Cursed – Thomas Wheeler

Illustrated by Frank Miller

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | Hardcover | October 2019

What if the Excalibur had chosen a queen instead of a king? To say Cursed is a gender-bent retelling of the Arthurian legends doesn't quite do Wheeler and Miller's novel justice. Rather, it's more of an origin story of how Nimue, the Lady of the Lake came to be in the lake and guard the sword of power. Over the course of her journey, Nimue doesn't just prove herself to be worthy to wield Excalibur, she sets the standard for what it will take to be called the Once and Future King. And Nimue isn't alone. Many other leading ladies in the Arthurian legends appear throughout CURSED and are key players in the events unraveling.

Wheeler and Miller have certainly captured the scope and scale of the Arthurian legends. The story is very cinematic with how often scenes and locations change. But while CURSED's story lends itself well to the screen, it doesn't always work in the novel. Furthermore, it also feels like there are too many conflicts fighting for page time. As a result, many aspects of the world––some well known, others invented--don't feel fully fleshed out. Clearly, there is still more to come and so the sequel to CURSED may be the ultimate deciding factor of whether or not Nimue's story is a must-read.