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Cursed
Have you ever agreed to something without understanding the consequences? What would you do if a cursed object came into your possession?Burn it?Seek spiritual help?Pass it on?This is the impossible choice Curtis must face as a sinister entity is thrust upon him. As the walls close in and the evil takes hold, he must act before his life is forever altered. Curtis is haunted.Curtis is afraid.Curtis is... CursedThe ideal read for fans of horror, mystery thrillers, possessions and supernatural beings. The Grudge meets Drag Me To Hell, Cursed is the story of one man's relentless journey through darkness and isolation, as he discovers how far he's willing to go to save himself and those closest to him.
127 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2023
137 people are currently reading
1693 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
July 11, 2024
The Curse of the Soul Eater...
CURSED by Leigh Kenny
No spoilers. 3 stars. In the town of Oak River, garbage men Curtis and his best friend Tim were collecting rubbish on their route when...
They happened upon a distraught woman hurriedly taking a cardboard box to the curb for pickup...
Curtis asked the woman if the box was for trash collection...
The woman answered: Yes...
But...
She insisted that Curtis say that he WANTED to take the box from her before she would give it over to him...
Thinking that the woman was some kind of nut...
Curtis took the box from her and said that he WANTED to take the box off her hands...
And later on that night...
Curtis learned that he had agreed to accept the curse of the Soul Eater that went with the box...
Now...
The demon would be his forever unless he found another unsuspecting sucker to take the box off his hands...
This novella was a pretty standard curse story with a plot that has been done many times over by just changing character names. Nothing original, and there were many loose ends.
If you have a little time to kill, this story will do it.
CURSED by Leigh Kenny
No spoilers. 3 stars. In the town of Oak River, garbage men Curtis and his best friend Tim were collecting rubbish on their route when...
They happened upon a distraught woman hurriedly taking a cardboard box to the curb for pickup...
Curtis asked the woman if the box was for trash collection...
The woman answered: Yes...
But...
She insisted that Curtis say that he WANTED to take the box from her before she would give it over to him...
Thinking that the woman was some kind of nut...
Curtis took the box from her and said that he WANTED to take the box off her hands...
And later on that night...
Curtis learned that he had agreed to accept the curse of the Soul Eater that went with the box...
Now...
The demon would be his forever unless he found another unsuspecting sucker to take the box off his hands...
This novella was a pretty standard curse story with a plot that has been done many times over by just changing character names. Nothing original, and there were many loose ends.
If you have a little time to kill, this story will do it.
October 6, 2024
Cursed
A horror fans happy place!
This is a novella that is written for horror fans by a horror fan! Despite that most horror stories are written by horror fans, this one was done in a way that as I read, I felt like I was home in my horror land. It was a traditional being haunted tail tour in a way that was freshly unique but still kept all the points that made me love horror in the first place.
The writing was smooth and the characters were flawed, but understandable, and that’s the best kind. Most importantly, I found this book that has such an incredible atmosphere and vibe to it.
And that ending! Dame that was so exciting! It was everything that I was hoping for! From start to finish this book prove that it is a perfect read for any horror fan.
This will be a book that will be easy to return to as it’s small enough to read in the day or two. Just a feeling that this book gives me I know it’ll be something that I will have to return to time and time again.
A horror fans happy place!
This is a novella that is written for horror fans by a horror fan! Despite that most horror stories are written by horror fans, this one was done in a way that as I read, I felt like I was home in my horror land. It was a traditional being haunted tail tour in a way that was freshly unique but still kept all the points that made me love horror in the first place.
The writing was smooth and the characters were flawed, but understandable, and that’s the best kind. Most importantly, I found this book that has such an incredible atmosphere and vibe to it.
And that ending! Dame that was so exciting! It was everything that I was hoping for! From start to finish this book prove that it is a perfect read for any horror fan.
This will be a book that will be easy to return to as it’s small enough to read in the day or two. Just a feeling that this book gives me I know it’ll be something that I will have to return to time and time again.
October 6, 2024
3,5 ⭐
WOW. JUST WOW 🤯
I honestly didn't expect to like this short horror novel so much, but it fascinated me and kept me captivated throughout. I loved all the characters, well, maybe Tim, Curtis' friend, not so much, but I still found it incredible. The ending shocked me, I don't think it's that big of a plot twist but it's true that I didn't think the author would do what she did in the end, it left me speechless.
