Cursed is a new twist on Arthurian legend, a subject that I typically really enjoy. And to the point, in general, I enjoyed the story. Overall, however, Cursed left me wanting more. There was so much potential. So many good points, from Nimue being a strong female lead to familiar characters being presented in a different light. Some of the action scenes were written so vibrantly that I could imagine them with ease.

Which is what brings me to the downside of Cursed. I believe this book is more of a companion piece to draw interest ahead of the Netflix's series premiere. The book itself felt disjointed where a TV show would transition better from scene to scene. And it felt, at times, like the story just skimmed the surface of areas that could be explored.

The other disappointment I have is in the climax and ending. It felt like so much build up, only to be letdown. And while I imagine that is to create excitement and room for a sequel, instead I just felt resigned.

I will be interested in how this is presented on TV. Because I do think it will make for a good story. But as for the book, I had hope for more.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for this review.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF @ 25%

Having grown up with a mother who loves King Arthur and other similar stories and even has an The Lady of Shalott painting hung up, you can say that I've grown fond of the stories myself. I'm always game to try out a re-telling of King Arthur. When I saw this one available and noted it would also be on Netflix, I knew I wanted to read it before eventually watching it.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't stay interested. The story itself is intriguing--I want to know what will happen and the characters are well thought out. But... ??? There is something missing. It doesn't feel like a novel. Now, I'm not sure if this is because of my prior knowledge that this would be a TV show, but I can totally see this as a show. I see exactly how each scene is going to play out and for a TV show a lot of this works, but in written form it feels a bit scattered.

I also think the drawing hurt the story more than add to it, which is a shame.

I tried reading a little bit of this book every few days, but I was slogging through it and as someone who reads about a book a day, this book was taking forever. Obviously it just wasn't working for me. And yet, I see promise to it. We've got a cast of good characters all from different backgrounds. There is evil afoot and a clear mission. I can totally see why someone might enjoy this book, it just didn't hook me in.

Will I recommend this one to people? ...maybe if someone is looking for something gritty.
I will give the Netflix show a try though and see if that format works for me better.

An Arthurian story with female lead? Yes, please. I love the description of this book. CURSED is really different than the original story of Arthur and Merlin. I like a lot of the ways the characters and story are reimagined, though.

Merlin is this flawed man who’s hundreds of years old, thanks in part to his magic. Arthur hasn’t really become the hero yet, but you see glimpses of his potential through the story. And then there are all of these really fascinating minor characters in the story, too. With some of them, as their names get revealed, it makes so much sense how they will fit into the story.

Nimue is another great character. I love her adventurous spirit and the way she begins to embrace her role as a leader to her people.

The only part of the book that I really struggled with was the amount of violence. It’s just really not my thing. I’m way too squeamish for a lot of battle gore and torture is way too over the line for me. So I skimmed a few places where the violence got to be too intense.

Other than that, I think it’s a super imaginative tale with lots to offer to fans of the Arthur story and fantasy fans alike.

DNF at 27%

Cursed wasn't really on my radar until I saw it mentioned on NetGalley but after that it mostly dropped off my radar. When I finally went to read it, I found the characters to be boring with nothing that I could connect to, which made me lose interest in the story really quickly. Additionally, the story itself felt scattered and I struggled with the writing style. After passing the quarter mark, I finally gave up on this one. Just wasn't worth wasting time on.

Because I didn't reach 50% I will not be providing a full review on my blog for this title.

I like a good Arthurian tale. This in an interesting twist bringing The Lady of the Lake to the forefront. This was heavier and darker than I expected. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the Netflix series!

Wow. Talk about a let down. And look, I knew to go into this book with low expectations. Sure, gender bent King Arthur sounds great. But I figured Cursed was just going to be some fluff to get people hyped for the Netflix show. I'm cool with fluff though! I need the fluff books to stay sane! So yes, I went in with low-to-nonexistent expectations and figured it would at least be a quick, easy read. Right?

Well, it was a quick, easy read. Especially since I DNFed it at 43%.

