Let me begin by saying that it has been a minute since a book made me brew a pot of coffee at 1am just so I could finish it as quickly as possible. Wow! I'm so glad I took a chance on reading 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely' because I have no regrets. I've already purchased the next two books in the series and plan on devouring them over the long weekend.

In the kingdom of Emberfall, and cursed by a beautiful enchantress, Prince Rhen is doomed to repeat the autumn of his 18th year until he is able to win the heart of one he loves. If not, at the end of the season the prince transforms into a horrific beast that threatens to tear his kingdom apart. As the years pass, the beast reigns terror upon the kingdom, killing the royal family and all those who are unlucky enough not to escape. With a kingdom stretched to the limit, the sole surviving guardsman to the prince, Grey, is granted access at the beginning of each cycle to a parallel realm with Emberfall in order to bring those Rhen might court back to the palace. This portal takes Grey into the heart of modern-day Washington D.C. A world very different from Emberfall. The girls he picks come willingly, lured by the idea of shelter, stability, and a royal prince to woo them! These women are unattached and will not be missed while they are away, or worse, if they are eventually felled by the beast as the cycle continues. That is, until the night Grey is interrupted by a lead-pipe swinging heroine named Harper who sees him drawing a woman out of bar looking "suspicious as hell". Harper, in true murderino fashion, launches herself at Grey and is unwittingly is transported back with him to Emberfall and to the cursed crown prince. What follows is an incredible coming of age fantasy with a badass leading lady, a tortured prince, a loyal guard, and all the beautiful complexities of learning what it means to love.

On it's surface, 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely' is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that takes readers back to the original source material and skips over any trace of Disney. This is a dark faerietale that immediately drew me in with palpable terror and urgency coupled with vibrant characters. Harper, Rhen, Grey - they made this book standout for me and the grief, sadness, and hope they experience in Emberfall, as well as in the "real" world of D.C., is relatable and touching.

Another aspect of this book that I love is that Harper has cerebral palsy and we can see how she is not defined by her condition but rather it is part of her daily life. She is resilient and capable and I think Kemmerer has done a beautiful job of portraying an other-abled individual as the protagonist. That alone is a huge plus for me and we could always see more of that especially in YA fiction.