Sandhya Menon's new teen series is wonderful. I enjoyed her take on the Beauty and the Beast myth. I look forward to the next in the series.

I was looking forward to this book, as it promised the tropes I tend to love in YA contemporaries: hate-to-love, found families, and private schools - all wrapped up in a “beauty and the beast” retelling. Unfortunately for me, these tropes did not play out well in “Of Curses and Kisses.” I was looking forward to a fun romp in a world of rich kids and familial curses, but I finished the book feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.

First and foremost, the logic in this book felt weak. Reading it was like watching a hallmark Christmas movie about a poor city girl who inherits a beautiful rustic inn in the middle of nowhere and turns it into a multi-million dollar five star ski chalet with only the help of some friendly neighbors and recycled barn wood: it would’ve been fun if it weren’t completely unbelievable. The motivations behind Jaya’s and Grey’s behavior was nonsensical to me. I couldn’t understand why they made most of the decisions they did, which only increased my confusion and hampered my enjoyment. The students we meet at St Rosetta’s are simultaneously the least mature and most self-aware teenagers I’ve ever met. They are selfish and stupid, causing silly drama while miscommunicating, but they have these huge introspective moments where they do some serious adult-level psychological processing. It all felt disingenuous and illogical.

Jaya is unbelievably unlikeable. Having an imperfect or odious protagonist is oftentimes a fun and challenging experience – in this case, I just wanted to finish the book so I wouldn’t have to hear Jaya be judgmental, self-righteous, and rude anymore. Unfortunately, the growth we eventually do see in Jaya happens so suddenly, it felt like whiplash. I was left unfulfilled by any real transformation. I just wanted more from her.

Our leading man, Grey, is almost as unlikeable as Jaya. Here we have the “manic pixie dream boy” no one wants. Grey is a rich, muscled, brooding, overly dramatic, tall, strong, defender of the weak who reads historical biographies… Again, I just wanted more character. I didn’t want a list of bad things that happened to him; I wanted more of his experiences, his hurt, his mistakes, and a lot more of his growth. I wanted a redemption story a la “the beast” – which I was expecting based on the BATB retelling trope I was promised. Aside from the ubiquitous descriptions of his lupine, feral, misanthropic nature – which bothered me every time I read them - I did not get the beastly hero I was hoping for.

In all reality, I couldn’t connect to any of the characters in “Of Curses and Kisses” because none of these characters were remotely relatable. First, there were these caricatures of foreign students (oui oui) which felt like low hanging fruit and took me right out of the story. Second, I felt like I was being condescended to constantly, which didn’t make me want to try harder to connect with any of them. I’ve read other contemporary fictions that follow rich kids in fancy schools doing rich and fancy things, but I have never felt less of a connection to these types of characters than I did in this novel.

Except DE. She definitely had her faults and was at times totally frustrating; but she was – without a doubt – the only character I felt any connection to.

A book can still be brilliant, even if the characters are unrelatable and unlikeable, as long as the plot is strong. However, I guessed the “twist” within the first few chapters, there was no intrigue or suspense, and the ending was too convenient – all of which left me feeling unsatisfied.

In summary, “Of Curses and Kisses” was not the book for me. It promised tropes I loved without delivering and gave me tropes I disliked without making up for it in plot or logic. I know not every book is right for every reader, so I encourage you to read more reviews before discounting this novel.

Arc received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a DNF for me. I kept setting it down unable to connect to either character and then picking it up again became a chore. While the writing was quite fun it was Jaya's inner monologue that eventually stopped me. She was so obsessed with helping her sister and yet there was only one scene with her sister for almost 30 percent of the book. I wanted to see their interactions more rather than just some random side characters. I might, eventually, try to pick this book back up, but for the time being it is going to stick on my long list of things to be read.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

She couldn’t make this boy fall in love with her. She couldn’t break his heart. Because if she did, it was her, not him, who was the beast.

