coral reviewed Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
None
2 stars
This book is very, very YA. SO YA.
Honestly, it feels like a better-written read-alike for Twilight. Which seems like a weird thing to say, if you read the plot synopsis, since there are no vampires or werewolves, making (for instance) X-Men First Class a more obvious comparison. Maybe this is just me, but it just had a very similar feel to it, if that makes any sense. Weird family in the middle of the woods, female protagonist full of self doubt and with so-so powers, compared to the other characters in the book, love interest who is kind of a stalker (though, like Twilight, it's written off as a totally OK "obsession" with her, so...)... But the protagonist in this book had more motivation than just "get the guy," so that's a nice change.
It isn't a total read-alike, I guess: I liked this well enough to read it …
This book is very, very YA. SO YA.
Honestly, it feels like a better-written read-alike for Twilight. Which seems like a weird thing to say, if you read the plot synopsis, since there are no vampires or werewolves, making (for instance) X-Men First Class a more obvious comparison. Maybe this is just me, but it just had a very similar feel to it, if that makes any sense. Weird family in the middle of the woods, female protagonist full of self doubt and with so-so powers, compared to the other characters in the book, love interest who is kind of a stalker (though, like Twilight, it's written off as a totally OK "obsession" with her, so...)... But the protagonist in this book had more motivation than just "get the guy," so that's a nice change.
It isn't a total read-alike, I guess: I liked this well enough to read it while sober. ;)
It's unclear to me if this is supposed to be the first book in a series, or if the author prioritized closure of the love story over some much more interesting issues that felt unresolved, for me, at the end. I would also be interested to know if the reader is supposed to know who the antagonist is (like, seriously, their first scene: "Oh, that's the evildoer")--and if it's as obvious to teen readers as it was to me. Teens aren't dumb.