I really wanted to love this book and the blurb sounded really good, but as I was reading it I couldn't work out if it was supposed to be funny or not. I laughed at one scene. For a short book it took me ages to read it, which for me shows I didn't enjoy it as much. I found the main characters a bit annoying especially when they were together. For the me the only character I was invested in was Amber, the little dragon
Will I carry on the series, I do not know

FINALLY I get to share my excitement over this great fantasy read with you. I had the opportunity to meet the author at a recent book signing.
I loved this one!! Like absolutely EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! Read this now 5 star read loved it!!

TOTALLY cool world building - Alternate underground London for the paranormal beings (zombies, Fae vamps, werewolves, dragons etc) A curse. Magic.

What could be better!

Plus two CUTE grumpy / sunshine characters and sweet queer romance vibes

The character banter between, well everyone, the MMCs, Nel, Amber (OMG I adored Amber the tiny dragon) was just hilarious, sweet and cute.

And a cool plot that had the crew travelling into Deep London, rescuing, adventuring, romancing, hiding, fighting and generally avoiding danger at every turn.

CUL was a brilliant page turner of a read that had me.wantimf more. And I'm so glad its book one in a new fantasy romcom / historical romantasy series!

Can't wait to read more! All the stars for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for this eARC. I want to start off by saying I absolutely love the premise of this book. I love the historical romantasy and the huge amount magical creatures and characters. I wanted to be drawn in and thrown into this world of Upper London. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I found the first 20% to be action packed, but no real plot so I wasn't sure why I cared about these characters and what they were even fighting about. The grumpy x sunshine trope took it a bit too far with Fang being just a closed off jerk for the first half of the book. I also found the change in POV confusing without breaks in the lines. I think that if this was on audiobook with different voice actors I would have enjoyed this more.

This was hilarious. I rarely laugh at books but this one got me. It's set in an alternative London called "Deep London". Fang and Lazare awake from their deaths to discover they are not quite human anymore and they are thrown into chaos.

The relationship between the main characters is full of banter and they have a grumpy/sunshine dynamic however I do feel like the romance was rushed and felt a bit 'insta love' as they were kissing and sharing a bed really early on. But I instantly loved them as separate characters. I loved the supernatural beings they encountered and I rarely read a book where it contains multiple different types as usually it's just one supernatural creature.

The storyline was exciting and I loved that it never got boring.

If you love a cozy fantasy with queer romance with supernatural creatures this one might be for you!

#ad thank you to the publisher for sending me this proof copy for an honest review!

Cursed Under London was everything I wanted and more, after reading the synopsis I knew this book was for me. Fang and Lazare were just everything, you want the world for the, you want them to be happy, they deserve it. I loved the two of them so much, the banter between them, the humour but also other deep love and affection for each other. It’s just so heartwarming.

Set in Elizabethan England, I could picture the whole setting perfectly in my head, Gabby is such a talented and creative writer, the world building is just perfection , I love how atmospheric Gabby manages to make every page feel and how the dark and mysterious is balanced with humour is brilliantly done.

Gabby Hutchinson Crouch has written yet another book full of characters I love and care for, that I’m glued to the pages, that I need to know what happens next, that my babies are ok and will get their deserved happiness, will they ? Well I guess you’ll just have to read to find out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a fantastical romp through Elizabethan-era England. Its about a ragtag group of magical beings being chased around different parts of an alternate London by magical law enforcement and various gangs. Faeries, vampires, zombies and dragons abound. Fang and Lazare, previously very human and with their own problems, suddenly awaken as strange magical beings no one has ever heard of. They're strangeness draws attention and when a fight with some gang members turns ugly, they're suddenly being chased by several factions trying gunning for revenge or trying to put them behind bars. On the way, they're joined by a reluctant apothecary, a faerie orphan and a feisty dragon.

This story was very promising to me, as I usually enjoy books with the found-family trope and queer historical romances are also right up my alley. Sadly, the writing style and historical accuracy in this book just weren't up to my personal standards. The setting felt flimsy and badly researched, with dialogues that had a few old-timey phrases and terms thrown in just for the sake of it, without acutally making sense for the characters or their backgrounds. The protagonists of the story also couldn't really pull me in. Some of their choices just didn't make sense, and their dialogues felt stilted and unnatural at times. I just couldn't feel the romance between Fang and Lazare, and their relationships with the other characters also remained surface-level for the largest part of the story. I don't think I will be picking up the sequel. I think with a little bit more research and a little bit more work to make the setting and character relationships convincing, this could've been an amazing book. Two and a half stars.

So unputdownable. I haven't enjoyed a book so much in a long time! I love the LGBTQIA+ representation the most, it's not like the characters are named as 'gay' but they just go with the flow, accepting and loving anyone for who they are. It's like a giant warm hug in a book.
The fantasy aspect is so well described I could really picture it! Like some steampunk version of London with recognisable landmarks, but with added dragons. I would love to see this as a movie, it would be epic!

