Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

First of all, you might want to know that this is the beginning of a series, NOT a standalone. I say that because it definitely affected my feelings on the book.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is Beauty and the Beast retelling that takes quite a novel approach to the story. It is a portal fantasy where a girl from modern Washington D.C. is brought to Emberfall where the prince is cursed to turn into a murderous beast every year if he can't get a girl to fall in love with him. When he fails, the cycle resets with a new girl, and he has failed more than 300 times. Harper is a scrappy girl from the streets who is kind of a badass despite having cerebral palsy, and she is unlike any of the previous girls.

I LOVED the setup and thought the beginning of this book was really strong. Having a character with a disability that doesn't define her was amazing too. However, this is a VERY long book, clocking in at over 500 pages. Assuming it was a standalone, I was hoping that pushing through the slow middle would lead to a satisfying payoff at the end. And while the ending was done well for a book in a series, many loose ends were not wrapped up the way I had been expecting. The middle of this book really drags and I think the book should have been about 100 pages shorter.

I had thought that perhaps the author was putting in extra material to make a romance at the end seem reasonable, but that clearly was not it given the way the book actually wrapped up. And in terms of the romance, I was really confused about the quasi-love triangle that occurs because I thought I should be rooting for Harper and Princes Rhen even though their relationship was just okay. But since it's apparently a series I guess that was intentional?

I apologize if this review seems more meandering than most, but the book was meandering and I'm still not sure how to feel about it. Overall, I love that she found a new, compelling approach to a story that has been retold many times. The beginning is very strong, the end is good, but the middle is much too long and I felt disappointed at the lack of payoff for sticking it through. I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light."

I'm usually torn between loving or hating fairytale retellings and this is no exception -- I love this book!! Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite fairytales and Brigid Kemmerer's novel is so great.

The heroine, Harper, is a strong lead who is dealing with family issues because of her father owes money to some bad guys. While being a lookout for her brother who is working to pay off their father's debuts she attempts to save another girl who she thinks is being kidnapped. She ends up saving that girl but is taken in her place to the world of Emberfall where the crown prince, Rhen, is stuck living a cursed life until he finds true love. This book has great representation and the world building is pretty solid, I think my biggest problem with the book is that the ending felt a little rushed but I am excited for the next book in the series!

I hardly know where to begin with my praise of this book. Whenever I read one of these galleys, I'm hopeful that I'll find the story a reasonable diversion, but, my goodness! This book knocked me off my feet! I fell in love with the author's tale, her style of writing, word choices, how she breathed life into all of her characters. And it had a lovely, cohesive plot with enough twists and turns and grittiness (is that a word?) to keep me reading late into the night.

A fantasy heroine with cerebral palsy? How on earth did the author make that work? Brilliantly!!! The cursed prince, his faithful servant/guardian, a castle, a witch, a monster -- all the elements were there that could have made this a yawnable, been-there read-that story, but somehow Ms. Kemmerer brought it all to life in a fresh, genuine and exciting way. Must be some magic going on there.

Thanks so much for sharing this galley with me! And please, give this author another book contract, please!

Fabulous! I haven't read a book that drew me in this much and this quickly in a long time. I started reading it about 3am when I couldn't sleep and I didn't stop reading it until I was done (so much for sleep!).

The characters are interesting and it is a really unique take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast.

I love “retellings” and this one does not disappoint! A beauty and the beast retelling that certainly has its own unique twist to it! The supporting characters are as great as the main characters and the pace of the story keeps you hooked to the end! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next!

At the end of the day, I will never not love a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Lovely, eerie title, beautiful cover, disability rep and more! I would recommend this book and will definitely be handing it to some teen patrons, but I personally was not wowed. The romance lacked authentic chemistry and the book was just so dang long, I was never tearing through pages or staying up late to read. But I liked it, overall!

Well hello there beautiful cover...

Guys! Put this one on your TBR because it was *kisses fingers* magnifico! It's a dark Beauty and the Beast Retelling following a girl named Harper who is taken to the Kingdom of Emberfall to hopefully break the curse of Rhen, the heir prince who is cursed to relive the fall season until he falls in love.

