Jenny Hickman's A Cursed Kiss takes fairy tales and Irish folklore and transports readers into a world of mythical beings.

Keelynn, barely an adult, is wallowing in sorrow as her sister is betrothed to the "love of her life" when she suddenly watches her sister die from a cursed kiss of the infamous Gancanagh….She then sets on a quest to get her sister back and stumbles on a traveling companion, Tadhg, who wittily helps saves her throughout their journey.  

I liked the overall world-building - humans and non-humans interacting, intersecting with Irish folklore. It was an interesting plot story, and I looked forward to where it would go. There were some decent twists throughout the way, but many were predictable. I also enjoyed many characters, but unfortunately, I could not get on board with Keelynn. Ugh. So sad. She sat there mostly and...cried? I don't come to fantasy worlds to simply have the main female character do absolutely nothing but complain and get saved; it's simply not for me. I use fantasy novels as an escape, as a mechanism to live vicariously through some strong and resilient characters. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. But I suppose, at least, Keeylnn's character knew this about herself? At least there was something other than naivety and tears at the end? Either way, it frustrated me a bit too much. As someone who is no longer a late teen or in my early 20s, I think it's time I search for novels where the heroine is older than 25, preferably even 30! I want the main characters to be a bit more developed, more mature, and less whiny. This novel had BIG YA vibes, and mannnnnnnnnnn, I just want a badass female character who is 30+ who may have her thoughts more carefully articulated! Instead of hE cAnT pOsSiBlY LoVeEeE mEeEeEeeee.....barf. 

Now, I know I went on a rant here only because this novel frustrated me with that sentiment. Unfortunately, I was almost skimming near the end.