WOW. JUST WOW 🤯
I honestly didn't expect to like this short horror novel so much, but it fascinated me and kept me captivated throughout. I loved all the characters, well, maybe Tim, Curtis' friend, not so much, but I still found it incredible. The ending shocked me, I don't think it's that big of a plot twist but it's true that I didn't think the author would do what she did in the end, it left me speechless.
June 16, 2024
Cursed is a solid cursed object novella. Interesting characters and great writing. It could have been a bit more atmospheric for my personal liking. I'll definitely pick up the author's next book.
September 1, 2025
First off, a huge congratulations to Leigh Kenny for her debut book! Good luck in your literary journey! I want to focus on the positives, first off, which almost all center on the quality of her writing. The talent is so clearly there and her way of choosing words, vividly describing the scenes, and developing this sublime, creepy, unsettling atmosphere were the best parts of this experience for me. Now the story wasn't bad at all. Definitely for an extremely specific audience, who are partial to haunting/ghost-based stories, which is something that I am, unfortunately, not a part of. I think that the author played it very safe and kept to the basic lore of this subgenre, which, again, may appeal to some. However, with so many horror stories produced on a daily basis, the big difference maker is putting s0me kind of a fresh, unique spin to set it apart from all the others. I don't believe that this accomplished that feat and the flow of the story was extremely slow, which made it very difficult to stay with it. Even though it was a very short book, it did drag quite a bit. But I don't want any of these critiques to be taken as me bashing this story. I think as Leigh Kenny continues to write and hones in on her craft, these issues will easily be resolved over time. As I stated earlier, the talent is absolutely there, but it just needs the proper content to truly let it shine. As an author, we all start somewhere and nobody's works are anywhere near perfect, and this was a solid start to a hopefully promising career. And I am definitely looking forward to seeing her future works.
July 14, 2024
CURSED [2023] By Leigh Kenny
My Review 4.0 Stars
This short work of horror/occult fiction is the debut novel of Leigh Kenny who has been generous enough to visit the HA Book Club per our monthly “Group Read-Author Invite”. It is my favorite function of the club since I like to read on the dark side.
I liked the book. It was well written, and the action was crisp and well-paced. The author’s origin idea for the story was very interesting, creepy really--- and it rendered an imaginative cursed object, human hair. The beginning of the novel was dark as the blackness of evil with a woman killing herself to become free of the curse. The cursed object (contained in a wooden box) was given to a passing sanitation worker on his truck. The woman seemed distraught, so he agreed to "take" the box.
The main character was Curtis. He was depicted as somewhat of a loner but found that he did yearn to make a connection with his girlfriend. Curtis is a good boyfriend, a nice guy to share an apartment, or to be a co-worker. His intelligence quotient is not so exceptional that he would immediately recognize at point zero that he was inadvertently in possession of a “cursed” ergo dangerous object.
The creature scared the $%#@! out of him a couple or three times at least. I believe he tried more than once to rid himself of the object by moving it to a new location. This approach did not work, and he did not appear to be sufficiently scared to think the problem through. Alternatively, he was sufficiently scared, but was reluctant to discuss it with his friend or anyone else. The atmosphere was frankly eerie as it should be when a dangerous cursed object is flitting around.
The issue at this point is the action or inaction of the threatened likeable victim. He became aware of what he was dealing with early on and failed to get aggressive with countermeasures. Now despite some hiccoughs along the way, he has encountered very disappointing outcomes and concedes defeat. End of story.
No. Not the end of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this tale of a cursed object and an average Joe trying to prevail. But I was disappointed that he failed. That said, I was more than disappointed that his failure did not end with a period. I did not like the ending. Most readers likely will be unable to rationalize that ending, both how it occurred and why it had to happen. I deducted one star for the fact the end left me crestfallen.
My Review 4.0 Stars
This short work of horror/occult fiction is the debut novel of Leigh Kenny who has been generous enough to visit the HA Book Club per our monthly “Group Read-Author Invite”. It is my favorite function of the club since I like to read on the dark side.
I liked the book. It was well written, and the action was crisp and well-paced. The author’s origin idea for the story was very interesting, creepy really--- and it rendered an imaginative cursed object, human hair. The beginning of the novel was dark as the blackness of evil with a woman killing herself to become free of the curse. The cursed object (contained in a wooden box) was given to a passing sanitation worker on his truck. The woman seemed distraught, so he agreed to "take" the box.
The main character was Curtis. He was depicted as somewhat of a loner but found that he did yearn to make a connection with his girlfriend. Curtis is a good boyfriend, a nice guy to share an apartment, or to be a co-worker. His intelligence quotient is not so exceptional that he would immediately recognize at point zero that he was inadvertently in possession of a “cursed” ergo dangerous object.
