“Of Curses and Kisses” Review: A Book That Fell Flat

Book Title: Of Curses and Kisses

Author: Sandhya Menon

Length: 400 pages

Genre: YA, romance, fairytale retelling, fiction

My Rating: 1/5

Age Rating: 12+

Content Notes: no sexual content, language, parental neglect and emotional abuse, bullying, emotional themes, underaged drinking, curses/magic, classism. (didn’t finish book so there might be more?)

My Review:

I was really looking forward to this one. The cover was adorable, the synopsis sounded cute, and one of my friends was already reading it, so I thought it’d be fun to read together.

But this book was missing the spark I so wanted. The characters fell flat, the worldbuilding was good but didn’t leave me wanting more, and the moments that should have been filled with chemistry and banter felt ordinary and uneventful. It was downright disappointing.

This book could have had really good enemies-to-lovers vibes, but somehow, even with all the right components in place, it didn’t feel that enjoyable to read. I felt bored during their banter, and annoyed at his grumpiness instead of intrigued, like I should have been.

The writing style was simple — not poetic or action-filled — and I found it slightly hard to get immersed in the story and characters, even though it was easy to read. It was full of over-explanations that, instead of clearing things up, either took me out of the story or left me with more questions. Not to mention, the big secret she was keeping didn’t feel like that big of a secret. The stakes just weren’t high enough for me.

One thing I did enjoy was how she depicted the responsibility that comes with being an eldest child — the weight of always feeling like you have to care for your younger siblings, even when no one asked you to. She captured that so well, it made me wonder if she’s an eldest child herself. On the other hand, the whole “royal obligations” and “stuck in tradition” part got a bit old after just a few chapters.

From what I did read, I can tell you there’s no explicit sexual content in this book. There is some language, both mild and stronger. One of the side characters is having an affair with someone already in a relationship. Throughout the book, she keeps reaffirming to herself that what she’s doing is okay, and it bothered me slightly, since it obviously isn’t. Not to mention that the guy she’s having an affair with is a jerk. So overall, it’s just a bad situation, and it was something I felt was unnecessary to the story.

I’d suggest skipping this one. It isn’t worth your precious time, and it could turn you off from other amazing YA romance books that are out there. Because trust me, they are out there. I hope this helps you find books with greatness built into every part of them.

Happy Reading,

Ava