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Cursed with Claws
A dragon dwells atop the mountain that overlooks Ode's village. Every year the surrounding villages gather to make an offering to keep the beast at chests of gold and a human sacrifice.
When the wise men choose his beloved sister, Malle, as the latest sacrifice, Ode immediately offers to take her place. But instead of a dragon on the mountain ledge, he meets a mysterious young man.
When the wise men choose his beloved sister, Malle, as the latest sacrifice, Ode immediately offers to take her place. But instead of a dragon on the mountain ledge, he meets a mysterious young man.
60 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2018
1 person is currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Asta Idonea
54 books49 followersAsta Idonea is the M/M pen name of author Nicki J. Markus.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 8, 2025
3.5 Stars
So, I’m attempting to complete this years Popsugar Reading Challenge, and one of the 2025 topics is to read “a book rated less than three stars on Goodreads.” To be fair, I’ve been putting this off for ten months because WHY would I (or anybody, really) want to read a book that’s got poor ratings and negative reader feedback?! It’s a strange prompt to me, but I decided I’d do it only if I already had a book on my TBR list that fit the requirements.
Enter Asta Idonea’s 2018 short fantasy story Cursed with Claws, about a dragon-cursed nobleman and the brave village sacrifice that helps him break his century-long hex.
At a swift 60-pages, this story was a one-sitting situation on my part and I honestly came away wondering why this M/M re-imagined fairytale story was the recipient of such a sad little rating as it has (2.94, as of Oct ’25).
Sure, there’s some problematic behaviour and ideas in this one. Firstly, with a village of assholes happy to sacrifice disabled people like their lives aren’t worth a bean (me: a person with a chronic condition absolutely RAGEY over this kind of ableism); secondly, there’s a weird push that virginity equals purity (no, bro); and, lastly, even featuring a cursed MC who was practically begging for an evil sorceress to hex him with the sheer grossness of his pre-curse behaviour.
Of course, these things were all quite displeasing indeed—BUT it’s also a fantasy story, set in a world that gave middle-ages vibes, so I’m not at all surprised by this kind of behaviour/ideas/storytelling, as I’ve seen it a million times in my fantasy reading and, with how dire the world is even today, I can easily imagine humans thinking and behaving in this exact way in such medieval circumstances.
My point being: I didn’t think anything happened here that I haven’t seen before or would expect to see again in all sorts of fantasy storytelling, because conditions are meant to be harsh and behaviour questionably immoral, or there would be such little story to even work with. Honestly, it’s all so commonplace within the fantasy genre that I’m surprised by the backlash here, because, folks, we aren’t dealing with contemporary frameworks and societal expectations when deep in the throes of fantasy writing, and that’s okay.
All that said, this was still a middling kind of story for me personally. Mostly, I think this was due to the fact that it was so short in nature. I’m a super greedy reader and always want short stories to be expanded upon and deepened, with more background, world-building, character development, tension, and romance. Honestly, the limited growth within these aforementioned story points is the only reason I decided to round down instead of up.
Still, it was another effortless, quick-to-consume, engaging short story by Asta Idonea—an M/M author I’ve enjoyed in the past (with Fire Up My Heart and Wish You Were Here coming instantly to mind as worthwhile M/M short stories options) and hope to see more of her work in the future.
So, I’m attempting to complete this years Popsugar Reading Challenge, and one of the 2025 topics is to read “a book rated less than three stars on Goodreads.” To be fair, I’ve been putting this off for ten months because WHY would I (or anybody, really) want to read a book that’s got poor ratings and negative reader feedback?! It’s a strange prompt to me, but I decided I’d do it only if I already had a book on my TBR list that fit the requirements.
Enter Asta Idonea’s 2018 short fantasy story Cursed with Claws, about a dragon-cursed nobleman and the brave village sacrifice that helps him break his century-long hex.
At a swift 60-pages, this story was a one-sitting situation on my part and I honestly came away wondering why this M/M re-imagined fairytale story was the recipient of such a sad little rating as it has (2.94, as of Oct ’25).
Sure, there’s some problematic behaviour and ideas in this one. Firstly, with a village of assholes happy to sacrifice disabled people like their lives aren’t worth a bean (me: a person with a chronic condition absolutely RAGEY over this kind of ableism); secondly, there’s a weird push that virginity equals purity (no, bro); and, lastly, even featuring a cursed MC who was practically begging for an evil sorceress to hex him with the sheer grossness of his pre-curse behaviour.
