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Chronicles of Fritillary #1
How to Break an Evil Curse
Princess Julianna may be cursed to dwell in darkness, but she’s no damsel in distress.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE meets MONTY PYTHON in How to Break an Evil Curse, the first book in a fractured fairytale series about a princess who may be cursed to live in darkness, but refuses to let her curse define her life.
The King of the Land of Fritillary has incurred the wrath of his ex-bestie, the evil wizard Farland Phelps. Farland curses the King's firstborn to die if touched by sunlight, and just like that, Julianna must spend her life in the depths of a castle dungeon (emptied of prisoners and redecorated in the latest fashion, of course). A young woman of infinite resourcefulness, all she needs is a serving spoon, a loose rock in the wall, and eight years of digging, and Julianna is free to explore the city—just not while the sun is out!
THE PRINCESS BRIDE meets MONTY PYTHON in How to Break an Evil Curse, the first book in a fractured fairytale series about a princess who may be cursed to live in darkness, but refuses to let her curse define her life.
The King of the Land of Fritillary has incurred the wrath of his ex-bestie, the evil wizard Farland Phelps. Farland curses the King's firstborn to die if touched by sunlight, and just like that, Julianna must spend her life in the depths of a castle dungeon (emptied of prisoners and redecorated in the latest fashion, of course). A young woman of infinite resourcefulness, all she needs is a serving spoon, a loose rock in the wall, and eight years of digging, and Julianna is free to explore the city—just not while the sun is out!
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2021
30 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
December 8, 2020
The Written Review
Just published my October Book Vlog and whew! It was a lot of reading but so worth it!
Princess Julianna has known all her life that she was cursed.
One ray of sunlight and *poof* she dies. Horribly.
Despite her limitations, she's carved out a life (metaphorically, and physically - she's literally been digging a hole out of the dungeon since she was 8) for herself in her comfy underground home with her ghostly companions.
Her one true desire - see the world (well, at night. Preferably from a safe vantage point).
Farland Phelps (the evil wizard) has spent his life ready to neutralize the counter-curse - aka a boy who is a member of a seafaring traveling theater troupe, never set foot on land, plays very specific instruments AND is allergic to asparagus.
Farland thinks that his evil plots would go unhindered...when Warren (who resembles the exact counter-curse guy) stumbles into town.
Julianna and Warren - and sparks...well, they don't exactly fly but together they realize that there's something up with the kingdom (and we're not talking about the weirdly specific uses for asparagus).
The real question is - will they do something about it?
A cursed princess, a curse-breaking boy, three talking ghosts, a talking vial of raven blood - what's not to love?
Every so often I pick up a book and the humor just absolutely gets me. And this one - perfect.
The crazy cast of characters, the snappy one-liners, the complete and utter ridiculous of a vial of raven's blood calling everyone "bro" - it was all so weird, wacky and yet it worked so well.
I never knew what was going to happen next and yet, I wouldn't have it any other way. It was so much fun to just sit back and be taken on this wild adventure.
I loved the way the author developed this world. From the quirky little footnotes to the hilarious asides - they all contributed to such an in-depth look into a kingdom on the brink of destruction.
This is DEFINITELY one to check out if you are a fan of books that don't take themselves seriously and/or are SICK of the typical YA.
A huge thank you to Netgalley, Laura Morrison and Black Spot Books for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
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July 8, 2020
3.25 stars
think: a good fantasy story, but just on copious amounts of crack
How to Break an Evil Curse is the story of Princess Julianna, who has been cursed as the king’s firstborn to die if she is to be exposed to even a sliver of sunlight. But in her 19 years of hiding in the castle’s ex-dungeon, she figures she’s had enough of it and risks venturing out where she runs into the boy who could possibly break the curse. But along the journey, Julianna realises that she might not be in the greatest need of saving and begins to question her father’s rule.
Now before I get into the review of the actual book itself, I’d like the point out how horrible the choice it was to market this as a high-fantasy novel when it clearly is a low-fantasy or a fractured fairy tale of sorts. With books from not as popular authors, it’s absolutely imperative that the marketing team and publishers do the book as much justice as possible, and I am afraid that they have failed this book.
By marketing it as high-fantasy, they are letting the reader’s expectations veer away from the actual contents in this book, thus leading to lower ratings. This is really sad to see in a lot of the reviews because this book is actually a pretty solid, and quite entertaining, story in itself.
Anyways, now we got that out of the way, let’s start with the actual review, shall we?
In short, How to Break an Evil Curse is a light and fun book to read. The narrator of the novel was a very interesting choice, especially considering how much of their own commentary they put in, but I felt as though this stylistic choice only helped convey the humorous tone in the novel. While I can see why some might find them annoying, looking at the story as a whole and the narrator’s role in it, I’d say they did a pretty damn fine job.
Our main cast of characters consists of the princess, Julianna, her counter-curse, Warren, his sister, Corrine, and one of Julianna’s ghost friends (yes, she can see ghosts), Dexter. I have to admit, I am quite a stickler for characters and development, and these ones fell way below my radar. But then again, this isn’t a high-fantasy novel so I can’t expect them to be at that same level. They provided just the right amount of intelligence and naivete for the story to both be entertaining and continue its satire tone while at the same time not being too infuriating for the readers.
While the characters didn’t experience much development throughout the story, it was nice watching them grow closer together as a group and actually make somewhat good choices.
The plot is what I had the most problems with. The pacing of the novel just felt awkward to read and I found myself confused at some points. Especially in the beginning with all the time jumps, man, that was not fun reading. Because of this, the flow of the story was severely hindered, and thus the story not as enjoyable.
Other than that, I found myself quite intrigued by Julianna and Warren’s story. I thought it to be engaging enough to make me reluctant to put the book down, which is a good sign. But even then, it took me a while to get into it when I first started. I was almost about to not finish a book for the first time had it not been an ARC, but the second half of this book was definitely worth pushing through for.
In terms of the writing style, which is what I feel most people would be irked by, I’d like to mention again the clear satire feel this book was going for, and that the style only fits in with it. If that wasn’t what Morrison was intending, I’d be surprised. Sarcastic interruptions from our narrator, questionable dialogue, cartoon-like narration; it’s all part of the book itself.
Now, to justify my specific rating. I give books 3 stars if there’s nothing bad about it, but there isn’t anything much good either, or if the good and bad cancel each other out. How to Break an Evil Curse was a solid first book in a series, but honestly, I didn’t feel much connection to the plot or the characters. It’s an average book, and there’s not much I can say about it that it did well for me to be raving about.
The 0.25 stars comes from the ending, which was my favourite part. It had just the right amount of sequel-baiting and satisfaction needed for a series, which I was pleasantly surprised by. Not sure if I’d buy the second book, but I’m definitely leaning towards doing so.
Overall, How to Break an Evil Curse is successful in delivering a fun read, but nothing else.
tl;dr: sarcasm galore, but not much substance
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
--
think: a good fantasy story, but just on copious amounts of crack
that's exactly what this one is
but damn if it isn't fun
rtc!
think: a good fantasy story, but just on copious amounts of crack
How to Break an Evil Curse is the story of Princess Julianna, who has been cursed as the king’s firstborn to die if she is to be exposed to even a sliver of sunlight. But in her 19 years of hiding in the castle’s ex-dungeon, she figures she’s had enough of it and risks venturing out where she runs into the boy who could possibly break the curse. But along the journey, Julianna realises that she might not be in the greatest need of saving and begins to question her father’s rule.
Now before I get into the review of the actual book itself, I’d like the point out how horrible the choice it was to market this as a high-fantasy novel when it clearly is a low-fantasy or a fractured fairy tale of sorts. With books from not as popular authors, it’s absolutely imperative that the marketing team and publishers do the book as much justice as possible, and I am afraid that they have failed this book.
By marketing it as high-fantasy, they are letting the reader’s expectations veer away from the actual contents in this book, thus leading to lower ratings. This is really sad to see in a lot of the reviews because this book is actually a pretty solid, and quite entertaining, story in itself.
Anyways, now we got that out of the way, let’s start with the actual review, shall we?
In short, How to Break an Evil Curse is a light and fun book to read. The narrator of the novel was a very interesting choice, especially considering how much of their own commentary they put in, but I felt as though this stylistic choice only helped convey the humorous tone in the novel. While I can see why some might find them annoying, looking at the story as a whole and the narrator’s role in it, I’d say they did a pretty damn fine job.
Our main cast of characters consists of the princess, Julianna, her counter-curse, Warren, his sister, Corrine, and one of Julianna’s ghost friends (yes, she can see ghosts), Dexter. I have to admit, I am quite a stickler for characters and development, and these ones fell way below my radar. But then again, this isn’t a high-fantasy novel so I can’t expect them to be at that same level. They provided just the right amount of intelligence and naivete for the story to both be entertaining and continue its satire tone while at the same time not being too infuriating for the readers.
While the characters didn’t experience much development throughout the story, it was nice watching them grow closer together as a group and actually make somewhat good choices.
