A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer - Restarting August 14th 2023

[Katie]

I'm starting today!! I read this a year ago, but I wanted to re-read it before I read the next book!! :) :)

[Katie]

Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

I love Harper so much. She is so strong and relentless and amaz..."

I agree Vanessa!! I was drawn in with the first chapter with Rhen's first explanation of repeating the seasons over and over again. I also agree with everything you said about the characters! I've read this before, so you're questions with Lilith will become more clear. I can't wait to hear your opinions on all the characters (especially Grey) as we read more!!!

Chapter 9- I just LOVED this chapter (view spoiler)[ I really, really enjoyed this chapter. We see how fierce Harper is and how she is concerned for other people when she jumps in the middle of a fight to save the woman with children. And I love Rhen's "matter of fact" take on everything. I've enjoyed seeing how calm Grey is no matter what is said or how it is said to him, and I can feel his loyalty to Rhen when reading. (hide spoiler)] Excellent and addictive start!

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Katie wrote: "I'm starting today!! I read this a year ago, but I wanted to re-read it before I read the next book!! :) :)"

Me too.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

I finally got to almost half done! Now to go back and respond to the spoilers finally. ^_^

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

(view spoiler)[I love Harper so much. She is so strong and relentless and amaz..." (hide spoiler)]

I found it harder to get into this time around. Probably because I knew what was going to happen.

Me too! She is one of my favorite kinds of characters!

I liked Grey right away but again that's probably because I've read this before.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

That was not how I wanted it formatted but I think it worked out well. I can't see anything spoilery. 🤔

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Katie wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

I love Harper so much. She is so strong and rel..."

(view spoiler)[I just realized he is very fortunate that it was spring or at least summer that was chosen. Imagine an endless cycle of winter! (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

38% (view spoiler)[I really like the friendship that Harper and Grey seem to be forming.

I don't really get how there is just a room of gore. Especially is Rhen is fine. Is the room enchanted to always be there like that?

I really like the banter between Harper and Rhen. It's always clever and a little snarky in a playful way. I'm liking the slow-burn between them.

I am kind of conflicted on how I feel about Harper's position. On one hand her mother is dying and her brother is in trouble but on the other hand if she leaves the curse can't be broken and she condemns tons of people to that fate. Part of me was angry at her for wanting to meet with Lilith and ask her to send her back home and part of me totally understood.

I really love how beautiful Harper's heart is. She truly cares about people and the fact that she wants to help people she doesn't know is so heartwarming. I like that she chose to take the extra food from the palace to the people at the inn.

Harper really handled those thugs pretty well. I was grinning from ear to ear.

I really loved the scene where Grey teaches Harper how to throw a blade. And if I am not mistaken, I think that Rhen might have been a little jealous. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

64% (view spoiler)[Was it really necessary to slap Rhen in the face?

Something tells me that the deal that Rhen and Harper are making with each other will not turn out as planned.

It was sweet to see Harper get so emotional over Lilith torturing Rhen. She clearly cares about him. Lilith is such a piece of work. I was a little shocked that she sliced up Harper's face. But damn, I love how fierce Harper is. This whole scene is such a great representation of her character.

I am not shocked that they were attacked when they visited the city. Though I had expected that it would be some more thugs and not a disgruntled citizen.

We could do with more scenes like the dancing scene.

Omg, Rhen wants to "stoke the fire in the bedroom". Yes, please!

Lilith has turned Rhen into a crabby patty. Now he is avoiding Harper and is all hostile. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

75% (view spoiler)[It was sweet of Harper to arrange the music to make Rhen comfortable. And it was awesome that she offered her room to keep Lilith from bothering him at night. Clever of her, too.

I love that Harper is learning how to use weapons. She is so feisty too.

Omg, yes! Rhen admits to himself that he has fallen in love with Harper. =D He is going to make Grey take her home even though that will be damning them all. And when he kisses her she doesn't hesitate to kiss him back.

Well, Harper finally knows that Rhen is the monster. What a way to ruin a perfectly good kiss, am I right?

I am so glad that Harper tells Grey to come back. And I am not so surprised that her brother doesn't believe a word she says about where she has been. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Finished (view spoiler)[I am not sure how I feel about the end. I didn't guess that Grey was the king's son. That was definitely a surprise. If he is the son of the king and a magic-user then wouldn't he have magic too? I am sure that will come into play in the next book.

I kind of felt that the romance kind of copped out at the end. I wasn't totally satisfied with it. I needed my HEA, damn it. Rhen basically tells her that he loves her and she just "doesn't know"? She totally knows. You don't throw yourself in front of a blade for someone that you don't love. Right? Even if she expressed that she wanted to explore it further, I just felt that it should have been a sure thing at the end. -sigh-

I wasn't surprised that Rhen knew who Harper was when he was the monster. Though I wish it would have explained better how he did know since he never knew anyone before.

