The Curse That Binds Us is a fast-paced Dark Fantasy that may take a while to get going, but once it does - you're in for a ride.

It took me a minute to get into the story and get sucked in by it, but I really loved the multiple POV's and how they were handled, as well as the story arc. It isn't the most memorable story, but I enjoyed the last two thirds a lot.

I kept putting this off for no known reason but this ended up being very enjoyable and engaging. It was also very imaginative and hard to put down. The only issue I had is the slurs used with regards to Indigenous peoples.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this earc

This book has such a lovely concept, the mixture of the historical and the fantasy fiction, throw in a mysterious box and this story had me hooked. I really did enjoy reading this and ca not wait to see the rest of the series.

I went into this book with very high expectations and unfortunately I was let down. This entire story and writing fell flat for me. I was quite disappointed because I really enjoyed this authors previous work that she co-wrote with Olivia Wildenstein. Unfortunately this is a story that fell somewhere in the middle of the road and that I will not really think about in the future.

I really wanted to like this book because it was a fantasy that was based on Roanoke colony. I wanted to know the author’s interpretation of what happened to the settlers. However, I found the plot was to hard to follow. Still, I recommend this for fans of Charlie N. Holmberg, Emily R. King, and Justina Ireland!

A very intriguing slow burn of a fantasy-romance that tells the story of Redd and her mother’s very mysterious past. What is in the box that her mum won’t let her open? Why do they have to move every year? Why is her mother so paranoid? Who is the mysterious stranger John Smith and what is his agenda?

My main issue with this book is that there’s cliffhangers, and there’s finishing a book halfway through the plot - always feels like a bit of a cop out to me. I found this quite frustrating!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.

I think this book was a really thought out and intriguing read, however I really struggled to maintain a drive to push through the story. The book just didn't sweep me up as much as I thought it would and I just found that I was forcing myself to get to the end. I think this is definitely a book that some readers will like, especially the darker undertones of the storyline, but it just wasn't for me.

Exciting and magical

Every year, on Redd's birthday, a mysterious box appears. Her mother has never let her open it, but now, she's grown tired of not knowing about her past. She's tired of the secrets and the dangers her mother wants to protect her from. When a stranger who feels different to Redd shows up in her small town, she might just get the answers she sought.

I absolutely loved this book! Redd is such an amazing character, I related to her instantly and wanted to follow her story. The mystery and the secrets were installed from the star and I was eager to unravel everything and understand how all the characters came together in the story. I was not disappointed. The author managed to keep me intrigued and enthralled throughout the entire book, with a plot full of twists, questions and surprises. I loved the pace and the balance between the POVs. The world is full of mystery and I'm sure what I'll discover in the sequel will be mind-blowing. I loved the magical aspect too, which was both discreet and constant, full of secrets. As for the romance...it was marvelous! Kind of enemies to lovers and full of tension, I NEED MORE! Redd's frienship with Shay was refreshing and authentic, I loved it. As for her relationship with her mother, I found it very unique and interesting. There was action, mystery, magic, fantasy, secrets, betrayals, tension...everything I look for in a book in the end. I am super excited to read the sequel now because the end has me gasping!

I highly recommend to fans of fantasy series like Lux (Jennifer L Armentrout)!

"Deception paints a pretty picture. But don't believe a word."

TW: abuse, assault, attempted murder, blood, death, gore, kidnapping, poisoning, torture, violence

Thanks netgalley this was a brilliant book. I got into it really easily.
I would highly recommend it.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book and a lot that I disliked. I'll start with the things I liked. The lore was very interesting. There were three POVs and one of them, the past POV, was really hooking and the writing was really mesmerising. I really liked the friendship shown between the main character Redd and her best friend Shay. It was very wholesome and nice to read their conversations.

The other two POVs however were predictable and dry, to say the least. The characters were dry. The plot was dry. John Smith's personality is as unexciting as his name. And the thing I disliked most was the instant love connection between the two MCs. I thought that near the end it would be explained. I thought maybe they have a bond that made it that way. However, I was wrong. There were a lot of things that should've been explained more thoroughly. I think this book was tailored toward a younger audience which is why it felt a little shallow to me. There wasn't enough depth to keep me interested, unfortunately. I gave it three stars because objectively speaking, it was a good book for the age range it's for. I just personally didn't enjoy it as much. I don't think I'll be picking up the next book.