Of course, these things were all quite displeasing indeed—BUT it’s also a fantasy story, set in a world that gave middle-ages vibes, so I’m not at all surprised by this kind of behaviour/ideas/storytelling, as I’ve seen it a million times in my fantasy reading and, with how dire the world is even today, I can easily imagine humans thinking and behaving in this exact way in such medieval circumstances.
My point being: I didn’t think anything happened here that I haven’t seen before or would expect to see again in all sorts of fantasy storytelling, because conditions are meant to be harsh and behaviour questionably immoral, or there would be such little story to even work with. Honestly, it’s all so commonplace within the fantasy genre that I’m surprised by the backlash here, because, folks, we aren’t dealing with contemporary frameworks and societal expectations when deep in the throes of fantasy writing, and that’s okay.
All that said, this was still a middling kind of story for me personally. Mostly, I think this was due to the fact that it was so short in nature. I’m a super greedy reader and always want short stories to be expanded upon and deepened, with more background, world-building, character development, tension, and romance. Honestly, the limited growth within these aforementioned story points is the only reason I decided to round down instead of up.
Still, it was another effortless, quick-to-consume, engaging short story by Asta Idonea—an M/M author I’ve enjoyed in the past (with Fire Up My Heart and Wish You Were Here coming instantly to mind as worthwhile M/M short stories options) and hope to see more of her work in the future.
January 28, 2018
I love a good dragon story and this novella started out very strong.
The premise was that of a sorceress being terribly wronged by a selfish nobleman, who was then cursed to live six days as a dragon and one day as a man. Pretty much forever. Rinse and repeat.
And once a year, the villages surrounding the mountain where the dragon lived had to provide chests of gold and a sacrificial virgin as tribute, to keep the dragon at bay.
However, for the past 99 years, the sacrifices had never gone willingly -- until this year. I mean, who's stupid enough to *want* to be eaten by a dragon, am I right?
Yet when Ode's beloved, little sister was chosen as tribute, mostly due to her inability to speak, he immediately stepped up to take her place.
Trigger warning:
But instead of an evil dragon living in the mountain top caves, Ode found himself in the company of a handsome, seemingly-kind, young man named Elric.
Then Ode was once again surprised when Elric turned into the dragon the next morning and, after a bit of fast talking, the dragon did not eat him.
I loved these parts of the book, where Ode was never more than a hair's-breadth away from being flame roasted and eaten, while trying to keep the dragon at bay. Then spending one more day getting to know Elric better, before the dragon made its next six day appearance.
Although this is *not* a sexy read, it had plenty of feels, for me at least, and I did enjoy seeing their romance form and start to take shape.
The storyline was very strong until around seventy-five percent in, then it took a bit of a "meh" turn and the event that finally broke Elric's cure turned out to be a bit anti-climactic, in my opinion.
I'd still rate the book at around 3.5 stars, because I loved the setup and the majority of the story.
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My ARC copy of the story was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
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March 11, 2018
Cursed with Claws tiene una premisa muy interesante...dragones. Es una novela con magia, dragones y romance. Ademas es LGBT. Lo cual prometía ser la combinación perfecta. Sin embargo, creo que se quedo corta. Fue una historia muy corta como para que todos los elementos se desarrollaran de la forma más adecuada.
Trama: Un poco lineal, bastante sencilla. La verdad esperaba más drama y acción.
Personajes: Ode es nuestro protagonista y el se ofrece en lugar de su hermana menor, Malle, como sacrificio (Sí, tipo "Los juegos del hambre") para el dragón que habita en las montañas cerca de su pueblo. Él me pareció un personaje bastante genial. No sufre una gran evolución, pero no estuvo mal. Es bastante agradable y sensato. Ademas, se sacrifico por su hermana y se aseguro de que ella fuera feliz. Su relación con Malle es muy especial y bonita.
Por otro lado, Elric...no lo sé. No termino de convencerme. Sus pensamientos y acciones me parecen un poco dispersas. Su historia sobre la razón por la que se convertía en dragón, tampoco me engancho. No fue un personaje horrible. De hecho, se podría considerar el villano, pero no era un hombre malo. Realmente intentaba ser bueno (y no comerse a nadie).
Romance: Este es un punto positivo porque, a pesar de ser una historia muy corta, no fue insta-love. Bueno, casi no. En realidad, no hubo tiempo para mucho romance, pero trato de quejarme tanto.
