Cursed

by Thomas Wheeler, Frank Miller, Katherine Langford (Narrator)

Look for the original series starring Katherine Langford on Netflix!

The Lady of the Lake is the true hero in this cinematic twist on the tale of King Arthur created by Thomas Wheeler and legendary artist, producer, and director Frank Miller (300, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City).

Featuring eight full-color and 30 black-and-white pieces of original artwork by Frank Miller.

Whosoever wields the Sword of Power shall be the one true King.

But what if the Sword has chosen a queen?

Nimue grew up an outcast. Her connection to dark magic made her something to be feared in her Druid village, and that made her desperate to leave…

That is, until her entire village is slaughtered by Red Paladins, and Nimue’s fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people’s only hope. Her mission leaves little room for revenge, but the growing power within her can think of little else.

Nimue teams up with a charming mercenary named Arthur and refugee Fey Folk from across England. She wields a sword meant for the one true king, battling paladins and the armies of a corrupt king. She struggles to unite her people, avenge her family, and discover the truth about her destiny.

But perhaps the one thing that can change Destiny itself is found at the edge of a blade.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Tom Wheeler (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, Fiction, Arthurian, Mythology, Historical Fiction

11 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Thomas "Tom" Wheeler is an American screenwriter and producer. He sold his first screenplay at age twenty-two, to Twentieth Century Fox. He has continued to work on major Hollywood features for the last several years. He served as the executive producer and show runner for the NBC superhero series The Cape.

Wheeler began his television career writing and executive producing the ABC mini-series Empire in 2005. He then wrote two television pilots, The World According to Barnes and Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, neither of which were taken to series. His series The Cape, about a police officer framed for a crime he did not commit who takes on the guise of his son's favorite comic book hero in order to clear his name, premiered on NBC on January 9, 2011.

Film work
Wheeler co-wrote the screenplay for Puss in Boots (2011), a spin-off from the Shrek franchise about the eponymous character.

He is currently writing the screenplay for the 2015 DreamWorks Animation's animated film B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations. But that film was quietly canceled. He was also co-writing another DWA's animated film Trollhunters together with film's co-director Guillermo del Toro, but the movie was then converted into a television series instead. Wheeler also wrote the 2017 live-action/animated film, The Lego Ninjago Movie.

Other writing
As of 2018, Wheeler is working with Frank Miller on a project called Cursed, which is an illustrated YA book reimagining the King Arthur legend from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake. Wheeler will write the prose, while Miller will provide original full-color and black-and-white illustrations. Miller and Wheeler will also simultaneously adapt the book into a TV series, which has already received a 10-episode order from Netflix. They will also both be executive producers on the project.

Wheeler lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Christina, and his son, Luca. The Arcanum is his first novel.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I’m this book’s exasperated mother: “I’m not mad, just disappointed.”

For a long time, we didn’t see a lot of Arthurian retellings and spinoffs. Now suddenly there are quite a few and unfortunately, they are all similar and all pretty bad.

Though this particular offshoot had its moments, it’s largely disappointing.

The basic plot isn’t really a problem. It’s a good idea and a semi-creative spin on the original legend. Unfortunately much of the detail and storytelling style is derivative. Not of Arthurian Legend, mind you, but of uber-tropey YA and fantasy novels. You’ll find some Lord of the Rings, some Game of Thrones, and some Throne of Glass. None of it works all that well.

I’m of two minds on the characters. On the positive side, there were some very clever work-ins of traditional Arthurian characters here in ways which I haven’t seen before. But on the other side, most of the main characters leave a lot to be desired.

Nimue isn’t a particularly good leader and an even worse martyr. She comes off like a dumb Celaena Sardothien.

And Merlin! Merlin is (sorta kinda) a fraud, and Merlin is drunk as a skunk! All the time! And sadly, that’s not nearly as funny or interesting as it sounds. I kind of got the impression the authors were going for a Tyrion type but instead we got a mix of the Mad Hatter and a really, really hammered version of Littlefinger.

I liked the role laid out for Uther, but the execution of his character arc left much to be desired. He’s pretty doltish for most of the book and then suddenly has a brief moment of Super Spy before withering back to his halfwit self again. In my mind, he looked and sounded like Lord Farquaad.

The minor characters were much better rendered, Morgan, Iris, and Lancelot in particular. Arthur, interestingly, winds up being a pretty standard Arthur archetype, though I wonder if that might change in the next installment.

One last bummer about this book: I hate saying this because I usually love Frank Miller, but the art in this book...it’s terrible.

I have some slight curiosity about where the story will go after this, but probably not enough to read the next offering in the series.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got an ARC of this at a conference and was excited, because Frank Miller was collaborating with an author, and it was already optioned for a Netflix series. Turns out, the author is in fact a screenwriter. This was a planned multimedia project, essentially, and it reads like one. There's zero interest in keeping with any kind of historical period between names, technologies, forms of dress...and the person who gave it to me at the publisher's booth called it a genderbent Arthur story. More accurately, it's a re-telling from Nimue's perspective. Which is cool and unusual, but Arthur is still a dude who's kind of ridiculous in this. There's a lot of violence against women even within the first few chapters. The writing is very simplistic. It's just not great. I have a feeling the show will be on par with Merlin, or any of the many other interchangeable fantasy TV shows that have come out in the past few years.

[Mei · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cursed is an overloaded, bloated mess that promises a unique spin on classic Arthurian legends, but does nothing to fulfill those promises, is bursting at the seams with unnecessary garbage, and completely betrays nearly all of its source material to an unforgivable degree. (I apologize in advance for the copious amounts of capitalization in this review I also ran out of characters at the end... how sad)

I cannot express how DISAPPOINTED I am with this book. I feel so mean saying that, but I know I'm entitled to my opinion, so I shall express it. I've been reading a lot of good stuff recently and maybe that's influenced my sheer dissatisfaction with what this book delivered to me. I'm just... so sad that it wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

In my reviews, I typically give a short synopsis of the book at the start, but I can't even muster up the energy to try and encapsulate this mess of a novel. The jacket synopsis leads you to believe this is a spin on the classic tales of King Arthur and the mythical, powerful sorceress Nimue (I've always seen it spelled Nimueh in other canon, which made getting this whole novel a chore) in which Nimue is given the legendary sword instead of Arthur and all of the fallout of her people's slaughter and persecution which sends her on a journey of self-discovery... but it just ISN'T.

First off, I'd like to talk about all the stuff I liked. Don't worry, I'm about to rip this thing to shreds, but for now, we shall have peace. I really liked the first 65 pages of this book. It sets up this quaint setting of Nimue's Druid village along with some of her friends, establishes how the village views her specifically, and those who do not fit within their system or have chosen to break off and leave. I actually squealed when Nimue mentions Gawain in her early conversation with the young boy Squirrel. She says he was one of the Druids the village looked down upon because he left several years ago and never returned. Gawain, in typical legends, is one of King Arthur's legendary knights of the round table, and I was excited to see that this book was willing to take risks with the source material. Quickly, I must address that what makes a "good" spin/altered adaptation is completely subjective. I think that changing things is good, but you need to retain the core qualities of the characters and other aspects of the source material that make it what it is (if that makes ANY sense). Gawain was actually my favorite part of the story, despite being in it for like maybe 4% of the time. I loved that they made his alias 'The Green Knight', which I assumed was a clear reference to the classic tale "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". Stuff like that, that's clever adaptation! It gives nods to its roots but manages to subvert our expectations for the character and keep them fresh. I liked that Nimue is quickly established to be an outsider in her community and has few people who actually like her. She feels like a misfit among what the rest of the world deems as misfits, and that's great! (it's quickly stomped over later though, don't get too excited) And although it's a HUGE tease and an eventual letdown, I can't say that I wasn't highly engrossed by the novel beginning en medias res. It truly grips you and leaves you with that 'oo what's gonna happen next, I'm so excited to read this book!' feeling, which is also great. Other than that though, this book really sucks, and I'm going to tell you why.