This is a wonderfully written fairytale story shining with delightful, strong characters and beautiful relationships. Harper herself was like a beacon of light and her adventure was such a treat to observe. The authors writing style is like butter. Beautifully composed with vivid metaphors that kept my attention all the way through.

Is this a totally original story? No. But it's different enough to stand out amongst the crowd.

*3.5 stars rounded to 4

I think the hype from this book did get me a little. I did really enjoy it, and got through it fast, but it wasn’t everything I expected it to be. I was completely pulled in for the first few chapters, and it’s comforting “knowing” (since it’s a re-tell) what’s going to happen and reading the take the author spun on it.

I’ve read a good handful of B&TB (Beauty and the Beast) re-tellings. Everywhere from a loose interpretation (like ACOTAR) to much closer lines (such as Hunted by Meagan Spooner). This falls in the latter category of a very parallel story line.

Some awesome points are the disability representation in the main character, Harper. She has high-functioning cerebral palsy. Harper is capable and strong-minded. Her disability does not define her and she takes it with grace and resilience to still do whatever she wants too. Double points for her love interest, Rhen, never talking down about her either.

I’m not sure that the contemporary aspect (Harper is kidnapped from D.C.) is truly necessary. There wasn’t enough back story to her family, lifestyle, etc. We only know that’s where Grey takes the girls from. I think it could’ve all been done in Emberfall and would’ve still been a unique take on B&TB and would have dampened the “kidnapper vibe.”

I was totally crushing on the castle, y’all it made food every day. Always having food prepared and music to listen too, yeah I could’ve stayed there. Beast or no beast.

Grey should’ve had his own POV. It appears that this is a series (did not know that originally) and he’ll get one in the next book, but a lot of ACSDAL was focused on him, he needed a bigger spotlight. I might have liked him more than Rhen most of the time. He seemed to have a more interesting history that I wanted to know more, more, more of. The twist for him was thrown in so randomly I was thrown off, then realized that must be the set-up for the next book. So I get it, and I love Grey enough to read the next book.

Jake and Noah are a cute addition that I think would be fun to explore their relationship more. Jake was in my face a lot and annoyed me. I think Noah was the real takeaway winner for me. I do think it was a bit convenient that Noah was a doctor *shrugs,* but it worked out fine.

The evil enchantress, Lilith, is cheesy and typical. Her reasons for cursing Rhen were a bit dramatic and petty. Lilith tried too hard and I love to hate corrupt characters which made it disappointing to deal with her.

I was able to read A curse so Dark and Lonely early thanks to Netgalley.com. When I heard this was a Beauty and the Beast fantasy retelling I knew I needed to read it. Obviously, as a reader girl, I loved Beauty and the Beast growing up. I also loved the story of finding love in an aberrant way. Throw in a fantasy twist and I was sold.

I gave this book 5 stars! It delivered on every aspect I was expecting. It had characters I fell in love with right away, plot twists that made my jaw drop, and fantasy elements that were unique and engaging. I found myself not wanting to put it down.

The characters in this book had me from the beginning. Harper is a young girl with cerebral palsy who completely blows away any stereotypes that go with having a disability. Her character was relatable and endearing. Rhen, the prince, was a perfect representation of "the beast". He starts off cynical and grows into a character you love. One of my favorite characters was actually a side character named Grey. He was rigid and stoic as a soldier but his transformation was my favorite. By the end I found myself completely invested in his storyline.

I was really pleased with the way this story developed. I went into it expecting it to be more like the original Beauty and the Beast, but was pleasantly surprised with the modern twist it had. With Harper being from the modern world thrust into another dimension we got a good mix of reality and fantasy. I liked how the witch in this story was much more present than in the original. She was a villain you could root against along with the characters. The twists and turns of this story kept it engaging and the ending leaves me wanting more.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of fantasy and a sweet love story. The true essence of the original story are present without it feeling repetitive. I'm hopeful there will be a book 2 in this series and can't wait to see where this story leads.

This is my first time reading this author but I am sure it won't be the last as I really enjoyed this one. Retellings are kind of hit or miss with me but I still like to try them, especially when they are Beauty and the Beast ones.

I felt that this one was different but at the same time it had a Beauty and the Beast feel to it that made you really feel as if it was a retelling but unique enough to be its own story.