Oh I really enjoyed this one!

The fact that it was fantasy set in Elizabethan London had already piqued my interest because it’s such a good period, it’s also one I haven’t read too much of in fantasy, but this was so much more- it’s historical but urban, funny, cozy, romantic and it made me smile a lot!

We follow Fang & Lazare who have found themselves with new unique powers after coming back to life (sort of) from being unalived and they must work together to break a curse that means they can never truly die!

The action takes place in London (sort of) it’s a version of London and not necessarily one I’d choose to visit but there are lots of recognisable place names, landmarks and some things that you’ll recognise even though they are totally unrecognisable.

it’s funny, proper laugh out loud funny with some fantastic comedic moments and great banter as Fang & Lazare deal with some pretty strong emotions and feelings in a world of vampires, dragons, werewolves, fae and I’m sure I remember ogres in the mix too!

This maybe shouldn’t work but it really did work for me- it’s a noisy book but it also feels like the biggest hug!

I am intrigued where this is going and I will definitely be picking up the next book!

Loved the alternate Elizabethan worldbuilding of a human Upper London residing on top of a Deep London full of vampires, werewolves, dragons etc and obviously you get the tube between them. Loved the characters, and the dynamics between the main four - extremely funny back and forths, full of tension and friendship and love and questionable magic potions and powers.

Really happy this is the start of a series, can't wait to read more of this 'found family in the middle of BIG, funny and possibly deadly shenanigans' narrative.

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch (2024)

“Sometimes, people just adopt someone, or love someone to pieces, and there’s nothing you can do.”

3⭐️

🖤Supernatural
🖤Fantasy Comedy
🖤LGBTQIA+ Rep
🖤Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤Found Family
🖤Quest Narrative
🖤Alternative Elizabethan England


“Two strangers. Two Londons. Two hearts that won’t stop beating…

Fang awakes from his death to discover he is not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having somehow acquired the power of immortality, he’s also not quite any of the other supernatural beings who roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London.

Fang is desperate to reverse the spell and get on with being dead when he stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a theatrical Frenchman with the same mysterious condition. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two men set out to undo the strange magic that binds them. And, surely, when in grave danger, the worst thing they could do would be to fall in love, wouldn’t it?”


Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy of ‘Cursed Under London’ a fun, fantastical and inclusive rom-com set in an alternative Elizabethan England where the supernatural (vampires, werewolves, dragons etc) live alongside humans. ‘Cursed Under London’ was a quick and easy read, with its unique world building, constant humour and chaotic cast of loveable characters, determined to complete their quest.

The lighthearted and silly humour of the book balanced the mystery and murder of the dark and dingy London setting. Although the book was set in urban Elizabethan England, it perhaps didn’t utilise the setting as much as it could have and it played no part in the language or general style of the book. However, it did make for a good visual setting and lent itself to the world building. The idea of the Underground was clever and scenes in the dank and dirty alleys of London felt atmospheric.

I liked the changing perspectives and the general pacing of the book, although there were a lot of side quest that eventually turned into the main quest. This book was a 4 star for me until the last 25% of the story. I found the last part of the book somewhat anti climatic and had quite an abrupt ending. I wanted more and felt that aspects of the story were wrapped up too quickly when they could have played out a little longer and resolved in a more satisfying way.

The characters are what made the book for me. While the romance element of the story was a lot of talk and no action, the found family trope was played out so well and gave the book a warm, fuzzy feeling. I greatly enjoyed the grumpy x sunshine relationship between Fang and Lazare, whose banter and moments of vulnerability were fab! Both Nell, the witty, Welsh Apothecary and Amber the small and charming dragon were my favourites!

'Cursed Under London' was a decent, easy read that I enjoyed in the moment and would recommend if someone was looking for a fun, supernatural romantasy story with low stakes and a ridiculously loveable cast.

DNF @ 15%

This book sounded like my thing - historical fantasy! My part of London! But it just didn't work because it didn't feel like it cared at all about the historical side at all.

There are so many historical inaccuracies - Southwark Bridge doesn't exist until 1812 (London Bridge is the only bridge until the 1700s!) There's supposedly tea and coffee (arrive in the UK in the mid 1600s!) This is a book supposedly set in the Elizabethan Era, so cannot be any later than 1603. And so on.

It's not so much the inaccuracies (though those are irritating as someone who grew up in Southwark and knows the City of London very well!), but the fact that this book doesn't care. It's very modern in its references and feel ("I heart london" merch is referenced, there are vampire guilds to fight discrimination in workplace cases). This all makes me wonder why it's set in Elizabethan England at all - what is the point of the historical setting if it's not being used, or only as general set dressing? This book could be set in the modern day and it would feel no different at all - and that is the sort of historical fiction I can't get behind. Historical fiction is about using the past to explore the present, about bringing to life people from the past and their world.

What I will say in this book's favour is that it does not gloss over the diversity of Elizabethan London. One of the POVs is from China, having travelled across the world. There's a woman running a gang and another as an apothecary. These things are real facts, and I like that this book demonstrated that the past was not monotonous and homogeneous.

this was a nice little read, but i’m afraid i didn’t really feel like i got anything out of it. the characters were a little flat and, well, i just didn’t totally vibe with the plot.

This was such a refreshing read to me. The characters were so lovable. It's whimsy, it's witty and delightfully charming with a sprinkling of chaos all the way through. I absolutely adored it. The way Crouch builds historical fantasy and intertwines it with entertaining humour is truly a delight to behold. As many others have also mentioned, this book is filled with laughs and it's been a while since a book had me laughing so much.

This book is set in an 'alternate' Elizabethan England (and let me stress the 'alternative' Elizabethan England because there's been some mention about how the English sounded a 'bit' modern - this is fantasy everyone! and an Historical one at that, it's not meant to be the same). Having two different types of London was fascinating to me, the whole Upper London (where the regular and humans reside) and Deep London (where all the undead creatures and beings reside) and the worlds never really meet, they essentially just exist as two sides of the same coin. The supernatural elements, the plot, the characters and the whole Underworld of the Undead I found absolutely fascinating. I really loved how well the fantasy world was fleshed out, I felt that I could really understand the differences between the two different societies. We got to learn a good amount of both which was great, and I'm excited to see where the next book goes with the world building.

The story was absolutely NOT what I was expecting in the best way possible and I think that's why I enjoyed the read so much. We met two polar opposite people - Fang and Lazare, both of which have become not-quite-undead-not-completely. As it turns out, they seem to be the only two people with a curse that has given them some form of 'backwards' magic. Together (well, reluctantly on Fangs part) they end up working together to find out more about how this mysterious curse afflicts them.

The plot and storyline is dynamic, you'll mostly be constantly on the go - but don't let that put you off, all that happens within this book is well explained which given the speedy pacing really has to be commended.

Fang and Lazare together are the absolute description of the grumpy x sunshine dynamic. The way they interact, the banter they have for each other but also this deep unspoken care and love they have for one another that neither of them truly understand just yet is really quite heartwarming. You'll be rooting for them, mainly because all you'll want is for them both to experience happiness. I also loved the whole found family elements, the side characters we meet - Nel and Amber do NOT feel like side characters at all and I personally felt they were crucial to the story telling as well!

I can't wait to see where the rest of this story goes, and I'll definitely be picking up the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Gabby Hutchinson Crouch for the ARC of Cursed Under London. It was truly a pleasure to read.

To start off, this book is going to be one people either love or hate. It takes place in Elizabethan London, but anachronistic language is used. I know some readers find that incredibly off-putting to the point they will not read fantasy books with modern dialogue. If that is the case, this book isn't for you.

To me, this book was not "high fantasy," so it did not bother me. To me, the dialogue and the way the characters spoke to one another worked. Cursed Under London, in my opinion, does well what Assistant to the Villain failed at. It manages to be somewhat whimsical, comical, and slightly romantic without the clunky plot or dialogue that the aforementioned book has.

The villain that is introduced near the end feels as though he comes from nowhere, until you reflect on previous events in the book. I somewhat predicted what would happen to said villain, but still found the end of the novel satisfying. It set up what I hope ends up being a fantastic series.

This queer, semi-historical, rom-com fantasy stands as my favorite ARC of the year thus far.

Comparable titles would include the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, and The Immortal Empire by Kate Locke.

Where do I begin?

The synopsis of the book grabbed my attention, so I was really looking forward to reading it. The writing style and plot had my attention, at first, and then slowly lost me along the way. There were multiple times where I thought about DNF-ing it, but wanted to see where it went and I kinda wish I had.

I think the main problem for me was that this is touted as Romantasy and there just wasn't a whole lot of romance. It's not the main theme. They really only have a few scenes where it's just the two of them and by the second one, love is discussed. I didn't even get much connection between them, so love didn't feel fully developed. I would say this was more "Cozy Fantasy" than "Romatasy". Especially with not a real HEA.

Apparently, this is the first in a series, and although there's no cliffhanger, it just ends. I doubt I'll read any more in this series. The book left me confused quite a bit. I didn't feel there was much resolution to anything that was going on, but at the same time, don't know where they'd go in the next book. It just wasn't for me at all.

Thank you to Farrago Book and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

2 1/2 stars, rounded to 3.