And here begins me ripping this story apart and leaving it for the dogs that probably live in castle Pendragon. Since we are fresh off the concept of being letdown by the short teaser bite of story we got en medias res, let's talk about what the book leads you to believe it is and what it ends up being. As established before, the jacket synopsis, as well as this introduction bit, lead us to believe that this story will follow the journey of Nimue, a powerful yet resented girl who is hated by nearly everyone in her village due to her unnatural power and cursed nature (haha, title puns). We are to follow her on her journey of self-discovery, internal conflict, and quest to unite those who despise her to help them rise up against the encroaching yet ominous threat of the Red Paladins, who slay all fey and magic-wielding creatures in their path. She is to struggle with her internal hatred for the 'Blood Men' (normal dudes) as she attempts to return the sword of power to the legendary Merlin, of whom the magic folk have not heard or seen from in many years and who many consider the greatest betrayer to all magical beings, especially the Druids. This quest is given to her by her mother, who used her last dying breaths to tell her that he would know what to do to help them all. She is to team up with a mysterious Blood Man, Arthur , who is a lowly indebted mercenary living life on the run. Nimue is to learn about the sword and its prophecy and that her cursed nature lie hand in hand. BUT it literally does NONE OF THAT.

I am now going to run through the entire jacket synopsis line-by-line and point out every single lie it shamelessly spews.

Nimue grew up an outcast. Her connection to dark magic made her something to be feared in her Druid village, and that made her desperate to leave...
Okay... so far so good... this is pretty much the first 3 chapters.

That is, until Red Paladins slaughter her entire village, and Nimue's fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people's only hope.
I mean, they do all pretty much die, besides Squirrel... ugh. Her mom gives her the quest, that's true. However, this next line... just... FRICK. Literally nobody knows she has the sword. This could be taken as Nimue knowing she has the burden of the entire Druid/magic-using people's future's on the line, but the book literally shows us that there are other magical beings out there that are getting along just fine without her and her stupid self-important sword prophecy bullshit. And if they're trying to say she's the village's last hope, that's dumb, they're ALL DEAD. Also that legendary sorcerer... boom you guessed it! It's Merlin! In this story, instead of being the all knowing warlock, legend to all, he's a sad drunk who's lost his magic and left his pregnant girlfriend after she saved his life because she got mad he was staring too hard at an old magic tree in a stupid temple. WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK. Just... ugh. I can't. All Merlin does in this story is whine about how lame he is without his magic and then does nothing about it besides get drunk. His entire character is just sad and old drunk man. Then he shows up and is like NIMUE I'M ACTUALLY YOUR DAD WOAH and then at the end of the story gets his magic restored for no reason because he was reunited with the sword... because the sword stole his magic and that's why he's a sad drunk, despite the fact he didn't grow as a character AT ALL. He's such a wishy-washy doormat of a character. Way to crap all over the most renowned wizard in history guys!

Her mission leaves little room for revenge, but the growing power within her can think of nothing else.
Literally what?! Her entire mission is to reunite the sword and Merlin so he can help them stand against the Blood Men and save the magic people, presumably by destroying the Blood Men and their tyranny. Also, her powers are barely touched on in any sort of meaningful or understandable way. They give vague preludes to it in the start but they continue to leave it as an intangible mess of whispers in her ear that qualify as magic somehow, I guess. It's the stupidest thing ever. Her magic has literally nothing to do with any of her internal conflict throughout the rest of the story. It has a small role to play in her encounter with Merlin, but at that point it's literally just an exposition machine, not a conflict driver. What a WASTE. Here's where I get very mad. Nimue's entire character in the legends is that she is this whacky dark sorceress lady. Magic is a huge part of her character. This story advertises her the same way and has the audacity to wave its story potential in our faces in the first few chapters, but then shoves the whole magic part of the freaking SORCERESS to the side! It's a betrayal to the character, in both the legends and in it's OWN GOD DAMN STORY.

Nimue teams up with a charming mercenary named Arthur and refugee Fey Folk from across England.
*belch* Okay... I was so excited and interested to see where this book took Arthur, seeing as he wasn't king. But despite this book being based from Arthurian legend, ARTHUR IS BARELY IN THE STORY. He is there in the start, established to be a character who cares about Nimue and is willing to do a lot for someone he barely knows by returning her cloak to her after chasing her miles into a dark forest, a great portrayal of Arthur's classic chivalry, honor, and bravery. Once she comes to find him to help her with her sword quest though, he's all begrudging and acts like she's a complete inconvenience. This would have been fine if the book took the idea of him being an on-the-run, indebted mercenary who's compromised his morals in order to survive and have his character progression be that he should help others without seeking glory or reward out of the good of his heart. BUT IT DOESN'T! The story went out of its way to establish he is already an unfathomably kind and honorable person, and then craps all over it. He and Nimue have a jerkily developed sorry excuse for a romance, which all blows up in flames when Nimue reunites with Gawain, who is quickly explained as just an old friend. But Arthur gets all jealous and freaking leaves Nimue to her own devices like a big fat, selfish DUMBASS. I hate to cuss so much in this review, but I'm so angry. Arthur is just not a character. He does NOTHING. He does some stupid self-contradictory things, yells about helping the fey people instead of helping Nimue with her stupid plan at the finale, and that's IT. Also, the Fey are just a background prop to Nimue's terrible rise to power as the "Fey Queen"... they don't matter to her and therefore don't matter to the reader. They are literally her doormat and go from being like: "yep this chick is bad news she's kind of got evil magic" to: "OH MY GOD YOU ARE THE QUEEN OF MAGIC I LOVE YOU NIMUE I'LL LITERALLY DIE FOR YOU ANY DAY OF THE WEEK". It's just so BAD.

She wields a sword meant for the one true king, and battles paladins and the armies of a corrupt ruler.
More like she runs away all scared, never uses her allegedly super-powerful magic to defend herself and cries for literally any other character to protect her. She kills some people with the sword a few times and she's like YES I AM SO GOOD AT SWORDS NOW LOOK AT MEEEEE. Just... ugh. Also, the corrupt leader... is he Father Carden or Uther Pendragon? GUESS I'LL NEVER KNOW. MAYBE IT'S BOTH. Father Carden is just... stupid. I thought it was kind of cool to just have the Red Paladins as people who just hated magic. It was simple and easy to digest, but they keep adding stupid amounts of religious motivation and weird backstory to Carden and his court. It's just so BAD. Uther in this story is NOT Arthur's father (Arthur Pendragon is not Arthur Pendragon, he's Arthur I'm-Poor-And-Sad). Uther is a young, cocky, and entitled king who craps all over his advisor, Merlin, for being a crappy wizard. Uther is such a non-character and the epitome of a mustache-twirling villain. They toss in a pointless plot about his mother and her trying to help him run his kingdom or whatever. It's stupid and pointless and boats the plot and then she FREAKING DROPS DEAD. She couldn't bear to be a part of the story anymore so she literally just dies out of nowhere and Uther is like: "yep that kind of sucks but whatever. IM A BIG BOY I CAN RUN MY OWN KINDGOM, MOM"