In this tale we have a prince Rhen who isn't a beast all the time, but just at the end of the season. He is cursed to repeat the season over and over till he finds someone to love him. He is also killing off his kingdom being the beast and it is weighing on his soul. He has tried to protect them but it hasn't worked out so well.

Grey is his only guardsman and he is allowed to go to a different world find a woman to bring back to the prince so he can try and get her to love him, but it never works. This time when Grey is taking a lady another young woman sees him and thinks he is kidnapping her so she intervenes. She ends up being the one taken instead.

Harper has cerebral palsy which has made her leg where she has a very defined limp, but she doesn't let her condition define her. She is very spunky and not afraid to try and fight her way out. Grey always tries to take those without family but Harper has a mother who is ill and a brother who is in trouble so it's hard for Harper to be in this foreign land.

War is coming to Emberfalls because a neighboring country believes them to be weak because of how the prince has cut his country off from everything. The Enchantress doesn't help things as she is very evil. Rhen needs Harper to fall in love with him but things are never going to be that easy.

I don't read a lot of fantasy so I think when I do I find most of them refreshing and enjoyable. I really liked the feel of this one and it had me hooked from the very beginning and when a 496 page book only takes me about two days to read then I know it's a good book.

I really enjoyed the characters and thought it was cool that the main character had a medical condition that didn't define who she was that she was still a very spunky and upbeat girl. I liked that Rhen was kind of arrogant and rude in the beginning but then turns out to be man who really just wants to help his people and has to live with the fact he has slaughtered many of them as the beast. The story is told in duel POV's which I think works really well with this story to give you a good perspective of both characters. I also liked Grey and a lot of the other characters. I sort of guessed where the story was going towards the end and I am really curious to see where things go, so I need book two now! :)

If you enjoy retellings and fantasies then I would recommend this one! I really thought for once it was worth the hype!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a reimagining of the Beauty and the Beast tale featuring a dark curse placed upon a prince which forces him to relive his eighteenth year over and over again. The curse turns him into a vicious beast at the year's end while dooming him to repeat acts of violence and destruction until the curse is broken by true love.

What sets A Curse So Dark and Lonely apart from other retellings is the deeper insight into the far-reaching effects the curse has not only the prince but his kingdom and its people as well.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely builds a vivid picture of life beyond its castle walls. There's a world out there that feels real and tangible. Waring kingdoms are threatening while Emberfall's own townspeople are suffering the consequences of the curse with an absent king and crumbling kingdom.

A story can only be told through its characters and Kemmerer writes her's with passionate, compelling, and unique voices. I felt that Rhen, Harper and Grey's characters were equally enjoyable and thought they each brought something special to the story.

Rhen is the tortured, dark hero. The prince who is made to pay over-and-over again for a mistake he made. Kemmerer places a terrible curse upon him where it not only forces him to relive his eighteenth year over and over until he breaks the curse, but he changes into a horrible beast which differs each time. The sadness and regret are palpable as the terrible deeds pile up—literally. The question of how do you make someone fall in love with a beast is heartrendingly and thoughtfully explored.

Harper steals the show as a vibrant and fierce heroine who doesn't let her cerebral palsy label her nor stop her from achieving what she sets her mind to. I liked the fact she is an American teen with real issues. Her mom is suffering from cancer and her brother is trying to keep their family together even if it means being on the wrong side of the law. She is captured by Rhen’s commander guard Grey from the streets Washington, DC and whisked away to a world enchanted and a prince cursed.

Through Harper’s eyes, we see the beauty and horror of the Kingdom of Emberfall and the curse placed on it. The longer she stays in the enchanted kingdom and with its people, the harder it is for her to remain unsympathetic to their plight. The torn feelings she experiences over wanting to return to her family versus staying and helping to break the curse is easily felt.

I fell completely over Grey’s character, maybe even more so than Prince Rhen. Grey is not only tasked with keeping the people of Emberfall safe from Rhen’s beastly transformations and rampages, but he is also the only human able to bring back girls from across the boundaries of the enchantment in order to break the curse which makes him so appealing in his vulnerability and stark loyalty. His relationship with Rhen and growing friendship with Harper are some of my favorite parts of the story.

