Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington DC, she's pulled into a magical world.
Harper doesn't know where is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken cruse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
Loved
- Harper. I'm writing this after having read the book for the second time. I had forgotten how much I love Harper! She is one of the best YA heroines out there because she is spunky and strong, but so believable. She is not bratty or fierce, or even very bold, but she fights for what she feels is right and she puts all of herself into doing what she can for those around her. She is so relatable- always questioning the right thing to do, feeling insecure in her decisions, and faking it until she makes it. Along with her strength, she has such a fun personality- she's so earnest and genuine in her love and concern for others that it's hard not to just adore her.
- I also LOVE that Harper has cerebral palsy! I am a recreational therapist, so I am alllll about empowering people with disabilities of all kinds to do awesome things. . . and Harper is the best at this. She isn't strong in spite of her physical disability, she is strong because of it. She makes it a point for people to know she was born with this condition and that it's part of her. I just love this representation for people with disabilities and the message that you don't have to overcome the disability to be strong- rather, working with the disability makes you strong.
- Rhen. I don't usually go for the angsty boys, but how can you not fall for this broody, hot-mess of a prince? I don't even mind his angstiness because he has a dang good reason to be mad at the world. I love that underneath his ice he has learned to become selfless and generous, even before meeting Harper. His confidence and coolness is the perfect complement to Harper's earnest warmth and impulsiveness.
- Grey. Grey is every bit as stoic as Rhen is angsty, and they are the perfect pair- just sharing a castle together year after a year trying to break this mystic curse. I love that Grey never wavers in his loyalty for Rhen, even though Rhen has basically ruined his life. Grey has more integrity, honor, and loyalty than any prince's guard there ever was. And the best part? He loves kids, plays cards, and secretly cracks his stoniness for Harper because of her genuine interest and curiosity for everything.
- The urban fantasy setting. I don't like contemporary books- for some reason it feels weird to me to read about things that happen in my everyday life. But this is the perfect blend of fantasy with contemporary. I love that characters are brought from our world into the fairytale world, and as they say in the book, they feel like they've just stepped into Game of Thrones or just read Eragon. I love this combination of worlds because it makes the world of Emberfall seem so believable, as people living our everyday life end up fighting battles, falling in love, and sacrificing themselves for people from this new, mysterious world.
Didn't Love
- I just love this book. Having read it twice now, I loved it even more the second time! I wouldn't change anything about it.
Content
Content
- Language:
- 5-10 uses of "silver hell."
- One use of "bada**."
- Infrequent uses of "damn."
- Sexual content:
- A few sweet kisses- just pecks.
- One more passionate kiss- she untucks his shirt and puts her hands under his shirt on to his skin, he has his hands on her waist and wishes her clothes weren't laced so tightly. No undressing or anything sexual.
- A female helps a male take off his armor. The scene is intimate and he says it "feels more like undressing than disarming."
- The curse was brought by the prince sleeping with an enchantress, and then rejecting her. There are many references to "sharing a bed with the wrong woman," etc.
- Violence:
- The monster is brutal and kills very violently. Throughout most of the story, his violence comes from flashbacks- children being "eviscerated" in front of their parents, and men, women and children all being killed brutally. Many references to people the creature has killed.
- At the end of the story the monster kills in real time- describes men dying with "blood spraying." Not many detailed descriptions of the gore, just that it's very "visceral" and bloody.
- A battle at the end of the book has some war violence- getting shot with arrows, stabbing, and a beheading.
- A character gets shot three times in the arm. Her attacker gets beheaded in front of her, she rolls around to find herself face-to-face with the eyes of the severed head.
- A character finds a cursed room where there is blood and "visceral" tissue in the blood- showing that someone was viciously killed there.
- A woman's house is set on fire and soldiers attempt to kill the woman and children. One of the attackers is killed with an arrow.
- One character is involved in a gang and is threatened for money. They are shot at with guns during the story.
- A man is found shot with an arrow and killed.
- A man is killed by having his throat slit in front of an audience.
- A woman's throat is cut- unclear if she dies or not.
- Other themes:
- LGBTQ+: Two secondary male characters are dating seriously. They sleep in the same bed and are affectionate with each other, but no kissing described.
- Main character has cerebral palsy and has a limp. She talks about going to physical therapy and being born with the condition. She learns to be strong and independent in addition to her injury, rather than overcoming it.
- 5-10 uses of "silver hell."
- One use of "bada**."
- Infrequent uses of "damn."
- A few sweet kisses- just pecks.
- One more passionate kiss- she untucks his shirt and puts her hands under his shirt on to his skin, he has his hands on her waist and wishes her clothes weren't laced so tightly. No undressing or anything sexual.
- A female helps a male take off his armor. The scene is intimate and he says it "feels more like undressing than disarming."
- The curse was brought by the prince sleeping with an enchantress, and then rejecting her. There are many references to "sharing a bed with the wrong woman," etc.
- The monster is brutal and kills very violently. Throughout most of the story, his violence comes from flashbacks- children being "eviscerated" in front of their parents, and men, women and children all being killed brutally. Many references to people the creature has killed.
- At the end of the story the monster kills in real time- describes men dying with "blood spraying." Not many detailed descriptions of the gore, just that it's very "visceral" and bloody.
- A battle at the end of the book has some war violence- getting shot with arrows, stabbing, and a beheading.
- A character gets shot three times in the arm. Her attacker gets beheaded in front of her, she rolls around to find herself face-to-face with the eyes of the severed head.
- A character finds a cursed room where there is blood and "visceral" tissue in the blood- showing that someone was viciously killed there.
- A woman's house is set on fire and soldiers attempt to kill the woman and children. One of the attackers is killed with an arrow.
- One character is involved in a gang and is threatened for money. They are shot at with guns during the story.
- A man is found shot with an arrow and killed.
- A man is killed by having his throat slit in front of an audience.
- A woman's throat is cut- unclear if she dies or not.
- LGBTQ+: Two secondary male characters are dating seriously. They sleep in the same bed and are affectionate with each other, but no kissing described.
- Main character has cerebral palsy and has a limp. She talks about going to physical therapy and being born with the condition. She learns to be strong and independent in addition to her injury, rather than overcoming it.
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