If there’s one thing I don’t enjoy about fiction it’s reading a story that appears to be leading somewhere only to find that it doesn’t go anywhere at all. The story itself only really held me once we I quite far into it (1/3). The characters are largely believable and sympathetic, with some glaring inconsistencies.

Our main characters village is attacked by Red Paladins and everyone is killed, Her mom hands her the Sword of Power and tells her to deliver it to Merlin. Cool, right?! But an entire book can only stand up so long on these legs without the firmer foundation of a coherent plot. The premise and beginning of the book promise some kind of quest with big stakes, and yet I spent most of the time reading and waiting for a bigger goal or purpose and was left wanting. Yes, there are secrets discovered, secrets kept which did create some tension ... but again, to what end? Despite the book improving a bit in the latter half/quarter, even the reveal at the end of the book was somewhat easy to guess earlier on and was not enough of a boost to justify the meandering and somewhat slow pace of the story. There were times when I fell asleep (not entirely due to the book), which helped give me the breaks needed to continue reading.

**I received an ARC of this through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

It was no secret that this one had been optioned and was headed to NetFlix. It kind of read like it would be and in a very screenwriting way; which helped in a sense. Although, in others it kind of took away from the story and character development. The story is seen through Nimue's POV. She is the Lady of the Lake who had Excalibur before Merlin did. It was a different take on a classic story which is what held my attention. Nimue was always treated as an outcast in her society and to see her escape and what becomes of her life was quite interesting. The story itself would have been great but then there were some parts that just didn't seem to click with the rest of the book. Like we were missing something...and the cliffhangers were...not where you'd expect them and that didn't make it suspenseful just, lacking. It will be interesting to see how this pans out on the screen though.

NetGalley, thanks for the ARC. I think the fact that I kept trying to find other things to read instead of this should have been the hint that something was wrong with it 0r me or me and it together. I think the answer is that not every man has the ability to capture a woman's voice. Sometimes, men think all girls and women sound like 12 year old boys. Why? I don't know. I wish I did so I could explain it and this would stop. I felt this way after watching the fight/hug it out scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 between the sisters. This whole book feels a bit like that scene so if you love that scene, you will love this book. There is proof that men can write from a female perspective and more proof that women can write from a male perspective so I know it can be done. I love a gender bender story as much as the next fantasy reader, but I just didn't love this. Sorry.

The premise of this book seemed to be really interesting. So I was hopeful going into but it was hard to keep my interest. I kept reading other books or taking longer to read this because it didnt do anything for me. I like that it was part graphic novel. It just wasnt my fave.

So there’s been a lot of talk about Cursed as of late. And with some very good reasons. For one thing, it was written by Thomas Wheeler, and illustrated by Frank Miller (yes, you read that right!). For another thing, Cursed is in the process of being made into a Netflix Original, which is pretty cool.
Cursed is a retelling of some of the events that occurred during King Arthur’s tale. Or more accurately, it’s a twisted version of the tale. In this story, it isn’t a King the Sword desired, but a Queen. Enter Nimue. Her entire village was slaughtered, sending her off on a quest for survival and revenge. And she can only hope that she has it in her to change destiny and save her people.

Cursed was an interesting read, on the whole. It blended the longer form of novel writing with the imagery from the one and only Frank Miller. Together, Miller and Wheeler were clearly trying to do something groundbreaking.
In a world where there are hundreds upon hundreds of King Arthur retellings, Cursed went out of its way to try and be different. And that’s what caught my attention about this series. Or, more accurately, the artistic team caught my attention, but the unique perspective is what held it.
But if I’m being completely honest here – I was pretty let down by the events in Cursed. It was interesting, sure. But it wasn’t anything like the story I expected. Yes, it did follow Nimue and it was an epic quest. But it didn’t hold my attention nearly as much as I hoped.
I really wanted to like Cursed, truly I did. But I found myself struggling to actually get through it all. I kept picking it up and putting it down. Which is never a great sign with me, I’m sad to say. Part of my problem is that the artwork from Frank Miller wasn’t as…brilliant? As I was hoping it would be. The black and white imagery was an interesting choice, and it could have paid off. But I don’t think it was quite there. Not for me, at any rate.
So now I guess the question is: am I interested enough to give the Netflix series a try? Yeah, probably. I’m not sure I’m up for seeing another retelling, but I figure I want to see this through to the end. And I do still hold some higher expectations from the adaptation. I guess I’ll find out!

A fun fantasy retelling of the Arthurian legend. Looking forward to book 2 in the hopes that the plot gets a little more resolved.

I am usually evenly divided on King Arthur tales, I either love them or hate them. This was one I really enjoyed. It isn't your typical Arthur story that follows along with King Arthur. Instead, it follows Nimue, more commonly known as the lady of the lake. I really enjoyed being able to see this side of the story.

*I received an e-arc from NetGalley for an honest review.*

I’m late posting this, but I took my time with this book. Cursed by Thomas Wheeler and Frank Miller is a retelling of the King Arthur legend. “Whosoever wields the Sword of Power shall be the one true king.” What if the sword chose a Queen? This reimagined tale answers that question. Nimue is the main character and what starts her quest is when the Red Paladins destroy her village. Before she dies, her mother gives her the Sword of Power and tells her to deliver it to Merlin. Nimue has been blessed or cursed depending on how you look at it by the Hidden with powers. Once she receives the sword it seems her powers increase. Nimue befriends Arthur, yes that Arthur, and together they journey to find Merlin and try to stop the Red Paladins reign of terror.