The beginning started out fine. Nothing spectacular, and a bit rushed maybe, but it did get the story started quickly and solidified Nimue as a "strong female lead" right off the bat. And for, oh, I'll be generous and say maybe 10% it went on in that fashion. Fine. Readable. But once the story started to slow down(and dear lord did it slow down, good grief), this book took a nosedive that even my low expectations weren't ready for.

My first, and maybe biggest, issue with Cursed is that the entire time I was reading, but especially after the beginning, it felt like maybe the author read a few popular YA books back in 2013 and was like, "Ok I now have a firm grasp on the YA genre! I shall take what I've learned and write my own YA book! Huzzah!" and then proceeded to throw so many old and tried YA tropes into this story that it made my head spin. I couldn't get past how absolutely derivative this book felt, and it played a huge factor in my decision to ultimately put it aside.

Now for the disaster that was the characters. Real quick I'll just say that all the side characters felt paper-thin, nothing to make them special, they were only there to serve Nimue's story. Nimue herself felt boring to me. I love a good "strong female character" but I felt like I've read her character a thousand times, and every one of those times it was done better. The love interest was as un-fleshed out as all the other side characters, which made the romance feel very odd and unnecessary. Very insta-love but not in the fun way. And there was a weird moment where Nimue very clearly compared her daddy issues to her relationship with Arthur and it was SO ICKY. It broke me, I couldn't get past that part and that's when I decided that maybe this book isn't for me. Or anybody. Who knows.

I had one last grip with this book, and this is the one that hurts me the most to write out. I absolutely adore Frank Miller. I think he's an artistic genius and has done some of the best work in the comic world. That said... what even were the illustrations in this book. Seriously, it's like he and Wheeler never once consulted each other. The art didn't match up to the characters, to the scenes, to anything. It was so off-putting, so disappointing, because Miller being attached to this project is what initially drew me to it. The art wasn't bad on its own, it just didn't go with the story at all, and that to me made it subpar.

Usually I try to find something good to say in every review, but I'm honestly at a loss this time. Cursed was maybe the biggest disappointment of the year for me, and that's saying a lot because I didn't even expect to love it that much. Between how much the middle slogged on, how tropey every aspect felt, and how terribly developed the characters were, I had to DNF this one. Not every book can be amazing I guess.

I loved this book.

It started off dark and bloody, and while there were brief moments of light and hope, it ended that way too. Nimue watches her Druid village be slaughtered, and is told by her dying mother that she must take the Sword of Power to Merlin. With or without him, Nimue vows to seek protection (and maybe a little revenge) for the remainder of fey kind. Not an easy feat when the king is ambivalent to their fate and the Red Paladins are set on cleansing the earth of their existence. She does ally herself with Arthur the mercenary, but this isn’t his story, and he’s a fickle, disappearing friend at best. His sister Morgan, however, believes in Nimue from the very beginning, and encourages her to be the champion her people need.

This book is filled with brutal action, double-dealing and betrayal, and a flawed but passionate female lead.

The artwork on the other hand was a complete miss for me. The story was compelling on its own, and the illustrations didn’t add anything to my understanding of the scenes.

I’d recommend this book to both high school and adult readers, particularly fans of female warrior and role-reversing stories like “Sherwood” by Meagan Spooner and “Boneless Mercies” by April Genevieve Tucholke.

I wanted to love this book. Especially seeing it was going to be an upcoming Netflix show. However. This book has been a struggle for me to finish and get through. I don't fault the author. Unfortunately I think this genre just wasn't up my alley. It's quite possible teens and young adults that are in fantasy type books may love it. Sadly. I did not. This is one of few books I wasn't able to complete. I didn't post this review on social media. I don't think I am fairly able to review the book to standard.

I wasn't too impressed with this book. 

I was excited when I read that it was a twist on King Arthur as I'm a huge fan of history. But unfortunately, I didn't really see the connection. 

If I were to view it more as a YA standalone fantasy, I would say that it was a decent read and was a rather quick plot as a whole. The characters were more of the typical YA personalities with the hidden magic and powerful actions leading to an overruling plot twist. 

But it wasn't something that WOWED me in any way, and in fact, just felt 'typical.' 

So it was an iffy one to rate, but I ended up giving it a lower 3 out of 5 stars.

