YA Materials, Literature Log, Book #17: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Category: State Book Award


Rhen, Prince of Emberfall, was cursed on his eighteenth birthday to become a monster at the end of the season if he cannot find a girl who loves him - over and over again. He and his captain of the guard, Gray, are trapped in a timeloop of the same fall season until the curse can be broken. However, the enchantress is getting bored, and wants to end this game once and for all. So it's up to Harper, a girl with cerebral palsy from Washington, D.C., to help Rhen break the curse before his country falls to ruin and invasion. The real question is: can Harper even begin to love him?


I love fairytales, though Beauty & the Beast isn't a favorite of mine. However, I really enjoyed this retelling! Kemmerer's use of the timeloop, as well as introducing a main character with cerebral palsy, are so great to see and truly make this classic tale her own. I also liked watching the romance. For teens in a library setting, I think I would use this in a fairytale display or program, hoping to show how old tales came become new in modern day.

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