This book was in the stack of library books I picked up back in July, and I now realize how foolish I was for letting it sit on my dresser for so long. I loved this book – the characters were charming, the world was just as big as it needed to be, and the plot twisted the Beauty and the Beast fairy-tale enough to keep me reading. The blurb promised an “intensely original retelling,” and it certainly was.
I love that we don’t watch Harper flail through the story trying to figure out what’s happening. No, she figures it out soon that she’s got to fall in love with the prince to break the curse. One of my biggest pet peeves in books is characters that are overly dumb to a situation that is overly obvious to the reader. Harper is not dumb; she is the protagonist that I get get behind and root for. Rhen was a bit of the typical spoiled-prince, but he grows.
I loved the slow burn of this story, the slowness of the relationships, and the realistic growth.
I enjoyed this book enough that I bought the ebook for book 2 the same night I finished it, and as of the time I’m writing this, I’m about halfway through.
So, A Curse so Dark and Lonely gets 5 enchanted castles out of 5.
Beatrice B. Morgan 
Currently reading this. About 40% in. I also like That Harper is smart and figure things out on her own. The way the retelling is done in the story is kinda meh for me but the characters and relationships make up for it. I love the chemistry between Harper and Grey.
LikeLike