She struggles to unite her people, avenge her family, and discover the truth about her Destiny. And perhaps the one thing that can change destiny itself is found at the edge of a blade.
LIES. Arthur's half sister, Morgan (literally why couldn't they have had her name be Morgana... so many stories call her Morgana and it just flows so much nicer... WHATEVER THIS IS TRIVIAL) leads her to a group of fey, who are getting on just fine by the way, and then the rest of they fey come to her and are like, wow this group of magic freedom fighters sounds just dandy, I think I'll help. And then they become her doormat subjects... She doesn't really give a crap about her mom after she dies either. WHAT DO YOU MEAN. SHE IS AVENGING NOBODY. She hated everyone in her village, besides Pym and Squirrel, because they hated her! AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN MENTION PYM AFTER SHE DIES. Also... what destiny? If they meant to elude to her taking the fey throne as their queen, then this book truly sucks. Nimue doesn't earn any of her character moments, especially not her rise to power over the fey. She has no identity as a character besides being Merlin/s daughter and her stupid underdeveloped magic/connection to "The Hidden" which is, again, NEVER EXPLAINED TO THE READERS. Also this last line sounds really cool but is just a big fat LIE. Her entire rise to being the fey queen is so not tied to the sword. She uses it as a bargaining chip and doesn't even use it to fight in the final battle. IT SUCKS. IT'S SO STUPID AND THEN IT JUST... UGH. The sword acts as a plot device to take her to Merlin so she can have a stupid story beat that is supposed to be a huge character discovery/development moment, but just falls flat and lame like everything else in this book, and then she uses it like it's a freaking pair of old converse at the swap market, being like: "I'll trade my magic sword that will literally let you oppress all my people and let you claim yourself to be the best dude ever for my friend that you basically tortured to the brink of death." BOO.

Goodreads has also let me know I only have 400 characters left, so I can't even touch on all of my gripes, just know... the book craps all over the characters of the legend. It shoves in legacy character names like Lancelot and Percival but does NOTHING with them. Lancelot is the Weeping Monk... WHY?! He's a sad emo boy that contributes nothing to the plot. They literally have Squirrel mention his name is Percival like with 8 pages left for NO REASON. Percival is a knight in the legends by the way. BUT THEY JUST GOTTA NAMEDROP SOME CHARACTERS SO YOU THINK THE WRITING IS CLEVER. IT'S NOT!

Also... art is subjective, but the art in this book is UGLY and interrupts the flow of the whole book. It's just distracting.

I have so much more to say, but Goodreads has limited my rage. Just don't waste your time on this book, it'll just disappoint you and make you unreasonably angry.

[zuzu. · Rating 1 out of 5]

⤷ UPDATE (2025): I have officially switched to Storygraph and thus won't be active on Goodreads any longer.

Me, as a publishing company upon receiving the first draft of this: Ok... interesting. But, tell me: is it absolutely necessary to have yet another "modern(ized)" Arthurian retelling?

Thomas Wheeler: Yes!!! Because this time we'll tell the story from... wait for it... WAIT FOR IT... A FEMALE CHARACTER'S PERSPECTIVE.

Me: Uhm. Okay. Cool. But... it's been done before. Multiple times. So why do we need another one of those? Don't you think readers might get tired of the whole "retellings written from the PoV of a previously voiceless character" ?? So what else is there apart from a change in narrators?

Thomas Wheeler: Oh, you'll LOVE this: we won't just let Nimue shine, we'll defeat any and all misogyny!!! Because... wait for it... WAIT FOR IT... *drum roll* NIMUE WILL WIELD EXCALIBUR. AND THE READERS WILL TOTALLY GASP BECAUSE WOW, THE ONE TRUE KING. IS. ACTUALLY. A. QUEEN. BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING.

Me: Uhm... Sure, okay, nice. But... I still don't know how it is any different from popular Arthuriana books (that shift the focus from men to women) the likes of The Mists of Avalon.

Thomas Wheeler: The Mists of Avalon has nothing on us!! We'll have illustrations!! And we're super woke, because... OH!! That's it: Nimue will be a woman of colour... in the illustrations.

Me: Okay, okay, we're getting somewhere... So, the story will address issues of race and gender and how minority groups have simply been ignored by most Arthurian retellings that justify their lack of diversity by claiming it wouldn't be "historically accurate"?

Thomas Wheeler: No. Why would you say that? Nimue is supposed to be a badass skinny white blonde. You know, we gotta go with the Throne of Glass trend!! Gotta stay relevant and ahead of the times!!

Me: Uhm... So you're not actually considering addressing the aforementioned issues in the story ??

Thomas Wheeler: Nope. BUT... it'll be in the ILLUSTRATIONS!!!

Me: *exasperatedly rubbing my temples* Okay... well... can you give me any good reason why we should publish this?

Thomas Wheeler: OH, I KNOW. We'll criticise religion. Aaaaand, we'll add a plot twist that will make Fight Club look like the work of an amateur!!

Me: Oh, okay, okay... what kind of plot twist?

Thomas Wheeler: You're never gonna believe this, but we'll add a super badass laconic and emotionless dude who's deadset on eradicating Nimue's people. He's a villain, a mass murderer, but he's hot and misunderstood. Because he has a TRAGIC PAST!!! Once again, gotta go with the flow, amirite? Teenage girls will go crazy for that one. Now... get this: he used to be: LANCELOT. Freaking Lancelot, isn't that brilliant, huh? An evil Lancelot!!

Me: Uhm... yes, okay, but...

Thomas Wheeler: NO WAIT. There's more! He'll wear cool goth make-up. And he'll... he'll have a cape! We could call him... uhm... the WEEPING MONK, yes, yes, genius. And we'll add some spicy enemies to lovers vibes between him and Nimue. And turn it all into a love triangle. Shippers will bite.

Me: Isn't that just abusive and toxic?

Thomas Wheeler: No, what makes you say that? It's obviously "enemies to lovers". Anyway, listen to this. The other contender for Nimue's heart is... wait for it... ARTHUR PENDRAGON HIMSELF!! See what we did there??? Arthuriana fans are gonna lose their sh*t because of that twist. ARTHUR AND LANCELOT ARE ONCE AGAIN BATTLING FOR THE AFFECTION OF THE SAME WOMAN!!! AHHH THE D-R-A-M-A!!

Me: Wait... When did this turn into a romance novel?? I thought this was about female empowerment and Nimue wielding Excalibur and becoming a good ruler. Didn't you mention something about ending misogyny?

Thomas Wheeler: Yeah, sure. That's why Arthur will be a total spineless doormat bottom simping for Nimue, of course. Cause... we're battling sexism, after all, so he can't have a personality. Or any sort of three-dimensionality. Because... otherwise it would be sexist. DUH.

Me: ??? Listen, I don't think this is what we're looking for...

Thomas Wheeler: NO, NO, WAIT!! You GOTTA publish this because Netflix already approached us and asked if they could turn it into a series. IT'S GONNA BE THE NEXT GAME OF THRONES FOR SURE!! But obviously... less sexist.

Me: Oh, okay... uhm. Anything I need to know about this upcoming adaptation that'll convince me in any way shape or form of this novel's merit?

Thomas Wheeler: Uhm. I dunno. But... We'll cast Daniel Sharman as The Weeping Monk.

Me: *chokes* Now this... this changes everything *smacks contract on the desk* SIGN HERE, WE HAVE A DEAL.

[Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book – Cursed
Author – Thomas Wheeler
Series – N/A
Cliffhanger? - No
Publication Date – October 1, 2019
Genre – YA Fantasy
Rating – 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary copy generously provided by the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts - Story
I was totally wrong with what I was expecting when I requested this book. I thought it was going to be a retelling of Arthur being a girl, instead it is a story through Nimue’s POV. This was not what I was expecting but I kept an open mind. If you don’t know who Nimue is, she is the Lady of the Lake who originally had Excalibur before Merlin/Arthur.

Then I felt as I was reading that this was made more for the movies instead of a book – I mean I have a good imagination, but this was difficult sometimes to process what was supposed to be going on.

Overall, this book held my attention and I can’t wait to see the Netflix adaptation on screen. I think I will give it a 5 star after the fact.

Reason for Reading – NetGalley Request
Story – 4 out of 5 Stars
Steam – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 3 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 3 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Would Read More from Author? Yes

[J.M. (Joe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t get people rating this book two stars and saying it’s a mess and ”tropey.” I had a lot of fun with Cursed—it's impossible to avoid tropes anyhow. One of my all-time beloved authors is David Gemmell, and this book made me nostalgic for his work. I feel like some of the reviewers marking it low missed something. The development arcs for the characters were terrific. The narrative had a bit of Gemmell and a bit of Bernard Cornwell (not as good as those guys, but certainly reminiscent) what with the intense emotions, adversarial relationships, mass battles and sieges, hard decisions, tough losses, character growth, and gritty action.

The only downside of this book has nothing to do with the writing; it's the dreadful artwork by Frank Miller. This is no Elektra, Dark Knight Returns, Sin City or 300. The art is just...bad, and it doesn’t jive with the feel of the novel at all. I don't know what happened. It's possible Miller toked his art talents away. Thomas Wheeler, on the other hand, wrote a smashing good yarn. I will read the next to see where he takes Nimue, Merlin, Squirrel, and Lancelot, my favorite characters in Cursed. I may reconsider the charitable five stars and revise it to four, but as of now, I'm giving it some feels for the nostalgia.

[Andrea Ashwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Adelanto de Reseña]

“Nacimos con la aurora para marcharnos al anochecer.”

Muy decepcionada.

Como fan de las leyendas artúricas he de decir que empecé esta lectura con las expectativas muy altas, más aún sabiendo que Netflix iba a lanzar la primera temporada.

No sé muy bien cómo rescatar esta pequeña reseña sin hablar en todo momento de lo desesperante que ha sido la lectura.

Para empezar si no conoces un mínimo básico de las leyendas artúricas no lo vas a comprender, porque en ningún momento se explica la relación entre los personajes de la leyenda original a esta versión. Un ejemplo podría ser la misma protagonista, Nimue. No mucha gente conoce quién era Nimue en la leyenda original (al menos en la leyenda más popular), y si no lo sabes no se entenderá muy bien el final.

Lectura muy lenta. En muchas ocasiones me encontré perdida en la lectura. Las frases se enredaban entre ellas y perdían sentido. Esto hizo que a veces tuviera que leer el mismo fragmento tres veces, y se me quitaban las ganas de continuar con el libro.

“La espada se abrirá paso hasta ti, Merlín, aunque con qué extremo lo hará, la empuñadura o la punta, está por verse todavía.”

“¿Deseas destruir la espada? ¿Qué pasa con la profecía?”

“Fueron las optimistas palabras de un tiempo más amable. Ahora soy más sabio. No existe un rey verdadero. La espada está maldita y corromperá a quien la empuñe.”

Por supuesto lo que más me gusto fue reencontrarme con muchos de los personajes míticos, ver qué origen les daba el autor y los huevos de pascua que se encuentran a lo largo de la novela.
También me gustaron algunos giros argumentales de la trama que no me esperé para nada y aportan originalidad.

“Jamás midas tu valor por los hombres que has matado. A veces el verdadero valor significa evitar la disputa que dejará sin vida a otra. Los hombres que juzgan su valía por aquellos que han matado son hombres inferiores. No son caballeros.”

No sé si leería una secuela, en todo caso sería por conocer qué ocurre con el Monje Llorón (si lo habéis leído ya sabéis por qué lo digo).
Aunque el libro me haya decepcionado enormemente espero ver la serie pronto y que sea mejor llevadera.

Reseña próximamente...

[BookNightOwl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a hard time getting into this story. I found it slow and not exciting. I couldn't connect to the main character and had a hard time staying focus on what was going on.

[Heidi (can’t retire soon enough) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the fact that the YA crowd would consider me to be in the “crypt keeper” age group, I do love a well-written YA fantasy. Imagine my shock at finding a second 5-star YA read in less than a year.

Of course, all it took for a three-star rating was to use the Sword in the Stone and Arthurian legends as inspiration. Add a fourth star for some excellent world building and a fifth star because it was simply an excellent book— suspense, surprises, treachery, hope and the promise of more to come.

Looking forward to watching the Netflix series, but it has a lot to live up to!!

[Książkowe Bajdurzenie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dziady - część piąta.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTfpm...

[justmiaslife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich fiebere total auf den Start der Netflixserie „Cursed“ hin, in der Katherine Langford von 13 Reasons Why die Hauptrolle übernehmen wird. Umso mehr hat es mich gefreut die Chance zu haben, vorher noch das Buch zu der Geschichte zu lesen. Ich habe echt mal wieder einen guten Fantasyroman gebraucht und den habe ich mit „Cursed: Die Auserwählte“ von Frank Wheeler glücklicherweise auch geboten bekommen.

In „Cursed“ handelt es sich um eine Neuinterpretation der Arthus-Sage, welche meiner Meinung nach sehr gelungen ist. Die Geschichte selbst ist jetzt zwar deutlich weg vom Ursprung, jedoch jetzt auch nicht wirklich etwas komplett Neues: Naturvölker die als abnorm betrachtet, vom Klerus verfolgt und getötet werden, der ewige Machtkampf zwischen Krone und Kirche und dazwischen ein paar Protagonisten, die wir auf ihrem abenteuerlichen Weg begleiten. Hier fangen jedoch gleichzeitig auch große Unterschiede an.

Die Charaktere in diesem Roman sind gut herausgearbeitet und werden facettenreich dargestellt. Auch die Wandlungsfähig der vorkommenden Personen überzeugt und trägt zur Atmosphäre bei. Allen voran die Protagonistin Nimue, die mir in ihrer Rolle sehr gut gefiel. Sie zeigte Mut, Abenteuerlust, etwas Herz und Gefühl und war dennoch eine starke Kämpferin. Eigentlich wurde jeder Protagonist seiner Rolle gerecht, nur Merlin war nicht ganz das, was ich ich mir erhofft habe. Am Anfang wirkte er eher wie ein in die Jahre gekommende Merlin,dem seine Magie abhanden gekommen ist. Trotzdem passte er genauso in die Geschichte.

Geschickt skizziert Wheeler eine Welt rund um das Schwert Excalibur, welches in den Händen von Nimue liegt. Dass es ein bisschen blutig zugeht, unterstreicht nur den Bezug zum Mittelalter. Mit seinem Schreibstil fesselt der Autor die Leser*innen bereits ab der ersten Seite. Auf fantastische und magische Weise lässt Wheeler eine lebendige Welt entstehen, die einen Tief eintauchen und nicht mehr loslässt. Ganz ähnlich wie bei dem Schwert Excalibur, welches einen ganz besonderen Reiz auf seinen Besitzer ausübt. Die Geschichte ist magisch, spannend,teils blutig und grausam,trotzdem war sie genau nach meinem Geschmack. Mir gefiel gerade der Spannende Teil sehr gut, da dies die damalige Zeit gut wiederspiegelte.

