I'm torn about how to rate/review this book. On the first page, I was delighted and fully expected it to be a five-star read. As things went on, though, the parts that didn't work kept rearing their niggling heads. First, there were the POV issues (way too many, given that the proper number is zero), and then there was the predictable downfall of the book's Big Bad (without any intervention by the protagonists, as another reviewer pointed out). Along the way, I liked a lot of the characters but didn't love them. I didn't object to the choice to incorporate anachronisms, and I thoroughly enjoyed the humor. Overall, I think the author may simply have tried to do too much, and the result was... uneven. By the time we got to the end (setting up for a sequel), I didn't much care. I'm rounding up to four stars for the humor and the really interesting concepts.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Title: Cursed Under London By Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

Release Date: July, 4th, 2024

3.5 Stars

In an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang and Lazare, residents of Upper London, wake up from death to a startling revelation: they're no longer quite human. Despite gaining immortality, they're not vampires, zombies, or werewolves like others in Deep London. Bound by a shared curse, they embark on a quest to undo the spell while grappling with their undeniable connection. As they delve deeper into Deep London's shadows, they uncover a perilous conspiracy in which they find themselves entangled.

Readers are introduced to a cozy fantasy world where regular humans reside in Upper London, while supernatural beings inhabit Deep London.

The premise is intriguing, offering a dynamic backdrop for the story. However, the execution made it a bit messy and confusing for me at times, detracting me from the overall enjoyment. The novel maintains a fast-paced plot, kept me engaged throughout. However, the inclusion of slapstick humour , in my opinion, occasionally makes the narrative feel immature, impacting the overall tone of the book.



Tropes:
Undead queer romance
Urban Fantasy
Forbidden Romance
Immortality
Mystery Plot
Enemies to Lovers
Supernatural Beings
Quest Narrative


Thank you to the publisher Farrago Books,The Author Gabby Hutchinson Crouch & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun fantasy read, following the exploits of a small group of people in London as they work together to try and lift a curse!

The setting was fun and pretty unique - there is an Upper London and a Deep London. Upper London is just your regular humans, but Deep London houses all manner of mythical creatures; dragons, Zombies, Vampires and more! Whilst Deepsiders can live and work in Upper London, humans cannot go into Deep London as it’s legal to eat them there 🙈

The characters are diverse and interesting - Lazare the French actor, Fang the Asian traveller, Nell the Welsh apothecary and Amber the miniature dragon. Literally everyone in this story (minus Amber) is a chaotic bisexual, which I absolutely live for.

Whilst I wanted to love this, there were some elements that I struggled with (and please note this is just me - you might love some of these things!):

✨ Some clever marketeer decided to put this forward as historical fiction… it isn’t! There are very brief mentions of Queen Elizabeth the first being on the throne, but other than that it’s entirely fantasy and the language is all modern.
✨ It reads really YA… from vampires being offended by nudity to a wise quipping little dragon, this book is very YA, which is absolutely fine, but when you go into it expecting adult it can be a little jarring.
✨ The humour is very slapstick; again, some people will love this but I found it a bit juvenile for a supposedly adult novel.
✨ The worldbuilding was a bit all over the place… for one example, early in the book ‘tubes’ are referenced. Now for anyone who has ever been to London, you’ll immediately picture the London Underground train system. It’s only 60% into the book where it is actually explained that the tubes are actually entrances to Deep London.
✨ I didn’t buy the romance even a little bit - Fang just didn’t seem into it and it felt like Lazare was only interested because Fang is hot (and omg, so so soooo many references to Fang being hot/attractive/pretty/beautiful… we get it).

So overall I think this book is really promising, and if you are someone who loves YA fantasy with silly humorous elements and a quirky fun world full of chaos then you’ll really enjoy this 💕

I really enjoyed Cursed Under London! It was a dark comedy/fantasy/romance that is more dark than funny, but that was ok with me! This book is full of action, scary monsters/creatures, lots of adventure, and sprinkles of all different kinds of love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The beginning of the book was promising. I liked the world and the characters but the story lost me towards the end. The romance happened way too fast for me and I didn't like how fa's everything was going.. I was a bit confused with the revelations. I think this book could have been longer and better explained

Imagine Elizabethan portal urban fantasy and you can’t go too far wrong. This was more dark than funny – and maybe not a totally original concept – but I really enjoyed it. I like a good trio of MCs and a story where the mundane butts up against the supernatural. Overall I found this to be great fun.

