Curse of a Name

by Xenatine

When humans discovered how to steal Emberling magic and cage it in iron amulets, that power became a commodity—something to be bought, sold, and stolen. Emberlings are nothing more than slaves, even to their own magic.

Jynx is an Emberling imprisoned in one of the kingdom’s most brutal work camps and she fears one thing above all else—failing to protect her sisters. When Jynx’s magic is harvested and she’s sent to Oath Breaker Square to be auctioned off as Stock for the Emberling breeding program, that fear becomes reality. With her soul chained to an amulet she can never stray too far from, and no hope of ever seeing her sisters again, Jynx is out for revenge. She makes it her mission to destroy any human who tries to tame her.

Bastian has traveled to Oath Breaker Square to purchase a Gladiator. He doesn’t have enough gold for one of the best fighters, but he needs an Emberling Gladiator to be his partner for the Tournament and any of them will do. When Bastian stumbles across a female Emberling being viciously punished with her own fire magic, he’s intrigued with the way she nearly defeats the human beating her, despite being chained to a wall. This female is clearly meant for the Stock auction, and there has never been a female Gladiator in the Tournament before, but Bastian is sure he can get her for a good price. He’ll just need to persuade her to fight with him instead of against him.

Bastian knows the Tournament is dangerous, but he soon learns that making a bargain with an Emberling who has nothing to lose is downright deadly.

Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2026

Reviews

[Christine Manzari · Rating 5 out of 5]

PERFECT FOR FANS OF:
• Enemies-to-Lovers
• Forced Proximity
• Deadly Trials
• Magic and Mayhem
• "Who did this to you?"
• Found Family
• Strong FMC
• Elemental Magic

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love books with a fierce female lead that is burning for revenge like in A Broken Promise and Trial of the Sun Queen, this is a must read!

Jynx is an Emberling, a race that can wield magic but is constantly on the run from humans who want to exploit them. She ends up captured and enslaved. Jynx will do anything for her family’s safety, even if it means accepting a bargain with a human to compete in a deadly tournament. The story is DARK and Jynx is consumed in rage, she won’t let anyone take her without a fight. I loved the sibling bond, the slowly forming found family as well as the TRUE enemies to lovers sloooow burn romance 👀❤️

What you can expect:
⚔️DARK Romantasy
⚔️gladiator tournament
⚔️enemies to lovers
⚔️captive/captor
⚔️female rage
⚔️strong sibling bonds
⚔️elemental magic

[Devan Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one overall. It didn't particularly blow my mind, but after a slate of subpar romantasies, Curse of a Name was definitely a breath of fresh air. We're introduced to a FMC/MMC pairing with clear priorities, yet there's a constant question hovering over them, insidiously asking how closely their goals aline, and if they can truly trust each other while they both try to succeed in different missions. I found both main characters to be likeable enough, and they are given more time than most romantic pairings these days to get to know each other. This is definitely a slow burn couple, with more relationship advancement to come in the sequel(s?), but that didn't bother me at all.
My biggest complaint about this book is probably the pacing. The story starts off swiftly, and the ending ramps up as well, but there was simply far too much journeying and SO MUCH TRAINING in the middle that really pulled me out of the main story and was a bit of a slog to get through. I'm definitely invested enough to pick up the next book, but I do hope that the plot comes together a bit better in the follow-up.

*Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for honest review

[Chelsea Drumm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed so many aspects of this book! Jumping back and forth from present day to life in the past with her family helped me both feel connected with characters she was meeting and learning to trust currently but also feel the bond Jynx has with people we don't get to see in the present day but who make up such a big part of who Jynx is as a person. I really enjoyed the magic system in this book. The idea of another person being able to hold and wield another person's power (and therefore hold power over them) is so interesting to think about from a magic perspective, but also the political ramifications of controlling a group of people that way. The romance had some decent chemistry and tension between the MCs and was mostly fun to follow. I like cliffhanger endings that leave me demanding for the next book (and answers!) which this book had, but the ending felt strange to me, finishing one trial, but still ending in the middle of a competition. This was overall an entertaining read! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

[Entisar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
An intriguing dark fantasy built around a compelling premise: Emberlings enslaved for their fire magic, auctioned off, and forced to fight for survival. Jynx's voice is sharp and emotionally raw, and the world building around the Emberling lore and brutal gladiator tournament feels detailed and well realized. Her dynamic with Bastian develops with a natural, competitive edge, balanced by unexpected moments of softness that give their bond some real texture. The pacing and character development don't always match the strength of the premise, and the emotional payoff doesn't fully land. Jynx occasionally leans into familiar not like other girls territory. Still, this offers an atmospheric read with a strong voice and an inventive magic system worth exploring.

[Timitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5 Stars

Curse of a Name was an interesting and intriguing read. There was action and adventure galore. I loved the whole Emberling thing, the magic system, the world and the social construct. However, the info dumping was a bit much even with it being told as stories it became tiresome after a while. The characters were ok for me. I liked Jynx but found her a bit immature at times. As for Bastian I'm still on the fence about him. I'm not too sure how I feel about the budding romance between them but what I'm sure about is wanting to read the next book as I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. I didn't love, love it with it but I enjoyed it.


Copy provided by publisher through NetGalley

[Lissa G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, Curse of a Name ended up being a DNF for me. I made it nearly halfway through, but I found myself struggling to stay invested in the story and ultimately wasn't feeling enough of a connection to the characters or the overall direction to keep going.

There are some interesting ideas here, particularly the concept of the Emberlings, their magic, and the gladiator tournament, but the execution just wasn't pulling me in the way I had hoped. At 46%, I felt like I was forcing myself to continue rather than genuinely wanting to know what happened next.

This wasn't necessarily a case of the book being bad—it just wasn't working for me right this moment. DNF for now at 46%.

[Sarah Friedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! The yearning and found-family vibes were completely addictive and had me wanting to keep reading nonstop. 🥹

And the chemistry between Jynx and Bastian?! Top tier. Their banter was so good, and I was eating up every interaction between them. 🔥

The little glimpses into Jynx’s past also gave her character so much more depth and helped me understand who she is and why she is the way she is. It honestly made me love her even more. She’s such a strong FMC, and I can’t wait to see how her story continues to unfold.

Now I just need the next book ASAP because I am not ready to leave this world yet! 😭📖

[Bookish_Aly_Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book blew me away. I absolutely loved the characters and the use of magic in this world. The gladiator tournament was interesting and I enjoyed the journey we were taken on to get to that point in the story.

I also really liked the insight we were given into the past with the flashbacks, as they really helped to show Jynx’s more vulnerable side. She was such a fierce character, it was nice to see another side of her here and there.

The tension and slow burn between Jynx and Bastian was so good and I’m excited to see where that goes.

That cliffhanger was brutal and I need my hands on book two immediately.

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy of the book.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The relationship between Jynx and Bastian was a bit much.

Overall, This wasn't a bad read—it simply never reached the emotional payoff I was looking for. The ideas behind the story are compelling, but I found myself wanting stronger character development and a smoother execution to fully bring them to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this book is written. The overall flow is very addicting even when there isn’t action 🥳 All the characters are so fun and unique I just want to give all of them a little kiss ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Michelle · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this down! It’s a dark fantasy and our FMC is almost feral and I was here for it! This slow burn is feeding me! I can’t wait for next book!

[Jessica Goss · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I went into this book blind to support a local author, and was rewarded with an excellent book! I was immediately hooked, story was refreshing and new, the world and magic system was interesting but easy enough to understand. Very glad I started this book on vacation, was a fun read and I will absolutely be continuing the series!

[Josephine Larkspur · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3.5, but rounded up,

I was lucky to get to read this book due to NetGalley, but it was mainly because I felt like I had become a little narrow-minded with my choices, so I tried to go back to my roots. This was not my sort of book, but despite that, this is a very well-written book for people it suits. The voice of Jynx is fantastic, and there are so many times when I was reading this book and I had to put it down because I almost felt too much. If I read this book ten years ago, I would have given it a 5/5, but unfortunately I am a little more broken. I skipped a few bits, but the list of trigger warnings (which I really appreciated) meant that I was prepared going into this book.

This book does wonders at creating the world, setting up the lore, and has fantastic description work. The relationship between Jynx and Bastian was natural; they had a bit of a competitive edge to them, which read well, but Bastian had his soft moments. Jynx was a tad too much like 'I'm not like other girls' for me, but that has become a little normalised in this genre.

I would recommend this book, but it's probably not a book I will re-read or carry on with the rest of the series but that's because it's just not for me.