Final: Fue muy precipitado y hasta un poco no creíble. Como un final de Disney, en el que todos quedan felices, pero mucho más rápido.
Como conclusión, no es una mala novela...simplemente necesita más hojas para volverse sólida.
ARC aprobado vía Netgalley. Sin embargo, esto no ha afectado mi opinión sobre la obra. Gracias a la editorial.
Trama: Un poco lineal, bastante sencilla. La verdad esperaba más drama y acción.
Personajes: Ode es nuestro protagonista y el se ofrece en lugar de su hermana menor, Malle, como sacrificio (Sí, tipo "Los juegos del hambre") para el dragón que habita en las montañas cerca de su pueblo. Él me pareció un personaje bastante genial. No sufre una gran evolución, pero no estuvo mal. Es bastante agradable y sensato. Ademas, se sacrifico por su hermana y se aseguro de que ella fuera feliz. Su relación con Malle es muy especial y bonita.
Por otro lado, Elric...no lo sé. No termino de convencerme. Sus pensamientos y acciones me parecen un poco dispersas. Su historia sobre la razón por la que se convertía en dragón, tampoco me engancho. No fue un personaje horrible. De hecho, se podría considerar el villano, pero no era un hombre malo. Realmente intentaba ser bueno (y no comerse a nadie).
Romance: Este es un punto positivo porque, a pesar de ser una historia muy corta, no fue insta-love. Bueno, casi no. En realidad, no hubo tiempo para mucho romance, pero trato de quejarme tanto.
Final: Fue muy precipitado y hasta un poco no creíble. Como un final de Disney, en el que todos quedan felices, pero mucho más rápido.
Como conclusión, no es una mala novela...simplemente necesita más hojas para volverse sólida.
ARC aprobado vía Netgalley. Sin embargo, esto no ha afectado mi opinión sobre la obra. Gracias a la editorial.
April 28, 2018
this was a somewhat subversive little fairy tale that reminded me a lot of Dragonskin Slippers and a thousand and one nights.
i say 'subversive' because most fairytales are very black-and-white, but this one wasn't. i don't want to say too much in case it's a spoiler (it's always hard with very short books because nearly everything you say is a spoiler lmao)
i agree with other reviewers when they say how easily the curse was broken but other than that i really enjoyed it.
i say 'subversive' because most fairytales are very black-and-white, but this one wasn't. i don't want to say too much in case it's a spoiler (it's always hard with very short books because nearly everything you say is a spoiler lmao)
i agree with other reviewers when they say how easily the curse was broken but other than that i really enjoyed it.
March 3, 2018
Dragons! I love stories about these enigmatic creatures, present in so many legends from around the world that I can’t but think there may be some truth to their existence…knowing full well that this is unlikely since no evidence has ever been found to prove that they are real. Nevertheless – offer me a dragon story and I will jump on it. ‘Cursed with Claws’ is part of a whole collection by the name of ‘For the Hoard’, and I look forward to working my way through all of the eight other books as well.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
January 29, 2018
This is a short story at only 20k. It has a very old fashioned fairy tale vibe and setting which means that there are issues that come along with it. The whole idea that virginity is pure and the villagers are ableist, sexist and homophobic. The main characters whose povs we experience aren't though. Ode lives in a valley that lives in the shadow of a dragons cave. Every year a sacrifice is made, chests of gold and one person chosen from the surrounding villages get brought up the mountain and given to the dragon. When Ode's sister, Malle, gets chosen, he volunteers instead. But when he gets up the mountain he doesn't find a dragon but a man. The relationship between Ode and the cursed man grows naturally and I really enjoyed reading this short story. It was a quick and easy read with a happily ever after.
January 24, 2018
*ARC from NetGalley for Honest Review*
I Give this book a 3 star Rating
This is a Fast read: only 7 chapters.
Despite being very short for my liking, this is definitely a good palate cleanser. I Just really liked this book honestly, I don’t understand a lot of the very low ratings but it was interestingly written and it kept my attention.
This was more of a... m/m bonding and wad really cute I thought, I could definitely see this made into a Light BL/Yaoi Manga.
I would definitely read more from this author :)
I Give this book a 3 star Rating
This is a Fast read: only 7 chapters.
Despite being very short for my liking, this is definitely a good palate cleanser. I Just really liked this book honestly, I don’t understand a lot of the very low ratings but it was interestingly written and it kept my attention.
