(Book Review): Cursed by J. L. Armentrout

Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out.

However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

Rating: 3.2/5 stars

Published: May 24th, 2012

Series: Nope

Swoon Scale: 2.7/5; Sweet with a Spoonful of Sexy, 

Bonus points: Superpowers, Tears

Action: Ish

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout was honestly, a bit of a letdown.  All her other books? They’ve been phenomenal. I mean, okay, the Obsidian series? So much swoon, great characters, a really amazing story with funny bits as well as the potential to seriously make you weep, drama, suspense, aKshUUUNNN!

The Halfblood books? Also really good, with a really strong protagonist, great story, etc.

But something was missing from Cursed. It was a good book, but not an amazing one, like Armentrout’s books usually are. 

However, give it a try, it just might be your cup of tea.

Cursed is about a teen with a messed up ability and messed up life. Since this is Jennifer Armentrout, and she’s boss, Ember’s sadness and frustration really brought tears to my eyes at one point. This is always a good sign, since it really tells you that the writer knows what he/she’s doing, especially in my case, since I’m not really a crier.

There was a nice little mystery and plenty of  swoony romantic bits, which is really saying something since remember, Ember can’t really touch anyone!

As usual, JLA’s writing style was perfect, simple and straightforward, yet capturing the authentic teen tone well.

The problems I had with the book were mainly to do with the pacing and the characters. The book, for me, totally lagged a bit in the middle,  but a good start and finish sort of made up for that.

At times I found Ember's self pity a bit annoying, but I suppose she couldn’t help it, being so alone for so long. 

Overall Cursed was your typical good paranormal romance read with a likeable protagonist and another Hotty Mc Hotterson as a love interest.

One of the best parts is that it’s a standalone, even though there is potential for a series, so yay for a good PNR standalone! No waiting around for a sequel.

A huge thankyou to SpencerHillPress for providing me with the Cursed ARC!

Xx

ChickLitGirl