Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers 1/3
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4 stars

When I first read the synopsis, I was in love. Another Beauty and the Beast retelling that appeared mirrored it closely? Count me in! Once I finally got my hands on it, I immediately started it. There were plenty of things that I enjoyed about this book, but there were also plenty of things that I did not enjoy about this book. Everything that I point out is only my opinion though, you might think differently and that's totally okay!

I really enjoyed Harper's character, she felt very "real". Some reviewers have mentioned that she cries a lot or almost cries and it annoyed them, I actually felt the opposite about this. Everyone reacts to things differently, some people are more sensitive than others. I personally am much more sensitive and I felt like I would have acted the same way Harper did in many scenarios. 

Something I did not like about Harper's character was her disability. Now I know that she has a very low case of Cerebral Palsy, but I felt like it wasn't portrayed accurately. Everyone with CP is affected differently, my younger brother has it and is much worse than Harper, but I felt like Harper's CP was just little sprinkles of information here and there to make her a different and diverse character. I'm all for diverse YA characters, especially those that are not represented enough (like those with disabilities), but I felt like things weren't explained enough such as her numerous surgeries - we never find out what they were for and if they helped at all. 

Many reviewers also pointed out that they often skimmed some of the paragraphs, I found myself doing this too. I felt like a lot of things were over detailed and somewhat dull, I understand worldbuilding, but I don't typically find myself skipping things because it's so slow. The entire book felt like a rollercoaster, one second I was on the verge of not finishing it and then the next second it was so intense that I was gobbling up the pages. 

So with all the negative things (and one positive thing) that I've pointed out, why on Earth did I give it 4 stars? It gets better. When I think back on the entire reading experience, I did enjoy parts of it. I felt like the build-up to the climax was much slower than other books, but it was enjoyable. Overall, the last 75-100 pages are the best and make the whole experience worth it. If you have doubts about this book, but you are still interested in it, I recommend that you read it.