A Curse So Dark and Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury | Hardcover | January 29, 2019
Brigid Kemmerer puts a refreshing spin on a tale that’s old as time. Gone is the rose in a jar, the bookish girl, the brooding and furry prince, and the self-absorbed asshat of a villain. In A Curse So Dark and Lonely we get Harper, a fiery DC teen with cerebral palsy helping her brother shake people down for money to make ends meet; Rhen, the cursed heir to the fantastical land of Emberfall who’s desperate to save his people from the monster he’s become; and Grey, a guardsman as loyal as he is lethal.
When Harper thwarts Grey’s attempt to kidnap yet another girl for Rhen (in a last-ditch effort to break the curse), she gets taken instead. But unlike the hundreds of girls before her, Harper has no interest in falling in love. All that matters is finding a way back home to her brother and dying mother—and maybe helping Rhen and Grey stop the neighboring queendom from invading Emberfall. Harper’s spunk and strong will keep her in the thick of the action and there’s no question that she’s in complete control of her own fate.
Though Kemmerer certainly subverts common tropes and avoids more than a few clichés, she never shies away from the fact that at its core A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a fairytale. So there’s plenty of horseback chasings, sword fighting, magic, and of course, some dancing that hints at the potential for a budding romance. Harper and Rhen’s dual narration allow for two complex characters to drive the story. And secondary characters like Grey and the enchantress Lilith have enough depth to also contribute to the overall arc of the story. It's a fast-paced, all-consuming read!
With that said, there are a few narrative threads that could’ve been left alone until the next installment(s). In particular, the question of Rhen’s legitimacy, while certainly interesting, feels a bit forced and unnecessary given the slew of conflicts he, Harper, and Grey are already facing. If Kemmerer had kept threads like this untethered it would’ve left a little more mystery as to where the series is heading, and she would’ve created a book that felt complete rather than just an opening act.