I am still not 100% sure if Grey is into Harper or not. Is he in love with her too? I mean, when Rhen basically told him to go back for her after all was said and done Grey didn't refute that he loved Harper. But he never said that he did either so I don't know. What do you guys think?

I really liked that the author added Jake and Noah into the story. I liked them a lot. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Katie wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

I love Harper so much. She is so strong and rel..."

(view spoiler)[I loved that chapter as well. I just love so much how courageous Harper is. I felt the same when she attacked Grey because she thought that she was saving a girl from a murderer. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Anna 'Bookbuyer' wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

[spoilers removed]

I found it harder to get in..."

(view spoiler)[I think that Grey may be my favorite character in the book. There is just something about him that draws me in and makes me want more. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Anna 'Bookbuyer' wrote: "Katie wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

I love Harper so much. She is so ..."

(view spoiler)[An endless cycle of winter would be the worst kind of curse for me personally. Hehe. =P (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Vanessa wrote: removed spoiler "

@Vanessa- I agree with Harper and Grey's friendship. (view spoiler)[ I just read the knife throwing scene, and found myself understanding why she opens up to Grey easier than Rhen at this point. The first time I read this book, I didn't get the Harper and Grey possible relationship vibe like I am this time through. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21- (view spoiler)[ Again, I can't say it enough how much I enjoy Harper's character. She is so strong and fierce, and I loved how she wanted to take food back to the inn. Her quit wit and decision making came in handy with the 5 men when they came to the inn. I 100% LOVE the banter between Harper and Rhen. I LOVE that they aren't afraid to push each other! (And to probably make each other better people when they are pushed into thinking about things from "the other side." (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

^^ Can someone tell me the proper way to reply to someone's spoiler without me showing their spoiler? I just erased the entire spoiler in Vanessa's post to be safe, but I'm sure there is a "proper" way to do that. Is there a certain part of it I'm supposed to delete? Just curious :) Thanks in advance

I hope everyone is enjoying this book! I can't WAIT to read the 2nd one!!!

[Sarah A]

Just getting started today, man I hate having the flu I'm so behind on this.

@Katie on the app you see the spoilers no matter what and I am not sure of a way to hide the spoilers from when you reply to people.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

@Katie. I haven't 100% figured it out but you can also use spoiler tags on the 'reply'. The formatting is just weird so you might have to fiddle with it.

[Katie]

Chapter 27- (view spoiler)[ YIKES...I had forgotten how awful Lilith was! I forgot she cut Harper's face! She is scary... (hide spoiler)]

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Katie wrote: "Chapter 27- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Oooh I am really close to that part! Just read about it a chapter or two ago.

I agree. Lilith is a very scary mean bitch. She is basically a woman scorned. 🤦‍♀️😴👿 (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Starting now! I love Beauty and the Beast retellings so I have high hopes for this

[Sarah A]

Chapter 1-7: (view spoiler)[ I really love that Harper isnt like most heroic characters. She is a very fierce and loyal person to her family. I also really like Grey. When he shows Harper how to hold her dagger and then makes a joke about next time he can stab him. It just shows more to him then just the tough guy.

What the hell is Lilith on? She sounds like the a totally bitch. I'm not sure about Rhan yet. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

ch 11 (view spoiler)[ It's sad that the people of the kingdom have suffered because Rhen closed the borders and isn't helping his people. I like the modern twist of this and I feel for Harper. Alone, not knowing what's going on and you can't leave. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Aly wrote: "ch 11 [spoilers removed]"

IKR! (view spoiler)[It still has that feel of Stockholm Syndrome. Can't leave but you are starting to like your captors.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

ch 21 (view spoiler)[ It's harsh, but when Rhen explained about not having enough food for everyone and choosing who gets things, it did make sense. But he needs to stop wallowing and make plans to help his kingdom. I like that Harper guessed that she's supposed to fall in love with Rhen so at least she knows the game. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Anna 'Bookbuyer' wrote: "Aly wrote: "ch 11 [spoilers removed]"

IKR! [spoilers removed]"

Oh so true!

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Katie wrote: "Vanessa wrote: removed spoiler "

@Vanessa- I agree with Harper and Grey's friendship. [spoilers removed]

Chapter 21- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I honestly thought that there was going to be a love triangle when I first started reading this. I am still unclear if Grey actually fell for Harper or not. I am hoping that the answer is in the second book.

I also really love the banter between Rhen and Harper. They are both very tenacious and I love it. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 27- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Lilith is the worst. And all because she was rejected by a man. She's a real piece of work. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Sarah wrote: "Chapter 1-7:."