The plot is what I had the most problems with. The pacing of the novel just felt awkward to read and I found myself confused at some points. Especially in the beginning with all the time jumps, man, that was not fun reading. Because of this, the flow of the story was severely hindered, and thus the story not as enjoyable.
Other than that, I found myself quite intrigued by Julianna and Warren’s story. I thought it to be engaging enough to make me reluctant to put the book down, which is a good sign. But even then, it took me a while to get into it when I first started. I was almost about to not finish a book for the first time had it not been an ARC, but the second half of this book was definitely worth pushing through for.
In terms of the writing style, which is what I feel most people would be irked by, I’d like to mention again the clear satire feel this book was going for, and that the style only fits in with it. If that wasn’t what Morrison was intending, I’d be surprised. Sarcastic interruptions from our narrator, questionable dialogue, cartoon-like narration; it’s all part of the book itself.
Now, to justify my specific rating. I give books 3 stars if there’s nothing bad about it, but there isn’t anything much good either, or if the good and bad cancel each other out. How to Break an Evil Curse was a solid first book in a series, but honestly, I didn’t feel much connection to the plot or the characters. It’s an average book, and there’s not much I can say about it that it did well for me to be raving about.
The 0.25 stars comes from the ending, which was my favourite part. It had just the right amount of sequel-baiting and satisfaction needed for a series, which I was pleasantly surprised by. Not sure if I’d buy the second book, but I’m definitely leaning towards doing so.
Overall, How to Break an Evil Curse is successful in delivering a fun read, but nothing else.
tl;dr: sarcasm galore, but not much substance
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
--
think: a good fantasy story, but just on copious amounts of crack
that's exactly what this one is
but damn if it isn't fun
rtc!
July 28, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Catherine Lowe
Fantasy readers may expect Laura Morrison’s How To Break An Evil Curse [Black Spot Books, July 6, 2021] to follow the lines of other fantasy epics popular in the genre. However, this humorous take on a fractured fairytale is not just a “cookie cutter” young adult read, but one that will entertain younger readers while still appealing to older audiences with a good sense of humour.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
Fantasy readers may expect Laura Morrison’s How To Break An Evil Curse [Black Spot Books, July 6, 2021] to follow the lines of other fantasy epics popular in the genre. However, this humorous take on a fractured fairytale is not just a “cookie cutter” young adult read, but one that will entertain younger readers while still appealing to older audiences with a good sense of humour.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
August 1, 2020
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
How to Break an Evil Curse had it's cute and funny moments. In it, you will meet Princess Julianna and she has been cursed. Just your average first born is going to die thing.. so nothing too fancy. She lives in the dungeon.. because what child doesn't dream of that being their ideal room? Well, I mean.. it does help that the sun could kill her.. or maybe it was just the outside world? Either way, the dungeon life was for her but hey - she had her ghost friends to keep her company?
To say that everyone was completely normal in this book would be a lie. I feel like people were on drugs most of the time because things just weren't making sense to me. It was entertaining to say the least but sometimes contradicting? For example, her dad didn't like she was hanging with a commoner but somehow forgot his wife was a commoner? Yeah, didn't make sense to me either.
Other than that, it was an interesting story and I'm a big intrigued by what the next book will give me. Mostly because of how this one ended. I just hope that it doesn't fall to the second book syndrome.
How to Break an Evil Curse had it's cute and funny moments. In it, you will meet Princess Julianna and she has been cursed. Just your average first born is going to die thing.. so nothing too fancy. She lives in the dungeon.. because what child doesn't dream of that being their ideal room? Well, I mean.. it does help that the sun could kill her.. or maybe it was just the outside world? Either way, the dungeon life was for her but hey - she had her ghost friends to keep her company?
To say that everyone was completely normal in this book would be a lie. I feel like people were on drugs most of the time because things just weren't making sense to me. It was entertaining to say the least but sometimes contradicting? For example, her dad didn't like she was hanging with a commoner but somehow forgot his wife was a commoner? Yeah, didn't make sense to me either.
Other than that, it was an interesting story and I'm a big intrigued by what the next book will give me. Mostly because of how this one ended. I just hope that it doesn't fall to the second book syndrome.
July 12, 2020
I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to read this book mostly based on its cover and also because of this fractured-fairytale-kind-of-vibe it has. A princess is cursed by her father's ex-best friend, and if she goes out at night she'll die. The only one who can break the curse is a specific boy with specific requirements. It sounds like a twisted Beauty and the Beast kind of story and I was so for it.
But I must say that once I dove into the actual story I felt kinda irritated for its constant and flat sarcasm tone and I ended up being annoyed. I love sarcasm, I do, but this time it just wasn't for me.
The characters, although they depict the fairytale's traditional stereotypes, the felt flat and two-dimensional; there was no difference between them. Another thing to mention is that it seems the author wanted to try and fit in as much topics as possible so we end up with a novel with pirates, women's rights, evil wizards, quests, romance, politics and a whole bunch of other topics and side plots that just make the book look busy and somewhat unfinished.
There is just so many things done wrong or halfways and it doesn't just stop there cause the marketing team in charge for the promotion of this book also messed up, stating this was 'the first book in a high-fantasy series' while this is low-fantasy at most and thus can appeal the wrong audience and get mixed reviews. Wizards and potions don't make a story 'high fantasy'
But I must say that once I dove into the actual story I felt kinda irritated for its constant and flat sarcasm tone and I ended up being annoyed. I love sarcasm, I do, but this time it just wasn't for me.
The characters, although they depict the fairytale's traditional stereotypes, the felt flat and two-dimensional; there was no difference between them. Another thing to mention is that it seems the author wanted to try and fit in as much topics as possible so we end up with a novel with pirates, women's rights, evil wizards, quests, romance, politics and a whole bunch of other topics and side plots that just make the book look busy and somewhat unfinished.
There is just so many things done wrong or halfways and it doesn't just stop there cause the marketing team in charge for the promotion of this book also messed up, stating this was 'the first book in a high-fantasy series' while this is low-fantasy at most and thus can appeal the wrong audience and get mixed reviews. Wizards and potions don't make a story 'high fantasy'
dnf
August 29, 2021I have decided to dnf this one at 30%, unfortunately I didn't get along with this, The writing style was irratic, as was the story. The decisions and dialogue of the characters was unbelievable and I just didn't care for any of them or the story.
Just not my cup of tea I'm afraid.
Just not my cup of tea I'm afraid.
dnf
February 21, 2021dnf @ 42%
if i have to read “he sleazed” one more time i’m going to SCREAM.
i requested how to break an evil curse because i thought the premise—a princess cursed to live in darkness by her father’s ex-best friend, an evil wizard—sounded so entertaining. unfortunately, the execution fell short.
my main issue was the narrator and their constant sarcasm and commentary. at first it was entertaining (in a way i could see appealing to readers transitioning from mg to ya in particular), but it quickly became tiresome and distracted from the plot.
julianna, the princess, is supposedly our intrepid heroine, but the narrator jumped from character to character so frequently that we don’t actually spend much time with her and nearly all of the characters, julianna included, ended up feeling very two-dimensional. the book actually opens with mirabella the traitor, the evil wizard’s partner in crime, and the first few chapters focused on her were my favorite part of the book—i would have preferred if the entire story had followed her, i think.
ultimately, while this definitely has its moments—asparagus as an ingredient in magic is such a neat idea, and the three ghosts haunting julianna’s dungeon/bedroom were fun—it still feels very rough and unfinished.
i received an eARC from edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
if i have to read “he sleazed” one more time i’m going to SCREAM.
i requested how to break an evil curse because i thought the premise—a princess cursed to live in darkness by her father’s ex-best friend, an evil wizard—sounded so entertaining. unfortunately, the execution fell short.
my main issue was the narrator and their constant sarcasm and commentary. at first it was entertaining (in a way i could see appealing to readers transitioning from mg to ya in particular), but it quickly became tiresome and distracted from the plot.
julianna, the princess, is supposedly our intrepid heroine, but the narrator jumped from character to character so frequently that we don’t actually spend much time with her and nearly all of the characters, julianna included, ended up feeling very two-dimensional. the book actually opens with mirabella the traitor, the evil wizard’s partner in crime, and the first few chapters focused on her were my favorite part of the book—i would have preferred if the entire story had followed her, i think.
ultimately, while this definitely has its moments—asparagus as an ingredient in magic is such a neat idea, and the three ghosts haunting julianna’s dungeon/bedroom were fun—it still feels very rough and unfinished.
i received an eARC from edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
September 17, 2020
It started with two villains planning their revenge on the royal family. And I hoped the story will stay with that. I was a little disappointent when it changed focus on a royal daughter. It was fun, something light to read between heavier books. Good fairytale for people who love that kind of things.
February 21, 2021
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
How To Break an Evil Curse invites us to Fritillary, a land where the princess has been cursed by an Evil Wizard. If Princess Julianna ever had sunlight touch her skin she will instantly die, unless her parents can find the counter curse in a highly unprobable young man who must meet very specific and strange criteria. When such a lad is found, will Julianna finally have her time in the sun? Or will the Evil Wizard, Farland get his ultimate revenge by killing this boy before there is a chance to break the curse?