The creature scared the $%#@! out of him a couple or three times at least. I believe he tried more than once to rid himself of the object by moving it to a new location. This approach did not work, and he did not appear to be sufficiently scared to think the problem through. Alternatively, he was sufficiently scared, but was reluctant to discuss it with his friend or anyone else. The atmosphere was frankly eerie as it should be when a dangerous cursed object is flitting around.
The issue at this point is the action or inaction of the threatened likeable victim. He became aware of what he was dealing with early on and failed to get aggressive with countermeasures. Now despite some hiccoughs along the way, he has encountered very disappointing outcomes and concedes defeat. End of story.
No. Not the end of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this tale of a cursed object and an average Joe trying to prevail. But I was disappointed that he failed. That said, I was more than disappointed that his failure did not end with a period. I did not like the ending. Most readers likely will be unable to rationalize that ending, both how it occurred and why it had to happen. I deducted one star for the fact the end left me crestfallen.
March 1, 2024
This one seems to have taken the horror scene by storm and I can definitely see why. While the idea isn't necessarily groundbreaking the execution was pretty darn near flawless. The main character was compelling, and the ending was an absolute gut punch.
4.5 rounded up.
4.5 rounded up.
January 28, 2025
کرتیس پاکبانه. یه روز یه زن یه جعبه عجیب بهش میده و ازش میخواد اون رو دور بندازه. وقتی کرتیس میخواد جعبه رو ازش بگیره، زن اصرار میکنه که کرتیس باید بگه که جعبه رو ازش قبول میکنه بعد اونو بگیره. کرتیس هم این جمله رو میگه و جعبه رو میندازه قاطی زبالهها؛ اما فردای اون روز متوجه میشه که جعبه عجیب تو آپارتمانش ظاهر شده...
به عنوان یه رمان کوتاه، کشش خوبی داشت.
به عنوان یه رمان کوتاه، کشش خوبی داشت.
January 5, 2024
"This isn’t happening. This isn’t real.”
So good and creepy!!!
Before we even discuss the book, please take the time to check out that absolutely chilling cover! The cover alone gives me the girl from the ring vibes, the long straggley hair, weird noises and movement just makes me shiver!!!
What did this book teach us? How about one man's trash is another man's demonic entity in a box or whatever that old saying is, amirite? Seriously though, I won't be bringing home any boxes from strangers, ever! For me, I found the concept to be similar to a Dybbuk box, which has always creeped me out.
This book made me uneasy as hell, and I loved it. Kenny is a new author but one that I am eager to follow and read again.
So good and creepy!!!
Before we even discuss the book, please take the time to check out that absolutely chilling cover! The cover alone gives me the girl from the ring vibes, the long straggley hair, weird noises and movement just makes me shiver!!!
What did this book teach us? How about one man's trash is another man's demonic entity in a box or whatever that old saying is, amirite? Seriously though, I won't be bringing home any boxes from strangers, ever! For me, I found the concept to be similar to a Dybbuk box, which has always creeped me out.
This book made me uneasy as hell, and I loved it. Kenny is a new author but one that I am eager to follow and read again.
May 15, 2024
Wow what a debut! Leigh is an author to watch, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. This book was full of creepy imagery, but she also gets character development. You care about these characters and what happens to them. I highly recommend this one
July 22, 2024
Kenny's debut book carries shades of the Asian horror films "The Grudge" and "The Ring" as a man is haunted by a ghostly woman with long black hair. What I enjoyed the most about the story was the author's ability to make me 'see' the story as it played out - I was visualizing the narrative as Curtis the garbageman was slowly losing his mind due to the haunting. My thanks to Horror Aficionados for promoting the story, and the author for her support in the group read!
July 7, 2024
Big fan of the author. She gets me 👀
November 27, 2024
It wasn’t bad, but I found it a bit harder to get through. It definitely had its spooky moments, though! I’m not sure I really connected with the main character, and the ending didn’t do much for me—it wasn’t surprising, but I still didn’t like it.
I do wish more had been explained, like the origin of the box, who the mysterious woman was, and what she actually wanted.
I do wish more had been explained, like the origin of the box, who the mysterious woman was, and what she actually wanted.
March 25, 2024
A pretty good and creepy quick read! It's a novella so don't expect full flushed-out characters and history but instead, a fast-paced scary romp during a hellish week in a person's life. Exactly what I was looking for in a scary bedtime book.
January 7, 2024
Good but nothing new.
This is a mash up of, The Ring and The Grudge. The story was good, but it has been done so many times.
