The Curse Girl

Summary:

In a modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, Bee knows to stay away from the old, haunted house in the woods, yet the one person who should’ve protected her from such horrors left her there to fend for herself. After Bee’s father trades her so his own curse is lifted, she is trapped in this magical and mysterious house. She left her whole entire world behind to re-write her father’s mistakes; she left her friends, family, and, worst of all, Drew. Now, she is stuck in the house of the Beast with no way of escaping.

She recalls stories about this Beast from when she was younger: tales about the children-eating monster who lived there, but when she comes face-to-face with this monster, he isn’t what she ever would’ve imagined. Ellison uses vivid description to bring this magical world to life as one reads the tale of Bee and the Beast. Who is the Beast, and why would Bee trade her life for her fathers? As she uncovers the truth about the mysterious Beast and his house, does she try to escape or will Drew come to the rescue?

Thoughts:

This story was nothing short of magical. Since reading The Curse Girl in middle school, I’ve re-read this book twice! Kate appeals to her readers through detailed, clean character development. She does a great job of added a slight layer of suspense throughout her story, leaving readers wanting more and more. She took elements of the contemporary world and added her own twist on a classic, favorite tale of mine: Beauty and the Beast. If you love YA fiction and fantasy, you will love reading about Bee overcoming unexpected circumstances. Bee is a strong, stubborn and determined female lead who is easy to root for. The Beast is the dark, brooding character you’d expect, and every scene between Bee and him is filled with tension and angst. He’s the kind of character you love to hate! The plot was well-developed and easy to follow. Ellison leaves some room for mystery while incorporating riddles and clues for the reader to follow. This book hooked me on Kate Avery Ellison’s stories—it was that beautiful! While her overall writing style is emotional and vivid (my favorite kind of writing:), there are several stunning stand-alone quotes throughout. Here are some of my favorites:

Quotes:

“So you’re the Curse Girl,” he said finally, after a long pause. “The words of the curse spoke about a girl called Beauty, but I thought the line meant a beautiful girl.”

“Attractiveness went hand in hand with villains in real life, no matter what the fairytales said.”

“I wasn’t a hero, and I wasn’t admirable. I was simply stubborn enough to keep going even when everything seemed to be falling apart.”

“When you love somebody, you give them another chance. Because that’s what love is. A lifetime of second chances.”

Recommendation:

I recommend The Curse Girl for any reader who loves fairytales, YA novels or magic. Kate Avery Ellison’s writing is also very clean and wholesome for a younger audience yet has the emotional connection and epic story development for YA lovers (young or not:). If you love a strong female protagonist and a swoon-worthy antagonist, you need this book in your life!

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. Kate writes with such passion and love for her characters, and it's evident in every book she writes. The adventure, mystery, and angst make this novel entertaining for any YA lover! I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Curse Girl.