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A Curse So Dark and Lonely cover art

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Written by: Brigid Kemmerer
Narrated by: Kate Handford, Davis Brooks, Matt Reeves
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Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, read by Kate Handford, Davis Brooks and Matt Reeves.

A New York Times best seller!

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives listeners another romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his 18th year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall...and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

©2020 Brigid Kemmerer (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

What the critics say

"Has everything you'd want in a retelling of a classic fairy tale." (Jodi Picoult, New York Times best-selling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things)

"I couldn't get this creative, suspenseful take on 'Beauty and the Beast' out of my head." (Sara Holland, New York Times best-selling author of Everless)

"Absolutely spellbinding." (Stephanie Garber, number one New York Times best-selling author of Caraval and Legendary)

What listeners say about A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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Great story!!

At first I thought the performers were a little stiff. But once I warmed up to the story, it didn’t bother me so much. Great storyline! I’m going to start the second book right away.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW

Major Acotar vibes. cannot wait to listen to the next one. I felt like I was right there in the story the whole time. great writing and amazing world building.

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  • Overall
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love it

just good stuff. I like it . I like it alot.............yup I do. for sure

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  • Overall
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Wonderful

I am embarrassed that I enjoyed this book so much because I am in my 50s and I just discovered this book is meant for teens and young adults!! I have no idea why I didn’t know this before starting this book!!

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very well done!

couldn't stop listening! love the modern twist on beauty and the beast! well worth the time to listen.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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so far best retelling of the beauty and the beast!

I really like it, just take in mind the first like 200 pages nothing to overly excited happens but you grow to love the characters, and not like the villan at all, and the ending was quite confusing but it's a good cliffhanger for thr next book, the narration I have to say could it be better since in the whole book they talk about accents and niether the female or male voice did this, but overall I recommend it

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It was good

I really liked the book. I found the female narrator not as enjoyable to listen to but I still liked the story.

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Excellent Book

A great retelling of a classic tale. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

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A great reimagining of Beauty and the Beast

Loved this book; the author managed to maintain the fairy tale pacing and fairy tale language whilst giving it a modern twist and a great heroine! Definitely a fun listen. Off to purchase the next book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining, clean, young adult read

This book was incredibly entertaining, fast-paced, and enjoyable. It wasn’t terribly original, and it wasn’t necessarily artful, which is pretty much the only reason I wouldn’t rate it higher. If you’re wondering, the book doesn’t have any sexually explicit content, though I don’t know about the sequels yet, and I wouldn’t recommend this for kids or young teens. It’s all been pretty wholesome so far, but there are mature topics. Probably one of the better clean alternatives to ACOTAR, if you’re looking for a take on beauty and the beast. (Although I can’t remember if the book had explicit language, that stuff slips out of my mind)

I could predict much of what was coming, and usually that’s something that makes me bored, but the characters and dialogue within the book really held my interest. I love how precise and attentive the characters are to what they and each other are saying! Even the many silences they shared together were charged and meaningful.

The narrators did pretty well in their own right. The monster’s growling actually took me out 😂 I had to hold in my laughter so I wouldn’t wake my family. The men even did alright when narrating for women, not too squeaky. Usually I prefer more emotive narrators, but this style of writing didn’t always lend itself to that. The characters emotions are often subtle or nondescript.

Looking forward to the next ones!

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