An alternative London where a tentative peace hangs in the balance between upper London ( human ) and deepside London ( supernatural).
Thee unlikely people are cursed with eternal life. Fang, Lazare and Nell set out to break the curse while trying to avoid the wrath of Londons seedy gangs and without causing an diplomatic incident.

This story had me hooked from the outset. Each character is emotionally complex bringing life and sense to the decisions they make. A somewhat found family the group explores the different and unexpected ways that love can grow, despite not being blood.
The cliffhanger was a cruel edition to this story, it has set up the sequels nicely, however the lack of current closure between two of the characters is mildly frustrating.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Farrago for allowing me to read this arc copy of Cursed Under London. It was a super cosy romantasy and I enjoyed every bit! The characters are so fun, got hilarious banter, like I was laughing out loud reading this.

An unconvincing and under-utilized Elizabethan setting for a dark comedy that, for me, was too dark and not comedic enough, involving undead, fae, dragons, and sentient police birds.

The author has chosen to just use modern speech rather than attempt anything remotely Elizabethan for the dialog, and I think that's a good call; 99.9% of authors (probably more) aren't capable of doing Elizabethan dialog that's remotely authentic, and those who are capable still shouldn't, for the sake of the readers who are not familiar with the literature of the period. (The 99.9% who can't do a good job with it also shouldn't, for the sake of the readers who <i>are</i> familiar with the literature of the period, but this doesn't always stop them trying, sadly.)

The author has also chosen not to attempt to avoid anachronism, or else has done a poor job of avoiding it, probably the first one; it's amazing just how many everyday things have been invented or discovered since the reign of Elizabeth I. Business cards, for example. The fact that fish contains fatty protein and that might be good for a hangover. Boiling your water before using it to wash wounds, I would imagine. Off ramps, definitely. Passports as something every traveller needs and has. Hypnotism. Dating. Shopping bags? Not sure. Coffee, it turns out, was known in Britain by the late 16th century, though it would still have been a rare curiosity.

Even though I think the choice to use modern speech is right (both because I doubt the author could have pulled off accurate Elizabethan speech, and because even if she had, it would have made the book harder to read), I do think she could have avoided the worst anachronisms if she'd wanted to, and that the book would have been stronger for it. The anachronisms turn the Elizabethan era into scenery flats rather than a realized setting. The greatest drama of that day was fully capable of anachronism in the service of the art, and is none the worse for it, but really, the Elizabethan setting here goes to waste for lack of effort. Take out a couple of historical characters that everyone's heard of (Kit Marlowe and Shakespeare), who have minimal impact on the plot, and a brief cameo from Elizabeth herself at the end, and there's not much Elizabethan left. Honestly, very little would have changed if it had been set in almost any other era up to the early 20th century.

Speaking of the plot, I saw the resolution coming a very long way off and wasn't even mildly surprised when it arrived, with minimal assistance from the supposed protagonists, who had just been shown to be largely ineffectual puppets throughout the whole book.

Mechanically (bearing in mind that there may well be another round of edits to come after the pre-release version I read via Netgalley; I hope there is), there are some issues too. The book as a whole needs more hyphens, a few more apostrophes, and not quite so many commas (and some of them in different places, like before a term of address). A number of the excess commas are not unequivocally wrong; they're at places that are, at least, grammatical boundaries, but ones that normally wouldn't be marked with a comma. Some are, of course, between adjectives that are not coordinate, because just about everyone gets those wrong at least some of the time.

There are point of view shifts within a chapter, generally considered poor craft if you are writing in third-person limited, which the author seems to be doing.

I requested this book from Netgalley because I remembered enjoying another book by the author (<i>Glass Coffin</i>), though I think had it confused with another book by a different author, and I'd forgotten that I'd also read another book (<i>Wish You Weren't Here</i>) from this author that I didn't much enjoy because it was too dark. This one was also darker than I prefer, with an extended torture scene that I skimmed, and not as funny as I would have liked, and between that and the anachronisms and the shonky mechanics, I didn't love it. But I didn't completely hate it, and I enjoyed the hard-working, world-weary police swan Dame Isobel Honkensby (reminiscent of early Sam Vimes, though without as much personality), and a few other incidental moments along the way, so it just squeaks in for three stars.

