Reviews of The Curse Girl

I love Fairy-tales, especially Disney movies because of the sugar coated sweet stuff. I really loved Beauty and The Beast because of how strong, caring and smart Belle was. She didn't just want a man like Gaston, who was handsome and strong, she wanted someone to love.

Beauty or Bee for short, reminded me entirely of Belle and sometimes the book was reminiscent of the Disney movie with all the door slamming and book reading, but it was still enjoyable.
Will was hilarious in that cute sarcastic way. Rose was so cute and I felt so bad for her. The characters were amazing, I hope theirs some sort of follow-up on Storm because he's amazing.

Loved it

Wow! What an awesome short read. This novella was generously shared by the author for a review, and I have to concede to the hype. This was hard to put down, and almost read same date, if I didn’t have to succumb to the very annoying need to sleep.

For anyone that enjoys the fairy tale stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, this will be a very entertaining and enjoyable novella. ‘The Curse Girl’ is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast story set in current times. A young high school girl, Beauty, is delivered to the ‘Beast’s’ house by her father, who is marked by the ‘curse’ after he makes a very bad decision. In order to save her family from the curse, Beauty walks away from her life as she knows it, as soon as she steps foot in the house that is surrounded by myths of legend. She becomes a prisoner of the house with the Beast, who is really just a boy close to her age, who is also trapped along with his sister and household staff in the enchanted home. Beauty, in her quest of finding a way to escape, assists Will, the so called Beast, with finding an answer to the riddle that would break the curse they are all under.

For YA fans, this story follows the enjoyable rules of girl meets boy, can’t stand boy, then finds herself attracted to said boy as they work together towards a common goal. There is no ‘Insta-love’ here, which was a relief as I have just been assaulted too much lately with YA novels that feature such an annoying trend.

For the small size of this book, the author was great at character building. A lot of attention was paid not just to the two main characters of the story, but to everyone involved. Ya, of course Beauty and Will have the most focus for obvious reasons. But I did enjoy the attention to characters such as Housekeeper, Liam (before the predictable reveal towards the end), and of course the mean villainous witch, Marian. So the end result is, you care about them or despise them, and you can relate to them all in some way or another.

The ending was quickly wrapped up, and that was probably the only negative thing about this book. It just felt like it could have been a much longer story. But the negative is a positive. Obviously I was enjoying the heck out of this novel to be upset by how quickly it all wrapped up. But some of the wrap ups were a little too convenient, or without resolution (ie, her family moving away so no confrontation with father dearest who was so willing to give her up, and it ends pretty much once the curse is lifted – and yes I realize that may be a spoiler, but we all know the story of Beauty and the Beast, so get over it.)
I have to say I am impressed with the writing skill for a first published novel by this author. Kate Avery Ellison writes like a pro and reeled me in like one. I definitely have her next works on my ‘to read’ list for the future

So, I received this book due to a 'Read to Review' in the Young Adult Reads group. You'd expect a book based on such a popular fairytale to just fall flat, right? Wrong. This was actually an amazing modern retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Engaging, humorous in some places and very entertaining.

The characters were all well developed and managed to make me feel connected to them in a way. I loved Bee's determination and attitude and Will's wit (and dashing good looks). Rose was sweet and Marian was very well fleshed out as the villain though I did feel slightly sorry for her in the beginning. I can't say I supported Bee's Dad, but I can certainly see where he was coming from. The only character I really hated was Drew as I felt like punching him once or twice towards the end. Well, every story needs one unlikeable character to hate. Sorry Drew, you're the punching bag.

The snide remarks that ran through the text were a great addition to the storyline. There were some good twists in the plot that I wasn't expecting but I did like all the same. The conclusion was all kinds of adorable and the riddle was well planned. Oh, and kudos for having them hating each other at first. I hate 'love at first sight', doesn't really happen in the real world.

