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The Blessed Curse
Beautiful Calla Renaud has magic in her blood that, when she absorbs it, will give her the strength to fulfill the destiny bestowed upon her by one of the 12 Gods of Lorana Vale. Haunted Lord Aneurin is twice-cursed--first by his wife on her deathbed, and then by himself as he asked the god of beauty, Della Ros, to make him ugly so no one would draw too close to him, lest they fall victim to his wife's curse. Calla and Aneurin barely speak to each other, but they realize they have more in common than they thought--both are Ambrosius, chosen by the gods. Both of them drift through the world like ghosts, sick with loneliness. Calla believes her destiny is to save Aneurin from his curses. Does she have what it takes to free a kingdom from the negligence of a cursed king?
302 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 18, 2021
One day.
I devoured this book in a single day. Single sitting. Ignored whatever else might want to claim my Sunday and just got lost in this story.
Ren Sylvain's debut novel is a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with all of the similarities you might expect from the well-loved tale and enough creative differences to have you glued to the page.
The proofreader in me caught a few errors - errors that, in a lesser book, would have had me irked. But I kid you not, this book is worth looking past that. The slow-build of the hesitant romance between Anuerin and Calla, the fierce loyalty of the staff equally cursed to their king's fate and the plight of the village lost under its king's distracted gaze were so intriguing that I simply couldn't put the book down until I barrelled toward its end.
For a debut, Sylvain's absolutely nailed it, and I'd be eager to read anything else they might put to paper.
I devoured this book in a single day. Single sitting. Ignored whatever else might want to claim my Sunday and just got lost in this story.
Ren Sylvain's debut novel is a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with all of the similarities you might expect from the well-loved tale and enough creative differences to have you glued to the page.
The proofreader in me caught a few errors - errors that, in a lesser book, would have had me irked. But I kid you not, this book is worth looking past that. The slow-build of the hesitant romance between Anuerin and Calla, the fierce loyalty of the staff equally cursed to their king's fate and the plight of the village lost under its king's distracted gaze were so intriguing that I simply couldn't put the book down until I barrelled toward its end.
For a debut, Sylvain's absolutely nailed it, and I'd be eager to read anything else they might put to paper.
April 23, 2021
A twisted world where the scent of your blood could cause you to be hunted. Where the hunters will stop at nothing from draining every last drop. Where a father does the only thing he can to save his daughter who is one of the hunted and puts her in the hands of the elusive King of Lorana Vale. This is the start of Calla learns what her destiny is truly about.
This strange and interesting tale is a great twist to Beauty and the Beast. The characters development is realistic and the pacing of the book is spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, this is the 3rd time I've read it and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. A lovely debut novel from Ren Sylvain!
This strange and interesting tale is a great twist to Beauty and the Beast. The characters development is realistic and the pacing of the book is spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, this is the 3rd time I've read it and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. A lovely debut novel from Ren Sylvain!
March 29, 2021
This epic debut for Ren Sylvain is such a wonderful and emotionally charged read. This is an absolute must read .
April 27, 2021
DNF so wack
July 19, 2022
a beautiful well written story, a beauty and the beast retelling vibe, 100% recommend for everyone.
March 5, 2021
Incredibly unique retelling of beauty and the beast. The characters, world building, and storyline are fantastic. The slow-burn romance has you rooting for the characters to let go of their fears and find a way, not only to save themselves from their curses that could end in death, but also save each other from a lifetime of loneliness without love. I adored this story and I highly recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews