3.5/5 stars

Cursed Under London is a cosy queer historical romantasy set in an alternative Elizabethan London where magical creatures coexist with humanity. Frenchman actor Lazare and handsome Asian man Fang are both attacked and killed, only to wake up as sort-of supernatural creatures with inexplicable immortality. Despite being strangers, they must work together to figure out this curse alongside a loyal apothecary and a small in stature dragon as they dodge rival gangs, avoid the deputized aviary royal police, and venture into Deep London, the underground dwelling of supernatural beings.

I actually wouldn’t consider this book a romantasy as the romance was very secondary to the main plot of the curse with very little actually developing in the romance department. Lazare is what you would call a debonair man who wouldn’t mind tumbling either a man or woman and prides himself as being a great lover. Meanwhile, Fang is an attractive man who has been traumatized by a past lover and seeks some instant gratification and subsequently quick rejection. While both men are attracted to each other, their competing philosophies don’t mesh initially and their shared curse certainly isn’t helping. Their relationship honestly never felt all that romantic—it felt more friendly with a heavy dose of lust.

The book itself is quite funny and very unserious. The cast get themselves into some pretty hilarious situations along with some fun banter and even funnier awkwardness. It’s pretty fast-paced and always progressing forward with delightful interactions and action.

I wouldn’t say the book felt cosy to me, but its low stakes and found family dynamic does go hand in hand with most cosy fantasies. The writing is accessible, if not particularly Elizabethan, but the author does switch perspectives unexpectedly between paragraphs so it’s sometimes confusing to tell who the PoV character is at any time. Mostly though, I think it’s just important to note that this book feels like a set-up novel for a series (which its actually is).

Cursed Under London lays the foundation for a cosy queer romantasy while actually being more of a low stakes fantasy comedy.

There’s a few bits of this that didn’t quite HIT it with me. There’s lots of funny bits, but I think it could’ve been funnier at times. The characters were kept fresh by the fast pace of the story, and it felt cosy and cute. But yeah something was just missing

This was a fascinating and intriguing fantasy novel. The book did start off a bit slow but the pace picked up as the story went on. The characters were well developed and lovable enough to make me really enjoy and appreciate the storyline.

There’s also great lgbtq+ representation which I loved! The romance was great, I loved every bit of it! Truly a book worth reading.

Elizabethan London? CHECK! Fantasy rom-com. CHECK!

This was such a fun read! I laughed out loud so many times and the characters were so well-written and the romance was so sweet that I found it hard to put my Kindle down. It totally gave me cosy-fantasy vibes, which i'm such a fan of right now!

This is the first book i've by this author by it 100% won't be the last!

Had a bit of a slow start but once the story got going the pacing was great. The cast of characters was chaotic and fun and I enjoyed how everything collated together at the end and left off for the sequel

This was a great disappointment. The plot was uninteresting, the comedic bits didn’t work, and the characters were two-dimensional one-trick ponies, with one of my pet peeves of keeping the backstory from the reader until it doesn’t matter and hiding pertinent facts about the character’s looks. There was insta-lust and love based purely on looks—and with the bland characters, it couldn’t be based on anything else—and a lot of talk of sex, but nothing delivered. Instead, we got a puritanistic moralising about bare male bits and buttoks, as if those weren’t the stable of Tudor comedy. But the worst was the worldbuilding.

I simply cannot understand why the author had chosen alt-Tudor England for the setting and then didn’t use any elements of Tudor world. Mentioning Marlowe, Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth is just name-dropping, not world-building. Instead, there were anachronisms that were probably supposed to be funny, like gluten, tourism, and Chinese on the other side of the world, although the book lost me already at Blackfriars Bridge.

If you can’t make your chosen era work for your comedy and fantasy elements, choose a different era or create your own world. This combined with the failed mix of comedy, romance and constant peril made everything seem tone-deaf. And then, the book just ended. While it was a blessing, it didn’t solve anything. It didn’t make me want to find out where this all leads either.

The story was nice and I liked the LGBTQIA representation but the story overall felt too childish for me. The characters didn’t draw me in and the fantasy element was both too simple but also confusing at the same time. I think this book should have been flagged as YA as I did expect it to be more grown up than it was. I wouldn’t want to continue with the series.

I received Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch for free by Black Crow PR & Farrago Books for an honest review, thank you so much for my beautiful copy!