Eng mit der Protagonistin verbunden ist die Dichte der Erzählung – ein Kampf reiht sich an die nächste Schlacht, und auch wenn Raum für Überlegungen und Zweifel bleibt, ist kein Kapitel ohne Aktion. Verrat und doppeltes Spiel, verschiedenste Akteure unterschiedlichster Interessen – Nimue ist gewaltgebeutelt und konfliktzerrissen, und das schlägt sich in Tempo und Atmosphäre nieder! Es ist ein wirklich blutiger aber dennoch spannender Fantasyroman, der für Fans des Genres auf jeden Fall ein Genuss sein wird.

Fazit: „Cursed: Die Auserwählte“ ist eine wirklich tolle Interpretation des Arthus-Sage, die Spaß beim Lesen macht und vor Spannung nur so trotzt. Ich mag solche Sagen sehr gern, egal ob Original oder modernisiert,weshalb ich das Buch mit seinem düsteren Touch empfehlen kann. Fans des Genre werden es lieben!

[Lindsi (Do You Dog-ear?) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 41%

Cursed wasn't a terrible book, but I never felt compelled to pick it up. I kept choosing to read other books instead, which is why I wasn't able to finish this one before its release date. The characters were flat and uninteresting, and I wasn't able to connect with them or their individual stories. Merlin is a drunk. A manipulative, ridiculous drunk that didn't contribute much to the story. Arthur can't decide if he wants to be dependable or flaky, and Nimue was a very one-dimensional main character that rarely made her own decisions. She was either following the orders of others, or doing what the Hidden and the Sword of Power compelled her to do.

The story is also very violent, and actually made me feel sick to my stomach. The deaths were gruesome on their own, but when the atrocities were committed against children... infants... I can't. Especially when one of the babies is later used to convey a message from the Hidden, like some twisted reanimated zombie doll.

Additionally, I didn't care for the random illustrations peppered in throughout the story. They were odd and distracting. I normally like Frank Miller's work, but the artwork in Cursed missed the mark for me.

I thought the overall concept was unique and had the potential to be interesting, but I wasn't captivated by the story. The Fey twist on Arthurian legend was promising, but I wish they'd expanded on the different clans and variations of Fey. I also felt like there were gaps in the story when we went from one chapter to the next. It always took me a few minutes to figure out who was speaking and where they were. I think the structure of the book could have been a little smoother, but maybe it will transition better as a television series.

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[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-La ejecución está varios peldaños por debajo del concepto.-

Género. Narrativa fantástica.

Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Maldita (publicación original: Cursed, 2019) nos lleva hasta la Gran Bretaña de algún momento a mediados de la Edad Media, pero una en la que, además de descendientes de colonos romanos, celtas, anglosajones y vikingos, hay criaturas con aspecto semihumano conocidas como Inefables, afines a lo druídico y a poderes sobrenaturales, normalmente poco queridas por la población y ahora perseguidas hasta el exterminio por los Paladines Rojos, una orden militar católica extremista. Cuando atacan su aldea, una joven con fuertes capacidades mágicas llamada Nimue terminará por ser la portadora de una espada con grandes poderes. La parte narrativa es de Wheeler y las ilustraciones, obviamente, de Frank Miller.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...

[Fiebre Lectora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Creo que era una buena idea, y la trama realmente no estaría mal, pero la forma en que está narrada la novela no me ha convencido para nada, no tenía sentido y le faltaba sustancia, explicaciones... de todo; desgraciadamente, Maldita ha sido un libro que me ha decepcionado y que no he podido disfrutar, tanto por la forma en que estaba escrito como por los personajes tan sosos que tiene.
Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sinceramente, no sé lo que acabo de leer.
Es de esas veces que terminas un libro y en lugar de saber más, sabes menos. Confuso, muy confuso, con falta de explicaciones y de profundidad en los personajes. Más guion que novela.
En fin, una pena, porque pintaba fenomenal.

[AziaMinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall Rating : B

I feel like I would have liked it more if it was a just a graphic novel instead of a novelization. A great retelling/reimagining of the Arthurian legend although that ending made me want to hurl it across the room.

[Athena of Velaris · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Born in the dawn, to pass in the twilight."

I really wanted to like this book. After really enjoying the Netflix series, I was expecting a certain amount of greatness from this story, which was not what I got. The book moved too fast, and the authors didn't spend enough time creating and developing the characters. The relationships that formed in the show were also created in the book, but seemed more thrown together by plot necessity rather than actual chemistry. The world wasn't fully explored, and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. Nimue was not an interesting person, nor did she make interesting choices, instead allowing herself to be a puppet for others and the sword itself. The writing also wasn't that good, and the dialog felt VERY forced. The one thing that saved this book was the plot, which was fast moving and entertaining. Also, the names that were used for the characters hinted at the way the story will play out and tied in the Arthurian aspect. Having seen the show and read the book, I'd say that even though the book wasn't that good, the show was excellent, and I'd encourage high fantasy fans to check it out.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrator though <3<3<3

Cursed definitely had it's ups and downs but overall, it was interesting enough to hold my attention. The pacing in the beginning does start off a bit slow.. but then the book weaves in and out of random pacing throughout the entire book. Not going to lie, I mostly wanted to dive into this because it's becoming a Netflix show! So yeah, I was excited for that part.. I just wish the overall book was on the same pace and a bit more exciting at times.

In it, you will meet Nimue. Eh, she's an okay character but mostly reckless. At one point, I started to like her more than I started off to. Then there are the character's that she meets along the way.. and they were eh too. Merlin was interesting but I feel like people always play around with his character when it comes to King Arthur-ish books. Or it could just be me?

Other than that, the romance was okay but didn't really motivate me to ship anyone. It was just kind of there and in the way. In the end, I'm glad that I took a chance on it.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read! There is a cast of old characters: Gawain, Arthur, Morgan, etc, but the tale is all new. I devoured the last half of the book. The only thing I didn't care for was the art work. Since it is a YA book, maybe the younger set would like it. Me? I found it poorly done and a sad counter point to such a well told adventure tale.

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

Okay, I have a lot to say about this book.

Also I saved like twenty quotes so we can have fun and go over them together.

But first, the plot. I was intrigued that this book wasn't just a gender-bent version of King Arthur's tale, but a focus on the Lady of the Lake, Nimue. However, this book was very unrecognizable as a retelling - there's no sword in the stone, there's no round table, and the magic and Fey are strangely out of place. I can understand if this is more based on the original legends, but I feel like a "sword in the stone" type story should have some familiar elements. Honestly, I think you could switch around some names and make this an entirely OG story and no one would notice.

(I do think though, that the Lancelot, Guinevere, and Percival reveals were very cool. I can't say I wasn't impressed.)

Also, on that note: the title's really bad. "Cursed" is already taken by a hundred books, and it doesn't really connect to the plot. Take the gender-bent King Arthur retelling "Once and Future." I haven't read that yet, but that's a good title. It references the original stories while still sounding cool.

Last thing: Nimue cuts off people's hands. A lot. With one sweep of a sword. The first time it happened, I was wondering, but by the third or fourth time I was wholly convinced that this wasn't as easy as she was making it sound. She also cuts off people's heads clean with one sweep blah blah... it gets dull fast.

Now, onto the writing! It had some good lines, like the whole "Born in the dawn/To pass in the twilight" thing. And "I send my regards from the Wolf-Blood Witch" was cool. (Side note: Why do Nimue's enemies give her that title? What villains do that? "Oh hey, someone killed our people - let's call them the Red Death on our wanted posters! That'll give them both a familiar name and a cool title!") But for the most part, the writing in this book wasn't good. It has descriptions like "The man was unimpressed" when it's supposed to be from Nimue's perspective, or "Arthur turned, shocked," explicitly explaining every emotion without descriptors. Also, every chapter ends weirdly abruptly -

The quotes!