This is a mash up of, The Ring and The Grudge. The story was good, but it has been done so many times.
December 21, 2023
It was a good book that really scared me out! But also at the same time annoyed at Curtis 😅. It took me awhile to finish it as I got a little bit busy, but when I had enough time, I immediately finished it!
It was a page turner and the layout of the story was great! I didn’t have much to puck on it except for the frustration I felt for Curtis, but that’s what made it so realistic!
It was a page turner and the layout of the story was great! I didn’t have much to puck on it except for the frustration I felt for Curtis, but that’s what made it so realistic!
March 9, 2024
Great creepy story with a excellent atmosphere !
November 30, 2023
"Welcome to my nightmare, I think you're gonna like it."
- Alice Cooper
Leigh Kenny’s “Cursed” is truly an incredible debut novel. Filled with creeping horror and despair.
There were a number of seriously scary scenes (especially the basement stairs! Eek!!!) and I found myself panicking anytime Curtis felt a brush of hair on his skin.
I would 100% read a prequel about Carla and how she encountered the curse as well! I’m very much looking forward to seeing what this author has in store for us readers next!
- Alice Cooper
Leigh Kenny’s “Cursed” is truly an incredible debut novel. Filled with creeping horror and despair.
There were a number of seriously scary scenes (especially the basement stairs! Eek!!!) and I found myself panicking anytime Curtis felt a brush of hair on his skin.
I would 100% read a prequel about Carla and how she encountered the curse as well! I’m very much looking forward to seeing what this author has in store for us readers next!
November 6, 2023
I was lucky to receive an advanced copy of this debut novella, and read it in a few quick sittings. The story has elements of movies like The Grudge and Drag Me to Hell, but at the same time is something all its own. Crisp, fast-paced writing, solid characters and a super bleak ending! 😱
Keep an eye on Leigh Kenny! She’s a gifted storyteller, and she knows what scares us.
Keep an eye on Leigh Kenny! She’s a gifted storyteller, and she knows what scares us.
September 11, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Loving these short horror books this month.
Also… that ending? 🤯
Loving these short horror books this month.
Also… that ending? 🤯
December 20, 2023
I loved this book. I read it in one sitting. I’m a big fan of horror and thought this was very well written. I loved the fast pace of it, creepy from the first page and didn’t let up throughout. I really liked Curtis and was hoping it would all work out for him. I’m very impressed for a debut novel and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Leigh Kenny.
December 19, 2023
This book was so good and super creepy. I loved every minute of it. I can't wait to read more from Leigh Kenny.
August 18, 2024
Do you love Asian Horror? Cursed objects? Then keep reading.
Curtis lives a very simple life. He works as a garbage man and he is content. One day while he is on the job, a woman asks him to take a box from her and throw it into the trash. He is hesitant at first but just wants to finish his shift and go home so he takes the box. He throws the box into the trash.
When he gets home, the box is just sitting there on his kitchen floor. There are handprints in his shower screen and Curtis is sure he has seen a shadow while he was taking a shower. But he lives alone.
What is this box and why is it in his apartment?
This is a classic tale of a cursed object that feeds on the owner. Very much reminiscent of asian horror but it also feels like a very dark and twisted fairy tale. You might know where things are going from the get go because we all know this box Curtis received is cursed. But let me tell you that this is a fantastic, disturbing, realistic horror tale with a spine chilling ending.
Guess I have a new favorite and definitely want to read more by the author.
Curtis lives a very simple life. He works as a garbage man and he is content. One day while he is on the job, a woman asks him to take a box from her and throw it into the trash. He is hesitant at first but just wants to finish his shift and go home so he takes the box. He throws the box into the trash.
When he gets home, the box is just sitting there on his kitchen floor. There are handprints in his shower screen and Curtis is sure he has seen a shadow while he was taking a shower. But he lives alone.
What is this box and why is it in his apartment?
This is a classic tale of a cursed object that feeds on the owner. Very much reminiscent of asian horror but it also feels like a very dark and twisted fairy tale. You might know where things are going from the get go because we all know this box Curtis received is cursed. But let me tell you that this is a fantastic, disturbing, realistic horror tale with a spine chilling ending.
Guess I have a new favorite and definitely want to read more by the author.
November 14, 2023
Yikes! Why did I read this at night?! The plot is brilliant, the characters totally relatable, but it's the atmosphere of the book that really does the trick! Certain scenes are so well-written they got under my skin and made me jump at every little noise.