In the End

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer would be a great addition to any YA fantasy enthusiast’s library, especially for fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings. The unique look into the repercussions of the curse on the kingdom Emberfall and its people, along with our main characters make it a compelling read. I’m definitely excited for more from the author and hope for a possible companion novel featuring Grey.

Normally I am not a fan of retellings, they tend to be boring, unimaginative, and predictable. A Curse So Dark and Lonely was none of those things. This story and its characters catch the readers interest from the start to the very last page. The plot was well thought out and has you guessing what's going to happen right up to the end.

This is a must read!

I've been closely following Brigid Kemmerer's books since her debut series. She's one of those authors that I will stop drop everything to read from despite my waning interest in YA lately. With every book, she only seems to improve. With A Curse So Dark and Lonely, she takes a stab at one of my favorite fairytales, Beauty & The Beast, and I'm happy to say, she nailed it.

What sets this book apart from other retellings is that the heroine, Harper, is actually from the modern-day United States. She is captured and taken to the kingdom of Emberfall in the hopes that she will fall in love with the Beast and free everyone from the curse that has been plaguing this kingdom. What also sets Harper apart from other Belles is her cerebral palsy. I loved that the author was gutsy enough to have a heroine with a disability at the center of a fantasy novel. Her condition was very much a part of her, but Harper still managed to conquer whatever she faced. She was strong, brave and an absolute firecracker of a heroine. We also get to see how she struggled with the conflict of wanting to go back to DC to save her mother who is suffering from cancer and to save Emberfall. This conflict only became tenser as she began to know the people of Emberfall better. Her inner battle was realistic and had me considering what I would have done had I been in her place. I love it when a book can force me to put myself in a character's shoes.

Prince Rhen, the aforementioned Beast, was also an interesting and complex personality. It was heartbreaking just how much the curse had shattered this guy and I was rooting for him and his happiness very early on. While his Beast form was undeniably intriguing to me as a reader, especially with the different and unexpected forms it appeared to take, it was the emotional toll that it had on Rhen that had me glued to the pages. Rhen was a sweet and honorable guy despite his grueling circumstances and the more we learned about him, the more I liked him. His guard commander, Grey, was also a well-written addition in A Curse So Dark and Lonely. His friendship with Rhen and his growing bond with Harper added an interesting dynamic to the story. I am looking forward to the sequel to find out more about him. A Curse So Dark and Lonely stuck to its roots, but it still managed to come across as a fresh story as the author put her own spin on the tale. The backdrop of the fantasy world, the luscious writing, and the physical (and emotional) adventures the characters went on only served to heighten my enjoyment of the story.

At this stage, I can say with utter confidence that Brigid Kemmerer is one of my favorite authors. She writes such spell-binding stories and A Curse So Dark and Lonely is no different. Make sure this one is on your TBRs.

An awesome, contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a headstrong Belle character. Harper is taken from our world into a magical world in hopes to break a curse set upon a kingdom and its Prince. Due to a tough life, Harper is not a damsel in distress sort of girl. Once she comes to terms to being in a magical world, she asks to be taught to fight and takes the lead on helping the cursed kingdom fight back while learning to trust the cursed Prince. Ends in a cliff hanger! Hope that there will be a second book!

I adore Brigid Kemmerer's writing. She always has a unique flare unlike any other in any genre or sub-genre she writes and that makes her one of my most anticipated authors for each new release.

When I saw a twist on a classic fairytale we have all heard and many, me included, love, I was All. In.

This was so riveting. I was hooked from the very first dark chapter and was eager to know more as the story and the tale slowly unfolded. I loved Emberfall! The mystery, the legends, the lore, the curse. So dark and delicious and yet so alluring.

I truly couldn't get enough. And let's talk about that ending! I am so very excited that this tale, this story, isn't over. That we will be getting a sequel and from one of my most favorite characters no less. I truly am so pleased with the way Kemmerer twisted and turned this tale into something completely unique and all her own.

I will be eagerly awaiting the next release.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review! ♥

“I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”

Okayyyyy, folks. I’m sitting here trying to figure out how exactly I should approach this review. On one hand, as you can see, I gave it four stars. Obviously that means that I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, it was SUCH a great new take on a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and the writing sucked me in from page one. However….the ending?????? I just don’t even know where to begin on that so I’ll try to leave any ranting for the very end AFTER I talk about all of the lovely things in this book!