➖

"Come on!" she roared, feeling a surge of power.

You see, she feels powerful. That is why she is feeling a surge of power. It's just... it's so spelled out...

➖

"Dead, I think."
"Dead?" Arthur ran a nervous hand through his hair.

In what world is the act of running your hand through your hair a nervous tic? And why are you explicitly explaining his emotions??

➖

Where can I leave her? he kept thinking.
Who in the Nine Hells is this girl?
What was he supposed to do with her?

What... what is this? Why would you have Arthur's inner thoughts be written like "What should he do?" when it should be "What should I do?"

➖

"You've lowered your guard."
"Your sword is in the grass. I won."
"Have you?" Nimue snuck her cheese knife from her skirts and brought it up to Arthur's throat.
"Is that a cheese knife?" Arthur laughed.

Reasons this is bad:

1. Cheese knife cheese knife cheese knife
2. It describes Nimue's action with no... action. Flesh this part out!

➖

She felt it. The sword wanted blood.
She wanted blood too.

No! You say; "So did she." "The sword wanted blood. So did she." That's inarguably better! Less wordy!

➖

The elbowed monk swam at his friend and then hesitated. His brow furrowed. His droopy eyes brightened with awe.
A girl's face hovered in the waters below him. Perfect. A doll's face. Her hair danced and her eyes captured glints of spectral green. The monk took her for a water nymph from one of the pagan stories. He tried to speak as a perfect silver blade entered the bottom of his jaw and tore through the top of his skull.

I'm just gonna leave you with this one.

➖

"I think you're mistaken," Nimue said in a flat, threatening tone.

Please explain what both flat and threatening mean together. Please.

➖

The Widow tensed expectantly.

That adverb is so unnecessary...

➖

"You knew her, did you, you old dog?" Rugen chuckled, anxious for the story.

Unless it's a nervous laugh, I can't imagine how this king is supposed to laugh but also mean that he is "anxious for a story," my gosh.

➖

Nimue shoved Arthur into the wall. "Are you wanting to be hurt?"

...

➖

Okay, this one needs some background. This character, for some reason, makes a ton of pastries but poisons some of them. This is already known and established:

He studied the treats on the tray for a third time. He pointed to a powdered sugar cake, but Lady Lunette cautioned with a shake of her head. Uther nodded, that one was poisoned.

See? There's no need to state again that it's poisoned! And don't get me started on "cautioned with a shake of her head"... stop with the over-explaining of every emotion...

➖

Now, this scene is when a character is confronting another character about a secret.

Lady Lunette closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds.

That's not bad on its own - a character, looking away, closing their eyes as they realize that someone else knows their secret. But describing it as happening "for the briefest of seconds" is just a blink. That's all it is.

➖

"Have you known Gawain for very long?"
"Not very long."
A waterfall of conversation, Nimue mused.

What is this?? Who thinks like that??

➖

Disturbed by the spirits' presence but no longer fearing attack, Nimue sheathed her sword but remained alert.

Again... stop with the over-explaining...

➖

Merlin's legs gave out on the long pathway to the altar. He crawled across the floor, gasping, wheezing, clawing at his side, clearly in agony.

All those descriptors and you finish with "clearly in agony"?????

➖

"I have - no, there is no - I can't speak to childish gossip." Lenore struggled to defend herself.

Uggggh. Let the actions do the telling for once!!

➖

The boy had blood in his mouth.

Why would you write like this? Have blood spurt out of his mouth as he speaks, don't just say it like this!

➖

Nimue struggled not to betray emotion, though the death of the prisoner had moved her.

...I'm losing so much patience.

➖

"What do you think is happening to him?" Nimue asked, referring to Gawain.

That is the most unsubtle way I've ever seen this used...
➖

Okay, this is around the point where I stopped taking note. The last 100 pages or so are a very confusing battle sequence with more armies than I could keep track of. I'm not a fan of action writing, and not this much.

I know it sounds like, at this point, that I full on hated this book, but I feel like I've spent too much time with it to actually feel that way. And the ending - that was quite interesting. I actually liked it. I don't know if this book has a sequel in works, as the ending was very open. But at least I can check out the TV show know and see how that holds up. At least the awkward writing will be gone.

2.5/5 stars.

[Marcy Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF'd at 20%. Life is too short and filled with too many better books.

I don't normally rate books I don't finish, but this book was so bad on so many levels. I'm not going to go over everything I had a problem with in this book because it would take too long. Here are the "high" points.

(1) The writing was choppy, flat, and clumsy--even the dialogue. This author is a screenwriter so I assumed his dialogue would be amazing at the very least. It wasn't. The writing was unpleasant to read.

(2) The main character, Nimue, acts recklessly and randomly. She does things that will put her in danger and will put others in danger without even thinking them through, even when they're obviously a bad move.

(3) The plot felt forced and too convenient.

Things happened in this story because the author needed them to happen, not because they grew out of the characters' decisions, personality, or any natural consequence. For example, her horse decides to be stubborn to keep her in the road, letting Arthur find her, but then just a minute or two later, her horse is so well trained and behaved that it responds to a small command to hide when the bandits come.

Also, she's just randomly attacked by a pack of wolves in broad daylight when there are plenty of freshly dead bodies and dying people lying all over. I'm still not sure what the point of that was except to show her killing a pack of wolves?

One more example, and then I'll stop. Nimue gets hit hard in the back of the skull with an iron ball swung by a trained soldier. She's knocked unconscious and when she wakes up, she feels something wet on the back of her head (presumably blood or cranial fluid--we're not told). Then she gets up, runs around, kills a whole pack of wolves while doing flips in the air, and murders paladins who've been able to slaughter trained men. I'm sorry. Did the author research head injuries at all? Her head didn't even seem to hurt after that first moment. And she doesn't wash up, so the soldiers who make her lower her hood later would logically see blood all over the back of her head and matted in her hair, but they don't.

(4) There's no emotion where there should have been.

This is a novel. You can't depend on the actors to fill in the blanks. A novel needs things to be happening inside the characters if you want the reader to care at all. Telling us that the "king's eyes were wild with fear" after he drank a bucket of blood that was supposed to be water doesn't make me feel anything.

I'm trying not to fall into a rant here, but Nimue sees her whole community slaughtered, then finds her mother bloodied and dying, and so you'd think there'd be some feeling. There's not.

(5) The author seems to have a grudge against Christians.

He's created a fantasy world where there are Fey who can call on magical beings called the Hidden that make roots come up out of the earth to grab people and make ruins glow on skin, but the evil monsters who are slaughtering young children are people who are doing it while telling them "God is love and he's smiling as we purify you." He's also named them Paladins and has them crucifying people on crosses. If another faith group (for example, Muslims) were portrayed as bloodthirsty in this way, citing history as the excuse, people would be up in arms. Why not put in the effort, since you're creating a magical fantasy world, to create a fresh group of villains instead?

I understand that awful things were done in the past by people claiming to be Christians. I studied history. But when you're creating a fantasy world, maybe put in a little more effort and actually be creative by doing something fresh. If you're not going to do that, instead of assuming you know how history went because of what the current public group-think is about a group of people and past events, do some historical research on the actual events and motivations. You might be surprised at the real reasons behind some of the atrocities that were committed when the propaganda is stripped away.

