Reviews of The Curse Girl

This book was amazing loved how Will was.. Not the normal type of guy i know of..really goood :) nice short read!!

I absolutely loved this book. It was an easy-read, and I read it in one sitting, with a quick break in the middle to tell my husband how much I was enjoying it. Then, once I finished it, I took a break, and later that night, read the whole thing again. Because it was fun, and cute, and because it has great re-readability.

This book was well-written, with a few errors but nothing major. It had great flow, and despite the fact that the reader knew the basic plot (yay, a Beauty and the Beast retelling - I love these so much!) it still managed to surprise several times. It didn't just unfold following all the steps of B&tB - there were subtle twists and new reasons for things. I don't want to give too much away, but the placement of the curse, the way to break the curse, and how the curse functioned were all significantly altered, so that the reader could feel appreciation for the B&tB plot without feeling like s/he was reading Beauty and the Beast.
And I really loved the naming process in the house, and the way it provided the title for the book. And the fey lands - I think that was a very interesting addition.

I wish the book had been longer. I wish certain things had been further explained. But the book was sufficiently long, and the things left to the imagination were perhaps more appreciated that way. And it was adorable to read. I was laughing out loud and my husband kept coming in to ask me "What's happening now?" because I was so amused.

The largest criticism I have is that some of the threads in the plotting got loose. But none of these things are terribly important. The book was very fun to read, and I would highly recommend it for a quick and satisfying adventure. I liked it so much that I immediately went and bought the other things for sale by the author, so I do think she's an author worth watching.

He glanced up once, eyes bored. “Please stop talking. I’m trying to eat.”

First I was like :
Bee - You are a whiny selfish brat,
Will - You are a self absorbed attractive jerk,
Rose - You weakling,
Liam - Shut up with your screaming,
Marian - You. Are. Amazing, sorry. Evil.

Then I was like :
Bee - Make up your mind and please, keep slamming the doors ( you are so mature )
Will - Why Will ? Why didn't you tell her ?
Rose - What the hell is happening to you :O
Liam - It's nice to be able to talk to someone,
Marian - You are crazy, woman !

Now I'm like :
Bee - I'm proud of you intelligent human, I love your determination :')
Will - I think I'm in love with your hair ;)
Rose - You need to get out more ;D
Liam - No comment. You shocked me.
Marian - Haha, shame. You got what you deserved !

Most hated characters go to :
Drew - You selfish ass. I bet if your sister, if you have one, went missing you wouldn't even have cared. I wouldn't mind hitting you in the head with a rotten fish :D

Dad - I cannot believe you sold your daughter out for wife number two. I pity you. No toilet paper for you sir. Good for nothing loser.

Other :
I adored the ending !
I loved this re-write :')
I loved Marians mood swings,
On the edge of my seat much.
More, more, more !

I was so fortunate to receive a copy for review.

One for: AMAZING!
This is a wonderful quick adorable retelling of the classic tale of the Beauty and the Beast.

1 Star: The characters are likeable! Will is adorable and lovely annoying in the beginning.
2 Stars: Fairy tale elements. I LOVED the Fey Lands and how dangerous these magical beings really are. And I loved the fact that there was a stepmom and two stepsisters.
3 Stars: Their love doesn't develop that quickly. I hate when that happens
4 Stars: I love old fashioned boys so Will was spot on for me!
5 Stars: I never really liked the Beauty and the Beast, but I really like this version.

-1 star: WHY ISNT THERE MORE? THIS COULD BE EVEN MORE AMAZING if it was longer!
+ 1 star: the general magic of the house!

= total of 5 stars!

It's quite ironic that as a little girl I absolutely abhorred fairy tales. Disney's version was always too sticky sweet, not remotely realistic, but that's the point I suppose. Although I still detest the Disney fairy tale, I have grown to appreciate, and love, the retelling of the classic tales in the YA genre.

Ellison is able to re-weave the tale of Beauty & the Beast in such a remarkable way that I for once liked, no, loved it. Perhaps it was her re-imagined telling of the time honored tale, but I'm really leaning toward her multi-dimensional characters, descriptions so vivid they played out like a movie in my mind, and snippets of the supernatural. Add in witty, snarky, banter topped with an advanced (for the genre) vocabulary and I was absolutely smitten from the first chapter.