This novel has alot to unpack so bear with me. And by alot, I mean it has pretty much every fantasy piece thrown into a giant crock pot and left to simmer a bit too long. There is Wizards, evil twins, pirates, ghosts, a revolution, a strange magical item, a forest of bandits, a locked away and ignorant princess, a secret society, a theater troupe, a woman doctor no one takes seriously, mistaken identity, and so much more. I know I'm forgetting something, perhaps it will come to me when I'm writing this. Julianna is actually a pretty great character, she is everything you could want in a fantasy princess. Smart, resourceful, a bit naive after being locked away for her life, not prideful or boastful, and one heck of a tunnel digger. Warren, her counter curse really isn't more than a wet blanket and the poor guy spends his time being a punching bag for anyone and everyone. Seriously, the guy suffers at least two concussions, a broken arm, many scrapes and bruises, and is stabbed all in this one novel.
There is just too much going on in this novel. If about 1/3 of the plot lines that go no where were edited out(hello, raven blood, and brainwashing scheme) we would be better for it. As it stands the while book is very distracting from itself! Also, I have a gripe. Moonlight is just sunlight reflected off the moon's surface so the plotline of Julianna going out at night seems like it would be just as dangerous or atleast harmful or sickening for her. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but I was pretty distracted by all the plotlines.
Overall this is a decent read, one that I would recommend for people who like very sarcastic books and can handle the plot jumping around multiple times per chapter to things that hadn't been referenced in over 100 pages. It just wasn't for me, but perhaps it will find it's perfect audience. Let me know what your thoughts are!
How To Break an Evil Curse invites us to Fritillary, a land where the princess has been cursed by an Evil Wizard. If Princess Julianna ever had sunlight touch her skin she will instantly die, unless her parents can find the counter curse in a highly unprobable young man who must meet very specific and strange criteria. When such a lad is found, will Julianna finally have her time in the sun? Or will the Evil Wizard, Farland get his ultimate revenge by killing this boy before there is a chance to break the curse?
This novel has alot to unpack so bear with me. And by alot, I mean it has pretty much every fantasy piece thrown into a giant crock pot and left to simmer a bit too long. There is Wizards, evil twins, pirates, ghosts, a revolution, a strange magical item, a forest of bandits, a locked away and ignorant princess, a secret society, a theater troupe, a woman doctor no one takes seriously, mistaken identity, and so much more. I know I'm forgetting something, perhaps it will come to me when I'm writing this. Julianna is actually a pretty great character, she is everything you could want in a fantasy princess. Smart, resourceful, a bit naive after being locked away for her life, not prideful or boastful, and one heck of a tunnel digger. Warren, her counter curse really isn't more than a wet blanket and the poor guy spends his time being a punching bag for anyone and everyone. Seriously, the guy suffers at least two concussions, a broken arm, many scrapes and bruises, and is stabbed all in this one novel.
There is just too much going on in this novel. If about 1/3 of the plot lines that go no where were edited out(hello, raven blood, and brainwashing scheme) we would be better for it. As it stands the while book is very distracting from itself! Also, I have a gripe. Moonlight is just sunlight reflected off the moon's surface so the plotline of Julianna going out at night seems like it would be just as dangerous or atleast harmful or sickening for her. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but I was pretty distracted by all the plotlines.
Overall this is a decent read, one that I would recommend for people who like very sarcastic books and can handle the plot jumping around multiple times per chapter to things that hadn't been referenced in over 100 pages. It just wasn't for me, but perhaps it will find it's perfect audience. Let me know what your thoughts are!
July 16, 2020
Thank you Netgalley and Black Spot Books For an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I get ready to write a review I check out any other reviews to help me figure out exactly what I did or didn’t like about a book. Sometimes hearing someone else’s thoughts helps me put mine into words. I have to say I was surprised by the lackluster review of this book. When I downloaded it it was listed as an epic fantasy but it looks like they took the word epic out. I think this was a good marketing move but I also think they should mention the humor aspect.
I think you should give this book a try. It’s not a cookie-cutter fiction. For me, it was a fresh change of pace, a pallet cleanser if you will. I found the satire funny and witty. It had me chuckle out loud a few times.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes.
All around, Farland Phelps was a price slice of fella if you were a young land of the court who was not quite so delusional as to hope to sink your talons into the price himself, but still delusional enough to think you could sink one of his most powerful underlings.
A young lady should have a pre-set list of priorities when man-hunting so she can refer to it when her head is clouded. Man-hunting is a most dangerous game, after all. (You’re welcome for that advice.)
“Let’s blow this popsicle stand!” He said How do they have popsicles in Fritillary, you ask? Good question. Icebergs are involved.
My only critiques are, there are a lot of footnotes from the narrator. At first, they were fun but about halfway through the book they started getting a little old. They are easy to skip if you wish and it won't take away from the story. Also, I wish the ending had a little more satisfaction in the romance department. (I’m trying not to give away to much.) But I suppose that is what book 2 is for and I’m thankful for no cliffhangers.
When I get ready to write a review I check out any other reviews to help me figure out exactly what I did or didn’t like about a book. Sometimes hearing someone else’s thoughts helps me put mine into words. I have to say I was surprised by the lackluster review of this book. When I downloaded it it was listed as an epic fantasy but it looks like they took the word epic out. I think this was a good marketing move but I also think they should mention the humor aspect.
I think you should give this book a try. It’s not a cookie-cutter fiction. For me, it was a fresh change of pace, a pallet cleanser if you will. I found the satire funny and witty. It had me chuckle out loud a few times.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes.
All around, Farland Phelps was a price slice of fella if you were a young land of the court who was not quite so delusional as to hope to sink your talons into the price himself, but still delusional enough to think you could sink one of his most powerful underlings.
A young lady should have a pre-set list of priorities when man-hunting so she can refer to it when her head is clouded. Man-hunting is a most dangerous game, after all. (You’re welcome for that advice.)
“Let’s blow this popsicle stand!” He said How do they have popsicles in Fritillary, you ask? Good question. Icebergs are involved.
My only critiques are, there are a lot of footnotes from the narrator. At first, they were fun but about halfway through the book they started getting a little old. They are easy to skip if you wish and it won't take away from the story. Also, I wish the ending had a little more satisfaction in the romance department. (I’m trying not to give away to much.) But I suppose that is what book 2 is for and I’m thankful for no cliffhangers.
July 2, 2020
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This one wasn't really for me. I felt like I lacked something in the connection with Juliana. She was a bit bland in my opinion and turned out to be quite annoying. I kept hoping for some character development but sadly was disappointed with the characters just developing the annoying trait.
The plot is pretty basic. I mean the title literally states the plot. It's basically a quest to find out how to break an evil curse. However once I started reaching the end of the story I felt like there was a lot missing. We read this whole book or at least I read this whole book to hopefully have a banger of an ending. However I thought the ending was quite anti-climactic which was very sad.
Now I do wanna say this. I do think this story has a lot of potential and I did like half of it so hence why it's not 1-star. Many others could possibly very much enjoy this story and that's what's wonderful about books. They are interpreted differently and that's what makes them so great. This one I sadly couldn't enjoy as much.
This one wasn't really for me. I felt like I lacked something in the connection with Juliana. She was a bit bland in my opinion and turned out to be quite annoying. I kept hoping for some character development but sadly was disappointed with the characters just developing the annoying trait.
The plot is pretty basic. I mean the title literally states the plot. It's basically a quest to find out how to break an evil curse. However once I started reaching the end of the story I felt like there was a lot missing. We read this whole book or at least I read this whole book to hopefully have a banger of an ending. However I thought the ending was quite anti-climactic which was very sad.
Now I do wanna say this. I do think this story has a lot of potential and I did like half of it so hence why it's not 1-star. Many others could possibly very much enjoy this story and that's what's wonderful about books. They are interpreted differently and that's what makes them so great. This one I sadly couldn't enjoy as much.
July 16, 2021
I read this originally when it was a web series several years ago, and I enjoyed it immensely. I am excited to see it has been picked up by a publisher and formalized into a published work.
How to Break and Evil Curse is a fractured fairy tale with a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor. It features an eclectic ensemble of characters, and presents a story that lands somewhere between William Goldman's The Princess Bride and Disney's Tangled. Much of the humor comes from the offbeat, omniscient narrator who takes as much of a character role as any of the actual cast.
If you're looking for soulless hermits, love-smitten evil wizards, sentient pools of raven blood, manly pirates with a penchant for romance novels, a seafaring family of circus performers, and a cursed princess whose only childhood friends are ghosts of ex-criminals who inhabit her dungeon-turned-nursery, then you have oddly specific tastes.
But the good news is, there is a book for you.
How to Break an Evil Curse is a series opener for the Chronicles of Fritillary.
How to Break and Evil Curse is a fractured fairy tale with a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor. It features an eclectic ensemble of characters, and presents a story that lands somewhere between William Goldman's The Princess Bride and Disney's Tangled. Much of the humor comes from the offbeat, omniscient narrator who takes as much of a character role as any of the actual cast.
