Okay. This is the kind of book that lingers like sea salt in the air and heartbreak in your chest.

I went into A Cursed Age expecting a salty little pirate adventure with curses and maybe a bit of morally grey banter. What I got was a full-blown Gothic, ocean-soaked existential spiral wrapped in steampunk lace and betrayal. There’s vengeance and longing, grief and wonder. It’s eerie, romantic, mythic. It has the dramatic chaos of a Brontë novel but with airships. I don’t even know what to call the genre—nautical gothic revenge romance with a hint of soft steampunk tragedy? And somehow, it works.

We meet Ryland, a cursed pirate captain who is basically immortal but emotionally exhausted, stuck in a loop of shipwrecks and fury after being hexed by a sea witch with a grudge. Enter Emmeline—grieving, bloodstained, and on the run—who crash-lands into his cursed world on an airship that feels more ghost ship than vessel. Their meeting is sharp, strange, and full of don’t-look-too-closely-at-your-feelings tension. It’s not insta-love. It’s recognition.

What made this book stand out—beyond the stunningly rich setting (West Indies to New Orleans to Venice, and somehow it all feels drenched in sea mist and shadow)—was the way it blends genres without losing emotional clarity. It’s part historical, part gothic romance, part fantasy—but the emotional arc stays focused. Ryland is furious at the world but quietly unraveling, and Emmeline? She’s soft but splintered. I wanted to wrap her in blankets and give her therapy and also yell at her to trust herself more.

The romance is slow-burning and high-stakes in the eternal damnation meets soulmates in denial way. There's chemistry, but it's more about connection—the kind of thing that builds through glances, shared grief, and stormy silences. And yes, the sea witch? Absolutely feral. Loved her.

The ending? No spoilers, but let’s just say: I cried. Not ugly sobbing, but the kind of quiet ache that comes from knowing some love stories cost something. It’s haunting. Beautiful. I wanted more, and yet... it ended exactly where it needed to.

I can see this being a hit for readers who love:

✨ High-stakes slow burn with sharp edges

✨ Steampunk-adjacent fantasy settings

✨ Vengeful sea witches + poetic angst

✨ Romance that feels fated but fractured

✨ Stories that break you gently

It’s Gothic Treasure Planet meets The Witcher meets forbidden tenderness. And yeah, it wrecked me a little.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A Cursed Age by A.M. Dunnewin is such a good story. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good.

My one rule with book ratings is that a book that makes me cry automatically gets 5 stars and A Cursed Age had me crying for a while. It had a great and natural blend of genres - creepy gothic horror from the seawitch, part pirate adventure, and a sweet romance with lots of angst. And oh, that ending, how bittersweet. I have no idea if this is part of a series or if it's a standalone and this is the end of the story, but I'd love to rejoin the world. I don't want to say what else I'd like to see because of spoilers, but I hope this isn't the end.

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