I have a hard time placing this book. Overall I liked it and I’m excited to see the Netflix show that is coming soon based on the book. The writing is well done and the world building is great. The tone of this book is kind of melancholy. This may sound strange but the feeling I got when reading was like it was always raining, or dreary. I’m not saying that’s the setting, just the feeling I had while reading. This isn’t a happy book. I’m also a little disappointed with Nimue. She keeps being described as a powerful character, and while she had her moments, she never really embraced her power. I like any illustrated book, so the illustrations were a great addition. I’m not a huge fan of Miller’s style, but that’s just a personal preference. I’m interested to see where this story goes.

I feel very meh about this one. I was very excited to read a King Arthur retelling because I adore the story. This one however, fell very flat for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters which made me disinterested in the story as a whole. The extreme violence was also off putting and it felt unnecessary and unpleasant. Overall I would pass on this one and check out the series when it comes out on Netflix instead.

Cursed was interesting, and the graphic style was definitely unique. The plot seemed a bit all over the place, though, and it detracted from the book for me. If you’re a fan of dark graphic novels, give this one a chance and check it out. Otherwise, you could probably skip it.

The publisher reached out to me about reviewing this title. I saw it floating around the internet and was really looking forward to reading it, so I jumped at the opportunity. I'm not quite sure what it was about the book that didn't work for me. I love books set in this time period and the thought of a gender-bent version of of King Arthur's story sounded amazing. Every time I picked this one up it failed to grab my attention and I ended up putting it aside after about 20%. I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy it more. Maybe after I watch the Netflix show, I will feel different.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with this book overall as it was very much different than what I had anticipated. Vaguely familiar with the original story of King Arthur, etc. I wasn't sure I would be able to fully process and appreciate this story and I am happy to report that I was wrong. The plot and characters are not only appealing but enjoyable and enticing and I had a fabulous reading experience throughout. The illustrations are lovely and an added bonus! Highly recommend!

This just wasn’t for me. The writing style didn’t hold my attention and the plot feels a bit overused. I do look forward to seeing what the adaptation looks like though.

Just couldn't get into it. Perhaps not my genre, but I found the language difficult to penetrate to get into that suspension of disbelief. It was a DNF for me.

This is such a lovely retelling! The artwork is phenomenal too! It's easy to see why it got picked up by Netflix so quick!

I'm not sure how anyone could stick with reading this. It was hard enough for me to slug through and I was listening to the audiobook. There's long stretches of not a lot of anything happening and then there's a little plot and then back to nothing. The characters did not stand out. The story was weak. I was bored.

This book was just okay. there was a lot of hype surrounding it yet and unfortunately I just didn't connect with the characters and the plot was just alright. The book just isn't what I thought it was about. I was expecting a King Arthur retelling and that's not really what I got.

DNF at 41%

Cursed wasn't a terrible book, but I never felt compelled to pick it up. I kept choosing to read other books instead, which is why I wasn't able to finish this one before its release date. The characters were flat and uninteresting, and I wasn't able to connect with them or their individual stories. Merlin is a drunk. A manipulative, ridiculous drunk that didn't contribute much to the story. Arthur can't decide if he wants to be dependable or flaky, and Nimue was a very one-dimensional main character that rarely made her own decisions. She was either following the orders of others, or doing what the Hidden and the Sword of Power compelled her to do.

The story is also very violent, and actually made me feel sick to my stomach. The deaths were gruesome on their own, but when the atrocities were committed against children... infants... I can't. Especially when one of the babies is later used to convey a message from the Hidden, like some twisted reanimated zombie doll.

Additionally, I didn't care for the random illustrations peppered in throughout the story. They were odd and distracting. I normally like Frank Miller's work, but the artwork in Cursed missed the mark for me.

I thought the overall concept was unique and had the potential to be interesting, but I wasn't captivated by the story. The Fey twist on Arthurian legend was promising, but I wish they'd expanded on the different clans and variations of Fey. I also felt like there were gaps in the story when we went from one chapter to the next. It always took me a few minutes to figure out who was speaking and where they were. I think the structure of the book could have been a little smoother, but maybe it will transition better as a television series.

I absolutely love retellings and this one did not disappoint. It was such an interesting spin on the classic tale of a male hero and I really enjoyed reading it from this perspective.

I went into Cursed with some trepidation. I'm mildly obsessed with the Arthurian legends, so I have a high bar for retellings. And Cursed is going to be a Netflix series, which is already in production before the book is released, so I was a bit worried this would be just a novelization of the show. But I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

Cursed is a very loose retelling of the Arthurian legends. There are characters named Arthur, Nimue, Lancelot, and Merlin, but these versions are far from the originals that we know from the legends. The story centers on Nimue, a young fae girl whose village is destroyed by the Red Paladin, monks who are on a mission to destroy the fae people. She escapes with a sword and tries to follow her druid mother's dying order, which was to take the sword to Merlin. She joins forces with Arthur, a young mercenary, and they soon find themselves pursued on all sides by people who want to the sword.

Cursed is a fun, fast-paced story, with a memorable main character. Nimue is very different than in the the original legends. She witnesses the massacre of her village, and she's filled with survivor's guilt and a thirst for revenge. She's thrust into a situation she never wanted and she's forced to grow up quickly. If you're an Arthurian purist, you may not enjoy this book, because Arthur is not the star of the show, but I definitely recommend it.