If you're looking for soulless hermits, love-smitten evil wizards, sentient pools of raven blood, manly pirates with a penchant for romance novels, a seafaring family of circus performers, and a cursed princess whose only childhood friends are ghosts of ex-criminals who inhabit her dungeon-turned-nursery, then you have oddly specific tastes.
But the good news is, there is a book for you.
How to Break an Evil Curse is a series opener for the Chronicles of Fritillary.
September 15, 2021
Good but not great
I really liked the idea that this book set out to tell but it was a little muddled along the way book was still interesting though. I liked the characters especially Julianna and Warren both were interesting characters in their own ways a girl who wants to go outside and a boy that was interesting in his own way. The other characters were ok the villains and many of the other characters were campy not uninteresting though I liked reading about them. The plot was interesting for the most part it told a little too much and showed not quite enough so the story starts with a curse it's goes to other things like a traveling troupe and really oddly specific things I liked though.
I really liked the idea that this book set out to tell but it was a little muddled along the way book was still interesting though. I liked the characters especially Julianna and Warren both were interesting characters in their own ways a girl who wants to go outside and a boy that was interesting in his own way. The other characters were ok the villains and many of the other characters were campy not uninteresting though I liked reading about them. The plot was interesting for the most part it told a little too much and showed not quite enough so the story starts with a curse it's goes to other things like a traveling troupe and really oddly specific things I liked though.
July 2, 2020
This is a really fun and funny book. I enjoyed the narrator; their snarky commentary really appealed to my sense of humor and I appreciated the more detailed background information and history they filled in. The main characters were well written and I appreciated their strengths and their flaws both were utilized well to move the story forward and made the characters likeable and fun. The overall concept of the curse being kind of ridiculous and the King, and subsequently many aspects of his kingdom, being out of touch and old fashioned added some fun to the classic fairy tale tropes.
The high fantasy designation in the description did lead me to expect a more serious story but the writing style made it quickly apparent that this is a lighter read though it does still touch on some serious elements including sexism, classism, and political structures. This difference did not bother me as I still really enjoyed the overall concept of the story and appreciated the narrative tone. I did however find that it felt like some threads of the narrative were dropped as the book reached its conclusion. I was left wondering about the fates of a few of the secondary characters that I had thought would be important to the ending of the story or to the main characters. There are some elements of the story that were clearly leading into being resolved later in the series but I’m not sure if that was what was happening with these characters or if their part in the story is over. Overall all though it is still a very fun read, I think the writing is accessible enough for readers at the younger end of YA or even older middle grade readers while still being entertaining for older readers who love a new twist on a fairy tale setting.
The high fantasy designation in the description did lead me to expect a more serious story but the writing style made it quickly apparent that this is a lighter read though it does still touch on some serious elements including sexism, classism, and political structures. This difference did not bother me as I still really enjoyed the overall concept of the story and appreciated the narrative tone. I did however find that it felt like some threads of the narrative were dropped as the book reached its conclusion. I was left wondering about the fates of a few of the secondary characters that I had thought would be important to the ending of the story or to the main characters. There are some elements of the story that were clearly leading into being resolved later in the series but I’m not sure if that was what was happening with these characters or if their part in the story is over. Overall all though it is still a very fun read, I think the writing is accessible enough for readers at the younger end of YA or even older middle grade readers while still being entertaining for older readers who love a new twist on a fairy tale setting.
September 30, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review.
This book started off quite interesting, a banished villain living in the forest of loom for decades and an evil sorcerer who wants to see the downfall of the kingdom as well as has romantic interest in the villain- Interesting right? but that's where intrigue stopped for me, Unfortunately I had to DNF the book at 40%.I really tried hard to push through because the cover, title and the premise sounded very promising
The narrative has a funny/silly undertone like reading a children's fairy tale, however it seemed to be forced after a while which is why it was hard to focus on whats going on in the book for me. The characters lacked depth and each and every character that's introduced has some longish inner voice that gives us a lot of unwanted details and keeps hindering the progress of the plot. After a point I didn't feel like I cared for either the characters or the plot. I would give it 2.5 stars for the 40% I was able to finish
This book started off quite interesting, a banished villain living in the forest of loom for decades and an evil sorcerer who wants to see the downfall of the kingdom as well as has romantic interest in the villain- Interesting right? but that's where intrigue stopped for me, Unfortunately I had to DNF the book at 40%.I really tried hard to push through because the cover, title and the premise sounded very promising
The narrative has a funny/silly undertone like reading a children's fairy tale, however it seemed to be forced after a while which is why it was hard to focus on whats going on in the book for me. The characters lacked depth and each and every character that's introduced has some longish inner voice that gives us a lot of unwanted details and keeps hindering the progress of the plot. After a point I didn't feel like I cared for either the characters or the plot. I would give it 2.5 stars for the 40% I was able to finish
August 3, 2020
Funny fairy tale parody.
This is a fun, quick read. It follows the typical fairy tale story; princess is cursed at birth, needs a prince to break the curse, and has to fight the evil wizard. There are some crazy twists though, there's modern language sprinkled in, an omniscient narrator with a sense of humor, and a talking pool of blood. I liked that the book skipped around to different characters to show the whole story.
At times it got a bit over the top ridiculous and pulled me out of the story. The footnotes weren't really necessary either, but a couple made me chuckle. One part of the ending made me infuriated at a certain character and I am looking forward to book two.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This is a fun, quick read. It follows the typical fairy tale story; princess is cursed at birth, needs a prince to break the curse, and has to fight the evil wizard. There are some crazy twists though, there's modern language sprinkled in, an omniscient narrator with a sense of humor, and a talking pool of blood. I liked that the book skipped around to different characters to show the whole story.
At times it got a bit over the top ridiculous and pulled me out of the story. The footnotes weren't really necessary either, but a couple made me chuckle. One part of the ending made me infuriated at a certain character and I am looking forward to book two.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
December 7, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for providing an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is really good. It's book that you can sit in one sitting and it has the kind of writing style that will get you out of a slump. It did feel like there were a couple of plot holes and some parts were underdeveloped but I didn't feel lost or find myself reading back to see if I missed anything.
The protagonist did feel a bit cliche however, that is what kept me reading since a strong, independent protagonist in YA is what I look for when reviewing books.
Highly recommend this for younger teens - mid teens looking to get into reading or get back into reading.
This book is really good. It's book that you can sit in one sitting and it has the kind of writing style that will get you out of a slump. It did feel like there were a couple of plot holes and some parts were underdeveloped but I didn't feel lost or find myself reading back to see if I missed anything.
The protagonist did feel a bit cliche however, that is what kept me reading since a strong, independent protagonist in YA is what I look for when reviewing books.
Highly recommend this for younger teens - mid teens looking to get into reading or get back into reading.
July 18, 2020
This book has really surprised me - in a good way! The synopsis and the gorgeous cover intrigued me enough to give it a go and I am so glad I did. It has a truly fascinating story-line, great world-building and amazing characters. The writing is excellent and the narration is compelling. I loved the sense of humor depicted in the book. I was completely engrossed in the story and literally found it challenging to put it down. Fantastic!
Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Connect with me on:
Instagram | Twitter | Blog
March 1, 2021
I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3/3.5 stars.
An amusing take on the every day fairy tale, with wit abound. I think that this will really appeal to those looking for a comedic take on the typical cursed princess story, I struggled a little with the storytelling - it is well written - I just found that the emphasis leaned more on the funny and less on the world building or the characters. There are so many different elements to this story, and I was really interested in the revolutionary side of it, but it got very little mention, and was wrapped around comedic happenstance.
Good for a giggle, but if you're looking for an in depth plot and multi dimensional characters, you may find it slightly lacking.
3/3.5 stars.
An amusing take on the every day fairy tale, with wit abound. I think that this will really appeal to those looking for a comedic take on the typical cursed princess story, I struggled a little with the storytelling - it is well written - I just found that the emphasis leaned more on the funny and less on the world building or the characters. There are so many different elements to this story, and I was really interested in the revolutionary side of it, but it got very little mention, and was wrapped around comedic happenstance.
Good for a giggle, but if you're looking for an in depth plot and multi dimensional characters, you may find it slightly lacking.
July 18, 2020
Allow me to impersonate Stanley Hudson from the Office:
Fantasy is fantasy is fantasy is fantasy.
In other words, stop with the subgenres. Look, they exist for a reason. If you never get past what a book isn't, then you'll never appreciate a book for what is it.
Every other review I've seen makes sure to mention that this is a Fractured Fairy Tale or that this book is falsely advertised as high fantasy when it is really low fantasy. This makes me think of dog lovers. If I buy a dog and name it after your ex, will you like the dog less? This is a bad example for me because I don't like animals but hopefully you do enough for the point to still stand.
I liked this book until I hated it and then I learned to love it.
I had issues as well with typecasting. This book isn't witty enough to be The Princess Bride. It isn't clever enough to be Into the Woods. It isn't witty AND clever enough to be a Discworld Novel. Or silly for that matter. But it comes so close to all three that I realized that my attempts at disliking it for what it isn't overshadowed the brilliance for what it was.
