Listen free for 30 days

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
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
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $4.99

Buy Now for $4.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

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
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    83
  • 4 Stars
    38
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Formulaic. The few innovations fall flat

This is a fairly unoriginal take on the "Beauty and the Beast" fable. Harper, a plucky, poverty-stricken waif with a heart of gold is kidnapped into an enchanted castle with a Prince (Rhen) under an annual curse (wherein he turns into a terrifying monster unless he can find love). The main "twist" is that Harper is from the future (or our dimension) taking her cellphone with her as she is kidnapped into the tapestry-bedecked fantasy palace complete with musical instruments playing themselves. For some reason Harper is simultaneously furious/outraged at being kidnapped, attracted to Prince Rhen, and captivated by the shy, heroic, handsome captain of the guard (Grey).
The plot is largely unoriginal, the dialogue noticeably painful, and the character reactions nonsensical. To this, the author bizarrely adds international diplomacy, a social realignment plotline, and threats of war. Brigid Kemmerer is a competent but unspectacular writer... the descriptions of the environs and characters are fine but unimpressive.
To her credit, there *are* a couple of novel features to this glaringly standard Fairy Tale, but they either make little sense or feel tacked-on for effect (e.g. Harper's Cerebral Palsy, her gay brother Jake back home, the contrived love triangle thing).

The strongest aspect of the recording is the narrator team. The performance is emotive and well-paced. Kate Handford, Davis Brooks, and Matt Reeves read the book - each taking on a specific character's perspective in alternating chapters. It's a clever way to tell the tale and works really well (though the growling monster chapters are chuckle-worthy silliness). The sound quality is excellent and these readers are considerably above average.

The Beauty and the Beast fable is well-loved and told in dozens of languages for a reason: it has undeniably entertaining elements and timeless moral messages. If you can suspend logic, I suppose this version of it merits 2 stars out of 5. But if you enjoy this kind of fantasy (I don’t - and won't be continuing to explore the Emberfall setting), Sarah J. Maas's stuff (the 'Court of Thorns and Roses' series) is quite a bit more clever.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very well done!

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love it

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

It's a long time since I was so captivated by a book. Really enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Totally enjoyed this book.

First book I’ve listened to from Brigid Kemmerer. It was fascinating Totally enjoyed this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun, easy listen

As I haven't listened to many audiobooks, I wanted to start by listening to something attention grabbing that would be easily accessible. This was a good choice for that- the narration was very strong, the story had just the right amount of fantasy, and although the plotline was simple and fell into a few YA clichés, I definitely enjoyed listening to this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Marisa J Machado
  • Marisa J Machado
  • 2020-02-24

I felt nothing

I had a hard time feeling for the characters in any way. All of the characters would just randomly changed how they behaved without any warning or real understanding. The take on a classic tale was interesting, but that is all this book has to offer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Andrea
  • Andrea
  • 2020-08-01

There is a major error

Some of the chapters under Monster at the end of the book are missing. All you hear is breathing and gasps. Please look into this problem.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for S Wilson
  • S Wilson
  • 2020-08-25

Enjoyed

I really enjoyed this book. It was a total distraction and really occupied my stressed out mind during the PHE. It provided a mental vacation from reality. Much of the story was enjoyably predictable but the very end caught me off guard.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for 🎧AudiobookFiend
  • 🎧AudiobookFiend
  • 2020-08-15

Universal. Unique. Unbelievable.

I know I’m late to the party, but I’m always hesitant to read a series until all the books are out. And this fabulous series is a classic example of why!

⚖️ Plot: I was hesitant to read another retelling of beauty and the beast, but I’m sooo happy I did. And that ending!!! I haven’t read such a good twist in an epilogue in such a long time!

🗺 World: With this starting out in DC and our time, it was easy to relate to. If there was one thing I wish there was more of was more surprise and shock when shifting to Emberfall. I was too seamless and unquestioned to be believable. This would also have been the perfect opportunity to elaborate on the details of the setting and the world.

💑 Characters: This is also probably the best budding triangle I‘ve ever read. Although Rhen was in the lead for most of the book for Harper, there’s just something untouchable about Grey. And I’m dashing over to the next book to find out what!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jéssica merco
  • Jéssica merco
  • 2020-07-18

really annoying protagonist

I really couldn't simpatize with this main girl, she's kinda stupid and slow to catch things, besides even though she is not in her home/world anymore she keeps acting reckless and doesn't seems to think at what the things she do can bring as a result.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Nichole
  • Nichole
  • 2020-02-02

Not Beauty and the Beast...BETTER!

This book was fantastic. It starts quick and exciting however there are moments in the middle where I want more detailed emotion and interaction from Ren and Grey and Harper. That’s just me. This book is fabulous! The readers could have had a bit more emotion hence the 4 and not 5. Regardless love love love and on to A Heart So Fierce And Broken. Thank you Brigid

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Shanna
  • Shanna
  • 2020-05-14

Boring one dimensional characters

*Spoilers ahead!*

This book started out promising but it quickly became tedious. The characters seemed to act in random, unpredictable ways, and because of this, the relationships were not interesting or engaging. The politics of Emberfell and its neighboring rival country were also boring, and too much time was spent discussing plans about the war between the two countries that never seemed to matter.

The whole thing is just so awkward. Why does Wren suddenly care about his people so much after 300+ seasons of isolation? Why does Harper never tell her brother to STFU and respect her decisions? How did Gray know how to kill Lilith in the end? Nothing really added up, and if you were hoping for a satisfying ending then you’ll be very disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Diana-Christie
  • Diana-Christie
  • 2020-06-19

Wasted credit

I feel like this was a wasted credit. I didn't get into the story. I felt bored.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Hanna
  • Hanna
  • 2020-06-01

Great story, predictable ending

This is a fairy tale retelling, so the plot isn’t anything new. It was an interesting retelling and I throughly enjoyed it. The writing style is very accessible. I love beauty and the beast retellings and this was that!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mary McClannahan
  • Mary McClannahan
  • 2020-05-23

enjoyed listening

I wouldn't call this a page turner, and at times the pacing of the story was off, but I did enjoy listening to it. the author did a good job of putting enough of a twist on the classical Beauty and the Beast that I was not rolling my eyes at cliches. The female lead is a fighter and doesn't fall into the young adult mold of no personality. I had hoped that her having a disability would be a larger part of the story, but it did seem to be forgotten from time to time. I'll definitely give the sequel a listen down the line to see where the author takes the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

.