What a fun fantasy novel. Full of action, monsters, love and action packed adventures. And gay love.I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

What a lovely different unique take on a book I really really enjoyed it.
Loved the characters so well written I could just picture them, loved how easily it flowed and how I followed the fast paced interesting story.
I love a story which is so completely different.
I did really enjoy it

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC**

'Cursed under London' is a fun, easy to read story with enough action and amusing dialogue to entertain. I must say it wasn't my brand of humour and I struggled a bit to connect with the characters, but the overall experience was still positive. Having humans and non humans coexist together though with a separation and caution was interesting, as was the plot.
I am sure it would be a really nice experience for people on brand with this kind of humour!

I am a fan of this author. Cursed Under London doesn't disappoint. It's a charming fantasy with well drawn characters and good world building, infused with her trademark humor.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

With laugh out loud humor, ‘Cursed Under London’ is a wonderful reprieve in a genre that often takes itself too seriously. In an alternative version of 1500’s London where the magical ‘undead’ and the living coexist peacefully, our trio of Lazare, Fang, and Nell threaten to upset the balance after they die, but come back as something not quite dead, not quite living. All of this leads to a fun, compulsive read, that highlights Hutchinson Crouch’s mastery of satire through mocking dialogue during battles, a bisexual William ‘Bill’ Shakespeare and Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe, but also twists around who’s plan they’ve all been tangled into. I loved nearly every character we meet, all of whom are LGBT+ and have greater banter between one another. There are layers to each character too; clearly haunted by their individual pasts, which they lean on each other as a found family to overcome. This reminded me of an adult version of ‘House by the Cerulean Sea’, same level of lightheartedness, but a pitch or two more violent & spicy.

What Hutchinson Crouch Get's Right:
• Loveable, found family of characters with unique abilities I hadn’t read before
• ‘Will they, won’t they’ tension between Fang & Lazare! UGH just kiss already!
• Little touches in the story that make it London- mentioning of a tube system, diplomatic subplots, and familiar landmarks- but we get to explore a whole new London too with the undead

"One thing about haunted houses was, it was never the house’s fault that it was haunted. It was just a vessel, into which the ghosts of years of sadness were poured and trapped."

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch is a novel about the London that humans inhabit and the "Under London" that non-humans live in.

Lazare and Fang have somehow died but haven't turned into the creatures that inhabit Under London - be it any number of supernatural beings, but they aren't quite human either. To try and find out why they haven't turned and to reverse the curse they are under, they find themselves in all sorts of situations along with their newly found friends Amber, who is a dragon, and an apothecary, Nell.

I enjoyed the secondary characters and the way that Lazare and Fang handled themselves - the humor that all of the characters displayed was natural and not forced, truly funny, and it made the book speed by.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this most enjoyable book, I hope to read more from the author. All opinions are my own.

set in london but instead of humans it’s mythical creatures, however the main characters seems to be a hybrid. are there others like him ?

i’m rounding this up to 3.5

the characters in the book are really unique and you cant help but love them. the dialogue between everyone is an easy read and makes you laugh, as it has an air of wit at times.

the writing is fast paced in tbe perfect way, there’s plot twist after plot twist. it’s a superbly refreshing

this book is perfect for fans of peaky blinders and anything supernatural.

"Cursed Under London" is a cozy fantasy novel centered around two men living in the 16th century London, Lazare and Fang. They both seemingly meet their demise but miraculously avoid death or transformation into vampires, werewolves, zombies, or other supernatural beings. To unravel the mystery behind their peculiar circumstances, they join forces with a charming dragon named Amber and a witty Apothecary named Nell. As the story unfolds, the characters find themselves entangled in increasingly complex situations, while a budding affection develops between Fang and Lazare.

