A Curse so Dark and Lonely has everything - compelling characters, a spellbinding fantasy world and an adorable romance.

It is a refreshingly original take on Beauty and the Beast and I loved it from start to finish. 

Prince Rhen lives in the magical kingdom of Emberfall and has been cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th year over and over again until he can find love. 

Harper lives in D.C. and life has never been easy for her. Her mother has terminal cancer and her brother has turned to crime in order to pay off her fathers debts. 

When she tries to save a stranger on the streets, she is taken to Emberfall and is drawn into Rhen's world. 

Maybe she could be the one to break the curse? 

I think my favourite thing about this book was the characters. Especially Harper, who is torn between her loyalty to her family back home and her new life in Emberfall. Harper was a wonderful protagonist - she is brave and loyal and has a strong desire to help those in need. I was immediately rooting for her and loved reading from her perspective. 

I also really loved Rhen. He often comes across as arrogant to others but deep down he longs to help others and do the right thing. 

The romance between them was oh so sweet. It took its time and felt natural and you could really see them start to slowly fall for each other. I adored it. If you love slow burn romance in your fantasy books you are going to love this!

The plot of this book was also amazing. It was a little slow at first but this allowed for the perfect amount of world building so as soon as the action started ramping up I was fully invested in the world and its characters. And boy did the action ramp up! By the end, there were so many plot twists and secrets flying around it made for a really exhilarating read.

I am VERY excited to read book two.

Overall, I had such a good time reading this book! If you love fairy-tale retellings i'm sure you will love it too! It is a beautifully crafted story about loyalty, magic and friendship with wonderfully loveable characters that I'm sure I will be thinking about for a long time after finishing the book. 

This one has definitely earned a spot on my favourites shelf and absolutely deserves all the hype it's been getting.

Have you read this book? If so, let me know what you thought<3