Ok....who else gravitates to books/graphic novels that have that lovely sticker "Soon to be a Netflix Original Series'' or "Now a Major Motion picture"? I know I do!

While I hate the darn sticker on the front cover of my book (Geez....wrap them in plastic and put that darn tag on the plastic so you aren't marking up my book!!' And DON'T make it a perma-part of the cover art....I don't want an ad displayed on the front cover of a book I paid for! Mini rant over.) I come running every time I see those tags, but I follow my rule which is I have to read the book before I watch any television adaptation. Then I understand the characters and I can join in on the complaining about what they changed/left out and any huzzahs about special effects, casting, awesomeness.

I have been both wildly entertained and completely disappointed in my quest for the most awesome book/film adaptations. I often go in expecting another Haunting of Hill House but prepared to deal with an Iron Fist.....ending up happily entertained somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

I enjoyed this book. And I'm looking forward to it coming to Netflix in 2020!

Cursed is a twist on the King Arthur legend. The Lady of the Lake gets to be more than just a silvery hand appearing holding up a sword. This tale is told her her point of view. Nimue experiences the brutality of the world at a very early age....her entire village is slaughtered and her mother dies. But that is not her fate. Her fate is intertwined with a magical sword, Merlin, and Arthur. Add in some great art by Frank Miller, and it's a very entertaining read.

I have the suspicion that this story was written for television. The tale reads like a fleshed out script. The story is a nice update to the traditional Arthur legends....all the main characters are there....doing a new version of what they usually do. It just had the feel of a film script with some bookish details and flow added, plus nice artwork. A teaser for the Netflix series.

I'm definitely on-board for more ..... and I will definitely watch the series. But....I feel this is following the current YA trend. Trends get old when they are recycled again and again and again.....and again and again. Yes, I am totally in support of strong female characters....but the theme is getting done to death over the past couple of years. I hope this revisit to Arthurian times stays fresh and creative.....and doesn't get bogged down in what will soon be The Same Old.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Simon and Schuster via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Nimue had a connection to dark magic, making her an outcast in her Druid village. When her village is slaughtered by Red Paladins, her mother charges her to find the legendary sorcerer Merlin and reunite him with an ancient sword that had been hidden. She's too busy to think about revenge as she teams up with the mercenary Arthur and various fae refugees from across England. As she wields the sword meant for the one true king against the corrupt one, she tries to unite her people and seek vengeance for her family.

Frank Miller is an award-winning comic book writer, novelist, inker, screenwriter, film director, and producer, known for his work on Batman, Sin City and "The 300." Thomas Wheeler is also a screenwriter, producer, and author, with credits that include the Empire TV and the Lego Ninjago movie. I had known about Frank Miller's prior works but hadn't realized that I enjoyed Thomas Wheeler's animated works, too. Cursed is also set to be a Netflix series, adding to their lengthy credits list.

The novel opens with the Red Paladins burning druids on crosses, hunting out roots and carvings of the old gods, with the monks under Father Carden's command declaring that the druids had to denounce their sinful ways and confess the evils to make peace with God. Rather like a number of anime series, we then flash backward to the events just prior to Dewdenn being overrun by the paladins. They're hardly the sinless agents of God that they feel themselves to be and not the only ones that fear the fey or witches. Merlin in this novel isn't the feared sorcerer at all, but a man that lost his magic years ago and uses trickery and spycraft to keep King Uther Pendragon satisfied with power in the face of drought, famine, food riots and the threat of other kingdoms taking advantage of weakness. In other words, this is not the King Arthur mythos we're familiar with, but a new twist on the old tales.

Occasional black and white illustrations add to the stark feel of the story. Some of the scenes and paragraphs almost flow like water, and some of them are choppy and harsh in the midst of Nimue battling the Red Paladins. Because most people don't stand up to them, Nimue is soon known as the Wolf Blood Witch. As much as she wants to run from this title and the feeling that the fate of all the lost fey clans rests on her, showing them that the Red Paladins can be killed and aren't as all-powerful as they claim gives them too much hope. This is a theme that occurs frequently in all kinds of stories about the underdog hero coming out from under the misery dumped upon them from a greedy and powerful villain. It speaks to all of us, that we too can overcome hardships and find an ending that we desire.