I’m frustrated that my second review of 2020 will be a rant. I requested this book from the publisher because I hadn’t read a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The boarding school setup was also appealing, so I had high expectations. Sadly, my interest dwindled at the end of each chapter to the point that I wanted to give up. Still, I persevered because I didn’t have the nerve to DNF an ARC. xD

Of Curses and Kisses is about Princess Jaya Rao, an heiress to an Indian dynasty. When their nemesis, the British Emerson clan, create a scandal to ruin their family. Jaya and her baby sister named Isha seek refuge at St. Rosetta’s Academy. There, Jaya resolves to exact revenge on Lord Grey Emerson, who strangely believes that he’s cursed to die on his 18th birthday. However, when she learns about his struggles and starts to feel seen in return, her determination vanishes. Will Jaya and Grey finally end the conflict between their families?

For me, this novel has too many cliches. For instance, why does the younger sister always have to be the flirty one? I’ve seen this trope in popular titles such as Caraval and Wintersong. Second is the male lead who hates his dad. Oh, and let’s not forget the rich girl who bullies others just to hide her soft heart! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve encountered these formulas. Tropes aren’t necessarily bad, but they do become harder to tolerate when you use several of them in one book.

Besides that, I couldn’t handle the cheesy conversations between the protagonists. Yes, the romance wasn’t too quick to be believable, but some of the lines made my stomach churn. Here’s an exchange that scarred me for eternity:

“Two weeks ago, you were kissing me, Jaya. And from what I could tell, you were really into it.”

“She flushed and cupped her neck with a small hand, looking away.

“Well, weren’t you?” he pressed when she didn’t respond.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “Yes, I was.”

Grey’s cocky way of confronting Jaya turned me off. It didn’t help that the author often used adjectives like “feral” and “lupine” to describe his looks and personality. It was as if Sandhya Menon wanted to force the beast metaphor even though Grey’s so-called “curse” had already made it obvious.

Finally, the twist at the end wasn’t surprising. Figuring out the real villain required minimal effort. And when Jaya caught them, they gave up so quickly, resulting in a very convenient conclusion. A heartfelt kiss and a series of video calls solved every problem and assured me of a happily ever after. But I was anything but happy.

I thought the beginning was a bit slow and repetitive and the ending super fast and didn't make complete sense (why would a dying kid invest money for a future he doesn't believe he'll have?) but overall a fun story.

This modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast was a really cute and fun read. I really liked the main characters, though I felt that Jaya was a bit more well-developed than Grey. I liked the world of St. Rosetta's Academy a lot, though the extreme wealth of the characters made it feel a little less relatable! Still, the whole story was really sweet, and I liked how by the end of the book I was rooting so hard for both Jaya and Grey.

I always like boarding school stories and this one crossed with a curse between families was really fun. I liked Jaya’s growth in becoming more independent. I’d live to read more about theses characters.

I first heard about Of Curses and Kisses from Menon in 2018. The idea of a contemporary take on Beauty and the Beast set at a boarding school was really appealing to me and earned this novel an instant spot on the list of books I wanted to read. The story is about two characters- Jaya Rao, a princess who is determined to exact revenge on the Emerson family after her little sister suffers the consequences of being their target, and Grey Emerson, who has spent his life isolated due to his (and his family’s) belief in an ancient Rao curse. Their paths cross at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, and as their relationship grows, the pair might just realize that they’ve got it all wrong when it comes to what they know and what they really want. It sounds like a fun story, and in many ways, it was! I enjoyed noticing the incorporation of all the Beauty and the Beast­-inspired details, the secondary cast of characters (who I’m hopeful will maybe possibly one day get their own stories) and I really liked Grey Emerson (though I’m sure a lot of that has to do with my bias towards solitary grumps who are also good-hearted guys). However, the one aspect that prevented my full enjoyment was Jaya. She was constantly frustrating in her choices, behavior and thought processes. Even though it made sense with her age and her position as a princess who is heir to a throne (of sorts), it still personally irked me and made me want to give her a very strong talking-to constantly as the novel progressed. This was primarily what had me docking stars on my rating, and why I didn’t fully enjoy the novel as much as I’d expected to! Still, though, I must say that Of Curses and Kisses was entertaining overall, and I’d consider checking out the sequel depending on who it happens to be about. (I also did feel like this one would make for a better film than a book, but that’s just my humble two cents.)

