Book Review: Curse & Spindle
An enchanting fairytale retelling novella by Chelsey Ann Tompkins
“We have now. We have this moment, right now. Will you live it with me?”
Synopsis
From the book blurb:
Hidden away all twenty-five years of her life in Moonstone Wood, Seraphine Dupont is rudely awakened to the life she was born to live: a princess betrothed to a loathsome prince, destined for a curse she has been protected from since birth.
But on her wedding day, the cunning Ravenfae Prince Korven interrupts the ceremony, delivering her curse and unknowingly plunging her into her darkest fate. When a fae Goddess intervenes, pulling Seraphine’s spirit from her body, she and Korven are tasked with finding the one who can love her most before the ten days are up and they both are dead.
As the days tick by and they search for someone to deliver the legendary kiss, Seraphine’s spirit slowly solidifies, igniting the unbearable tension between her and Korven. Every touch and lingering glance draws them closer to surrendering to their deepest desire–each other and a future together that can never be.
Affiliate Disclaimer
I purchased the eBook edition through Kindle, and I’ll be linking to that page where you can also explore the paperback and hardcover editions. I did check Tompkin’s website and bookshop.org before establishing “the link”!
As of the time of this review posting, Curse & Spindle is only available via Amazon. (If I’m mistaken, someone please let me know!)
Links will include my affiliate tag and may earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Narrative
Written in First Person/Past Tense, the narrative prose gives us focused views through the eyes of both Korven and Seraphine in alternating chapters.
I will say I was super relieved at the Past Tense aspect, because I’m personally kind of “over” the all-too-common First Person/Present Tense that forces me into shoes I really don’t want to be in. With past tense, it feels more like the characters are sharing with me what happened over a drink or two (or…more…), and I always feel more at ease when diving into stories that way.
Time Period/Setting
This is set in a medieval-esque storybook fantasy realm, kicking off right as Seraphine is about to marry a rather insufferable man. I mean, right as she’s about to marry him.
It’s also not long after a rather devastating series of events occurred among the fae folk—which I’m not going to delve into because #spoilers, but also because I get the feeling that I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg in this book where that subplot is concerned. While Curse & Spindle is a standalone novella, it is also part of a series of standalone fairytale retellings which all seem to share one unique (meaning: original and not part of the retellings) subplot among the fae involved with the main stories.
Theme
What really struck me in the softer moments of the story was how the concept of “being seen” really pulls through with Seraphine and Korven.
Both of them share a rather poignant reality of existence: he’s part of a people, a species rather, that a lot of people don’t want to acknowledge or when they do, it’s with fear and/or apprehension. She’s part of an aristocracy and royal hierarchy where she, too, is only acknowledged when she’s needed for an agenda (such as marriage, titles, land, etc.). Otherwise, she’s unseen and unheard and definitely not recognized as anything more than a means to an end.
So when the adventure kicks off with an interesting curse—one that really underlines the whole concept of her being “invisible” to the world around her—it not only proves a point to the reader, but forces both our protagonists to do the one thing they’ve been avoiding for literal years:
Actually look at each other.
Symbolism
I touched on a lot of this already, but there is more woven throughout the story that I found made it especially wonderful beyond the quick “roll in the hay” I honestly sort of expected going in.
Listen. I know sex sells. I just think we sell it a little too much sometimes, and that can skew expectations away from the reality, y’know what I mean?
Curse & Spindle has a lot more heart and thought-provoking notions than just “kiss the maiden and break the curse”. Concepts of loving yourself despite the external noise and criticisms, learning to deal with grief and loss even if it’s not your own (because tragedy can often make a rippling effect), and working (by talking) through mutual hurts and supposed betrayals are all worked into this magical storyscape in lighthearted ways that eventually, gradually, deepen into something that might just make you need a moment to process.
Genre
This is definitely a fairytale retelling, but I also feel like it qualifies as almost-original Romantasy in the way the subplot adds an extra layer of depth that made me want to read every other book in the series that’s yet to come out. (Correction: most of them are out. I somehow missed that and will now be running to that digital shopping cart!)
It also made me quickly scramble for the previous books because of how things were worded! I may have broken out into a slightly cold sweat/panic wondering if I missed something? Did I grab the wrong book out of sequence?
No. This is the first book in the series; it’s just masterfully crafted in a way that will probably turn you into an addict out of an aching need to know more.
The room faded with everything around it, leaving just a hidden princess and the Ravenfae Prince she had fallen for a very long time ago, keeping her safe, keeping her warm, unknowingly keeping her his as she always would be.
Comparisons
I confess to being woefully bereft of sufficient comparisons. I definitely need to read more fairytale retellings so I can have a backlog of “if you love that, then you’ll love this”!
But I will mention that the vibes of the story kept bringing to mind some of my more favorite movies and television series:
The Princess Bride
The 10th Kingdom
Once Upon a Time
Maleficent (okay this one is a bit obvious, but I mean this as in, if you’ve been fan-girling over Diaval and wished he’d get his own story, this book might scratch that exact itch)
My Personal Opinion
I’m skipping over my usual “analysis” section to get right to sharing my personal opinion—mostly because this book is a 174-page novella and a rather lighthearted one at that.
This is what I would call a “palette cleanser” for my usually heavy TBR: it was easy to read in one sitting, thoroughly enjoyable, still full of depth and meaning even while dancing through fae magic and playful tricks…and yes, it had delicious spice right where it made the most sense for there to be.
Without getting gross, which I think is an important thing to note. I’m not wanting to yuck anyone’s yum on this, but for me personally there are times when the prose of a spicy scene feels less tantalizing and more like listening to someone loudly chew their food with their mouth open.
This felt like dessert.
Delicious, sweet-yet-rich, triple-chocolate cheesecake in a warm, sudsy bath kind of dessert.
I’m definitely adding every title in the series to my TBR, and I’ve gone and subscribed to the Author Newsletter so I can know when new books are coming out, maybe get some behind-the-scenes fun, and generally just fangirl every time a new edition drops in my inbox.
Also, can we talk about the gorgeous cover? They’re all like that!
Paperbacks incoming to my bookshelves, ASAP.
About the Author
From the author’s bio:
Chelsey Ann Tompkins writes romance in a fantasy setting with some good twists and spice along the way. A Conduit of Light Series is her first series and A Realm of Revelry is her ongoing series of standalone spicy fairytales. She lives near Seattle with her family where she loves to read on the rainiest days with a good cup of coffee.
You can follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her newsletter on her website:
https://chelseyanntompkins.com/
If you’re looking for fun, fantasy, and a romance that makes your toes kick…
This might tickle that sweet spot in the best way.
I’m going to be eagerly awaiting the updates on new book releases from Tompkins, adding each one to my iPad, and eventually get the fancy hardcovers for my personal library (note to self: build more shelves).
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