It was so fun being part of this cover reveal, it is absolutely stunning and the concept of this book is so much fun! I really enjoyed the cosy vibes of this story but unfortunately the story wasn't my cup of tea. I would’ve loved some more worldbuilding and found the first half of the book to be rather slow. However, I did love the characters. They were so fun and I really enjoyed how they became a ragtag group on an adventure! Plus, I really liked the use of one of my favourite tropes - the grumpy guy having to become a father figure - it was so CUTE!

If you’ve read "Neverwhere" and wished it had a heavier dose of humour, this book will be a delightful discovery. The novel offers a captivating blend of urban fantasy and sharp wit, set against the backdrop of an imaginatively re-envisioned Elizabethan era. It's a refreshing departure from the usual contemporary or Victorian settings, breathing new life into the genre.

One of the standout features of the book is its immensely likeable cast of characters. Each member of this motley crew is well-developed, with unique quirks and personalities that make them feel real and relatable. Their interactions are a joy to read, filled with humor, warmth, and occasional poignancy. The author’s skill in worldbuilding is equally impressive, crafting a richly detailed environment that draws you in from the very first page. The Elizabethan setting is vividly brought to life, with intricate descriptions that evoke the sights, sounds, and smells of the era.

The novel is also notable for its frequent breaking of the fourth wall, which adds a delightful meta-dimension to the narrative. These moments are cleverly executed, often providing humorous commentary or ironic insights that enhance the reader's engagement. Additionally, the creative use of the Tube as a narrative device adds an extra layer of intrigue and charm to the story.

However, there are moments when the book’s humour feels a bit forced, teetering on the edge of cringe. While these instances are relatively few, they can momentarily disrupt the otherwise smooth and enjoyable flow of the story. Despite this minor flaw, the overall tone remains lighthearted and entertaining, ensuring that these lapses do not detract significantly from the reader's experience.

In conclusion, this novel is a highly enjoyable read for fans of urban fantasy, especially those who appreciate a good laugh. Its unique setting, endearing characters, and inventive narrative techniques make it a standout addition to the genre. I am eagerly anticipating further adventures of this charming band of misfits, whose endearing flaws and heroic exploits have left a lasting impression.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Duckworth and Farrago Books for providing me with the eARC of this book!

"Cursed Under London" is a fun little fantasy with quirky characters and an entertaining mystery plot. Two men in 16th century Elizabethan England wake up after dying — they don’t know each other nor do they know how they managed to come back to life. Additionally, neither of them come back quite right: Lazare, a French actor, comes back with a pair of wings and Fang, who seems to be just suffering through life up until this point, can now create weird and revolting illusions. The next problem? These new abilities fit none of the known creatures roaming the world at this time, not dragons or vampires, zombies or ghouls. Brought together by a little dragon, they set out to find out what happened to them.

The cast of characters is quite fun and likeable enough to care for them, although for the romance part the pacing feels a little off (the characters in question have barely exchanged 5 words before one starts to lust after the other and it turns into love just as quickly, which just didn’t jibe with me). The group dynamics as a whole are entertaining, though.

The biggest shortcoming for me was the world building/the setting.
As it stands, setting the story in Elizabethan England felt unnecessary. The atmosphere never clicked into place and besides a few name drops — Queen Elizabeth I and Kit Marlowe most notably — it’s entirely unrecognisable. While I understand that having the characters talk in perfect Elizabethan jargon is difficult to realise, the dialogue here felt too modern and again took away from the historic setting. Hutchinson Crutch could’ve set this story in a completely made up fantasy world and it would’ve probably fit a lot more seamlessly. It just doesn’t feel like there’s any particular reason for the book to be set in Elizabethan England, the story never gives you one.
This might not weigh as heavily for others, but for me it largely took away from my enjoyment.

I’m giving this book 2,5 stars, rounding up, because the characters really were fun, I just wish the setting would’ve been constructed better.

3.25 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for letting me get an early copy of Cursed Under London in exchange for my honest review! 🖤

One thing a book has to do to get a high review from me is hold my attention enough for me to want to continue reading when I'm at home, as I do most of my reading at work. Unfortunately, this book just didn't get me to that point. Cursed Under London suffers from a lack of originality; its characters are familiar archetypes found in most works of the 'cozy fantasy' genrec, including in fanfiction -- which is what this felt like a lot of the time. That's not to say that reading like a fanfic is a bad thing by any means, but to get anything higher than 3 stars, the writer at least has to make me care. It also suffered from a bit of a tonal problem; I wasn't always sure who this book was written for in terms of audience age range.

I admittedly did enjoy the setting and the concept of 'two' Londons, one for humankind and one for the undead. That was a lot of fun to read about and I'm sure in the inevitable sequel, there'll be tons more to explore throughout this intriguing world. I also really got on with the humour in this book -- I'm not at all surprised that Hutchinson Crouch wrote for the Horrible Histories series; that brand of British comedy came through and worked well in contrast to the rest of the prose.