Wasn't a huge fan of this re imagining of Arthur. Felt like there was way too much violence & a strange plot. Wasn't my cup of tea but you might find it enjoyable.

I tried to like this book. I really did.

It's an Arthurian story in which Things Are Different, and the Sword that empowers the True King has gone to Nimue--designating, instead, a True Queen.

I ought to love this.

There are a whole range of Fey peoples, of different types and features and magic. Nimue is one of them.

I ought to love this.

Nimue and Morgan and others are interesting characters.

I ought to love this.

Unfortunately, the bad guy characters are stereotypically, cartoonishly evil. It renders them unbelievable and, in my opinion, not worth the reader's time.

The culture and society we're shown, at least above the village level, is not consistent with any time frame within which it's consistent with any version of the Arthurian myth to picture Arthur, Uther, Merlin, Morgan, and the others existing.

Burning witches as other than an occasional local, small-scale event was not a thing at any point in a plausible range for Arthurian stories, as this presents itself.

Red Paladins were not a thing, ever. The Red Paladins caused me to consider the possibility that this is based on a role-playing game, but I haven't been able to substantiate that. That doesn't mean it isn't, though, and if it is, this might be a lot more fun for people familiar with the game. So if there is a game, bear that in mind. This might have a background that is not the one I expect for Arthurian mythos stories.

As things stand, though, I don't like the book, and can't recommend it.

I do have to say that I do like the interior artwork.

I received a free electronic galley of this book, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

Cursed is a bit of contradictory to me. While the storyline and the writing was super immersive, the likes of which I haven’t read since the first time I read Harry Potter, the writing and descriptions made the story go super slow.

Like really slow. A few years ago, I watched Life of Pi and while the story and the movie was captivating, the movie itself did not captivate me. I was constantly looking at the clock, frustrated that only mere seconds seemed to pass between looks. This was similar. The story itself, while super captivating and immersive, had a bit of a habit of losing me when it would change Point Of Views.

Characters both became and were already beloved. And in completely different roles than in any other retelling of the famous Mort d’Arthur that I was used to seeing. Cursed really turned the legend on it’s head. But the fact that the story is full of inner monologues and so many POVs, made it really drag.

That’s not to say that I won’t totally be reading it again right before the Netflix series comes out. But it was very, very slow for me. It could be that I prefer books that have a little more action, both in romance and actual action, or it could be something else entirely.

All I know is that while I ultimately loved Cursed, it took me a little bit to get there. It also drops off at a cliffhanger which irritates me to no end.

RANT TIME Listen up people. After The Cruel Prince, Lord of Shadows, and countless others, I don’t want anymore freaking cliffhangers! The ending doesn’t even need to be happy. I JUST NEED CLOSURE!

*clears throat* Rant time over. The characters that we all know and love: Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Percival were totally different and that definitely brought a freshness to this age old tale. Frank Miller and Thomas Wheeler completely changed the roles of the characters. So much so that they were almost antithetic to the original.

It was so good though!

I really wanted to love this book because I love the Arthurian legend and think the idea of a gender bent retelling is a great one. Unfortunately I struggled to get into the story and didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. It's still a solid read but not the epic reading experience I was hoping for. I definitely still plan to watch the Netflix adaptation though. I could actually this working much better in visual form for me than it did in written form.

I don't hate this book, but I'm not really raving about it either; I suppose you can sum it all up with just a heavy sigh.

I suppose we've got from dystopias, to high fantasy, to lots and lots of retellings. In this case, it's an Arthurian retelling, choosing to take the story from the perspective of Nimue. This COULD have been a phenomenal concept: you're talking about the woman who essentially becomes the famous Lady of the Lake. She once imprisoned Merlin in a tree for being a creep and horny and inappropriate.

But you won't see any of that. You won't even see a lot that's derived from Arthurian myth and legend, especially not in the details. It's more of a smashing of numerous fantasy tropes we've seen a million times all together into one books that takes a potentially interesting female protagonist and turns her into a terrible leader and even worse martyr-like character come the end.

There's so much that someone could do with Arthur myth -- and there's plenty of great takes on it out there. This just isn't one of them.