The premise of this book is quite intriguing. I enjoyed the concept of Upper London, where regular humans reside, contrasting with Deep London, inhabited by supernatural beings. Additionally, the novel is fast-paced, with a dynamic plot that keeps the characters constantly on the move. However, what truly sets this book apart is its humor. The dialogue between the characters is infused with so much wit that I found myself giggling throughout. The banter between Fang and Lazare is particularly delightful. Additionally, I appreciated the other characters, especially Amber the dragon. It's not easy to weave together a romantic arc and a found family trope seamlessly, but the author executed it magnificently in this case.

I have two small issues with this book, which are probably personal preferences and may not be a bother for other readers. Firstly, as it's a cozy fantasy book, I felt that the stakes were a little too low for me to become fully invested. The fact that the main villain turned out to be a caricature did not help in this regard. Secondly, I didn't quite connect with the fact that the world depicted was modeled on Elizabethan England. While I understand that it's a fantasy and historical accuracy isn't necessary, I would have liked to feel more of the spirit of that era. It felt like the setting was chosen primarily to feature specific characters living in 16th-century England, such as Kit Marlowe or Elizabeth herself, rather than for thematic or world-building reasons. This universe could have been modeled on any other period of history, or even the present day.

Still, I very much enjoyed this book because of its humor and excellent writing. I would recommend it to urban fantasy lovers, as well as readers seeking books similar to those by T. Kingfisher, but with even more humor.

Oh, this book was everything to me.

The little band of main characters were incredible. I mean, seriously could not have been any better. I was dying laughing at the dialogue going on between our core four throughout most of it (except, of course, when we did a real quick 180 and I was having my heart shredded to pieces). Biggest shout out my girl Amber, aka the tiny dragon who showed up to help in every single combat scene but promptly dipped when the dangerous situation is, in fact, dangerous. She's so me. The most iconic dragon to ever dragon.

Also, Kit Marlowe is canonically a horny zombie in this book. Which, like, is insane and also quite possibly one of the funniest running bits I've ever read in a novel before.

But as for the story itself, I loved it. It was fast-paced enough to keep me engaged throughout, and still never felt like things were being rushed. I was so incredibly curious about what the hell was going on with Larzare and Fang and their whole 'undead but, like, also not' thing and, while I'm satisfied with the answers I've gotten, there's still so much to expand on and I am already fiening for book two.

I enjoyed the found family aspect and especially loved Amber (and the kitty)
I did find it was a bit hectic for me - the large cast of characters along with the fast paced narrative with comical aspects culminating with the over-the-top villain was a bit much. I didn't feel like I had a good grasp on the magic system etc
It was reminding me a bit of Un Lun Dun/Neverwhere- and I liked those world building aspects.
But I think perhaps I am not the right reader for this novel.

Cursed Under London is the first book in a historical romantasy series set in an alternative Elizabethan London. In Upper London, home of humans, Fang and Lazare both wake from their untimely deaths to find themselves no longer fully human. Fang and Lazare team up with Fang's friend Nell (a Welsh apothecary) and Amber the tiny dragon to try and reverse the curse upon them. The mystery takes them down into Deep London, home of everything distinctly not-human!

I loved the Discworld/Rivers of London tone to this book. The blurb isn't exaggerating when it says that this book is hilarious - I laughed out loud many times, and even had to read out quotes to my Terry Pratchett-loving husband to explain my outbursts. My favourite quote is probably:
'They were masked, but we do have a physical description of John,' continued Peanut, quickly. 'Um... "Gorgeous, just really nice eyes and hair, fit arms, bum like two tennis balls squeezed into a sock".'

It was just so easy to read, and the humour never felt forced. I read this book in one go, just hours after getting the ARC because a historical paranormal romantasy is like my holy grail, and as soon as I started reading it, I was sucked right in. The plot was super strong - there is absolutely no filler in this book and so it's just comedy, heart and action all the way through.

I am so glad this is a series, because I can't wait to see more of the alternative/fantasy Elizabethan world, and I definitely need to see what happens with/to these characters next! The central group were all interesting and fully fleshed out and they weren't just caricatures which could have easily been done. I loved how inclusive the world was, and it was just so heartwarming even with all the death and chaos happening around the characters. To say I am rooting for Fang and Lazare is an understatement. This was my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.