Ultimately, I'd recommend this to people who are looking to read something light and charming, but not necessarily all that memorable.

DNF @20%. Unfortunately this was not for me. I was enjoying the characters, but the story was not doing enough to keep me invested enough to finish.

I thought that a world where all supernatural creatures lived would be an interesting place to read about but I just couldn't get into it. I dunno if it was the plot or the writing :(

In an alternate timeline filled with magical species and undead humans, where "Deepsiders" live in a subterranean London populated by dragons, vampires, zombies, and all manner of dangerous creature, two "Uppersiders", Fang and Lazare, wake from ther violent deaths to find something has changed, and they are now somewhere between human and undead. Their adventure to learn more about and eventually lift this curse will take them through danger and mystery to the heart of Deepside and bring them closer to each other...

Delightfully funny, yet gruesome and horrifying, Cursed Under London succeeds with great world building and character development. Amber and Fang were real standouts for me, and this book also gets bonus points for a character name... Captain Dame Isobel Honkensby... I mean, that's just incredible...

Cursed Under London is a great story, with a fantastical world, lovable protagonists, a horrific and unsettling enemy, and so much humour! I really look forward to more in this series!

This book is super addictive. Set in a magical Elizabethan (I) London, where the busy underground is definitely not the same as the one we know. Okay, maybe not too different - it is as hot as hell down there.

Humanity and the supernatural sit at an uneasy peace in London. Whilst immortals do roam the streets of human upper London, there are laws that they must abide. Humans on the other hand don't tend to last long in lower London - there are still laws its just always open season.

With this tenuous balance, immortality is not the blessing that mysterious Fang wants to wake up from death to. Lazare is more just inconvenienced. With the help of Fangs savant alchemist contact, chased by a dark past, a few London gangs, and an angry goose - Fang and Lazare race figure out what's going on and who is trying to take them out.

Oh and I haven't had the chance to mention the star of the show, Amber. A dragon who is mighty of heart and stomach. A dragon who is completely adorable. A dragon who despite failing courage manages to save their asses now and then.

This was such a fun fantasy with excellent representation. The mystery elements were gripping and the characters absolutely made this book. I can't wait to read what comes next.

I really liked the idea of this, it's written well and feels so much like horrible histories with the quips and humour but I found it a little slow to get going but I will definitely read the next in the series as I liked the premise I just needed a bit more action.

The pacing was notably slow for the genre, which detracted from the overall experience. Additionally, many of the attempts at humor missed the mark. The narration style, which aimed for a fun and self-aware tone with quippy remarks from the characters, often felt forced. Instead of naturally revealing the characters' emotions and reactions, it seemed as though the author was dictating how the reader should feel.

The dialogue also struggled, frequently coming across as stilted and overly scripted, as if the characters were trying too hard to be witty. Despite these shortcomings, the worldbuilding and premise hold significant promise. I look forward to seeing future works from this author that might offer a more polished execution.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-ARC of Cursed Under London.

We follow Lazare, Fang-changed humans who live in the Deepside of London. Now changed, they have the gift of immortality, however this does end up causing some problems, especiallg once they venture to the Uppserisde of the city. Along with their friends, Nell (a pharmacist) and a dragon named Amber, they find a half elf child named Tem, hidden in a box, and so their adventure begins to try and take her back home.

I do have to admit, I did find the first 5 or so chapters to be extremely slow and I found that there was an overwhelm of plot and characters to start with- POV shifts from Upperside (mainly human residents) to Deepside (vampires, zombies, dragons etc.). However, by the end of the story, the found family trope and theme of love and belonging made my heart feel so happy and full. So although it had a slow start, I did end up really enjoying this story, and will definitely be looking into the next book in the series!

"The hilarious first novel in a cosy and inclusive historical romantasy series by the writer of Horrible Histories.

Two strangers.

Two Londons.

Two hearts that won't stop beating...

In an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang awakes from his death to discover he is not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having somehow acquired the power of immortality, he's also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings who roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London.

A jaded traveller from the Ming Empire, Fang is desperate to find a way to reverse the spell and get on with being dead when he stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a theatrical Frenchman who is afflicted with the same mysterious condition. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two men set out to undo the strange magic that binds them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of...

And, surely, when in grave danger, the worst thing they could do would be to fall in love, wouldn't it?"

Just to clarify, Horrible Histories writer yes, Ghosts writer no.