Two strangers.

Two Londons.

Two hearts that won’t stop beating…

In an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang awakes from his death to discover he is not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having somehow acquired the power of immortality, he’s also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings who roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London.

A jaded traveller from the Ming Empire, Fang is desperate to find a way to reverse the spell and get on with being dead when he stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a theatrical Frenchman who is afflicted with the same mysterious condition. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two men set out to undo the strange magic that binds them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of…

And, surely, when in grave danger, the worst thing they could do would be to fall in love, wouldn’t it?

Now I really enjoyed the world building of the deep side and the upper side- there were good themes of racism and xenophobia that were explored really well. The prejudice that Fang got from the gang members was done really cleverly. I think the imagery was really good and descriptive and the abundance of characters and species were super fun and added something extra to the book.

The plot read like a comedic action film which I know some people will absolutely love. Personally, I struggle to understand or relate to comedic values and scenes in literature and film and I don’t often find the slapstick comedy funny. The first 25-30% was super interesting and a cool concept and I was invested but then I lost interest up until around 70% where the stakes were higher and I was more invested.

I think this book was well written and will be a fan favourite for sure, I just don’t think it’s the book for me. I rated it 3.5 stars.

I originally picked up this book because I recognised the author from BBC Radio 4 shows the News Quiz and The Now Show. I liked those, so I figured I’d like the book.

Set in an Alternative Elizabethan England, there is and Upper London where the non magical live, and a Deep London, where the Magical live. United by a curse that leaves them not quite living, but not quite dead, Lazare and Fang end up working together to try and figure out what has happened to them and what, if anything, they can do about it. Add in some street gangs, a Welsh Apothecary who keeps having to sew Lazare and Fang back together, a mysterious child, and a tiny dragon, and this band of misfits is ready for action. Maybe. But probably not.

While billed as a “rom-com” that aspect didn’t come through particularly strongly for me, but that was a strength in the story telling, and any more romance would have felt out of place. For me, the charm of this story lies in its blend of historical fantasy and world building. I really found the vibe very similar to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. The world-building is intricate, creative, and occasionally downright ludicrous, reminiscent of Pratchett’s whimsical touch. But the romance is the least significant of the relationships built over the course of the story. The balance of tension is just right. It keeps you engaged without causing anxiety overload.

If you are looking for a cozy, inclusive, and humorous romp through a fantastical version of Elizabethan London, this is well worth a read.

I really enjoyed the found family aspect of Cursed Under London. The characters are lovable and I found myself rooting for them. This book has such an interesting premise. Unfortunately, the plot fell a little flat. I think some of the disappointment for me came from the disconnect from what I was expecting and what the book actually was. I wouldn’t consider it a historical fantasy, despite being set in AU Elizabethan London. I found the descriptions and language to be very modern, and the time period didn’t seem to serve any purpose other than allowing for a couple cameos of famous historical figures. I also felt the mystery was solved too quickly and it didn’t leave me wanting more considering it is the first in a series. I think this book would be best for those looking for a fun, whimsical, and lighthearted fantasy.

Sadly this was a DNF for me :( I was so excited for it and loved the concept but I found the writing style, especially the say the POV was third person but kept suddenly switching, really jarring. I also struggled to connect with the world / the alternative Elizabethan setting because it just didn’t feel like I think it was meNt to :(

What an odd, but interesting book!

It was very fast and easy read, I basically finished it in 2 days, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Story follows a group of strange and unusual friends that have been thrown in a centre of conspiracy that they had no wish to be part of. We have Fang, who is just miserable and loves self-sabotage. Lazare is a tad delusional, but have a kind heart. Nell is horny, yet loyal to the core. And Amber is... well, a dragon with great manners (she won't eat you without you dying first)! Together, they embarked on a mission to undo this mysterious curse that brought Fang and Lazare from death. Yet, not everyone in the story seeks the same outcome, and someone is having a blast watching all this chaos being unleashed.

There are more characters that we meet and have important roles, but I don't want to spoil anything for you. But I do have to say that the beginning of chapter 13 made my day. I just couldn't stop laughing! Prude vampires, that was a new one for me, and I absolutely loved it.

What I loved the most was how inclusive the story is. There is no such thing as straight or gay or any other label. It's just creatures attracted to creatures or not. I can't even say humans, as the story has so many types of different creatures that mingle together.

However, I felt like the story lacked some depth. It was interesting and the world building was unique, but all the descriptions felt just glanced over. I do understand that going into deep explanations wasn't the focus of the story, but I would have loved to understand this historical fantasy world better.

But like I said, it was a fast and easy read. It doesn't make you question everything and anything, and there were a few plot twists that left me surprised. If you want fantasy but want light and not overly complicated plotline - this is the book for you 🖤