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angelalibrosymiscelaneas's review
2.0
ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2/5---------------------------------3/10
This book was sadly an almost DNF for me. I didn't enjoy it enough to keep interested and I push through it since 30% in. I got myself on a reading slump and in the end, it was not worth it.
If you wonder what I found appealing about this novel at the beginning, I would say the fantasy elements recreating history to unite three different characters in one single and bigger story. The mystery of the box that appears every birthday, the roanoke mystery, the weird and magic lost village... That was so good...too good to be true.
Don't get me wrong, you are gonna find all those things you were promised at the premise of the book, but the execution may not give you what you were expecting.
I found the multiple POV boring the longer I read. Eleanor's perspective gave too much information for my linking to keep me guessing and John's chapters were soooooo boring... Reed made the book work for me at the beginning, but eventually, I found her character boring too.
The way the story develops from a writing point of view reminds me of Bone Crier's Moon, which may be a good sign for future readers of this book.
I would recommend this to fans of that type of "slow multiple POV, magic story with enemies to lovers". I also think would be great for those young readers who are into paranormal fantasy or even contemporary books.
My reason to say this is because the amount of fantasy you will find in this novel it's not a lot, and you will have demonic forces as the main focus.
Also, this is an opening book for a series. Don't expect a lot of action or...fantasy.
To me, it feels at the end too much like and long introduction instead of an actual story, but I still can't deny all the potential it has that may charm other readers.
2/5---------------------------------3/10
This book was sadly an almost DNF for me. I didn't enjoy it enough to keep interested and I push through it since 30% in. I got myself on a reading slump and in the end, it was not worth it.
If you wonder what I found appealing about this novel at the beginning, I would say the fantasy elements recreating history to unite three different characters in one single and bigger story. The mystery of the box that appears every birthday, the roanoke mystery, the weird and magic lost village... That was so good...too good to be true.
Don't get me wrong, you are gonna find all those things you were promised at the premise of the book, but the execution may not give you what you were expecting.
I found the multiple POV boring the longer I read. Eleanor's perspective gave too much information for my linking to keep me guessing and John's chapters were soooooo boring... Reed made the book work for me at the beginning, but eventually, I found her character boring too.
The way the story develops from a writing point of view reminds me of Bone Crier's Moon, which may be a good sign for future readers of this book.
I would recommend this to fans of that type of "slow multiple POV, magic story with enemies to lovers". I also think would be great for those young readers who are into paranormal fantasy or even contemporary books.
My reason to say this is because the amount of fantasy you will find in this novel it's not a lot, and you will have demonic forces as the main focus.
Also, this is an opening book for a series. Don't expect a lot of action or...fantasy.
To me, it feels at the end too much like and long introduction instead of an actual story, but I still can't deny all the potential it has that may charm other readers.
kariniwonderland's review
4.0
The Curse That Binds Us is an unique take on the story of the lost colony of Roanoke. A slow but fascinating read. So fascinating that I was disappointed that it ended with a cliffhanger, because I hadn’t realized that it was the first book in a series. Can’t wait to learn more about Redd’s mysterious past.
I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.
bkclub4one's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Curse That Binds Us is a fantasy story inspired by the history of the lost colony of Roanoke.
It is told through the interchanging POV of three characters. Two from the present and one from the past.One of the characters from the present is Redd, our protagonist and special snowflake. She is a teenage girl with an unusual life.
Every year on her birthday, a mysterious box appears at her house and she and her mother are forced to skip town.They have been running for her entire life and she is sick of it. So when the box shows up again this time she opens it. By doing this, she awakens the evil connection her mother had been trying to protect her from. There is more to the story but that's the gist of it because the entire book revolves around Redd.
This was an interesting story. It had me at the edge of my seat especially the last quarter although nothing happened as expected. It ended with a cliffhanger so things will probably get real in book 2.
The only major problem I had with this book was the beginning. It was hard to get into and confusing. The multiple POVs didn't help matters.It only got better around the 40% mark and just at the right time because I was losing the will to continue. The characters were annoying which meant that there was little to motivate me to reach that 40% mark other than plain old curiosity. To top it all off the "romance" was of the insta-love variety and it made no sense.
With that said will I be reading the second book? Absolutely. The general storyline is unique enough to catch my interest. Plus I can't wait for Redd to discover that in her case mother actually knows best.
The Curse That Binds Us is a fantasy story inspired by the history of the lost colony of Roanoke.