This young adult fantasy is a retelling of the King Arthur lore focusing on the Lady of the Lake character. Nimue, presumably the Lady of the Lake, has the Sword of Power unknowingly thrust upon her after the Red Paladins invade her village. As she fights for her fellow Fey folk and seeks understanding of her true role in all of the chaos, she will find friends from all walks of life, enemies that burn with hatred against her very name, and an adventure that spans across many landscapes. Many of the notable characters from the Arthur legend can be found in the pages of this story, just not as easily spotted as the obvious exact naming of Arthur or Merlin.

I personally enjoyed this story and thought it was an interesting twist on the King Arthur legend. The descriptions of the various landscapes were captivating, the embellishment of the atmosphere was engrossing, and the details of the battle scenes were intense. All typical ingredients that I usually find in a good fantasy. While I wouldn't describe this as an intensely intricate fantasy, sometimes I had to focus a little harder on differentiating between the Fey folk with the various titles or references to some of their tribes. Nothing incredibly detailed or hard to follow.

Overall, I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the book and would recommend to readers interested in young adult fantasy or in Arthurian lore. It wasn't as captivating as I had hoped, but I would still be interested in seeing how the story progresses after the end of this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley for this e-ARC.

I was very interested in this book when I heard that actress Katherine Langford was developing Cursed, by Thomas Wheeler, into a show on Netflix. After reading this novel, which is an origin story of the Arthurian Lady of the Lake, I am all in! With compelling characters, and an action-packed story, I loved this sweeping fantasy.

What I Liked:

Characters:

Nimue, who has a deep connection with The Hidden (a magical force), has always been an outcast. Her abilities create fear among most people and so she yearns to leave her small village for a fresh start. But fate steps in. Suddenly, she has the Sword of and is tasked with delivering this to Merlin the Magician.

I loved Nimue's journey from a girl who's only concerned with herself, to a young woman willing to fight and sacrifice for her people. She was fierce, brave, and heart-breaking in her yearning to connect with others.

I was also fascinated by Merlin. He begins as a man who's glory days are long over. Instead of the mentoring future kings, he's a con artist who is drunk most of the time. Finding out how this came to be was really captivating.

There are also appearances by several of the characters who will be central to the Arthurian legend. Gawain, Percival, Lancelot, Morgan, Arthur, and many others create a promise of further adventures.

Story:

The story begins with a raid on Nimue's village and never lets up. Besides Merlin, many others are ruthlessly pursuing the sword. There is Father Carden, a sadistic priest who sees it as his mission to "purify" anyone who stands in his way with torture and death. King Uther Pendragon, who's legitimacy to rule is tenuous, seeks the sword to seal his claim to the throne. The Viking Ice King, who also has a claim to the throne, jumps into the fray, as well.

But it's Nimue who has the sword and she's not afraid to use it to defend her people, the Fey. As she cuts down her enemies with ease, one begins to wonder who is in control: Nimue, or the sword. Can she wield the weapon and remain untouched, or will this unbridled power drive her insane?

As the various forces close in on Nimue and her friends, the tension rises to a fever pitch.

Warning: Graphic scenes of torture (especially considering this is a YA book).

I couldn't get into this one. The plot moved along slowly, and at the beginning it seemed like chapters were out of order, making understanding the order of events very difficult. I didn't think the illustrations added anything to the story, and frankly, I found them to be kind of ugly. I still have high hopes that the Netflix series could be good.

Touched by darkness, Nimue has always been the village outcast. When the Red Paladins destroy her village, she manages to escape with a mystical sword she’s never seen before. Realizing the tales of old must be true, she knows she must find the fabled Merlin in order to save her land. Along the way, she meets a man named Arthur, who would rather drink his way through life. Will she find a way to save her land? Will she ever find Merlin? Who is destined to wield the sword? The plot is a simplistic and has a comic book-style feel to it. Characters are brave, straightforward, and are unique. Arthurian folklore is apparent. Fans of Scott Pilgrim, Arthurian retellings, and deep fantasy may enjoy reading this book.
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Please Note: This was a review copy from Netgalley and Simon and Schuster. No financial compensation was received. All opinions expressed are our own.