Leigh Kenny's debut horror novella gives strong creepy vibes of some great horror movies: not just The Grudge and Drag Me To Hell, per the synopsis, but also The Ring, It Follows, and even Smile! The imagery of Leigh's book is excellent in its own right. If you're the only person on earth who's never seen any of these horror movies, you're in for a treat! And if you're not... well, 'Cursed' will hit you hard with that favorite supernatural horror trope of the cursed object you can't get rid of, the nasty ghost that keeps haunting you no matter what you try, the kind of haunting that does not give up and starts destroying everything in your life ...
Leigh's story is available for preorder now! Do not miss this one!
Leigh Kenny's debut horror novella gives strong creepy vibes of some great horror movies: not just The Grudge and Drag Me To Hell, per the synopsis, but also The Ring, It Follows, and even Smile! The imagery of Leigh's book is excellent in its own right. If you're the only person on earth who's never seen any of these horror movies, you're in for a treat! And if you're not... well, 'Cursed' will hit you hard with that favorite supernatural horror trope of the cursed object you can't get rid of, the nasty ghost that keeps haunting you no matter what you try, the kind of haunting that does not give up and starts destroying everything in your life ...
Leigh's story is available for preorder now! Do not miss this one!
November 28, 2023
I was attached to Curtis and really felt what was happening, I was in the book!
Gripped throughout and didn't want it to end.
I really hoped the ending wasn't a let down, it did NOT disappoint.
Reminded me of Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.
So damn creepy, such a good read.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gripped throughout and didn't want it to end.
I really hoped the ending wasn't a let down, it did NOT disappoint.
Reminded me of Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.
So damn creepy, such a good read.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 23, 2024
Never in my life have I feared boxes or hair… until now! This book is very much alive in my brain days after finishing it. I fear traversing the dark hallway and staircase that separates me from the bathroom, the kitchen, escape. I fear the strands of long dark hair that pop up in all the strangest places. I fear the sounds I can’t explain. Imagine going to work one day, doing your job and then nothing is ever the same again. Fear fills your veins and paranoia coats your throat. If movies like THE GRUDGE, THE RING OR JU-ON had you on the edge of your seat, this one will send you running for the hills… and back real fast because hell noooo you can’t be alone! Fantastic!
November 2, 2024
This was a surprisingly pleasant read. Not pleasant as it was lighthearted, it most certainly wasn't, it was just enjoyable to read. No complicated storyline, no complicated terminology or words that take me a while to figure out what they mean or what they say.
The plot was easy to follow, the descriptions were to the point and made it easy to imagine the characters and settings in my head.
A fantastic novella that I read in one sitting on Halloween. To all my horror readers, add this one to you tbr!
The plot was easy to follow, the descriptions were to the point and made it easy to imagine the characters and settings in my head.
A fantastic novella that I read in one sitting on Halloween. To all my horror readers, add this one to you tbr!
December 19, 2023
- saw Leigh post about her new book on Facebook last week, so last night I downloaded and read in one sitting (my absolute favourite type of book👍) - well it’s a little gem and throughly enjoyable. I’ve also discovered during 2023 that I quite like the horror genre and if you like horror or if you’d like to try it for the first time - this book is a great place to start
January 30, 2025
What a nice young man. (I say like I'm in my 80s)
November 22, 2023
The MC, Curtis is a sweet garbage man who helps his neighbours and works with his best friend Tim. Curtis accepts some trash from a frazzled customer and it changes everything.
If you’re a fan of movies like The Grudge and The Ring you’ll love Cursed by Leigh Kenny. Leigh is a new Irish author and her debut doesn’t disappoint! This fast paced novella tells a clear but intense story and will surely get your skin crawling or in my case have your bathroom over sink light turn off for a minute while reading and give you a fright 😅 as scared as I was I didn’t want to stop reading, I was so invested in what happened with Curtis.
I was lucky enough to receive this free ARC from Leigh and this is my honest opinion of the book. I was not paid or asked to supply a review for this book and am doing so because I enjoyed the content.
If you’re a fan of movies like The Grudge and The Ring you’ll love Cursed by Leigh Kenny. Leigh is a new Irish author and her debut doesn’t disappoint! This fast paced novella tells a clear but intense story and will surely get your skin crawling or in my case have your bathroom over sink light turn off for a minute while reading and give you a fright 😅 as scared as I was I didn’t want to stop reading, I was so invested in what happened with Curtis.
I was lucky enough to receive this free ARC from Leigh and this is my honest opinion of the book. I was not paid or asked to supply a review for this book and am doing so because I enjoyed the content.
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