It is told through the interchanging POV of three characters. Two from the present and one from the past.One of the characters from the present is Redd, our protagonist and special snowflake. She is a teenage girl with an unusual life.
Every year on her birthday, a mysterious box appears at her house and she and her mother are forced to skip town.They have been running for her entire life and she is sick of it. So when the box shows up again this time she opens it. By doing this, she awakens the evil connection her mother had been trying to protect her from. There is more to the story but that's the gist of it because the entire book revolves around Redd.
This was an interesting story. It had me at the edge of my seat especially the last quarter although nothing happened as expected. It ended with a cliffhanger so things will probably get real in book 2.
The only major problem I had with this book was the beginning. It was hard to get into and confusing. The multiple POVs didn't help matters.It only got better around the 40% mark and just at the right time because I was losing the will to continue. The characters were annoying which meant that there was little to motivate me to reach that 40% mark other than plain old curiosity. To top it all off the "romance" was of the insta-love variety and it made no sense.
With that said will I be reading the second book? Absolutely. The general storyline is unique enough to catch my interest. Plus I can't wait for Redd to discover that in her case mother actually knows best.
teatime_and_reading's review
3.0
**Thank you Netgalley and the author for this ARC.
This wasn't entirely my cup of tea, the romance fell a little flat for me. I didn't feel their chemistry at all. However, I was completely engrossed with the plot, the last 30% of the book had me at the edge of my seat.
If you like a page turner, ''i love you but have to kill you" romance, a fantasy with a historical and a contemporary settings then this is right up your alley.
Cons :
Eleanor's pov; I felt completely detached from the story during Eleanor's chapters. It was a struggle reading through those.
Confusing world building
Kinda Insta love!!
Twilight vibes
Pros:
Interesting plot
A fierce heroine
A great female friendship ( sisters before misters
This wasn't entirely my cup of tea, the romance fell a little flat for me. I didn't feel their chemistry at all. However, I was completely engrossed with the plot, the last 30% of the book had me at the edge of my seat.
If you like a page turner, ''i love you but have to kill you" romance, a fantasy with a historical and a contemporary settings then this is right up your alley.
Cons :
Eleanor's pov; I felt completely detached from the story during Eleanor's chapters. It was a struggle reading through those.
Confusing world building
Kinda Insta love!!
Twilight vibes
Pros:
Interesting plot
A fierce heroine
A great female friendship ( sisters before misters
millennialbookreview's review
4.0
**I was provided with an ARC by Netgalley for review purposes.
This book is a delightfully dark fantasy that puts its own spin on the mystery surrounding the Roanoke colony. I loved the way the author combined the dark fantasy elements of the story she wanted to tell with the historical facts we know about the lost colony. The plot really melds those two things, historical detail and dark fantasy elements, really well so that it doesn't feel like one is ever being sacrificed or shoe-horned in to serve the other. The plot has plenty of twists and turns along the way, and left me wanting more when the story ended.
The novel's told through three points of view, which works really well for this story because each POV character gives a unique view on the world/events as a whole. Redd provides a modern, "average Jane" perspective, Eleanor provides a historical perspective, and also fills in some of the gaps that might be missing and John gives a perspective that spans both time and space, and adds a bit of nuance to the conflict at the center of the story. The story truly becomes interesting when these POVs entwine.
The beginning of this novel is a bit confusing. The reader comes into the world not having a good idea of what's going on, who the "sides" of the main conflict are or even what the conflict is. As a result, when the inciting incident happens, the reader might still have a lot of questions they need answered before becoming invested in the story. It kept me guessing and invested, but for some readers, it might be a little too much mystery on the outset. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the romance.
This book is a delightfully dark fantasy that puts its own spin on the mystery surrounding the Roanoke colony. I loved the way the author combined the dark fantasy elements of the story she wanted to tell with the historical facts we know about the lost colony. The plot really melds those two things, historical detail and dark fantasy elements, really well so that it doesn't feel like one is ever being sacrificed or shoe-horned in to serve the other. The plot has plenty of twists and turns along the way, and left me wanting more when the story ended.
The novel's told through three points of view, which works really well for this story because each POV character gives a unique view on the world/events as a whole. Redd provides a modern, "average Jane" perspective, Eleanor provides a historical perspective, and also fills in some of the gaps that might be missing and John gives a perspective that spans both time and space, and adds a bit of nuance to the conflict at the center of the story. The story truly becomes interesting when these POVs entwine.