What surprised me was that the story the book leads in with is not the story we end up with. There are two girls whose destinies lead them in opposite directions. One is due to marry the Prince. The other has no soul and is sentenced to exile in a cave after plotting to overthrow the crown with an evil wizard who happens to be the Prince's kind of best friend but not really. Conroy, the Prince, is shattered by Farland's betrayal. Farland goes one step further to announce that the firstborn heir of Conroy will be cursed to never be able to step foot in the sun or else they die. There are conditions to break the evil curse involving whom the heir is supposed to fall in love with because that's what happens in these types of books. We flash forward Nineteen years and follow Julianna, the cursed, as she works to escape her dungeon turned bedroom. She lives with three ghosts, one of whom accompanies her on her adventure. Our other main character is Warren, the curse breaker who is not the type to rescue a damsel in distress if you get my meaning. He is the son in a sea-traveling theater troupe who plays a few instruments and has morals but not muscle to rely on. His sister, Corrine, also travels with him to protect him after Farland makes an attempt on his life. Our two leads cross paths and rely on each other to set things right. There's also a subplot involving a revolution that develops throughout the book but is destined to find itself in the sequels.
I believe I saw, possibly in the dedication, that this book was originally made up as a bedtime story for the author's children. The beginning had that feel to it. It finds itself towards the middle when suddenly the book goes from humorous to humorously bonkers. The lack of seriousness mixed with weirdness is special. One example of this would be as Julianna is stalking an intended target to prove her worthiness in order to have access to a tunnel in and out of the castle *breath* the narrator mentions that the reason we are focussing on Julianna is that our other characters are sleeping. Just in case we wanted to still check in with them, the narrator then explains what it was like for them to be sleeping in the inn with details about noises they are making, and creaking, and restlessness. What other books can you name tells you that the characters are doing something as unimportant as sleeping but if you really insist on knowing proceeds to tell you anyway? The narrator, I will say, is almost as much of a character as the storyteller from Into the Woods. Little side comments make the book shine.
Another detail I liked was nearer to the end during a rescue mission, our group finds themselves trying to figure out the location of bodies of water nearby and there's a little post with a box containing maps of the area and it's clearly referential to the maps you find in forest and nature preservations. Paid for and provided by so and so.
Not everything worked for me. There's a basin and then vial of mixed Ravens blood which talks to specific people. I didn't care for that at all. One reason is that it constantly uses the word "Bro." Here is the biggest sin of the book. There are numerous uses of Man, Dude, Bro, and Yo. I'm sure there was something else I hadn't bothered to write down. It takes the silliness and sophistication of the book and knocks it down a few levels. I felt hatred in my heart the more I came across this. It practically ruined everything else on the page. Bro is bad enough but Dude has no place in fantasy literature, or even in the English language for that matter. I think we should vote it out but some of us have problems voting things out that don't belong.
I've seen critiques on character development. I don't agree. This book takes place over a short period of time and I do think Julianna and Warren are in different places than where they started. Julianna is a girl who wants to explore the world unknown to her but now sees the trouble within the kingdom and understands the people who speak out against her family. There's more growth to be sure but she openly opposes her father's totalitarian control and his desire for the big secret of the book to be kept hidden. Warren doesn't have completely as much development but I believe by the end of book one he is beginning to see that his fate has more in store for him. The plot of this book isn't as epic as people are arguing it should be but this is the start of the journey. Book One. We have the base of conflict and we have two villainous characters that we can enjoy with all their evil plotting. If you have trouble relating just imagine Tim Curry as Farland. That'll put this in perspective for you.
At it's worse points, I would have given it a three bordering on a two..but it pulled itself together and makes me want to read the sequel. It will never be perfect with the dudes and the bros, but I'll look past it for a lighthearted change.
Fantasy is fantasy is fantasy is fantasy.
In other words, stop with the subgenres. Look, they exist for a reason. If you never get past what a book isn't, then you'll never appreciate a book for what is it.
Every other review I've seen makes sure to mention that this is a Fractured Fairy Tale or that this book is falsely advertised as high fantasy when it is really low fantasy. This makes me think of dog lovers. If I buy a dog and name it after your ex, will you like the dog less? This is a bad example for me because I don't like animals but hopefully you do enough for the point to still stand.
I liked this book until I hated it and then I learned to love it.
I had issues as well with typecasting. This book isn't witty enough to be The Princess Bride. It isn't clever enough to be Into the Woods. It isn't witty AND clever enough to be a Discworld Novel. Or silly for that matter. But it comes so close to all three that I realized that my attempts at disliking it for what it isn't overshadowed the brilliance for what it was.
What surprised me was that the story the book leads in with is not the story we end up with. There are two girls whose destinies lead them in opposite directions. One is due to marry the Prince. The other has no soul and is sentenced to exile in a cave after plotting to overthrow the crown with an evil wizard who happens to be the Prince's kind of best friend but not really. Conroy, the Prince, is shattered by Farland's betrayal. Farland goes one step further to announce that the firstborn heir of Conroy will be cursed to never be able to step foot in the sun or else they die. There are conditions to break the evil curse involving whom the heir is supposed to fall in love with because that's what happens in these types of books. We flash forward Nineteen years and follow Julianna, the cursed, as she works to escape her dungeon turned bedroom. She lives with three ghosts, one of whom accompanies her on her adventure. Our other main character is Warren, the curse breaker who is not the type to rescue a damsel in distress if you get my meaning. He is the son in a sea-traveling theater troupe who plays a few instruments and has morals but not muscle to rely on. His sister, Corrine, also travels with him to protect him after Farland makes an attempt on his life. Our two leads cross paths and rely on each other to set things right. There's also a subplot involving a revolution that develops throughout the book but is destined to find itself in the sequels.
I believe I saw, possibly in the dedication, that this book was originally made up as a bedtime story for the author's children. The beginning had that feel to it. It finds itself towards the middle when suddenly the book goes from humorous to humorously bonkers. The lack of seriousness mixed with weirdness is special. One example of this would be as Julianna is stalking an intended target to prove her worthiness in order to have access to a tunnel in and out of the castle *breath* the narrator mentions that the reason we are focussing on Julianna is that our other characters are sleeping. Just in case we wanted to still check in with them, the narrator then explains what it was like for them to be sleeping in the inn with details about noises they are making, and creaking, and restlessness. What other books can you name tells you that the characters are doing something as unimportant as sleeping but if you really insist on knowing proceeds to tell you anyway? The narrator, I will say, is almost as much of a character as the storyteller from Into the Woods. Little side comments make the book shine.
Another detail I liked was nearer to the end during a rescue mission, our group finds themselves trying to figure out the location of bodies of water nearby and there's a little post with a box containing maps of the area and it's clearly referential to the maps you find in forest and nature preservations. Paid for and provided by so and so.
Not everything worked for me. There's a basin and then vial of mixed Ravens blood which talks to specific people. I didn't care for that at all. One reason is that it constantly uses the word "Bro." Here is the biggest sin of the book. There are numerous uses of Man, Dude, Bro, and Yo. I'm sure there was something else I hadn't bothered to write down. It takes the silliness and sophistication of the book and knocks it down a few levels. I felt hatred in my heart the more I came across this. It practically ruined everything else on the page. Bro is bad enough but Dude has no place in fantasy literature, or even in the English language for that matter. I think we should vote it out but some of us have problems voting things out that don't belong.
I've seen critiques on character development. I don't agree. This book takes place over a short period of time and I do think Julianna and Warren are in different places than where they started. Julianna is a girl who wants to explore the world unknown to her but now sees the trouble within the kingdom and understands the people who speak out against her family. There's more growth to be sure but she openly opposes her father's totalitarian control and his desire for the big secret of the book to be kept hidden. Warren doesn't have completely as much development but I believe by the end of book one he is beginning to see that his fate has more in store for him. The plot of this book isn't as epic as people are arguing it should be but this is the start of the journey. Book One. We have the base of conflict and we have two villainous characters that we can enjoy with all their evil plotting. If you have trouble relating just imagine Tim Curry as Farland. That'll put this in perspective for you.
At it's worse points, I would have given it a three bordering on a two..but it pulled itself together and makes me want to read the sequel. It will never be perfect with the dudes and the bros, but I'll look past it for a lighthearted change.
October 8, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC of this title prior to its release in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I just don't think this one was for me. The premise is interesting and it is definitely a lighthearted spin on typical fairytales and takes a parody esque stance on many of the tropes that are found in a lot of fantasy stories.
The characters felt a bit bland for me personally, and I really struggled through this one. I would have likely DNFed it if I wasn't such a stubborn person. The plot was pretty predictable and the pacing itself leaned nothing to the story itself.
The main issue I had with this book was its writing style, it tried to do something different and funny but ended up just being cringey and hard to read. Like, I couldn't tell if it was meant to be bad or not. It really aggravated me, especially with so many footnotes that really pulled you out of the story.
An interesting concept but just really poorly executed in my opinion, not one I would really recommend.
Rated:1.5 Stars
Unfortunately, I just don't think this one was for me. The premise is interesting and it is definitely a lighthearted spin on typical fairytales and takes a parody esque stance on many of the tropes that are found in a lot of fantasy stories.
