A Curse So Dark and Lonely

November 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Prince Rhen, heir to Emberfall, is cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th birthday until he can find a woman to fall in love with him even as he transforms each season into a monstrous beast. The season resets after every failure-all 327 of them. When Harper intervenes in what looks like an abduction on the streets of Washington, DC, she is transported into another world. Instead of worrying about her dying mother or the risks her brother is taking to pay off their absent father's debts to a loan shark, Harper is trapped in Emberfall at the center of the curse. Harper, who has cerebral palsy, is shocked to learn that she is Rhen's last chance to break the curse. But Harper isn't sure if the fate of a kingdom can be enough to make her fall in love. Kemmerer's "Beauty and the Beast" retelling introduces a unique world filled with fantasy and menace. Rhen is an accomplished if pessimistic strategist while Harper is impulsive to the point of recklessness. Despite their obvious tension and occasional chemistry, Rhen's evolving friendship with his guard commander Grey is often more compelling than Harper's interactions with either man. While Harper and Rhen accomplish much over the course of the novel, this installment has little in the way of closure. VERDICT Rich world-building, hints of a love triangle, and unresolved questions will leave readers anxious to see what happens next. A strong choice.-Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2018
A cursed prince and a high school dropout become unlikely allies in this ambitious "Beauty and the Beast" adaptation.Harper's life in Washington, D.C., hasn't been easy: Her mother is dying of cancer, and her father's only legacy is the loan sharks her brother Jake works for to pay off his debts. Harper, who has cerebral palsy, is standing lookout for Jake when she sees a man carrying an unconscious woman. Harper intervenes--and is magically transported to Emberfall, a kingdom abandoned by its rulers and beset by both a mysterious beast and attacks from a neighboring country. She meets blond Prince Rhen, who reveals that the beast killed his family. He believes falling in love is the only way to save his kingdom, and his guard commander travels to Harper's universe to find matches for him. Harper doesn't buy it. Rather than acquiesce to fate, she calls Rhen's attention to more immediate, practical actions they can take to protect his kingdom. The book follows a white default for main characters, although Jake's boyfriend is black and Harper's best friend in Emberfall has brown skin. Refreshingly, Harper is the undisputed hero and also not the only significant character with a disability. Avoiding disability inspiration tropes, she is a fallible, well-rounded character who fights for the vulnerable and resists being labeled as such herself despite how others perceive her. A fast-paced, richly detailed feminist epic. (author's note) (Fantasy. 12-18)

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November 15, 2018
Grades 7-10 Harper has learned how to fight. Not physically?her cerebral palsy makes that hard?but against the fear she feels every day for her mom, who's dying of cancer, and her brother, who's keeping their family afloat through any means. When she tries to stop an attempted kidnapping on the frigid streets of D.C. one night, Harper finds herself transported to the cursed world of Emberfell. Here Prince Rhen repeats the autumn of his eighteenth birthday?every year, when winter comes, he transforms into a vicious monster. All that's left is a dwindling hope: if a girl falls in love with him, the curse will break. But in more than 300 years, none has. Harper's cerebral palsy, while mild, is treated as an afterthought, often unmentioned even in high-action scenes, and thin characterizations and a high-page count stall this Beauty and the Beast retelling. Still, the approach is compelling, and Kemmerer manages to put a fresh twist on an old story. High-concept fairy tales are popular, and younger fans of Sarah J. Maas will be eager for this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)