The beginning of this novel is a bit confusing. The reader comes into the world not having a good idea of what's going on, who the "sides" of the main conflict are or even what the conflict is. As a result, when the inciting incident happens, the reader might still have a lot of questions they need answered before becoming invested in the story. It kept me guessing and invested, but for some readers, it might be a little too much mystery on the outset. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the romance.
sarina_langer's review
5.0
Well, I absolutely loved this :O I'm never sure with anything historical fantasy, but the historical aspects of this weren't the main focus so I didn't mind.
The history of the plot did have a large part to play though. I *love* multiple POVs when done well, and Hayoz did it expertly. Two of those take place today, the other in the past when the events that kick off the plot first begin. I loved that part and couldn't wait to see how it would all come together.
I also loved the take on the devil (this book doesn't feel religious in any way should you be worried about that!) and his hell hounds. I love how the curse came about and how Hayoz weaved it and Eden into everything. And you know I love a cliffhanger ending ^-^
The date range on here doesn't reflect it very well since I didn't read every day, but I read this in three sittings. I consider myself a slow reader, so that should tell you everything :)
So, basically, I loved everything about this book. I've already pre-ordered the next one and can't wait to see how this story continues.
(also, the cover is stunning, so it's a crime I don't have the hardback on my shelf.)
The history of the plot did have a large part to play though. I *love* multiple POVs when done well, and Hayoz did it expertly. Two of those take place today, the other in the past when the events that kick off the plot first begin. I loved that part and couldn't wait to see how it would all come together.
I also loved the take on the devil (this book doesn't feel religious in any way should you be worried about that!) and his hell hounds. I love how the curse came about and how Hayoz weaved it and Eden into everything. And you know I love a cliffhanger ending ^-^
The date range on here doesn't reflect it very well since I didn't read every day, but I read this in three sittings. I consider myself a slow reader, so that should tell you everything :)
So, basically, I loved everything about this book. I've already pre-ordered the next one and can't wait to see how this story continues.
(also, the cover is stunning, so it's a crime I don't have the hardback on my shelf.)
abrittlebee's review
3.0
I like Katie Hayoz because they always provide a good mystery. The Curse that Binds Us is no different. It is a creepy, parallel plot, devil’s due, supernatural thriller with an intrinsic but sinister puzzle for the reader to pick apart piece by piece. It is scary, but fun. However, some through narratives are definitely more dynamic than others.
I really liked this as a spooky read. It isn’t unnerving in the same way that a psychological thriller is, but neither is it a monster story. If anything I would call it occultish, similar to something more Lovecraftian—where the monster or magical object is rarely ever shown, and the horror is more about how people degrade under the power and ability that catalyst gives.
Admittedly, I did have some trouble with the multiple narrators and timelines. It is not that I found them confusing, but rather that I gravitated to one particular one. Throughout reading The Curse that Binds Us, Eleanor’s story was definitely my favourite. Which was a problem only in that John and Redd’s stories ran simultaneously while Eleanor’s was in the past, so for over half the book I was waiting for my favourite timeline to come back and tell me what was going on. John and Redd were still interesting and enjoyable, however their combined narrative was a lot more slow burn and complicated with emotional teenage baggage, on top of all the supernatural baggage, so it felt bigger and more long-winded.
I did like this and would definitely tell anyone looking for creepy occult horror/Blair Witch vibes to pick this one up.
I really liked this as a spooky read. It isn’t unnerving in the same way that a psychological thriller is, but neither is it a monster story. If anything I would call it occultish, similar to something more Lovecraftian—where the monster or magical object is rarely ever shown, and the horror is more about how people degrade under the power and ability that catalyst gives.
Admittedly, I did have some trouble with the multiple narrators and timelines. It is not that I found them confusing, but rather that I gravitated to one particular one. Throughout reading The Curse that Binds Us, Eleanor’s story was definitely my favourite. Which was a problem only in that John and Redd’s stories ran simultaneously while Eleanor’s was in the past, so for over half the book I was waiting for my favourite timeline to come back and tell me what was going on. John and Redd were still interesting and enjoyable, however their combined narrative was a lot more slow burn and complicated with emotional teenage baggage, on top of all the supernatural baggage, so it felt bigger and more long-winded.