The characters felt a bit bland for me personally, and I really struggled through this one. I would have likely DNFed it if I wasn't such a stubborn person. The plot was pretty predictable and the pacing itself leaned nothing to the story itself.
The main issue I had with this book was its writing style, it tried to do something different and funny but ended up just being cringey and hard to read. Like, I couldn't tell if it was meant to be bad or not. It really aggravated me, especially with so many footnotes that really pulled you out of the story.
An interesting concept but just really poorly executed in my opinion, not one I would really recommend.
Rated:1.5 Stars
July 13, 2020
Fantasy readers may expect Laura Morrison’s HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE [Black Spot Books, July 6, 2021] to follow the lines of other fantasy epics popular in the genre. However, this humorous take on a fractured fairytale is not just a “cookie cutter” young adult read, but one that will entertain younger readers while still appealing to older audiences with a good sense of humor.
The first in the Chronicles of Fritillary series, CURSE follows the story of princess Julianna, who was cursed before she was born by an evil wizard looking to fulfill his revenge plot against his old friend who is now the King of Fritillary—and Julianna’s father. With the threat of sunlight taking her life, Julianna has been kept deep in the castle dungeons-turned-princess-suite where no light can reach her, kept company only by the ghosts of former prisoners that inhabit the dungeons. There is only one way Julianna’s curse can be broken and this fate lies in the hands of a young man on a pirate ship with an impossible list of curse-breaking-qualifications.
There is a distinct humorous aspect to HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE, reminiscent of stories told in the style of Monty Python and The Princess Bride; our omniscient narrator appears inside the story to offer sarcastic comments or share additional insight, and footnotes asides that add further context to the story’s fantastical world. A particularly enjoyable comedic aspect CURSE is a magical vial of raven’s blood that can talk telepathically to some of the characters. Rather than be a pinpoint of evil magic in the story—it is a talking vial of blood, after all—the snarky dialogue and tongue-in-cheek references to modern slang from the vial earned belly laughs from this reader, making it a star in each of its scenes.
Not just a quirky, humorous modern take on the fractured fairytale, HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE is filled with nods to important themes from cover to cover. The ever-important women’s rights movement plays a central role for one of the characters, rebel groups begin to form and plan an attack against the royal family as social unrest bubbles to the surface, and the different predicaments we find our main characters in throughout the novel ring eerily familiar with many of today’s most pressing issues.
While many of the characters are witty, well-rounded, and mysterious enough to want to learn more about them, some are less than fully developed in this first installment in the series. There are several lingering questions one might ask of our cursed princes—how has the past nineteen years stuck in the dungeons affected her? Did not having any “real” friends affect her? What about her mental health? Has Julianna ever told her parents she wanted to venture outside even if it was an excursion at night? Answering these questions would help support Julianna’s character development in the following installments in the Chronicles of Fritillary series and really make Julianna a princess to root for.
Overall, HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE is a great read for younger fantasy readers who enjoy their fairytales with a good dose of humor and to anyone who may be nervous to tackle some of the more daunting reads already published within the genre.
The first in the Chronicles of Fritillary series, CURSE follows the story of princess Julianna, who was cursed before she was born by an evil wizard looking to fulfill his revenge plot against his old friend who is now the King of Fritillary—and Julianna’s father. With the threat of sunlight taking her life, Julianna has been kept deep in the castle dungeons-turned-princess-suite where no light can reach her, kept company only by the ghosts of former prisoners that inhabit the dungeons. There is only one way Julianna’s curse can be broken and this fate lies in the hands of a young man on a pirate ship with an impossible list of curse-breaking-qualifications.
There is a distinct humorous aspect to HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE, reminiscent of stories told in the style of Monty Python and The Princess Bride; our omniscient narrator appears inside the story to offer sarcastic comments or share additional insight, and footnotes asides that add further context to the story’s fantastical world. A particularly enjoyable comedic aspect CURSE is a magical vial of raven’s blood that can talk telepathically to some of the characters. Rather than be a pinpoint of evil magic in the story—it is a talking vial of blood, after all—the snarky dialogue and tongue-in-cheek references to modern slang from the vial earned belly laughs from this reader, making it a star in each of its scenes.
Not just a quirky, humorous modern take on the fractured fairytale, HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE is filled with nods to important themes from cover to cover. The ever-important women’s rights movement plays a central role for one of the characters, rebel groups begin to form and plan an attack against the royal family as social unrest bubbles to the surface, and the different predicaments we find our main characters in throughout the novel ring eerily familiar with many of today’s most pressing issues.
While many of the characters are witty, well-rounded, and mysterious enough to want to learn more about them, some are less than fully developed in this first installment in the series. There are several lingering questions one might ask of our cursed princes—how has the past nineteen years stuck in the dungeons affected her? Did not having any “real” friends affect her? What about her mental health? Has Julianna ever told her parents she wanted to venture outside even if it was an excursion at night? Answering these questions would help support Julianna’s character development in the following installments in the Chronicles of Fritillary series and really make Julianna a princess to root for.
Overall, HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE is a great read for younger fantasy readers who enjoy their fairytales with a good dose of humor and to anyone who may be nervous to tackle some of the more daunting reads already published within the genre.
Read
June 28, 2021“Farland wished he could devote his life solely to his revenge plots, but regrettably there was no money in vengeance."
Though they once wore matching BFF bracelets, King Conroy of Fritillary and the wizard Farland Phelps are no longer besties. As it turns out, the powerful Farland was an evil wizard, and cursed Conroy’s first born child to die if sunlight ever touched them—unless, that is, the royal family found the countercurse. And so, it seemed that Princess Julianna was doomed to live a life in the (tastefully decorated) castle dungeon unless she could locate her seafaring, banjo/harpsichord playing, asparagus-allergic soul mate before Farland could get his evil hands on him. But the brave, stubborn, and slightly naive princess refused to let herself be kept locked away from the world forever. How to Break an Evil Curse is a testament to the resourcefulness of a young woman with a determination to see the world—as well as a stage for pirates, wizards, doctors, witches, ghosts, women’s rights, union organizers, asparagus tips, and terrible harpsichord playing.
Laura Morrison’s first fractured fairytale novel is a funny, sarcastic weave of several unique stories. Julianna is out of touch with the world—both literally because of her sunlight intolerance and also because she’s part of the royal family—but learns much about Fritillary from the three ghosts who haunt her bedchambers. She is kind at heart, though incredibly sheltered, and wants nothing more than to satisfy her wandering spirit and improve the lives of commoners. The man who was born to be her countercurse, Warren, is kind and loyal to his sea-faring, theatrical family. He is a likeable character, but I found him to be a bit boring overall because he seems to go along with the plans set out for him by other people. However Warren’s sister, Corinne, was a fun and interesting side character to read.
Overall, while I really loved the humor and the creative plot lines of the novel, I felt like there was too much going on. For example, the novel opened with a fantastically evil character, but she was never talked about after Chapter Two. There were so many characters with interesting backstories, but there wasn’t enough time for them all to fully develop. Regardless, if you’re looking for a chaotic fantasy read with a sarcastic narrator and a whole host of twisted story-book tropes, this might be the book for you.
Content Warnings: Violence, mentions of imprisonment/execution, poisoning, misogyny
(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
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Though they once wore matching BFF bracelets, King Conroy of Fritillary and the wizard Farland Phelps are no longer besties. As it turns out, the powerful Farland was an evil wizard, and cursed Conroy’s first born child to die if sunlight ever touched them—unless, that is, the royal family found the countercurse. And so, it seemed that Princess Julianna was doomed to live a life in the (tastefully decorated) castle dungeon unless she could locate her seafaring, banjo/harpsichord playing, asparagus-allergic soul mate before Farland could get his evil hands on him. But the brave, stubborn, and slightly naive princess refused to let herself be kept locked away from the world forever. How to Break an Evil Curse is a testament to the resourcefulness of a young woman with a determination to see the world—as well as a stage for pirates, wizards, doctors, witches, ghosts, women’s rights, union organizers, asparagus tips, and terrible harpsichord playing.
Laura Morrison’s first fractured fairytale novel is a funny, sarcastic weave of several unique stories. Julianna is out of touch with the world—both literally because of her sunlight intolerance and also because she’s part of the royal family—but learns much about Fritillary from the three ghosts who haunt her bedchambers. She is kind at heart, though incredibly sheltered, and wants nothing more than to satisfy her wandering spirit and improve the lives of commoners. The man who was born to be her countercurse, Warren, is kind and loyal to his sea-faring, theatrical family. He is a likeable character, but I found him to be a bit boring overall because he seems to go along with the plans set out for him by other people. However Warren’s sister, Corinne, was a fun and interesting side character to read.
Overall, while I really loved the humor and the creative plot lines of the novel, I felt like there was too much going on. For example, the novel opened with a fantastically evil character, but she was never talked about after Chapter Two. There were so many characters with interesting backstories, but there wasn’t enough time for them all to fully develop. Regardless, if you’re looking for a chaotic fantasy read with a sarcastic narrator and a whole host of twisted story-book tropes, this might be the book for you.