Bee is infuriating, yet endearing. Witty, snarky, intelligent, a rebel in blue jeans. The type of girl I would have loved to hate and hated to love in high school - in other words, the girl I'd want to be best friends with. Will is equally matched to both these attributes with a time honored gentlemanly flair (when he wants to). A smattering of secondary characters round out the ensemble with humor and a conscience, if for nothing else but a reminder of how good people get trapped in bad situations.

I can't for the life of me understand why this book hasn't garnered more praise, it certainly deserves it. I eagerly anticipate Ellison's upcoming novels...her writing is truly inspired and I suddenly want to learn origami.

I absolutely loved this book! Not only was it a retelling of one of my all time favorite fairytales, it stood out more than I expected. Bee and Will were a hoot and I loved Kate Ellison's take on the witch and the curse. I had been toying with the idea of doing my own retelling of this classic, but reading this blew that thought right out of my mind. Ellison's take is perfect in my estimation. I wouldn't have done anything differently, well maybe a few things, but they are so insubstantial I would be writing the same book. lol.

So if you are like me and love Beauty and the Beast, especially the Disney version, you have to read this book. I laughed so many times at the natural feeling banter. Bee became real to me. And as an author, I can't think of any highter praise than that. Great job Kate! I'll be looking into your other books for sure. I loved your style.

*I received this book to review by the Author*



This story is a re-telling of the classic story Beauty and The Beast. If you are familiar with this Disney story you are able to recognize all the characters in this book easily.

Beauty also called "Bee" for short is a modern version of Belle. Bee is 17 years old living the regular teen life which includes hanging out with friends and dating Drew one of the cutest guy in school. Bee's life takes a drastic and enchanting change when her low down father trades his daughters life to the towns Legendary "Beast" for his second wife's well being.

I absolutely Adored this book! Two thumbs up and Five Stars for this crafty re-telling of a story that is so close to everyone's heart! The Author jump's right into the story from the first page which was very smart of her because the readers really dont need a lot of background because this is such an old story. I also appreciated how the author took all the special elements of the book including the Rose,the housekeeper,the curse, and The Beast and ran with it and made her own twisted story of Love,Murder,Betrayal,Forgiveness, and a little magic!

This was a short and lovely read. The Author plays a game of tug of war on your every emotion while reading and I found myself laughing out loud to "No He didn't" to "No She didn't!". I also loved the character commentary between Bee and William bickering back in forth and I laughed out loud when Will told Bee that her names fits her because she acts like a Bitch! LOL HILARIOUS!! I enjoyed this from beginning to end. All the twist and turns along with the mystery behind the events that lead to everyone being Cursed and the mystery to figure out how to break the Curse that has taken on a life of it's own.

Recommend to: I recommend this book to everyone who loves the original story of Beauty and The Beast. You will definitely have fun reading this and figuring out who all the characters are because of the twists the author puts in the story. A must read! I will definitely be reading more of Kate's books!


Cover Rating: 5 stars! The cover is a Beauty! :)


Favorite Quotes: "If being happy prevents you from being good, then I'd rather you were miserable. Misery breeds repentance, after all."


-Marian/Witch -The Curse Girl by Kate Avery

"Hatred is an ugly thing, Bee. It's like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. It corrupts the person holding it inside."

-Liam-The Curse Girl by Kate Avery

This is a great modernized version of the beauty and the beast. I loved it and couldn't put it down. A sequel would be perfect.

A gripping story from the start. Kate Ellison brings you into a house that has had a curse put on it by an angry witch. This house has is a legend and tells of a beast that lives inside who eats children. Bee, has come to be trapped inside this house.She is the only one who is able to break the curse and set the beast(Will) and his sister Rose, free. It is a lesson to be learned that breaks the curse.
I was thrilled with this book, the characters are strong and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I love a good fairy tale retelling, but they can be hard to find. I tend to read them over and over again to compensate. This one is going on my reread list right next to my collection of Robin McKinley retellings--which is to say I loved it. I stayed up far too late last night finishing it.

This is the same tale we all know, but there are just enough twists to it to make it original and interesting. The characters are lovely, from Bee all the way down to the house staff, and it's easy to imagine yourself sitting there with them, trying to figure out how to break that pesky curse.

I'll be picking up something else by this author for sure. Highly recommended.