(view spoiler)[I totally agree with you. I love both Harper and Grey. They both really stood out to me from the start. I felt the same way that you do about Rhen when I first started the book. It took me a bit to make up my mind about him. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aly wrote: "ch 21 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I felt the same way. Everything that Rhen said about having to choose which people to give the food to make perfect sense. I can definitely see both his side and Harper's side of that conversation. (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Chapter 40- (view spoiler)[ Harper is back home! But she wants to go back to Rhen! I honestly can’t remember how this ends! But I fell in love with this book all over again in the last few chapters. This might be one of my favorite retellings! (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

ch 31 (view spoiler)[ I'm glad they're going out to talk to the people. And it's good they didn't kill that man, of course people are angry and don't trust the royals after they've been abandoned to the monster and outside kingdoms.
Grey told Rhen that when he doesn't break the curse the girls go home, but I'm pretty sure either the monster kills them or they die some other way. I think Grey is keeping a lot of secrets (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

ch 41 (view spoiler)[ I hope Harper is able to come back and help break the curse. I'm sad her mom died, but it seemed like she was suffering for a long time. Maybe the family can have peace now. I think they'll need to actually defeat Lilith and just being in love won't be enough (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Chapter 48- (view spoiler)[ YES! I forgot how Harper's brother got to Emberfall. I forgot that they were all brought there because of the situation that was going down with Lawrence's guyes. I love that Rhen's point of view chapters are now the Monster's point of view. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 40- [spoilers removed]"

Right? Terrible timing and (view spoiler)[ just when she gets to go home like she wants is when she shouldn't go and kind of doesn't want to (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 48- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I'm glad Jake came to Emberfall so he can see Harper is telling the truth. And the monster chapters are cool! (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

ch 51 (view spoiler)[ Oh Rhen recognizes her! This is definitely a good step to breaking the curse. I'm glad Jake and Noah came with Harper so they could see she was telling the truth and help. Also, I was so worried Grey was going to die and I'm glad he's okay (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Finished (view spoiler)[ So Grey is the heir and he is worried about what will happen if he goes back. I don't think Rhen would be mad at Grey, they're already close like brothers and you can't help who your parents are. I hope they reunite in the next book. I wonder if they'll find the halfling so he can reopen the portal between worlds. (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Aly wrote: "ch 51 [spoilers removed]"

Yes! <3 <3 When I read chapter 52...my heart!

[Katie]

Aly, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 5 Stars!!! Are you going to read the next one in the series?

[Katie]

Vanessa wrote: "Finished I am not sure how I feel about the end. Rest of the spoiler removed..."

FINISHED! I kind of see what you mean about your thoughts on (view spoiler)[ Grey loving Harper. I never picked up on that vibe at all the first time I read this book, but now that I read your post, I understand the uncertainty for sure! I really don't like love triangles very much, so I hope it doesn't go that route, especially after Rhen and Harper fell so hard for each other. (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Finished! (view spoiler)[ I had forgotten how much I loved this! I'm so glad I re-read this book in preparation for the next book! I loved that Jake and Noah were added to the book! I would love to have the next book add Grey's point of view, but at the same time I don't love when there are TOO MANY points of view in a book. (More than 4 is starting to get to be too many for me) I hope they add his chapters, but I hope I still like the next book :) HA! I also want Grey and Rhen to be reunited and I want them to be okay with Grey being the heir to the throne!! Can't wait to start the next book! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah A]

Katie wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

I love Harper so much. She is so strong and rel..."

I totally agree with you (view spoiler)[ The way Harper just runs in with her dagger out. I was like, you go girl! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah A]

Chapter 10: (view spoiler)[ I think when Rhen Tells Harper at the end of chapter 10 about the monster killing his whole family. I think her opinion of him will start to change because of losing her Dad and her mom having cancer. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah A]

Vanessa wrote: "Anna 'Bookbuyer' wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I started two days early. =)

16% I am loving this so far! The writing really drew me in and I was devouring the pages immediately.

[spoilers removed]

I ..."

I know I just want a book about Grey. I just love his personality.

[Aly]

Katie wrote: "Finished! [spoilers removed]"

Yes I loved seeing Jake and Noah too! I'm hoping to start the next book next week

[Sarah A]

Chapter 25: (view spoiler)[ I love how head strong Harper is. She stands up for Rhen people when she tought no one else would, even though Rhen thought he was doing his best. The way she showed she had a back bone with the Queens men would were going to burn down the inn. I was jumping for joy when she did that. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah A]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 27- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Lilith is just truly evil. How she taunts Harper about her mom and brother. Then tells her if she wants a favor she needs to learn respect. Seriously! She walked in on you torturing Rhen, she has zero respect for you. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aly wrote: "ch 31 I'm glad they're going out to talk to the people. And it's good they didn't kill that man, of course people are angry and don't trust the royals after they've been abandoned to the monster a..."

(view spoiler)[Yeah, I was wondering if what Grey said was true about the girls going home if the curse wasn't broken. We find out that some of them died from the monster but we never found out if the other girls actually were sent home or not and that kind of bothered me. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aly wrote: "ch 41 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I was also glad when Harper told Grey to come back for her. It was clear that she didn't like choosing between her family and the fate of everyone that the curse touches. (hide spoiler)]