Great job to Ellison for actually succeeding where many have tried and failed

Wow ! I loved this book . It was a delight to read . A lovely play on the classic tale . Once I finally got the chance to sit down and read it I Couldn't stop until it was over .  I loved the relationship between beauty and will . It was the classic tale with a modern y.a twist .I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is in the mood for a charming tale . 

Beauty is dropped off at an old abandoned house by her father. She believes she is being a martyr for the family by sacrificing herself to “The Beast” in order to protect her family and release them from the magic. The plan is for her to step inside, make sure the mark on her father is gone and then run back out. However, once she steps inside and turns back to her father, the door slams shut and she is locked in.

She later learns that she is really there to break a horrible curse gone wrong. Her father actually offered her in exchange for her stepmother’s health, who has cancer. She becomes known as “The Curse Girl”.

After many fights and arguments will “The Beast”, they decide to call a truce and work together to lift the curse. They even go to The Fey Lands, a mystical world, to try to confront the witch that set the curse. Although the trip doesn’t go well, the witch accidentally gives them a clue.

While on this journey, she realizes that “The Beast” really isn’t such a beast after all. He is, in fact, quite handsome and charming, and she begins to fall for him. However, her affections take a twisted turn when she learns that her old boyfriend showed up to “rescue her” and “The Beast” has hidden it from her. She storms off to her room and starts making origami, which is what she does when she’s scared and upset. She somehow manages to make a key. Upon awakening, she realizes that the key has become real by the magic of the house. She packs her things and uses the key to escape.

Upon her escape, she learns that everyone she left behind has moved on. She has never been so hurt and betrayed, not even by “The Beast” or her father. She realizes that no matter how infuriating and aggravating he can be, she really does love him and goes back to finish breaking the curse. But, when she arrives, no one is around.

What has happened to everyone? Has the spell been broken? Read the book to find out!

I will say that when I first started this book, I had my skepticism. However, the more I read, the more I wanted to read. The suspense just pulled me in! The story itself was great and it had a great set of characters. I actually started to fall for “The Beast” myself as I learned that he was really just a victim himself. I feel that the story was mostly about love, betrayal and forgiveness and how things aren’t always as they seem. I would definitely recommend this to fans of young adult, fantasy and romance.

A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, The Curse Girl has some twists and variations to the original story that keep you turning the pages! I devoured the book in one sitting and it was such a great book, I couldn’t put it down! I love retellings of fairy tales; I own many and have read many versions. Kate Avery Ellison’s is among one of the best I have read! It was refreshing and a unique spin on a classic tale! The characters are fun, interesting and relatable! I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the emotions that were felt by the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales, fantasy, or young adult books. I look forward to reading many more books from Kate Avery Ellison!

I love the story of Beauty and the Beast and better with a different twist. I really enjoyed this version of the Beauty and the Beast story. Although a little too short for my taste but it was very interesting on how a story can be tweaked to create another wonderful story that I will not soon forget. Will is a jerk; Liam is a better person even though he is not your typical male. Rose is a sweetheart and all the other characters bring back the feeling that one got when we first saw the movie. Thank you Kate Ellison for the opportunity gave me and allowed me to review the book.

Talk about a tug on your heartstrings kind of book. Let's put this into perspective. I think I'm going to be doing this more often, especially with awesome books like these because you guys need to see the facts for yourself and their fun to do. Anyway, what I'm talking about is the before-and-after analysis. Ever had that reaction before and that reaction after? Of course you have. Well, mine for this book were really widespread:

Before:
Well, that's a really cryptic summary and there's not a lot of what's going to happen, but it sounds good so I'm going to give it a try.

After:
OhmygodIlovedthatbookIneedtorereaditbutit'ssolateI'llreadittomorrowbecauseitwassogoodKateneedstowritethisstoryinWill'spointofviewsoIcandosomegoodfangirling!!!

Yeah. Those thoughts, through my head, at that speed. Exactly. First of all, isn't this cover the best thing that you've ever seen? It's gorgeous, isn't it? Now, it doesn't give you a lot as to what the story's really about, but I like how the title is related to what happens in the story, and it's not some random title that doesn't even come up in the story, like some other books. The Curse Girl is actually what Will and everybody in the supposed "haunted house" calls Bee, so yes, it's very relavant.

