This surprised me. I liked it way more than I thought I might. The world building was interesting and it hit all the right fantasy tropes. Elea was very likable and the romance between her and Rowan was sweet. It was pretty tame really, the novel focuses way more on the actual plot of defeating the villain. I would've liked more secondary character development and a bit more background on Elea and her childhood but what was there worked. That said, I was disappointed with the ending - it does wrap the plot up - mostly - but just not in the way I liked. I wanted her and Rowan to talk and admit to feelings or not admit but decide they work well together and team up for the next adventure - and whether they do or not, decide that in this book. Still it was a fun read. ( )

Elea is massively powerful, you could even consider her the most powerful necromancer in history. While she doesn't plan on using her powers to become a Grand Mistress Necromancer (which is apparently like the biggest deal there can be for a necromancer in this world), she can't deny how strong she is. When her best friend is killed and cursed by the Tsar, and then Elea is sentenced with the same curse, Elea has to decide if and how she'll break it.

As with any good curse, the only way to break it is to kill the one who casts it. Luckily for Elea, she meets Rowan, a Caster with the same mission to kill the Tsar. Though their chemistry is undeniable, it is definitely a slow burn that I hope to see turn into a wildfire in Book 2.

It took me a while to get into the story, but I think that it's a worthwhile read for sure. The 5-year time jump that takes place between chapters 1 and 2 was a little disorienting, but it wasn't unmanageable to understand. I do wish readers could see just a little bit of the changes that occurred in Elea over this time period, as it might have helped with understanding some bits. The characters are compelling and I found myself curious as to how this would set things up for the next book in the series, which you can see my review of here. Elea's resiliency was definitely a big factor in my enjoyment and I am excited to see how this continues through the rest of the series.

Overall Rating: 2.5/5 (rounded to 2)

Cursed is available for purchase now, so be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where it's available for purchase. Also, be sure to check out Christina Bauer's website!

I was lucky enough to be able to read this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )

From one of my favorite independent authors, Christina Bauer, comes a new series that may as well be put on my, well, favorite new series. I loved reading her Angelbound series and when I saw an e-mail asking me to review Cursed, I almost fainted and immediately downloaded it on my Kindle.

Necromancers have always been one of my favorite beings and though the whole necromancer thing in the story are a bit dull compared to what I know, I still ate up the story like candy. Let's start off with Elea who begins off as an untrained necromancer who doesn't want to learn more about her abilities. As someone like me, I couldn't believe her not wanting to be one and get more powerful and under control. She is a solid character and her strong nature is always a favorite trait for me.

I really loved how... (more via website) ( )

*Great start to a series. Plot-driven emphasis on moving the action along.

*No romance yet but hinted. Good foundation; potentially strong romance.

*I like the MC. Go, girl! Control your hormones. XDDD

Note: I need to write more lengthy reviews again. Heh.
Note2: I checked and I have to wait until October to read the second book. *sigh* ( )

CURSED started out pretty slow but quickly started catching my attention and once it did, I was interested until the end.

The events in CURSED happen really fast. We get some background, then jump into the action pretty quickly. Elea knows what she needs to do and doesn't let anything—even personal danger—pull her off course. Which really isn't surprising considering if she doesn't stay on course she will die. She works hard and I could definitely see that in everything she did.

It is clear pretty early on that Elea and Rowan will fall for each other. They were sent to each other to achieve their mutual goals and their connection grows really fast. Unfortunately I didn't get the amount of romance I wanted out of these two. Hopefully book two will bring that out.

I enjoyed the Beholder series world. Bauer has a great imagination and her words really brought everything to life. Once you get past the slower beginning the flow of the story picks up and I had no problem staying in the scenes. There are quite a few things left up in the air after CURSED ended and I will be keeping an eye out for book two, CONCEALED, so I can find out what the characters will be up to next.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )