Title: Cursed
Author: Thomas Wheeler, Frank Miller (illustrator)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: October 1, 2019
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Summary
Nimue has always been an outsider in her Druid village, ever since she was touched by dark magic as a child. However, on the day she was going to leave, fate intervened. The Red Paladins, a religious group. slaughters her entire village. Her mother gifts her the Sword of Power and tells her one thing: get it to the famed magician, Merlin.
But, this proves to be no easy task. On her way to Merlin, Nimue teams up with Arthur, a mercenary with a past. Together, the two embark on a quest to return the Sword to its rightful owner. The quest reveals things about the sword that Nimue wished she never knew–and maybe no one should be able to wield that much power. But what if that power could save her people from prosecution?
Review: Cursed
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this to review! I had heard about the book at BookCon, and it sounded intriguing. A King Arthur retelling, gender swapped. Admittedly, I’m only vaguely familiar with the King Arthur story. But this was an enchanting retelling, nonetheless!
I’ll start out by saying I can’t wait to see the finished copy so I can see the finished illustrations. I think they’ll definitely add a lot to the story; a magical element that’s missing without the finalized art. As far as I can tell, they supplement the story really well and help to create the atmosphere Wheeler has created in the story.
Seeing familiar characters also really helps to bring the story to life. However, there were times where I found it a tad difficult to follow the story, and I wonder if it would have helped if I was more familiar with the original King Arthur. There were characters that I recognized, but I couldn’t remember how they fit into the original. But, they’re well-rounded characters that you’re cheering for in the end, pulling you into this magical world that Wheeler has created.
After a bit of research, I’ve also learned that this isn’t necessarily a retelling, just telling the story from a different lens. Would I have rathered a female version of King Arthur? Yes, I think so. However, I did enjoy Nimue’s story, and her dedication to helping her people. She was the focal point of the book, and she shined throughout. I’m curious about the Netflix adaptation, because the overall book definitely read like a movie. It definitely lends itself to an onscreen adaptation.
There’s also a lot of history in the book, which helped me to learn about the time period the book was set in. An overall enchanting story, just a bit different than I expected.
3.5/5 stars