This was more of a... m/m bonding and wad really cute I thought, I could definitely see this made into a Light BL/Yaoi Manga.
I would definitely read more from this author :)
February 20, 2019
I wasn't expecting too much from this book so that I wouldn't be disappointed and that was a wise choice. The writing felt rather odd and off-putting, but mostly the incredibly short length made it impossible for me to understand much of what was going on. I only admired Ode for his sacrifice and the length that he went through to save his sister. The dragon just didn't do anything for me and I still believe that he deserved to be cursed.
Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Last.fm
↠ 2,5 stars
Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Last.fm
↠ 2,5 stars
January 22, 2018
This book is a retelling of a classic fairytale trope. A tale of redemption and love in many forms. A quick read that some readers may enjoy and others may find too predictable.
Some spoilers and trigger warnings follow.
Trigger Warnings
Ablism, violence, mentions of rape, equating virginity and purity
Ode's sister is chosen to be sacrificed for the dragon because she is mute and the village see her as more easily sacrificed. Her older brother says a disability makes the person no less worthy of life in a nice rejection of ableism. He takes his sister's place as the sacrifice. In the dragon he finds a man cursed for the last century to excruciating pain, starvation, and isolation as a result of his actions as a lord who abused his people. He abused a disguised sorceress who cursed him as result and forced the surrounding villagers to pay with him in gold and the lives of innocents. Ode sees the guilt and sorrow the dragon/man feels as the mark of redemption and a man reformed and believes he has paid for his crimes. Together they work to set them both free. There are several time jumps that speed the story along to an HEA that is sweet and hopeful. No matter the length, it had the feel of a short story or novella but the story felt completed. I would like to add that I enjoyed the fact that the man/dragon wasn't faulted for being bisexual.
Some spoilers and trigger warnings follow.
Trigger Warnings
Ablism, violence, mentions of rape, equating virginity and purity
Ode's sister is chosen to be sacrificed for the dragon because she is mute and the village see her as more easily sacrificed. Her older brother says a disability makes the person no less worthy of life in a nice rejection of ableism. He takes his sister's place as the sacrifice. In the dragon he finds a man cursed for the last century to excruciating pain, starvation, and isolation as a result of his actions as a lord who abused his people. He abused a disguised sorceress who cursed him as result and forced the surrounding villagers to pay with him in gold and the lives of innocents. Ode sees the guilt and sorrow the dragon/man feels as the mark of redemption and a man reformed and believes he has paid for his crimes. Together they work to set them both free. There are several time jumps that speed the story along to an HEA that is sweet and hopeful. No matter the length, it had the feel of a short story or novella but the story felt completed. I would like to add that I enjoyed the fact that the man/dragon wasn't faulted for being bisexual.
March 2, 2018
"Cursed with Claws" by Asta Idonea is a cute short story about a boy named Ode who sacrifices himself to save his sister from a raging dragon. When he reaches the mountain where the beast lives he meets Elric and learns the truth about the dragon and its ancient curse. Ode is confident that he can end Elric's struggle.
I loved the writing and the two main characters a lot. How they slowly start trusting each other and how hope is built up. Their relationship made my heart jump and I had such a great time reading it.
I loved the writing and the two main characters a lot. How they slowly start trusting each other and how hope is built up. Their relationship made my heart jump and I had such a great time reading it.
February 26, 2018
I wasn’t expecting anything groundbreaking or particularly different going into this book. I just wanted a nice dragon read with some curse breaking and righting of wrongs.
And, I suppose, on the surface that’s what I got. Ode is self-sacrificing and brave, Elric is… well, a dragon, and there is a curse. But, sadly, everything else was pretty disappointing.
The village elders choices might be believable in a historical context, it also left a really horrible taste in the mouth. Just pick a name out of a hat, don’t make an active choice to rid your world of disabled characters. Although it did provide Ode with a chance to look heroic in many ways.
Then there’s Elric. I didn’t feel sorry for him at all. Yes, he’s cursed, but hey, he deserves it. Really, his only complaints are that he’s a bit lonely up on the mountain. Oh, and he ends up killing people. But mostly, he’s bothered because he’s lonely. Yeah, well, I don’t care because he was a horrible human and I don’t blame the enchantress/witch/whatever-she-was for cursing him. I do, however, have serious issues with what she did to the villages. That was uncalled for. She and Elric deserve each other.
