The Queen of Cursed Things by S.M. Gaither – A Book Review

Posted March 23, 2020 by Booksandblurbs in Fantasy, Reviews, YA/NA / 1 Comment

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The Queen of Cursed Things

(The Serpents and Kings Trilogy – Book 1)

by S.M. Gaither
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fantasy
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down & Dirty

Symbols and mythology take on a new life in this intricate Fantasy adventure, setting up a trilogy that is filled with danger and betrayal. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

She’s the last member of a cursed and deadly clan.
He’s the crown prince with a dangerous secret.
Together, they’ll save the empire. Or destroy it.

Decades ago, the High King of Sundolia waged a war that vanquished the serpent clan and drove them out of the empire, reducing them to nothing more than legends spoken of in occasional frightened whispers.

But they did not leave peacefully. Their parting gift included curses that now rest within the empire’s soil, beneath the shade of its jungles, treading through the waves of its seas. Growing more and more dormant as the years pass under the shadow of that increasingly tyrannical high king.

Until Alaya—a girl with a hidden serpent mark who shouldn’t exist—accidentally wakes one of them up. Then another. And suddenly she finds herself near universally despised and feared, a scapegoat exiled from her adopted village and left with no choice but to seek the truth about her cursed bloodline. About her true home. About a power, stolen from the serpent goddess herself, that is supposedly resting in that home. It is the sort of power that could help her overthrow a king, expose the lies he’s told, and put a stop to his wars.

But the closer she gets to that power, the more complicated the truth becomes. The more dangerous her waking power seems. And the more she begins to wonder: Can you still be the hero if you were born a curse?

Thoughts on The Queen of Cursed Things

The concept of this book and the foundation it lays on is flat out fascinating – but I found myself drifting away from it a few too many times. There is nothing wrong with it, it just couldn’t hold my attention the way something like this should have.

A mysterious past, a rebellious prince, a destiny that could make or break the kingdom… it has all the elements that should have made this a 5 star read, and there are quite a few reviewers on Amazon that think it is, I am just not one of them. For me, it was just OK.

Favorite Line:

But here is the truth they did not consider: No mother ever wanted to believe their child was a curse. (2%)

Pros:

Great foundation.
Hard choices.

Cons:

Didn’t feel very engaging.
Some parts were very muddled and lacked explanation.
The narrative flow was disjointed.
The FMC is useless.

Perspective

Third Person, Multiple POV

Ending Type

Cliffhanger

Rating

Upper YA

Romantic Dynamic

M/F

Character Age Range

18+

My Final Verdict on The Queen of Cursed Things

For some, this type of Fantasy will be sublime. For me, it lacked a certain and flow and punch. That said, it’s free on Kindle Unlimited – so give it a shot!

Published September 12th, 2019
484 Pages