I was so excited to begin reading this ARC. First of all...Sandhya Menon can do no wrong - especially when writing relationships, right?! And I love any Beauty and the Beast retelling so this was a sure home run! Unfortunately, I was expecting too much. I guess since the setting for this book was the contemporary world, there was no "otherworldly-ness" to the story which made it rather bland. The chemistry between Jaya and Grey was not there for me and there was not enough other material in the story besides their relationship to keep me turning pages. I wanted more suspense, action, and drama which is what I expect from the Beauty retellings, I suppose. Maybe more will come in book 2. We'll see...

Considering I like the author's previous work, this was really disappointing.

The Emerson clan and Rao clan have a feud that started when the Emerson clan stole the Rao's gem. This caused the gem to become cursed. Grey Emerson's father believes in the curse so much that he tells Grey that he will die on his eighteenth birthday. Jaya Rao believes in the feud so much that she easily believes that Grey Emerson ruined her sister's reputation even though they've never met or spoken or know what the other looks like. Sorry, the way she jumped to this conclusion made me never warm up to the character. She transferred to the school in order to break his heart based on vague information. She was never even told by name that he did it.

Because of my dislike of Jaya, I had a hard time with this book. I was hoping that she would grow up and stop being stupid. Any growing up she did happened at the very end in a paragraph. I liked her sister far better.

I was fine with Grey in the beginning because his story was pathetic. But how tortured he acted when he fell in love with Jaya was groan inducing. I didn't like how he kept on being referred to as a beast. He never acted liked a beast. The only reason that word was used was to shoehorn Beauty and the Beast (Disney version) into the story. There was so much shoehorning.

Last thing, I personally hate when to show that a character is from a foreign country, they randomly speak their language to a English speaker. No one really does that.

Review based on ARC provided by Netgalley

Torn on the rating for this! 3.5 I think.

The beginning was slow on the uptick and the overly simplistic moves to introduce characters and the premise.

However! I did really, really enjoy the Beauty and the Beast inspiration / retell with a completely different spin (yes to prep school, an Indian royal family, modern day vibes.. I loved all of these choices).

It picked up for me in the second half because I did sincerely want to know what happened. Really such a great concept!

3.5

Thanks so much to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Menon is one of my top favorite YA authors. She knows how to be realistic with her writing in a way that really pulls a reader in. Despite this being a Beauty and the Beast retelling of sorts (curses, a ruby red rose, a beast of a boy, princesses, etc.), this novel is very realistic from a human standpoint. I loved getting to know characters beyond what we know about them from others. There was more than one character that was able to develop and have a believable change over such a short novel. It is refreshing to read a novel where a human being makes mistakes and figures out how to deal with the choices they have made on their own. I sincerely loved the relationship between Jaya and Grey. It felt real from the very beginning. Grey had me swooning, laughing, and crying many different times throughout the novel. I wanted to reach out and pull him out of the book just to keep him safe and be there for him myself. I enjoyed reading a new genre from Menon, and cannot wait to read when she continues this story!
*I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Of Curses and Kisses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling that takes place in a boarding school! How awesome is that premise? I am totally here for it!
The characters were enjoyable to read and I loved the modern twist and the representation. I found the book's pacing to be a bit off and slow and the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, but overall, this was a fun and quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.⁣⁣⁣
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Princess Jaya Rao and Lord Grey Emerson are part of a centuries-old family feud. But when Jaya suspects Grey targeted her younger sister, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She’ll make Grey fall in love with her, then ruin his family be breaking his heart. What she doesn’t know is that Grey has been cursed from birth.⁣⁣⁣
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𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗺 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. I loved how the author used the modern setting to show aspects of the tale in interesting ways. Like how she incorporated the rose with the petals falling.⁣⁣⁣
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It also kind of reminded me of high school movies, like...maybe Sydney White or 10 Things I Hate About You, but mixed with the royal-like status of Crazy Rich Asians. ⁣⁣⁣
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So, if you like modern-day retellings, try this book! I would definitely reread it at some point.⁣⁣⁣

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Pulse for an e-arc to review!