Content Warnings: Violence, mentions of imprisonment/execution, poisoning, misogyny
(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @pinereadsreview and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
October 2, 2020
I'm just going to start off that this book has simply been marketed wrong. The blurb create the impression that it's a dark fantasy and the supposed genre shelf its been shoved into, steer very much into this direction. However, this book is more like a fractured fairy tale with tons of snark and a good dose of humor. When read with that in mind, it's a good read.
Reminding a bit of The Princess Bride type of humor, this is an intriguing read which mixes a fun plot and with all sorts of adventure.
Princess Julianna was cursed before birth to never get even a tiny sliver of sunlight or fall over dead instantly. Determined to keep her alive, the King and Queen (her parents) let her grown up in what was once the castle's dungeons, where even after renovation still carry the costs of those who perished there. But those become her friends. As she tries to escape and find freedom, runs into Warren, a sea-faring lad, and together they uncover an evil plot to take over the kingdom. But as they try to stop the horrible sorcerer, Julianna learns how bad a King her father might really be.
This tale surprised me. While I was sure this would make a perfect dark read for October, it was simply a fun, humorous adventure. The entire tale does hold heart and high stakes and action packed moments, but it carries tons of quirkiness and humor and simple snark. A lot of this is thanks to the odd narrator, who constantly jabs in phrases here and there to keep things off-balance. Then, there's the ridiculous footnotes, which pepper the pages, and offer eyebrow raising, snort worthy comments. It's cute, it's silly and it's really a fun read.
The only thing I didn't really like was the plot layout and pacing. Especially the beginning jumped around between time frames, scenes and characters, causing a pause each time to figure out where and who and what was happening. It does slide together, but not without hiccups. And I found myself skipping over paragraphs and not feeling as if I missed anything. It was almost as if the humor was there for the humor itself. Which isn't bad, either. It's just not my kind of read, necessarily. But it is well done for the right mood. I was just expecting something dark and really had trouble getting past that (thanks to the wrong direction I picked this book up with).
But it is a decent read. And anyone who loved The Princess Bride and is ready for a silly tale with a somewhat similar atmosphere will enjoy this one. It's quite clever and definitely a breath of fresh air.
I received an ARC through Netgalley and have to say this is a fun read...although it was simply not what I expected or had my heart set on when I picked it up.
Reminding a bit of The Princess Bride type of humor, this is an intriguing read which mixes a fun plot and with all sorts of adventure.
Princess Julianna was cursed before birth to never get even a tiny sliver of sunlight or fall over dead instantly. Determined to keep her alive, the King and Queen (her parents) let her grown up in what was once the castle's dungeons, where even after renovation still carry the costs of those who perished there. But those become her friends. As she tries to escape and find freedom, runs into Warren, a sea-faring lad, and together they uncover an evil plot to take over the kingdom. But as they try to stop the horrible sorcerer, Julianna learns how bad a King her father might really be.
This tale surprised me. While I was sure this would make a perfect dark read for October, it was simply a fun, humorous adventure. The entire tale does hold heart and high stakes and action packed moments, but it carries tons of quirkiness and humor and simple snark. A lot of this is thanks to the odd narrator, who constantly jabs in phrases here and there to keep things off-balance. Then, there's the ridiculous footnotes, which pepper the pages, and offer eyebrow raising, snort worthy comments. It's cute, it's silly and it's really a fun read.
The only thing I didn't really like was the plot layout and pacing. Especially the beginning jumped around between time frames, scenes and characters, causing a pause each time to figure out where and who and what was happening. It does slide together, but not without hiccups. And I found myself skipping over paragraphs and not feeling as if I missed anything. It was almost as if the humor was there for the humor itself. Which isn't bad, either. It's just not my kind of read, necessarily. But it is well done for the right mood. I was just expecting something dark and really had trouble getting past that (thanks to the wrong direction I picked this book up with).
But it is a decent read. And anyone who loved The Princess Bride and is ready for a silly tale with a somewhat similar atmosphere will enjoy this one. It's quite clever and definitely a breath of fresh air.
I received an ARC through Netgalley and have to say this is a fun read...although it was simply not what I expected or had my heart set on when I picked it up.
February 21, 2021
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
How To Break an Evil Curse invites us to Fritillary, a land where the princess has been cursed by an Evil Wizard. If Princess Julianna ever had sunlight touch her skin she will instantly die, unless her parents can find the counter curse in a highly unprobable young man who must meet very specific and strange criteria. When such a lad is found, will Julianna finally have her time in the sun? Or will the Evil Wizard, Farland get his ultimate revenge by killing this boy before there is a chance to break the curse?
This novel has alot to unpack so bear with me. And by alot, I mean it has pretty much every fantasy piece thrown into a giant crock pot and left to simmer a bit too long. There is Wizards, evil twins, pirates, ghosts, a revolution, a strange magical item, a forest of bandits, a locked away and ignorant princess, a secret society, a theater troupe, a woman doctor no one takes seriously, mistaken identity, and so much more. I know I'm forgetting something, perhaps it will come to me when I'm writing this. Julianna is actually a pretty great character, she is everything you could want in a fantasy princess. Smart, resourceful, a bit naive after being locked away for her life, not prideful or boastful, and one heck of a tunnel digger. Warren, her counter curse really isn't more than a wet blanket and the poor guy spends his time being a punching bag for anyone and everyone. Seriously, the guy suffers at least two concussions, a broken arm, many scrapes and bruises, and is stabbed all in this one novel.
There is just too much going on in this novel. If about 1/3 of the plot lines that go no where were edited out(hello, raven blood, and brainwashing scheme) we would be better for it. As it stands the while book is very distracting from itself! Also, I have a gripe. Moonlight is just sunlight reflected off the moon's surface so the plotline of Julianna going out at night seems like it would be just as dangerous or atleast harmful or sickening for her. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but I was pretty distracted by all the plotlines.
Overall this is a decent read, one that I would recommend for people who like very sarcastic books and can handle the plot jumping around multiple times per chapter to things that hadn't been referenced in over 100 pages. It just wasn't for me, but perhaps it will find it's perfect audience. Let me know what your thoughts are!
How To Break an Evil Curse invites us to Fritillary, a land where the princess has been cursed by an Evil Wizard. If Princess Julianna ever had sunlight touch her skin she will instantly die, unless her parents can find the counter curse in a highly unprobable young man who must meet very specific and strange criteria. When such a lad is found, will Julianna finally have her time in the sun? Or will the Evil Wizard, Farland get his ultimate revenge by killing this boy before there is a chance to break the curse?
This novel has alot to unpack so bear with me. And by alot, I mean it has pretty much every fantasy piece thrown into a giant crock pot and left to simmer a bit too long. There is Wizards, evil twins, pirates, ghosts, a revolution, a strange magical item, a forest of bandits, a locked away and ignorant princess, a secret society, a theater troupe, a woman doctor no one takes seriously, mistaken identity, and so much more. I know I'm forgetting something, perhaps it will come to me when I'm writing this. Julianna is actually a pretty great character, she is everything you could want in a fantasy princess. Smart, resourceful, a bit naive after being locked away for her life, not prideful or boastful, and one heck of a tunnel digger. Warren, her counter curse really isn't more than a wet blanket and the poor guy spends his time being a punching bag for anyone and everyone. Seriously, the guy suffers at least two concussions, a broken arm, many scrapes and bruises, and is stabbed all in this one novel.
There is just too much going on in this novel. If about 1/3 of the plot lines that go no where were edited out(hello, raven blood, and brainwashing scheme) we would be better for it. As it stands the while book is very distracting from itself! Also, I have a gripe. Moonlight is just sunlight reflected off the moon's surface so the plotline of Julianna going out at night seems like it would be just as dangerous or atleast harmful or sickening for her. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but I was pretty distracted by all the plotlines.
Overall this is a decent read, one that I would recommend for people who like very sarcastic books and can handle the plot jumping around multiple times per chapter to things that hadn't been referenced in over 100 pages. It just wasn't for me, but perhaps it will find it's perfect audience. Let me know what your thoughts are!
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July 6, 2021I have decided not to make myself suffer any further, and thus will be dropping this at around 40%
As is my rule of thumb, since I did not make it to at least 50% I will omit any star rating.
Sadly, this book was simply not for me. The style was strange, and the cartoonish behavior of all the characters did not work for me. Perhaps it would work better for middle-grade readers? Because it sometimes did feel like a very cheesy, poorly devised Disney channel movie.
I must say, I love sarcasm and I love wit. This book tried to be both sarcastic and witty. But it did not succeed.
Honestly, this book was a cauldron of strange with all the usual tropes (and more) thrown in.
1. Princess trapped in a castle
2. One-dimensional villains that are evil for no apparent reason (One is an evil wizard who is apparently in his 40s but behaves like a 16-year-old)
3. Out of touch royal family
4. Pirates
5. Ghosts
6. Woman Right's movement that is randomly mentioned in passing multiple times
And of course, an EVIL CURSE!