All of which meant I didn’t particularly want the curse to be broken, and the way it is broken… meh. Both underwhelming and disappointing. Throw in the excessive addiction to purity and I sadly didn’t enjoy this anything like as much as I wanted to.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)
And, I suppose, on the surface that’s what I got. Ode is self-sacrificing and brave, Elric is… well, a dragon, and there is a curse. But, sadly, everything else was pretty disappointing.
The village elders choices might be believable in a historical context, it also left a really horrible taste in the mouth. Just pick a name out of a hat, don’t make an active choice to rid your world of disabled characters. Although it did provide Ode with a chance to look heroic in many ways.
Then there’s Elric. I didn’t feel sorry for him at all. Yes, he’s cursed, but hey, he deserves it. Really, his only complaints are that he’s a bit lonely up on the mountain. Oh, and he ends up killing people. But mostly, he’s bothered because he’s lonely. Yeah, well, I don’t care because he was a horrible human and I don’t blame the enchantress/witch/whatever-she-was for cursing him. I do, however, have serious issues with what she did to the villages. That was uncalled for. She and Elric deserve each other.
All of which meant I didn’t particularly want the curse to be broken, and the way it is broken… meh. Both underwhelming and disappointing. Throw in the excessive addiction to purity and I sadly didn’t enjoy this anything like as much as I wanted to.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)
February 28, 2018
This story should have been a novel. It had a strong premise, and strong start, but tapered off at the end. I think dragon-shifter stories are so underrated and not even all that common, at least not good ones. Ode is sacrificing himself to save his sister and his town from the "evil" dragon. In this case Elric (dragon) is cursed and not really evil. Ode slowly sees this overtime as he gets to know Elric, tell him stories as Elric battles his inner dragon to not kill Ode.
Elric is really sweet I wish we had more range of his personality and his interaction with Ode. This is not necessarily an insta-love as time does seem to pass in the story, but it's hard to really tell. To that end Ode suddenly being discovered and causing drama could have been elaborated and done more. I hate short stories and novellas because you don't get a fully scope story. This is barely a 3. I say that because of the characters themselves are the only thing that keeps this story there. Can't say I'd spend money on it though.
Elric is really sweet I wish we had more range of his personality and his interaction with Ode. This is not necessarily an insta-love as time does seem to pass in the story, but it's hard to really tell. To that end Ode suddenly being discovered and causing drama could have been elaborated and done more. I hate short stories and novellas because you don't get a fully scope story. This is barely a 3. I say that because of the characters themselves are the only thing that keeps this story there. Can't say I'd spend money on it though.
March 6, 2018
3.5 stars
Cursed with Claws is a very quick read not only because it’s short. Despite the lack of something too intriguing or big plot twist it still makes you want to keep on reading it till you finish.
It is in a fairy tale style, there are dragons, sorcery and some old time habits. The imaginary setting is very well described and gives a great sense of place.
Although the book is relatively short, the relationship between the MCs is developed gradually and with a lot of attention. This was the strongest point in the book for me.
As a whole Cursed with Claws is nothing out of this world but it’s a nice quick read with a hopeful, happy end.
Cursed with Claws is a very quick read not only because it’s short. Despite the lack of something too intriguing or big plot twist it still makes you want to keep on reading it till you finish.
It is in a fairy tale style, there are dragons, sorcery and some old time habits. The imaginary setting is very well described and gives a great sense of place.
Although the book is relatively short, the relationship between the MCs is developed gradually and with a lot of attention. This was the strongest point in the book for me.
As a whole Cursed with Claws is nothing out of this world but it’s a nice quick read with a hopeful, happy end.
April 3, 2018
From Magnolia Reviews: Two Petals
For a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the least bit original. I also had difficulties with some of the narrative and the ending was rough. However, overall I did enjoy reading it, so I will still recommend it.
Read the full review on Maggie's website: http://magnoliareviews.weebly.com/rev...
For a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the least bit original. I also had difficulties with some of the narrative and the ending was rough. However, overall I did enjoy reading it, so I will still recommend it.
Read the full review on Maggie's website: http://magnoliareviews.weebly.com/rev...
February 18, 2018
This was a short story, yet it felt completed. There was nothing unique or unexpected there, but at the same time also nothing irritating or out of place. I loved the fact that not everything revolved around sex and there was some decent story going on. The booklet didn’t leave my mind once I started it, which speaks well if it 😊
March 7, 2018
Enjoyed
March 1, 2022
Cursed With Claws is a sweet little fairy tale (a male/male version of Beauty and the Beast, where the Beast turns into a Dragon for six days out of seven).
