A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Gr 9 Up—Prince Rhen, heir to Emberfall, is cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th birthday until he can find a woman to fall in love with him even as he transforms each season into a monstrous beast. The season resets after every failure—all 327 of them. When Harper intervenes in what looks like an abduction on the streets of Washington, DC, she is transported into another world. Instead of worrying about her dying mother or the risks her brother is taking to pay off their absent father's debts to a loan shark, Harper is trapped in Emberfall at the center of the curse. Harper, who has cerebral palsy, is shocked to learn that she is Rhen's last chance to break the curse. But Harper isn't sure if the fate of a kingdom can be enough to make her fall in love. Kemmerer's "Beauty and the Beast" retelling introduces a unique world filled with fantasy and menace. Rhen is an accomplished if pessimistic strategist while Harper is impulsive to the point of recklessness. Despite their obvious tension and occasional chemistry, Rhen's evolving friendship with his guard commander Grey is often more compelling than Harper's interactions with either man. While Harper and Rhen accomplish much over the course of the novel, this installment has little in the way of closure.