Book Review: Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon (St. Rosetta’s Academy #1)
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon is a YA retelling of the memorable classic fairy tale, “Beauty and the Beast“. Set in an elite boarding school with a diverse cast and a romance so known and yet unknown, read the publication history, genre, book summary, quotes, other similar book recommendations, St. Rosetta’s Academy Book series and book review of “Of Curses and Kisses” by Sandhya Menon in this post below.
About Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon:
No. of Pages: 384
Publication Date: February 18th 2020 by Simon Pulse
Series: St. Rosetta’s Academy #1
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Young Adult, Teen, Contemporary Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling, Fantasy, Romance, Beauty and the Beast retelling
Reading Age: 12 years and above
Can be read as a standalone? YES
Buy From: AMAZON.IN | AMAZON.COM
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon Book Review:
Book Summary:
A tortured hero who believes himself cursed, and a prim and proper Indian Princess on a revenge mission fall in love in Sandhya Menon’s latest fairy tale romance, Of Curses and Kisses. A “Beauty and the Beast” retelling, this YA fantasy romance takes the readers to an elite boarding school, St. Rosetta’s Academy where only the rich study.
Generations ago, a theft started a feud between the royal Emerson family from England and the royal family of Mysuru, the Rao family. Subsequently, The Raos cursed the Emersons when they didn’t return what they had stolen and ever since there has been bad blood between the families. When a scandal leaves the younger Rao princess shattered, the elder Princess, Princess Jaya vows revenge against the Emerson heir who, she suspects, had a hand in starting the scandal. The plan is simple. Get admission in the school where he studies, make him fall in love with her and then break his heart. It is all straightforward but what happens when real love makes an appearance?
Book Review Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
I absolutely adore reading fairy tale retellings and my favourite kind are the Beauty and the Beast inspired romance stories. It was the author’s name and the cover that first intrigued me. Then when I heard it was based on a fairy tale, I knew I had to read it.
I fell in love with Grey right from the start and my heart wept at what he had faced since childhood. Made to believe that he was a murderer, an abomination, cursed and unworthy, Grey has been alone all his life. He is afraid to make friends, remains secluded, and alone. His family left him at St. Rosetta’s and never looked back. He has been made to believe that he will die from the curse on his eighteenth birthday. A boy with a heart of gold, I rooted for a happy ending for him and wanted to thrash his father for his cruelty towards his son.
One of my favourite quotes from Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon:
‘Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty.'”
Jaya is the perfect daughter and the perfect Princess. She has followed her parents’ every wish and done everything expected of her station in life. Her life has been mapped out for her and she is ready to fulfill her responsibilities as a Princess. Her interactions with Grey and her attempts at flirtation and making him fall in love with her were funny and had me laughing and thoroughly entertained.
The other diverse characters are all a hoot and I loved experiencing the lives of the rich kids at an elite school.
The story had me engaged throughout though it did meander a bit in places. I loved following the story and stayed engrossed, wanting to see how the curse would get broken.
The world building is splendid. St. Rosetta’s Academy had the enchanting feel of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books. You will know what I am saying when you read the book!
The end is beautiful and had me smiling like a goof.
Things that could be better:
My only complain is that the story slowed down in the middle and the last part was hurriedly wrapped. The solutions and the curse mystery while admirably woven in the story, everything got solved so seemingly easily and suddenly that I was left thinking that “if it was so easy why didn’t they do this before?”
I wanted to know what happened to the ruby and the vengeful side of me wanted to see Grey’s father suffering and wanted to know his side too but I didn’t get this.
Conclusion:
All in all, this is a light, breezy, and interesting romance with all the magical feels of a fairy tale. A quick read that you will enjoy diving into, I give Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon 4 out of 5 stars and Njkinny recommends this Beauty and the Beast fairy tale inspired romance to everyone. I look forward to reading the other books in this series and hope we get stories of all the lovely characters introduced in this book.
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