Book #1 of "Cursebreakers".
Rating: 3/5
Spoiler Alert: High (CAUTION: MAJOR SPOILER AT THE END OF THE REVIEW)
Summary:
Fall in love, break the curse.
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
Praises:
Characters:
I absolutely love all the characters! There are some good and bad qualities for all the characters.
Harper: She is an incredible heroine who doesn't let her cerebral palsy affect her. Harper tough, fearless, stubborn, and adaptable. And she's super scrappy! I love how scrappy she is since she's able to use a crowbar to hurt Grey and fight for her life. I don't really like how stubborn she is though. Sometimes, it gets on my nerves because she gave Grey and Rhen (mostly Rhen) a hard time. I get her reasons why but she needs to calm down. Also, she is a bit judgemental. At least, I find her somewhat judgemental to Rhen. Otherwise, she is such a badass character.
Rhen: Not going to lie, I have so many mixed feelings about him. At the beginning of the book, I really liked him but then I didn't and near the end, I started liking him again. He's arrogant but has a heat underneath which makes him a perfect person for Harper. I feel so bad for Rhen especially everything he goes through with his curse and Lillith. He is a very interesting character. He's actually my favourite character because we see the most development with Rhen.
Grey: He just warms my heart. At first, I didn't like him because he felt threatened by Harper, but after, he grew on me a lot. Grey is such a kind soul who would follow Rhen's exact orders. He is also incredibly nice to Harper and wants the best for both her and Rhen. There is literally nothing bad to say about Grey. He is Rhen's Commander which means he leads armies and he knows how to fight. He would also do anything for Rhen because he's that loyal. Although, I did find him slightly boring since he doesn't stand up for himself (mainly against Rhen since Rhen orders him around a lot for the silliest reasons.)
Plot:
This is such an original retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is such a cleverly written story. The beginning of the story is incredibly fast-paced as we get right into the scene when Harper gets "accidentally" kidnapped by Grey and he takes her Rhen's castle. The plot moves fairly fast throughout the whole book. It becomes a bit slow around 60% of the story. There are some aspects of the plot I didn't really like such as Harper's brother and his boyfriend. I though them coming into the story is completely unnecessary. Other than that, it is a phenomenal retelling of the classic tale.
Writing Style/Narration:
I really like it when stories are written in first person with more than one points of view. We get to see both Harper's and Rhen's POV told in first person. We see a lot of inner struggles from the two main characters.
The writing style is super easy to read. We get straight into the plot with no unnecessary fluff. Kemmerer is a wonderful writer who's extremely imaginative. I really like how the story flows together and every scene and every chapter is important. It is a magnificently crafted story with a beautiful writing style and narration.
Romance:
The romance in this book is very slow-burn. It does not happen right away for probably more than half of the book. This is a good thing. I saw so much development and growth between Harper and Rhen before they develop feelings for each other. Also, I kind of sensed a bit of a love triangle between Harper, Rhen, and Grey. But it's just a small sense since nothing really develops between Harper and Grey. He's just really nice. I love how Harper helps Rhen tackle is problems and she genuinely cares for him by the end of the book. On Rhen's side, he learns to love Harper and they end up forming a one-of-a-kind relationship that's not fake at all.
Critics:
In terms of critics, I find that the characters are somewhat one-dimensional. They're not really complex characters (except for maybe Rhen). They are fascinating characters but I feel that more thought could be put into each of the characters, making them a tad more interesting. Like I said earlier, I feel like bringing Harper's brother and his boyfriend into the story and into her world is very random. I know that he is her brother and all but he didn't really make a major difference.
Final Review:
This is a spectacular and unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Instead of some helpless heroine that we usually see in fairytales, we get a brave and capable heroine named Harper. I love her strengths and she embraces her cerebral palsy and doesn't let that stop her from doing or getting what she wants. I love how Rhen did not judge her weaknesses and he grows so much as a person. A very interesting young-adult read. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in classic fairytale retellings.
Happy Reading!
Cheers,
Jessica
MAJOR SPOILER BELOW!!!
PS: I will not be reading the next books in the series because they are about Grey and the next books make Rhen seem like a villain. There are also only about five chapters where Harper narrates and I am not interested in any of the characters' stories except for Rhen and Harper.
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