First of all, this is my very first book by Brigid Kemmerer and I can say with certainty that I will be picking up another one of her books in the near future. I realllllly liked her writing and as I said earlier, it sucked me immediately into the story.

The story: Let’s face it, the story of Beauty and the Best has been redone over and over and over again. In my mind, there are really only so many things you can do to change things up and turn it into a new thing that no one else has ever done before. That being said, I think that this story is a prime example of being that something “new.” Rhen is the prince of Emberfall and is cursed to live the fall season over and over again until he can find a woman to fall in love with him and break the curse. At the end of each season he turns into a horrible beast but instead of just sitting around, moping in the castle, he completely loses himself and a lot of people (usually his subjects) end up dying. His commander, Grey, is the only person he has left with him and is the one who crosses over into our world to find women for Rhen to basically court and try to woo each season. Our main protagonist, Harper, was not Grey’s target. No, she had been out on the street, waiting for her brother to return from doing a dangerous job for a loan shark when she sees this random guy seeming to drug and try to kidnap this woman. Naturally our spunky lead picks up a rusty tire iron and tries to stop that from happening. She is instead taken to Emberfall and the rest of the story ensues.

Characters: Aside from being madly in love with both Rhen and Grey, Harper was my favorite character. She has cerebral palsy which gives her a pretty bad limp but that literally never stops her from doing anything. There were actually a few instances of Rhen or someone else saying something about her “broken body” or how she was “crippled” and she was always the first to remind them that she wasn’t broken, she wasn’t damaged. I don’t personally know anyone with cerebral palsy and I know that there’s a pretty big spectrum of how it can affect your body so it was great getting to read about a main character who has it but didn’t let it slow her down. I hope she was a great representation for those out there that read this that also have the disorder.

Back tracking to the two wonderful men…sigh...they were great. You could tell that Rhen had come a long way from where he started during his first cursed season. He became more selfless, he started to care more about Grey, and obviously about Harper too. Her spitfire attitude also re-awakened in him a sense of duty for his kingdom which is great because I felt super bad for everyone outside of the castle who had spent the last five years feeling like their King and ruling family had abandoned them as they starved and were killed off by a rival kingdom and the monster……Anywayssss he was just very kind and sweet and watching him fall for Harper was a treat. Grey reminded me SO MUCH of Chaol which obviously made me love him right away. That’s really all I have to say about that lol.

Lilith…she was the worst and that’s all you need to know.

Ending: Well, here we are at the end. I decided that I can’t actually rant about anything because that would reveal spoilers and I can’t do that. Maybe I’ll post more on it after the book comes out…..just know that I was not satisfied with the ending. Like part of me ~kind of~ gets what Kemmerer was trying to do but then another part of me was just left SUPER confused. Like I just didn’t get why this certain main component of the book was so important if things ended like they did…I DON’T KNOW. It made me confused/ annoyed enough that I had to dock the book a star but that’s just me. That epilogue on the other hand had me very intrigued....haha yes apparently my thoughts on the end are very jumbled. Overall though, this is a really good book and I need a second book in my life, please and thanks.

Enjoyable and fast paced Beauty and the Beast twist. I will definitely recommend to teens who like fantasy/adventure with a touch of romance.

It has been a long time since I felt compelled to finish a book so quickly. Harper, Rhen, and Grey are three characters that you don’t want to leave. I have never enjoyed a retelling so much either. I was hesitant but gave it a try based other reviews. I am so glad I did. The plot is exciting, the romance perfectly paced, and ending a surprise that, looking back on the story, I should have seen coming. This is a highly recommended book.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I was swept away immediatly into this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The writing was fantastic and I really enjoyed the characters and their development. I'm not sure how Kemmerer was able to take this well known (and loved) story and make it just as good for me. I am HOPING that there will be another story set in this world. For my friends who LOVE the world created by Sarah J Maas and are looking for something new (and long) to devour, this will be my top suggestion! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Everything about this book was amazing...until the end. I honestly thought this was going to be a 5 star book, which I do not give out lightly, until the last chapter and the epilogue ruined it. With that said it was still a solid read that I greatly enjoyed.