Sorry, that ended up ranty in the end. I hated this book for more reasons that I've listed here, but I'm done with it now. I have better things to do with my time.

This book was such a huge disappointment because the premise was so fantastic. What if the sword in the stone chose a queen instead of a king? To have such a fresh premise executed so poorly just made me sad.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like if you took the Arthur legend and put it in a blender, and I mean that as a compliment. The names are there, the characters are there, but not the way you expect them to be. I really loved the Weeping Monk and the Red Paladins (and by loved I mean, AAAAAH! YOU'RE SO HORRIBLE!) I loved Nimue and her relationship with Arthur, and the Fey Folk. What a rich and strange type of magic!

I had a hard time, though, with the illustrations. The color ones were gorgeous, and did enhance the story, but the blocky black and white ones were distracting. I would try to figure out who was who and what was happening . . . often they was at odds with the descriptions in the book, or you couldn't tell the different between Nimue and Arthur. Example: it's a big deal that she has to get out of her skirts and into something she can fight in, but in the pictures she's been in weird strappy leather pants the whole time. One character who wears robes and a hood but has a leopard tail is depicted as . . . well, as a Sleestax in a bikini. Upsetting!

I'm very excited for the Netflix series, this was clearly written to be a screenplay, and it's going to be amazing.

[Martini_tnt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Całkiem fajne, zdecydowanie młodzieżowe ale jestem ciekawa jak się dalej potoczy ta historia. Jest to inne spojrzenie na legendy arturiańskie, nie jestem pewna czy mi się to do końca podoba ale pewnie sięgnę po kontynuację.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to go with 3 stars, but here's the thing to me it's not 3 stars but it's not 4 stars. If goodreads would smarten up and give us half stars. I would feel closer to where this book lays. Because 3 isn't right and 4 is being generous.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: 2.5 Stars
Can you ever have too many Arthurian retellings? The magic, the characters, the intrigue, all with a different spin, which is what Thomas Wheeler has done with his own sense of flare and creative license.

CURSED has the plot, the bones and some pretty original thoughts, but something was just off for me, maybe that special spark that fantasy brings to a story. Expect to see characters in a completely different light, some positive, some, not so much. Told through Nimue’s point of view, we see everyone through a different light and heroes of old become something less, something not exactly larger than life.

I felt I was being fed more of a visual tale, less of a story, could that be because this is designed for commercial viewing and not as a book for mental viewing and imagination? This tale skimmed the surface of what could have been a very deep pool of creativity.

So, yes, you can have too many Arthurian tales, but only when they miss the mark of magic!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. My honest review is voluntary.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2019)
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Print Length: 416 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first hundred pages before I gave up. At first glance, this seems like a strong female protagonist book, but it's more like "wreckless protagonist sometimes accidentally does the right thing" book. There will be demand for this book, and I know who I will recommend it to, but unfortunately it's not for me.

[Sandra Lawerson · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5

Desde pequeña, Nimue ha sido testigo de cómo el pueblo al que pertenece no la ve con buenos ojos. Acusada de llevar una oscuridad terrible, Nimue ha crecido entre miradas llenas de odio, miedo, desesperación por echarla de la comunidad. Es por eso que, a pesar de que la posición y el papel que su madre desempeña en el pueblo ha sido siempre su seguro y protección, el sueño de Nimue es dejar atrás su pasado cuanto antes. Junto a su mejor amiga, Nimue decide probar suerte cogiendo uno de los barcos que zarpan cada poco tiempo hacia un terreno lejano, pero esta vez no hay nada esperando por ella... salvo la muerte. Los conocidos como Paladines Rojos han llegado a su poblado, matando, torturando y creando un río de sangre que se expande entre fuegos que lo arrasan todo. Aquellos que vienen para purificarlo todo, Nimue pronto se convertirá en el objetivo de esta compañía, dispuesta a arrancar esa oscuridad que vive dentro de ella. Sin embargo, el destino de Nimue todavía le tiene reservado algo. Su madre, dispuesta a proteger lo que queda, le entrega a Nimue una espada bajo una misión: entregársela a Merlín. Lo que siempre ha creído como leyenda, Nimue pronto se da cuenta de que nada ha sido lo que parecía y, acompañada por un misterioso Arturo, Morgana, su medio hermana, y una espada rebosante de poder, pronto Nimue se convierte en un nombre que ocasiona pesadillas a sus enemigos. Los Paladines Rojos la buscan, la quieren, pero Nimue comprende que su verdadera labor solo acaba de comenzar. Junto a la espada, intenta eliminar de raíz aquello que está condenando a los suyos, los llamados Inefables, de una vez por todas. Y, aunque la espada sea un objeto requerido por grandes reyes, Nimue ha sido la elegida. Y, solo con ella, puede liberarse a sí misma y a su verdadera familia.

¿Quién no ha oído hablar alguna vez de la leyenda del rey Arturo? La Excálibur, esa espada mágica que "aquél que logre empuñarla será el verdadero rey de Inglaterra". Este mito siempre me ha gustado, y son muchas las interpretaciones que, a lo largo de la historia, se le ha dado. Todo esto de los caballeros de la mesa redonda, Merlín y su magia, Sir Lancelot. En esta ocasión se nos presentaba algo que, hasta ahora, no había podido ver en ningún otro sitio. ¿Qué pasa si la gran espada de poder cae en manos de otra persona, una chica que jamás ha sido aceptada para poder librar batallas en nombre de su pueblo? Fue una premisa que me llamó la atención nada más conocerla y, en gran parte, quería leer este libro por ello. Desgraciadamente, sigo dentro de la racha de lecturas que no consiguen convencerme, estando Maldita dentro de esa lista.

Narrado en tercera persona a través de diferentes puntos de vista, el ritmo de Maldita no está mal estructurado en sí. Creo que es potente y dinámico, entretenido nada más empezar. Desde el primer capítulo ya vamos a estar en escenas cargadas de acción, peligro y tensión, una carrera para salvar la propia vida que, pronto, se verá afectada con un pequeño viaje temporal hacia atrás, justo antes de que todo lo que se ha visto en las primeras páginas explote. Los autores juegan en estos momentos con dos diferentes argumentos, aquel que va directo a la batalla, a la sangre y a la masacre, y aquel que va hacia un punto más lento y de desarrollo para explicar quién es Nimue, dónde vive y cómo es su día a día siendo una chica repudiada y vista con mal ojos por todo el mundo. Aquí seremos testigos de cómo se siente Nimue, cómo ha crecido, la empezaremos a conocer. Y de cómo su vida cambia drásticamente cuando su aldea es atacada de manera brutal y horrorosa, y llega a sus manos una misión de vida a muerte que la llevará por caminos plagados de nuevos enemigos y de obstáculos a evitar a toda costa. Una de las cosas buenas que tiene el libro es que, entre ilustraciones y cambios de perspectivas en la narración cada dos por tres, se evita que la historia se quede estancada siempre en lo mismo. Hay mucho por ver, y es un juego que les ha funcionado bastante bien para seguir manteniendo la atención de la persona que está leyendo el libro. Cuando la cosa se pone peliaguda con Nimue, también vamos a ver como otros planes, completamente diferentes a los de ella, se crean, estrategias que poco a poco se ponen en marcha y que empiezan a afectar y a chocar con todo aquellos que ya hemos visto anteriormente. Los personajes se relacionan, vuelven a aparecen nuevos ataques que dejarán más enfrentamientos, más espadas blandidas, más cuerpos cercenados y más riachuelos de sangre. El libro no se corta ni un pelo en ese sentido. Es directo y brutal, describiendo amputaciones, vísceras esparcidas, cabezas cortadas. Y, mientras Miller y Wheeler nos guían por un sinfín de escenas cargadas de movimiento de un lado hacia el otro, de conspiraciones políticas, de acción a raudales y de líos palaciegos, también empezaremos a ser abrazados por una ambientación que va a ir creciendo, mostrando nuevos elementos, nuevos pueblos, hablando de la espada, empapándonos de leyendas e historias pasadas, de magia, de profecías, de nuevos personajes con su granito de arena a aportar. Maldita es un libro que no va a parar en ningún momento de ofrecer algo, de meternos en situaciones donde cualquier movimiento en falso puede ser la chispa que inicie una nueva guerra. La esperanza, el espíritu de lucha y de libertad comienza a coger fuerza, siendo uno de los pilares por los que Nimue, y nosotros/as con ella, nos vamos a desplazar. Siendo testigos de cómo un pueblo sufre, de cómo es cuestionado sin oportunidad de hablar, de cómo es sentenciado y castigado sin motivo alguno. Esa mezcla va a ser interesante, incluso dejando pequeños giros en la trama inesperados que ha dejado un buen sabor de boca, que ha dado más emoción, avanzando hacia un final extraño e inesperado que deja muchas preguntas y una visión confusa sobre qué es lo que va a pasar de ahora en adelante.

