Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Modern "Beauty" tale has complex characters, gore, humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say the book is an engaging and unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast, featuring inspiring characters and representation, including one with cerebral palsy. While it contains some violence and mature themes, most reviewers found it suitable for teens, praising its well-crafted story and relatable characters.
- engaging retelling
- inspiring characters
- suitable for teens
- mature themes
- well-crafted story
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY has fallen on handsome, charming Prince Rhen of Emberfall in the wake of an ill-advised seduction, and now he's compelled to relive the autumn of his 18th birthday until he can find a girl to love him -- despite the fact that he always turns into a hideous, murderous monster, who, so far, has taken out Rhen's whole family and quite a few others. Strangely, 300 girls now have been snatched away to Emberfall and failed to break the curse. But the unchanging cycle of doom is disrupted by the latest snatchee: Washington, D.C., high school senior Harper, who rushes to save a drunken blonde outside a bar from what looks like a kidnapping and wakes up in a castle. Desperate to get back to her very troubled family (dad left after borrowing from a loan shark, who's now threatening her dying mother and forcing her brother to do enforcement), and dealing with a bad leg and other effects of cerebral palsy, the snarky, smart, and cynical Harper isn't quite clear on the role she's supposed to be playing or whether she wants to play it. But as Rhen, his friend Grey, and the kingdom work their way into her heart, she learns of the dark forces at play and is determined to stand against them.
Is It Any Good?
Brigid Kemmerer's take on "Beauty and the Beast" brings three intriguing, complex characters and a delicate, mostly successful balance of darkness, gore, magic, humor, snark, and heart. Oh, and horses. There's a lot going on in A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and sometimes the reader's suspension of disbelief gets a bit strained. Like when the heroine, who has a bad leg as the result of cerebral palsy, is able to skillfully ride the fiercest warhorse in the kingdom because she took therapeutic riding before her family fell on hard times. But this is fantasy, right?
And between the hacking, slashing, and sadistic villainy, there's a lot about standing up for your loved ones, being responsible for others, and working together. Also snark, humor, a bit of a love triangle, and characters you want to spend more time with. Good news: There's a sequel in the works.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ways A Curse So Dark and Lonely is like "Beauty and the Beast" and why that classic remains such a popular theme in storytelling. What aspects of that tale do you find appealing? How do those aspects appear in the various versions you know?
In A Curse So Dark and Lonely, a not-so-conventional heroine is the unlikely one called on to save the day -- which itself is a popular theme in storytelling. Do you like stories with quirky characters, or do you like things a bit more predictable?
If you were doing your own version of an oft-told tale, would you feel like you had to make things turn out the same way as in the original? Or would you give the characters a different fate? Why?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Bloomsbury YA
- Publication date : January 29, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 496
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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