The problem lies in the fact that this book tried to do so many things that it wound up doing essentially none of them successfully. It also did not help that, due to the constantly changing POV, I found myself connecting with none of the characters. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Mirabella but I only saw her briefly in the first chapters, which were not so surprisingly my favorite. After which it was basically downhill from there.
Verdict:
Thank you Netgalley and Black Spot Books For providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As is my rule of thumb, since I did not make it to at least 50% I will omit any star rating.
Sadly, this book was simply not for me. The style was strange, and the cartoonish behavior of all the characters did not work for me. Perhaps it would work better for middle-grade readers? Because it sometimes did feel like a very cheesy, poorly devised Disney channel movie.
I must say, I love sarcasm and I love wit. This book tried to be both sarcastic and witty. But it did not succeed.
Honestly, this book was a cauldron of strange with all the usual tropes (and more) thrown in.
1. Princess trapped in a castle
2. One-dimensional villains that are evil for no apparent reason (One is an evil wizard who is apparently in his 40s but behaves like a 16-year-old)
3. Out of touch royal family
4. Pirates
5. Ghosts
6. Woman Right's movement that is randomly mentioned in passing multiple times
And of course, an EVIL CURSE!
The problem lies in the fact that this book tried to do so many things that it wound up doing essentially none of them successfully. It also did not help that, due to the constantly changing POV, I found myself connecting with none of the characters. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Mirabella but I only saw her briefly in the first chapters, which were not so surprisingly my favorite. After which it was basically downhill from there.
Verdict:
Thank you Netgalley and Black Spot Books For providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2022
How to Break an Evil Curse is marketed as The Princess Bride meets Monty Python and I definitely got those vibes from this book. This is the story of Princess Julianna and the land of Fritillary. Princess Julianna has been cursed and cannot go outside in the sun or she will die. But she is definitely tired of letting the curse define her. She was cursed by the evil wizard, Farland Phelps, who used to be her father's (the King) best friend. Juliana has spent her life living in the castle dungeon along with her friends that are of the ghostly variety. She decides enough and is enough and slowly uses a serving spoon to escape her underground home.
We also follow Farland (the evil wizard) as he has been searching and trying to eliminate the counter-curse for Julianna's curse. The counter-curse just happens to be a boy who is allergic to asparagus and plays specific instruments among other things.
Warren just happens to be this boy and has stumbled right into town. Julianna and Warren of course end up running into each other, but nothing can ever just be that simple. There is also something just not right going on in the kingdom.
I did enjoy this book but had a very hard time getting into it at first. The first 50 percent unfortunately kind of drug for me, but I was hooked once got past that point. I liked the silly humor and the characters were all fun and crazy. The talked vial of raven's blood also just really cracked me up, it was a great addition. This book is a bit wonky and weird, but also a good time and had really cool world building. I only gave it 3 stars since it took me a while to really get into, however, I look forward to reading the next book and seeing what is next for the wiley cast of characters of Fritillary.
We also follow Farland (the evil wizard) as he has been searching and trying to eliminate the counter-curse for Julianna's curse. The counter-curse just happens to be a boy who is allergic to asparagus and plays specific instruments among other things.
Warren just happens to be this boy and has stumbled right into town. Julianna and Warren of course end up running into each other, but nothing can ever just be that simple. There is also something just not right going on in the kingdom.
I did enjoy this book but had a very hard time getting into it at first. The first 50 percent unfortunately kind of drug for me, but I was hooked once got past that point. I liked the silly humor and the characters were all fun and crazy. The talked vial of raven's blood also just really cracked me up, it was a great addition. This book is a bit wonky and weird, but also a good time and had really cool world building. I only gave it 3 stars since it took me a while to really get into, however, I look forward to reading the next book and seeing what is next for the wiley cast of characters of Fritillary.
June 30, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital ARC of How To Break an Evil Curse in exchange for an honest review.
While I appreciate what How to Break an Evil Curse was trying to do, I feel like it failed in execution. While reading I kept being so sure I was reading some kind of satire that was going over my head but based off of this book's description as "the first book in a high fantasy series" I doubt that's the case. I know I talk about marketing too much and it drives people mad but advertising this book specifically for it's almost sarcastic interpretation of your run of the mill curse story would definitely help it in the long run, especially considering the 'the first book in a high fantasy series' is a blatant lie. This is low fantasy. I'm not sure who classified it as otherwise but simply including potion wielding wizards and curses does not catapult a story to high fantasy. Not sure why that decision was made.
Let's talk about tone which is where the book fell short to me. How to Break an Evil Curse's opening makes it sound like your run of the mill old timey fairytale story, but occasionally our snarky modern narrator interrupts the narration to provide commentary which felt annoying at best, jarring at worst. At times it almost felt like she didn't believe the narrative itself was funny enough to stand on its own. I originally wasn't going to dock the rating that much because humour's subjective, but when it started slipping into character speech it was too jarring to ignore. Most of our snarky narrator comments come in the form of "since it's the past they didn't have/believe in x,y, and z" but then a page later characters are calling each other "Dude" and "bro". It was so perpetually confusing and I'm not sure what it was going for but whatever that was, it wasn't my cup of tea.
While I appreciate what How to Break an Evil Curse was trying to do, I feel like it failed in execution. While reading I kept being so sure I was reading some kind of satire that was going over my head but based off of this book's description as "the first book in a high fantasy series" I doubt that's the case. I know I talk about marketing too much and it drives people mad but advertising this book specifically for it's almost sarcastic interpretation of your run of the mill curse story would definitely help it in the long run, especially considering the 'the first book in a high fantasy series' is a blatant lie. This is low fantasy. I'm not sure who classified it as otherwise but simply including potion wielding wizards and curses does not catapult a story to high fantasy. Not sure why that decision was made.
Let's talk about tone which is where the book fell short to me. How to Break an Evil Curse's opening makes it sound like your run of the mill old timey fairytale story, but occasionally our snarky modern narrator interrupts the narration to provide commentary which felt annoying at best, jarring at worst. At times it almost felt like she didn't believe the narrative itself was funny enough to stand on its own. I originally wasn't going to dock the rating that much because humour's subjective, but when it started slipping into character speech it was too jarring to ignore. Most of our snarky narrator comments come in the form of "since it's the past they didn't have/believe in x,y, and z" but then a page later characters are calling each other "Dude" and "bro". It was so perpetually confusing and I'm not sure what it was going for but whatever that was, it wasn't my cup of tea.
July 1, 2020
The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover and the premise sounded interesting but I was disappointed by the execution of the plot. I feel like this book has so much potential but it didn't quite reach it, just falling short of being an excellent novel which was frustrating.
Here are my thoughts:
- As I said above, the plot had a lot of potential. I would describe this more of a low fantasy/fairytale-inspired book than how it is advertised which I think is the first mistake of the publishers. I went into this book expecting something completely different to what I got. This is not a high fantasy novel.
- Although many of the characters were dull and a bit one dimensional, (can we talk about how many characters there were????) again many of them had potential. I was mostly just waiting for some character development to occur but it never did. It was like watching a movie play out with no end. It left me unsatisfied. The characters started and ended pretty much the same.
- I'm not sure what the major issue was but I think so much more could have happened in this book. I hate being the type of reader who reads waiting for the climax of the story to happen and well, it just never did. Even the ending, which was likely the best part of the book, still felt oddly rushed and I was expecting more from it.
To summarise, I think if this was better planned out, the overall story would have reeked the benefits a lot more. I thought the premise had a lot of promise and I think Laura's writing is by no means bad. I just didn't get along with this book.
2.5 stars.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Here are my thoughts:
- As I said above, the plot had a lot of potential. I would describe this more of a low fantasy/fairytale-inspired book than how it is advertised which I think is the first mistake of the publishers. I went into this book expecting something completely different to what I got. This is not a high fantasy novel.
- Although many of the characters were dull and a bit one dimensional, (can we talk about how many characters there were????) again many of them had potential. I was mostly just waiting for some character development to occur but it never did. It was like watching a movie play out with no end. It left me unsatisfied. The characters started and ended pretty much the same.
- I'm not sure what the major issue was but I think so much more could have happened in this book. I hate being the type of reader who reads waiting for the climax of the story to happen and well, it just never did. Even the ending, which was likely the best part of the book, still felt oddly rushed and I was expecting more from it.
To summarise, I think if this was better planned out, the overall story would have reeked the benefits a lot more. I thought the premise had a lot of promise and I think Laura's writing is by no means bad. I just didn't get along with this book.
2.5 stars.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 7, 2020
This book was an easy read and it was fun but they're were some pretty big issues. My first gripe isn't with the book itself but with how it was marketing It was marketed to me as an epic high fantasy with a sweeping story and setting but what the book actually is satirical and makes fun of fantasy. It actually does this pretty well and I think the loosely defined setting and time worked in it's favor. The other thing I didn't like about the story was it's ending. It felt unsatisfactory and wasn't a good conclusion for the story. Other than that I enjoyed the characters and some of the jokes were really funny the pacing was also great. I will probably be picking up the rest of the books in this series.
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