Así pues, ¿qué ha sucedido para que Maldita no haya sido ese libro que esperaba? No he conseguido conectar con la manera de escribir de los autores y, por tanto, con la manera en la que está escrita la historia y sus acontecimientos. Ha sido una sensación rara durante toda la lectura, eso de sentir que, sí, estás dentro de una historia y estás con unos personajes, pero no del todo, con un pie fuera y el otro dentro. El principal problema que he encontrado es que ambos dan por hecho y explicada la mayorías de las cosas que forman y dan vida a su libro. Y eso es lo peor que puedes hacer, darle a esa persona que te va a leer unos personajes y un mundo con su propio recorrido creyendo que ya se sabe absolutamente todo. Ojo, los lectores y lectoras no somos idiotas y algunas cosas, sobre todo procedente de una leyenda tan conocida como la del Rey Arturo, se conocen. Pero si metes cosas nuevas y diferentes, no las dejes olvidadas ni pienses que son cosas que se conocen desde siempre. Es lo que me ha pasado con los Inefables, el pueblo al que pertenece Nimue. He estado muy perdida con ellos porque, durante casi toda la primera mitad del libro, no sabía exactamente qué eran. Incluso hubo un momento en el que me sorprendí la conocer que Nimue era uno de ellos, a más de la mitad del libro leído, porque nunca se ha mencionado de manera importante o descrito como para tener en tu mente una idea bien desarrollada y conocida de esto. Después de ir recogiendo algunas palabras y formas de comportarse, te enteras de que dentro de los Inefables existen diferentes grupos, con sus características, sus idiomas, sus costumbres, sus tradiciones. Con diferentes formas y poderes. Y me hubiera gustado comprender mejor todo esto, tener una conexión más visible, haber tenido desde un principio esa información que tanto me ha faltado.

Junto a ello, también debo decir que no he llegado a conectar con los personajes. Nimue me ha parecido una protagonista muy inestable, con cambios de humor cada dos por tres,con un carácter fuerte que la llevaba, a veces, a comportarse más como una niña pequeña que como la adolescente que es. No me ha terminado de convencer, ni ella ni su manera de ver las cosas, de intentar arreglarlas por la fuerza, sin escuchar, viendo como todo se le sube demasiado a la cabeza. Los personajes secundarios van por el mismo camino, ninguno ha conseguido sobresalir. Y, en cuanto al romance, ha sido otra de las cosas que no me han gustado. Muy directo y precipitado, sin chicha, sin un desarrollo correcto que de sentido a esos sentimientos fríos que no me han llevado a ningún sitio.

En resumen, Maldita parte de una reinterpretación de la leyenda del Rey Arturo bastante interesante, pero no consigue ser todo lo que tendría que haber sido. Un estilo narrativo que peca al no explicar o desarrollar correctamente gran parte de los elementos de la novela, su ritmo trepidante no salva que los personajes no lleguen del todo, que la ambientación se quede floja en muchos aspectos y que, en sí, la lectura acabe con la sensación de que se podría haber cogido un camino diferente que hubiera conseguido un libro más épico.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book.
As a huge fan of Arthurian lore and legend I was very excited to read this book. It was a "fresh" take on the story from the point of view of Nimue. She has always been treated as an outcast in her tribe, despite the fact that her mother was the leader of their Druid village. One day after trying to make her escape, Nimue is faced with the massacre of her village, the death of her mother, the discovery of an ancient magical sword, and the meeting of a young man named Arthur. She feels her only option to save the rest of her land from the same fate her own people suffered is to get the mystical sword to a fabled sorcerer named Merlin. The story follows Nimue on her journey to find Merlin and discover for herself why fate has tied her to him, to Arthur, and to the sword.
While to book started off great, it didn't take long for the story to seem disjointed. The narrative followed several different characters, from their points of view, including Nimue, Merlin, Uther Pendragon, Morgan, and others. By the middle of the book it never felt like the story was moving to a set, cohesive point. It just felt like everyone was wandering about the countryside, wondering what they should do next. When the "climax" of the story finally came, it was underwhelming. What was supposed to be an epic moment and exciting cliffhanger just came off, to me, as a bit disappointing. By the end, I wasn't really sure what the "point" of the story was supposed to be. Without giving away spoilers, Nimue's "origin story" just left me saying, "Oh...really...that's it? Okay..."
The version I read was an ARC, so I'm sure the illustrations will change for the final version. They were very interesting, however.
If you are a fan of Arthur and the legends surrounding him, this might be worth checking out for you. Many of the characters' names will be recognizable, if not their "traditional" roles in the legends. I will probably give the next book in the series a chance, just to see if some of the things I found lacking in this book are made up for in the next installment.

[merixien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Öncelikle, benim kitabı almanın sebebi çizerin Frank Miller olmasıydı. O yüzden de ziyadesiyle karanlık ve kanlı bir kitap olacağını bilerek başladım.

Gölün hanımı hikayesi, Witcher serisinden sonra bu sefer hikayenin ana merkezi olarak anlatılıyor. Bir noktada ise alternatif bir Arthur efsanesi hikayesi ortaya koyuyor. Ancak bu alternatif hikayenin daha çok senaryo gibi değiştiği ve Amerikanlaştığı hali. Yaratılan evreni çok da detaylı anlatmıyor, dünyayı kafanızda canlandırmakta zorlanıyorsunuz. Çizimler de çok yardımcı olmuyor çünkü kitapta sarışın ve ince olarak anlatılan Nimue, çizimlerde siyahi, dizide ise kumral bir halde karşınıza çıkıyor. Arthur efsanesi ilginizi çekiyorsa, farklı bir düşünce ve güçlü kadın karakter olarak okuyabilirsiniz. Ama dizisiyle de yetinmenizde sıkıntı yok bence. (Gerçi dizide bazı ayrıntılar tekrar değiştirilmiş ama neyse.) Düşünce ve Frank Miller kitabın güzel yönleriydi ancak bunların dışında benim beklediğimi bulabildiğim bir kitap olmadı.

[Mei]

I haven't read this book, but I'm watching the series on Netwflix and I have many questions about the choise of actors...

For one: why is Arthur a colored person (is that a polite way to refer to people with dark skin? I don't want to offend...)? As far as I know, Arthur was white... but maybe I'm wrong... Please enlighten me!