This is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When I first started reading, I was extremely confused because this book was one of those "jump now, talk later" kind of books in the beginning, and I was more than hopelessly confused. But, since us book reviewers aren't here for nothing, I searched up the book again, and I read a review. It was supposed to be a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast, and I immediately got it. That was really the only problem in this book, the fact that the beginning was basically incomprehensible, along with a few minor plot holes because of the sheer shortness of this book, and another thing that's really small I'll bring up later.

When you read everything from Bee's point of view, you get the impression that Will's a jerk and nothing but a jerk. Which, is pretty much true for the first few chapters. I really admired Bee's character, how sarcastic and fiery she was. Bee definitely knows what she wants and goes out and gets it. And she's got this heart of gold. At night, there's someone in the dungeon called Liam who's like a werewolf and just screams most of the night because she's in so much pain, and Bee just drops everything and goes to help him and try to ease the pain. I think that's a really sweet thing of her to do.

Throughout this book, you see Bee and Will trying to break the curse that has Will trapped, you kind of see them falling for each other, which was really sweet. I loved the fact that it wasn't anything rushed, given the length of this book. It was gradual, so when it did happen, you were like "Awww. *goofy grin plastered on face*" (You are the best thing/That's ever been mine. Mine, Taylor Swift) And the fact was this wasn't an easy love. It was one with lots of bumpy hills and low points, but it eventually all paid off and you got a profit from it. :) (And I remember that fight, 2:30 AM/When everything was slipping right out of our hands...You said I'll never leave you alone. Mine, Taylor Swift.)

The Curse Girl had drama, drama, drama, and more drama. There were bunches of times where you would think that everything was going well and it was all going to work out, and then BAM! there's a complication, some fighting, some screaming, and some gasping and cursing on your part. (Well, on my part, it was just the gasping.) It definitely kept you on the edge of your seat, and I was surprised by everything that happened in the book. Trust me, this is the perfect book to read if you like to be surprised.

Now it comes to the "I wish..." part of the review that's almost inevitable for people like me who always just want more. As I said in my After reaction, if you can decipher that, "Kate needs to write this story in Will's point of view so I can do some good fangirling!" A lot was happening on Will's part that Bee never got to figure out fully, so I think I would have a heart attack if Kate wrote this book in Will's point of view. She probably won't, but if she does, I will probably and most likely blow my top. ;)

I was given this book by the author to review and LOVED it!! Not to say there weren't flaws in the plot and writing - there were - but overall I found the story to be a quick read that sucked me into its spell.

This is the story of Beauty and the Beast with a contemporary-ish twist. Beauty (Bee) has leave her life and go live at the cursed house to fulfill the promise that her father made in order to save her stepmother. She grew up hearing gruesome stories about the house and its inhabitants. Yet she leaves all her life to confront the beast that lives within the house out of duty to her family. The housed and its inhabitants are cursed by a spell that can only be broken by the Curse Girl one that is named Beauty. Although the friendship is rocky at first (to say the least) Bee & Will forge a truce and a pact to find a way to break the curse.

There were a lot of holes in the story. What happened to Bee’s mom? Was it her mom or no? How did she come to have a special power? Why did she feel that her Dad didn’t love her? What’s up with Rose?? I liked her but didn’t really understand her part in the story. Liam… although you discover the mystery of Liam I still wanted to know more. The ending was a bit too rushed but don’t all fairytales end that way.

Overall, a fun read!

This is a cute little read. It is a re-telling of the classic 'Beauty and the Beast' fairy tale. It was actually fairly accurate to the original as the author kept a lot of the same elements with just a little twist.

Even though this is a novella the characters are fairly well developed and you are able to care for them. The only thing I would have changed would be a little more of a back story about her family. In saying that, I understand it is very hard to have a lot of detailed info in a short story.

I recommend this little gem. If you like fairy tale re-tellings than this one will not disappoint!