet my expectations at all and I ultimately ended up DNFing it. It’s not often that I’m really excited for a book and it lets me down from early on but that is exactly what has happened here. I couldn’t get past the goofy writing style and honestly had no idea what was going on from the very start. I can see how this book might be great for others, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I received a digital arc from Netgally for an honest review.
After being cursed by the evil wizard Farland Phelps, Julianna must spend every minute of her life hiding from sunlight, one beam will kill her. The dungeons have been remodeled for a princess, but Julianna longs for more than being hidden away. She spends 8 long years digging her way out of the depths of the castle and can finally roam free around the city- at least, until the sun come up.

My favorite parts of this book:
-the humor
-The narration
-touching on sexism and classism

Dislikes:
-I felt he characters didn't have a lot of development as the story progressed
-the anticlimactic ending

I expected more of a serious book but found it to be a lighter and faster read, which isn't a bad thing at all, I just wasn't expecting it so it was a bit jarring and what why this book is 3.5 stars rather than 4.