For a hundred years, a dragon has lived in the mountain. The surrounding area placates the beast by taking it an offering every year of gold and a virgin. When Ode's mute sister is chosen (being mute, she is less valuable that a 'whole' virgin), he volunteers to take her place. And when he meets the dragon, it turns out to be a young man named Elric.
A lot of the beats in the story come straight from the popular 'Beauty and the Beast', right through to the happy ending, but the characters were well drawn, and I enjoyed them, despite the sort of plot holes that most fairy tales suffer from.
My only real problem was what happened between the last chapter and the epilogue, which was very hand-wavy. "This man used to be the dragon, but he was cursed. Okay, he's been killing a virgin every year for the last century, but all that gold you sent with the virgin? Go and get it". And everyone is happy? And where has all that gold come from that they can deliver a number of chests of it every year? And what happened to the witch, who cursed Elric for being an asshole, but then tricked people into killing a girl every single year? Why she did it was sympathetic, but how she implemented it was ridiculously nasty.
Still, while the story felt like the second half was missing, it was a fun read for a couple of hours. I just wish that there'd been more.
For a hundred years, a dragon has lived in the mountain. The surrounding area placates the beast by taking it an offering every year of gold and a virgin. When Ode's mute sister is chosen (being mute, she is less valuable that a 'whole' virgin), he volunteers to take her place. And when he meets the dragon, it turns out to be a young man named Elric.
A lot of the beats in the story come straight from the popular 'Beauty and the Beast', right through to the happy ending, but the characters were well drawn, and I enjoyed them, despite the sort of plot holes that most fairy tales suffer from.
My only real problem was what happened between the last chapter and the epilogue, which was very hand-wavy. "This man used to be the dragon, but he was cursed. Okay, he's been killing a virgin every year for the last century, but all that gold you sent with the virgin? Go and get it". And everyone is happy? And where has all that gold come from that they can deliver a number of chests of it every year? And what happened to the witch, who cursed Elric for being an asshole, but then tricked people into killing a girl every single year? Why she did it was sympathetic, but how she implemented it was ridiculously nasty.
Still, while the story felt like the second half was missing, it was a fun read for a couple of hours. I just wish that there'd been more.
July 24, 2018
I've learned. It took a little while, but it's finally sunk in. Less Than Three Press publishes a certain sort of novella that I dislike. I always get caught by the blurb, but now I know not to be fooled. I read
Alexandria Bellefleur's Frostbite last year, which is also by LTTP and essentially the same plot as Cursed with Claws. I felt about it the same as I did this one. Meh. That's it.
Cursed beast in a mountain cave? Check. Ingenue young man encounters him? Check. Almost instant attraction, despite one party being deadly/monsterous (both dragons)? Check. Love developing in too short a time? Check. Happily ever after? Check. Everything is very shallow, very linear and very Mary Sue/Marty Stew. It's not that there's necessarily anything wrong with it. There's obviously a market, so those that enjoy it. I'm just not one of them. I was not impressed by Idonea's Cursed with Claws, but it was the book that finally taught me what to be on the lookout for, so I can avoid reading it or its ilk again.
Alexandria Bellefleur's Frostbite last year, which is also by LTTP and essentially the same plot as Cursed with Claws. I felt about it the same as I did this one. Meh. That's it.
Cursed beast in a mountain cave? Check. Ingenue young man encounters him? Check. Almost instant attraction, despite one party being deadly/monsterous (both dragons)? Check. Love developing in too short a time? Check. Happily ever after? Check. Everything is very shallow, very linear and very Mary Sue/Marty Stew. It's not that there's necessarily anything wrong with it. There's obviously a market, so those that enjoy it. I'm just not one of them. I was not impressed by Idonea's Cursed with Claws, but it was the book that finally taught me what to be on the lookout for, so I can avoid reading it or its ilk again.
February 23, 2018
** I received an ARC of this novella in exchange for an honest review**
I love a good ol' virgin sacrifice story. Throw in some attractive, old-worldly boys that are feeling the good feels for one another an I am 100% on board this fairy tale train. It's very Beauty and the Beast meets an adult version of Pete the Dragon. I love dragons, though, so this novella was right up my alley.