The Curse That Binds was a bit confusing for me. The story itself isn't confusing but I was confused about where the dtory was going. This may be because there were many times where it was hard to stay interested in the story and the outcomes of the characters. I'm honestly unsure what to think about this story overall, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

This was so fascinating!! I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I had no knowledge beforehand about the people that landed on Roanoke Island and then disappeared but this made me look into it. This was so clever of the author to be able to mix fact with fiction so well and make you believe that this story could 100% have happened. I thoroughly enjoyed this paranormal and fantasy book, will definitely be reading the next one!

This was a good story, I was intrigued as to what was gonna happen and I'm glad I picked it up! Want to read more from this author

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Sexy and imaginative this book will have you on the edge of your seat in no time.

The concept of the story is well thought out and intriguing, however, it just got too dark too fast for me. The personification of the devil was just too much for my tolerance. It felt like glorifying the darkness instead of trying to illustrate it as something that can be conquered by light.

(ENGLISH REVIEW BELOW)

Bien que je lise peu de romans historiques, j’aime énormément ceux où il y a une double temporalité. Mais j’aime beaucoup les romans de fantasy. Avec l’histoire de Redd, John et Eleanor, l’autrice réunit ces deux derniers éléments que j’aime et offre une chouette lecture.
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Dans ce roman, l’autrice alterne entre deux temporalités. Nous suivons l’intrigue au présent mais nous avons aussi une vue sur le passé, et plus particulièrement l’époque de la colonisation de Roanoke.
J’ai beaucoup aimé ma lecture et voir les connections entre le passé d’Eleanor et le présent de John et Redd. L’autrice nous plonge dans un bel univers et instaure une ambiance pleine de mystères, où le suspens est présent. J’ai bien aimé aussi l’aspect fantastique avec le côté malédiction.
J’étais curieuse d’arriver jusqu’à la fin de ce premier tome.
Si le rythme du récit était assez lent au début, il s’accélérait doucement au fil des pages et les événements s’enchaînaient. J’aurais peut-être voulu en savoir plus sur les personnages et leurs interactions entre eux.
En bref, c’était une chouette lecture de fantasy historique.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:
Although I read few historical novels, I really like those where there's a double temporality. But I really like fantasy books. With the story of Redd, John and Eleanor, the author brings together these last two elements that I love and offers a great read.
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In this book, the author alternates between two temporalities. We follow the plot in the present but we also have a view of the past, and more particularly the era of the colonization of Roanoke.
I really enjoyed my reading and seeing the connections between Eleanor's past and John and Redd's present. The author immerses us in a beautiful universe and creates an atmosphere full of mysteries, where suspense is present. I also liked the fantastic aspect with the curse side.
I was curious to get to the end of this first volume.
If the pace of the story was quite slow at the beginning, it accelerated slowly over the pages and the events followed one another. I might have wanted to know more about the characters and their interactions with each other.
In short, it was a great historical fantasy read.

This book follows Redd, a young girl who just turned eighteen and finally opens the box that kept appearing every year on her birthday and thus unlocking her destiny.

I have to say that I liked the story of Eleanor, Agnes and John much more than the story of Redd, she felt like a very whiny and annoying character compared to others. I have to admit that by the end I skimmed her chapters as I as getting more and more annoyed with her.

I really enjoyed the story, it felt very unique, raw and unexpected. If Redd was not in this book as much I would have given it 5 starts! But I can see how she can develop as a character in the next book and how she can grow and change into a more mature character.

Overall, I found this book difficult to get in to and to stay with it. I got about 70% through and just could not continue.

I was honestly a bit confused - I don't love shifting points of view when I'm getting acclimated to a new fantasy novel. But after a while I truly began to enjoy the story. It's definitely character driven, which I love.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing a free copy of The Curse That Binds Us in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to follow but this is definitely a positive. The worldbuilding and myth is incredible and the writing style well suited to this. Overall an enjoyable read.