DNF at 20% (no rating left on goodreads)
This book started off being really good and high-stakes in the prologue, but it very quickly descended into poor characterization and little motivation for the characters.
The characters’ attitudes and motivations were very inconsistent, and they were being very blasé about things they felt much more strongly about just a little bit earlier. This combined with inconsistent worldbuilding and too many convenient plot devices made me not enjoy this book as much as I was hoping to.

This story was really good but could use some editing. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it through the whole book after reading the first few chapters but once the story got going I was hooked. The world building, characters and storyline were all amazing. It was an interesting take on The Beauty and the Beast that was worth the read. I do think it needs a little bit of work when it comes to the flow of the story in some places and the format of the book was weird sometimes. I would definitely still recommend this book to people and I can't wait to read more from this world. The side characters were all fascinating in their own ways and I think future books could be even better than this one.

It has been a long while since I have been able to get so engrossed into a fantasy novel. I'm not quite sure what it was about this book that drew me in so quickly, but I finished it in 3 days. I can do that with normal books, but fantasy??? Almost unheard of. I loved this book. I really fell in love with the story of Merit and the world that the author built. I wasn't expecting to be surprised by this novel since it's a retelling, but I was, just not in the usual way. If I'm honest, I think I went in expecting this book to be... less than amazing. I didn't think it would be bad at all, just not something I would love as much as I did. That was incredibly unfair. I expected it to be exactly like any retelling I have ever read, but that simply wasn't true. The author did a fabulous job of adding their own twists to the story, lore, and world building in the novel. The writing was fantastic, and I really fell in love with a few of the characters. Merit herself is a strong woman that had a lot of depth. I felt for her a lot throughout the story. Not to mention, the book was just fun. I had a great time reading it and would probably do it again. It was so good!!

Review posted on GoodReads (February 23, 2021)
Review linked.

4.5/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review!

This book was SO CUTE! I didn't really know what to expect when going into it, all I knew was that it was a gender-bend retelling of Beauty and the Beast. But it was so much more!

I fell in love with all of the characters. Lish McBride is a fantastic writer. Her characters are all so well written, and HER DIALOGUE IS AMAZING! Each person in the story had such deep and diverse characters that made me instantly fall in love. Merit and Tevin's romance was to die for. I loved their story and how beautiful yet flawed they each were.

I think that one of my favorite things about this book was the world building and the magic system. All of it was so unique, cool, and really well done. All I need now are more stories set in this world following some of the incredible side characters who were a part of CURSES.

I really recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy retellings, the Beauty and the Beast, witty dialogue, strong feminist stories, and epic romances.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

I loved the fresh take on Beauty and the Beast. The characters were great and funny. The writing is witty and the world is exactly what I was looking for.