Essentially, a witch has cursed a greedy lord to turn into a dragon, and every winter the surrounding villages offer up a virgin sacrifice (this could potentially be a trigger, as the elders of the village like to offer up people with disabilities) and gold to appease the dragon and keep his wrath from reigning down on the villages. One such year, Ode, the male protagonist, is at the sacrificial ceremony with his mute sister Malle when she is chosen to be the sacrifice that year. He offers himself in her place and before he knows it, he finds himself face to face with...a human, rather than a terrifying, scaly beast.
The detail within the novella, especially in regards to Elric's (the second male protagonist) shift from dragon to human and vice versa, is very good. I'm not quite sure why this book has such low ratings. Yes, it's novella length, but even in that short length the author somehow managed to not make it insta-love! I find that miraculous.
The only thing I found a little unbelievable was how easily the curse was broken. Sir Lordship was cursed for decades and *that* one selfless act sets him free?? Seems sketch. But that minor detail wasn't enough to detour me from the overall decency of this novella. I definitely recommend it as a quick, fun read in between longer books as palette cleanser like another mentioned!
I love a good ol' virgin sacrifice story. Throw in some attractive, old-worldly boys that are feeling the good feels for one another an I am 100% on board this fairy tale train. It's very Beauty and the Beast meets an adult version of Pete the Dragon. I love dragons, though, so this novella was right up my alley.
Essentially, a witch has cursed a greedy lord to turn into a dragon, and every winter the surrounding villages offer up a virgin sacrifice (this could potentially be a trigger, as the elders of the village like to offer up people with disabilities) and gold to appease the dragon and keep his wrath from reigning down on the villages. One such year, Ode, the male protagonist, is at the sacrificial ceremony with his mute sister Malle when she is chosen to be the sacrifice that year. He offers himself in her place and before he knows it, he finds himself face to face with...a human, rather than a terrifying, scaly beast.
The detail within the novella, especially in regards to Elric's (the second male protagonist) shift from dragon to human and vice versa, is very good. I'm not quite sure why this book has such low ratings. Yes, it's novella length, but even in that short length the author somehow managed to not make it insta-love! I find that miraculous.
The only thing I found a little unbelievable was how easily the curse was broken. Sir Lordship was cursed for decades and *that* one selfless act sets him free?? Seems sketch. But that minor detail wasn't enough to detour me from the overall decency of this novella. I definitely recommend it as a quick, fun read in between longer books as palette cleanser like another mentioned!
March 7, 2018
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
I really enjoyed this short story. It was cute and slow paced and yet full of romance and love. There was very little angst but so much character growth. And for such a short tale, the world was rich and the plot was endearing.
This was a twist on a Beauty and the Beast redemption type story that really hit all my happy buttons. I loved learning about the “dragon” and how he came to be. The start of the story was kind of gruesome, but it set up the curse and established a history of how the dragon used to be so that his growth and changing was so much more evident.
I really loved being right alongside Ode as he fought to figure out how to save said “dragon.” Yes, this story was totally OTT and fanciful, but that’s kind of the point of these kinds of tales and I really loved the way the author brought this romance to life.
There was not a lot of sex in this story but IT DIDN’T NEED IT. The focus was on developing the men and their connection and it was done in a very innocent and loving way. And that worked perfectly for me. Sometimes you just crave a sweet and simple story and this one hit the spot for me.
I would love to see these men again years down the road. I bet they are happy as can be and free to be themselves.
This book was provided for free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I really enjoyed this short story. It was cute and slow paced and yet full of romance and love. There was very little angst but so much character growth. And for such a short tale, the world was rich and the plot was endearing.
This was a twist on a Beauty and the Beast redemption type story that really hit all my happy buttons. I loved learning about the “dragon” and how he came to be. The start of the story was kind of gruesome, but it set up the curse and established a history of how the dragon used to be so that his growth and changing was so much more evident.
I really loved being right alongside Ode as he fought to figure out how to save said “dragon.” Yes, this story was totally OTT and fanciful, but that’s kind of the point of these kinds of tales and I really loved the way the author brought this romance to life.
There was not a lot of sex in this story but IT DIDN’T NEED IT. The focus was on developing the men and their connection and it was done in a very innocent and loving way. And that worked perfectly for me. Sometimes you just crave a sweet and simple story and this one hit the spot for me.
I would love to see these men again years down the road. I bet they are happy as can be and free to be themselves.
This book was provided for free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
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