
Title: Cursed Ever After
Author: Andy C. Naranjo
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 3.8 out of 5
Love is not for cursed girls. Risa is better off without it.
Risa Porto is a Bad Thing born on a Bad Day and cursed with Bad Luck. After years of taking the blame for every calamity, mishap, and minor inconvenience that befalls the townspeople of Barrow, she longs for escape. And on her seventeenth birthday, her wish is granted.
Sort of.
Risa owes a (very annoying) witch a favor, and it comes in the form of a quest: escort Prince Javi―the youngest, handsomest, and least significant prince―through the dark (and deadly) Bosque to his wedding. This measly errand quickly spirals into a struggle against greedy assassins, a murderous cult, a vicious tyrant―and Risa’s own curse.
Most unfortunate of all…
She is not immune to Javi’s charms and has a highly irritating urge to kiss the prince. Though, surviving the darkest corners of the Bosque is only the beginning. If Risa is to hold up her end of a witch’s bargain, she’ll need a lot more than luck on her side to untangle the web of lies threatening the kingdom. Is Risa willing to pay the price of happily ever after? What if the only person she’s meant to save is herself?
This was a fun read! It made me laugh quite a bit, and it felt really over-the-top in some spots—but in a good way. I liked the characters, even the ones that were a bit cliché. This was a cute, fun read with some laughs, and would be perfect for a weekend read. It felt a little bit like watching The Princess Bride, honestly.
Andy C. Naranjo is from New York. Cursed Ever After is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) in exchange for an honest review.)