I did like this and would definitely tell anyone looking for creepy occult horror/Blair Witch vibes to pick this one up.
cmarttinn's review
3.0
*** Thank you netgalley for kindly providing an arc of this book to me.
When I first read this synopsis, I was really intrigued by the concept of this book, so I immediately started reading it. I liked reading about our characters as well the the three perspectives we got. However, I found the writing too fast paced to go along properly with the story, and because of that the plot felt very rushed. I didn't really understand why our main character didn't question more things at the beginning, and just seemed to go along with the flow. I also didn't really vibe with the writing in general. It was pretty straightforward at first, which I liked, but then the author seemed to want to be the next erin morgenstern and came up with these incredible flowery descriptions that had nothing to do with the original scheme of the writing and felt kind of out of nowhere.
However, that said, I did enjoy the story overall and thought it was pretty okay.
When I first read this synopsis, I was really intrigued by the concept of this book, so I immediately started reading it. I liked reading about our characters as well the the three perspectives we got. However, I found the writing too fast paced to go along properly with the story, and because of that the plot felt very rushed. I didn't really understand why our main character didn't question more things at the beginning, and just seemed to go along with the flow. I also didn't really vibe with the writing in general. It was pretty straightforward at first, which I liked, but then the author seemed to want to be the next erin morgenstern and came up with these incredible flowery descriptions that had nothing to do with the original scheme of the writing and felt kind of out of nowhere.
However, that said, I did enjoy the story overall and thought it was pretty okay.
alifeoflit's review
3.0
If it wasn't for the insta-love, this would've been a GREAT book. YA, fantasy, interesting concept, unique storyline. I definitely want to read book 2, but I really wish the romance was more slow burn.
harrowhcrk's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Rating: 4.25/5 stars
Every year on Redd’s birthday, a box appears, one she knows holds the answers to who she is, the answers her mother keeps from her. Every year, her mother hides the box before Redd can open it—until her 18th birthday.
This book was so incredibly well written, I am in awe. There are three point of views, and all three have such distinct voices; Redd and John and Eleanor all feel so completely their own characters, with even the writing style between the three adopting its own flavor. I’m sometimes iffy about multiple first person POV books, but this is honestly one of the best written ones I have ever read.
Plot wise, the pacing of The Curse That Binds Us is outstanding. The tension increases so fluidly throughout the story, and everything is revealed at a time that makes complete sense and that delivers such a strong punch. Redd trying to find the answers to who she really is drives the story, and John’s moral struggles mixed with Eleanor’s recollection of the past guide this along. I was constantly hooked, reading attentively waiting for the next new juicy detail to come to light.
One issue I have with a lot of books is how often the main character is the last to reach a conclusion that’s long been made clear to the reader; here, though, Redd made the connections quickly enough, and in a timeline that made complete sense with the plot. The only real reason my rating drops a bit is how frustrated I grew with how Redd reacted to these reveals. However!! This is something that is just a downfall of being someone who reviews based on emotions, because no matter how annoyed I could get, I always understood exactly why Redd reacted how she did. It was all consistent with her character, and all an understandable response based on what she’d experienced until that point.
All this to say, even the very few parts that bugged me were incredibly well done. I can’t recommend this book enough; and I can’t wait for the next installment!!!
Rating: 4.25/5 stars
Every year on Redd’s birthday, a box appears, one she knows holds the answers to who she is, the answers her mother keeps from her. Every year, her mother hides the box before Redd can open it—until her 18th birthday.
This book was so incredibly well written, I am in awe. There are three point of views, and all three have such distinct voices; Redd and John and Eleanor all feel so completely their own characters, with even the writing style between the three adopting its own flavor. I’m sometimes iffy about multiple first person POV books, but this is honestly one of the best written ones I have ever read.
Plot wise, the pacing of The Curse That Binds Us is outstanding. The tension increases so fluidly throughout the story, and everything is revealed at a time that makes complete sense and that delivers such a strong punch. Redd trying to find the answers to who she really is drives the story, and John’s moral struggles mixed with Eleanor’s recollection of the past guide this along. I was constantly hooked, reading attentively waiting for the next new juicy detail to come to light.
One issue I have with a lot of books is how often the main character is the last to reach a conclusion that’s long been made clear to the reader; here, though, Redd made the connections quickly enough, and in a timeline that made complete sense with the plot. The only real reason my rating drops a bit is how frustrated I grew with how Redd reacted to these reveals. However!! This is something that is just a downfall of being someone who reviews based on emotions, because no matter how annoyed I could get, I always understood exactly why Redd reacted how she did. It was all consistent with her character, and all an understandable response based on what she’d experienced until that point.
All this to say, even the very few parts that bugged me were incredibly well done. I can’t recommend this book enough; and I can’t wait for the next installment!!!