Reviews

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

baileycowen's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and I am glad I pushed through to the end!
Cursed Under London is a story of intrigue, mystery, magic, love, and found family.

Things I loved:
The banter was highly amusing and engaging, the ease between the characters and their humor was fun to read.
I appreciated the character's complexity and history, the way they seemed a to truly have flaws.
I liked the second half of the book a lot, the pace picked up quite a bit.
I loved the concept of how London as a city was set up, and the magic systems.

Things that were not my favorite:
I almost did not finish this book several times because the first half of it dragged so so much. It took me a long time to be able to tell which characters were talking when / who was who.
Once the plot picked up about 50% of the way through I finished the book in under a week, but the first half took me a month. The last bit of the story, and the character's themselves are the reason why I went up to 3 stars.
Sometimes the dialogue felt forced, and stilted or unnatural.

Overall, glad to have gotten to read this book!
I would like to thank NetGalley, Duckworth Books, and Gabby Hutchinson Crouch for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

jshawreads's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In an alternate timeline filled with magical species and undead humans, where "Deepsiders" live in a subterranean London populated by dragons, vampires, zombies, and all manner of dangerous creature, two "Uppersiders", Fang and Lazare, wake from ther violent deaths to find something has changed, and they are now somewhere between human and undead. Their adventure to learn more about and eventually lift this curse will take them through danger and mystery to the heart of Deepside and bring them closer to each other...

Delightfully funny, yet gruesome and horrifying, Cursed Under London succeeds with great world building and character development. Amber and Fang were real standouts for me, and this book also gets bonus points for a character name... Captain Dame Isobel Honkensby... I mean, that's just incredible...

Cursed Under London is a great story, with a fantastical world, lovable protagonists, a horrific and unsettling enemy, and so much humour! I really look forward to more in this series!

chanelchapters's review

NetGalley Arc

3 stars

Undead queer romance, maniacal Alchemists, sweet dragons and magical underground cities.

This is a fast paced, comical, monster filled book reminiscent of Un Lun Dun/Neverwhere.
The dragon, Amber was my favourite. And the kitty.
But the style, humour and comedy wasn't for me.

sinala8's review

4.0

      This book was so different from anything I'd ever read before in the best way possible. It felt like a cozy fantasy while still somehow being an urban slightly dark fantasy. It was overall a fun easy read that had me laughing out loud at times. I also thought that the found family within the book was so wholesome and cute. I also absolutely loved our little sidekick dragon Amber. Will most definitely be continuing this series, can't wait.
     Thank you NetGalley.

johnsnowwasright's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago books for this e-ARC!

If you want a unique and funny story with a grumpy/sunshine queer slow burn romance, found family and magical shenanigans, this is the book for you! 

I legitimately was laughing out loud at portions of this book because Crouch is so dang funny. And to her credit, she was also able to show restraint with the humor when the plot became more serious. 

Our cast of characters is nicely diverse and are all compelling. I loved reading their bickering but having each other's backs throughout the book. The cast of side characters added so much to the story, including the Queen's Guard being sentient large birds who say oh Quack instead of oh Shit.  (Also, zombie Kit Marlowe was such a great addition.) 

I will say the villain essentially defeats themselves which may bother some people but I felt it was appropriate for who the villain was. 

The only thing I didn't like was the vast number of anachronisms which messed with the flow of world building that was otherwise well done. 

I think this book is worth a read as you will definitely have a good time.

piperkitty's review

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

 

I recently finished a book that I found to be quite a quick and easy read. The story is set in an alternative Elizabethan era and centres around a romantic fantasy theme. The main characters are Fang and Lazare, two unique creatures who join forces with apothecary Nell and a small dragon named Amber to break a curse. While the story has its humorous moments, the frequent transitions in the narrative may challenge readers to keep pace with the unfolding events. I found it difficult at times to follow the narrative due to these frequent shifts. Moreover, I felt that the plot was lacking and in need of further development. Exploring a more nuanced and elaborate plot could have added depth and complexity to this already captivating storyline.

#BookReview #FantasyNovel #ElizabethanEra #CharacterDevelopment #CursedAdventure #MagicalCreatures #IntriguingPlot #LiteraryJourney #EnchantingTale #PlotTwists 

astilbethehobbit's review

funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

I want to start off by thanking NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for allowing me to read this!

I went into this deeply fascinated with the concept and being in Elizabethan London where monsters exist like Vampires, dragons, and even Zombies. 

However I felt deeply unconnected from the story. Sometimes I even felt lost. I had a very hard time wanting to continue to read it honestly. I was left feeling bored of the setting created. I also had a very hard time with the dialogue for some reason. That I could chalk up to possibly just being a me problem. 

I can say I did still love the characters within the story and the romance between Lazare and Fang. Although, it did feel possibly too fast? It just felt weird how much they came across disliking each other and then just, romance. 

I loved the concept of the book; it just didn’t feel executed correctly. I still feel lost honestly after finishing. 

2.5, rounded to 3 stars. 
Final rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

emilyexmas's review

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I’ve got mixed feelings about this book. It was absurd, funny, confusing, and sweet all at different times. It reminded me of some very funny satirical fanfiction o read a long time ago. A lot of lines that could have been followed by a ba-dum-tish. That satirical veneer kind of prevented the more serious aspects of the book from taking shape, though.

I did love the found family trope, that was really lovely. And Amber the mediocre dragon was a treat.

One thing, though: were the guards ACTUAL birds? I got so confused.

craftyhilary's review against another edition

Two not-quite-dead people, a small dragon, and a Welsh apothecary are thrown together in a fantasy version of Elizabethan London. (That's where I left off, about 16% into the book.) It's a fun premise, but I found the character development to be thin and the plot disjointed.  I'm not sure what the author felt was resonant about this setting, but the style and language certainly aren't suited to it. I think they're going for a Discworld vibe, but without Pratchett's deft touch. This one just isn't for me. 

smallbob's review

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0