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I heard this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a prestigious private school...but this wasn't it. Yes, it is that. But it's also mostly a contemporary with a very loose, forced connection to the Beauty and the Beast story. Descriptions of our male protagonist Grey as being large and having hands like paws are about as far as the "retelling" goes. Some other attempts at making the BATB story work include Grey contantly brooding in the West Wing of the school and Jaya wearing a necklace with 18 rubies that keep falling from their settings.

I felt like this was much, much cheesier than Sandhya Menon's other works. This probably would have worked better if it was just a straight contemporary without the attempts to make it a BATB retelling. I will definitely still read from SM again but I won't be continuning in this series.

First of all this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I appreciate! There’s quite a few issues which the original story deals with (beastiality, stockholm syndrome etc) and in retellings I think the romance can be separated from the original issues.

Now onto the story itself! Though the parallels between Of Curses and Kisses and the Beauty and the Beast can be pretty obvious (which makes sense because it IS a retelling after all) the entire twist itself is so unique. ​However, what really stands out are the characters. The plot holds so much tension because I was so invested in the characters themselves. I would love to gush more about the characters and the romance, but no spoilers here! However, I will say I loved the diversity of the characters and how that really updates Beauty and the Beast.

This wasn't my favorite of the author's books, which have all been 5-star reads to date. The beginning was a little rough for me, a little harder to get into, and as we careened toward the ending there were times it didn't feel like there would be enough space to tie up all the loose ends.

That said, I fell hard for both the main characters of this book and found that Menon did a great job developing them and giving them satisfying arcs — maybe one of the reasons I liked the end half so much better is because of how much the characters improved!

Favorite side characters definitely include Isha, Jaya's little sister, who is headstrong and vibrant and really shines even though she's given less space on the page. I also really loved Leo, who seems like he should be smooth and charming but is delightfully dorky.

All in all, this was a really good book and I'm delighted Menon is delving into a new kind of contemporary storytelling. I can't wait to read the rest in this series!

Thank you to Simon Pulse and Netgalley for the free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh the angst. So much angst. It started out with an acceptable amount of angst considering the retelling is Beauty and the Beast. I was prepared for a fair amount. However, at the halfway point the angst ramped up, and I almost couldn't stand it.

I feel like so many of the side characters were written out and replaced by foreboding. For example Isha, the MC's sister, hardly showed up in the book at all. The reader is told how important Isha is to Jaya, but we don't actually see much of that because Grey is too busy brooding. I kind of get it because the Beast is known to mope, but 21st century Beast seems to dumbly whine about things that he should have been smarter about.

I thought the story could have been cute, and I would have loved more character development. Boarding school settings are some of my favorite settings for YA fiction (there are no parents around after all), but there was hardly any world or character development because, you guessed it, all the teenage angst that took up pages and pages at a time.

For the longest time, I thought I would be interested in reading a sequel. But at the completion of the book, I just think I'm over it. If you can get past all the angst, you might enjoy this retelling. I think with a little more editing I would have enjoyed the retelling.

Listen. This book was everything I wanted in a Beauty and the Beast retelling!!! Ahh. I love the dramatics of Jaya and her sister and the feud between the Raos and the Emersons.
I didn’t know how things were going to work out but my gosh was I rooting for Grey!
I loved how it worked out and ahhh. This book makes my heart happy!

A great, new spin on Beauty and the Beast. It’s not as light hearted and funny as her other books, but still contains the heart and romance she’s known for. I liked how the secret isn’t dragged on through the end of the book, but takes a nice turn in the middle.