Queen Ravenna of Lyra doesn’t believe in true love. After suffering from a broken heart, she curses herself to protect her heart and her country from undeserving suitors. While she waits for someone to break the curse, she is content to honor her parents’ legacy by creating an alliance with all of the countries in the known world hoping that this will help improve her peoples’ future by giving access to the best scholars outside of Lyra.
However, because the future of the monarchy is uncertain, there are undertones of civil unrest. Someone is trying to kill off members of the court who have a strong bid for the throne. If Ravenna were to die before she could produce an heir, civil war would be imminent.
Second Prince Liam of Wilderose never wanted to be a king. He is happy to support his older sister’s queenship as he tries to discover the leaders of a band of raiders threatening her rule, the same raiders who killed Queen Ravenna’s parents. When his sister asks him to represent Wilderose at the Alliance Treaty held in Lyra, he accepts. While there, he comes into contact with one of the most powerful beings in the realm, the fairy godmother of Lyra. She tells Liam that if he were to break the curse over Ravenna, her powers would benefit his sister’s queendom as well. All he has to do is win Ravenna’s heart while slowly losing his humanity and turning into a dog.
The Cursed Queen is inspired by Beauty and the Beast.
Colleen Forbes is an author based in the greater Seattle area where she loves to write fairy tale retellings.
After becoming a computer programmer, she tried out a few different roles before writing her first book, The Cursed Queen. In addition to writing, she is also a librarian, dog enthusiast, and a follower of Jesus.
When not reading in her home library hidden behind a secret bookshelf door, you can find her having adventures with her Black Labrador Retriever, Lila.
There's nothing actually wrong about this book... it was just really uneventful. I had hope for some lightheartedness and humour mixed with chemistry along the way.
Did I get that? Hmmm... I don't think so. And the fact that it was very clean romance also didn't exactly won me over. But the premise though, very good. The execution part that was kinda wonky.
This was a cute, relaxed read with some lovely themes. The idea is excellent and unique, and I’m so here for stories about people falling in love a second time and recovering from heartbreak/learning to trust again, as well as romances that have characters who are dedicated and know love isn't only a fuzzy feeling. TL;DR: Recommended if you want a very sweet, clean, slow-burn, leisurely-paced book.
Part of it simply didn't click with my personal taste—I very rarely enjoy omniscient POV (it often just feels like distracting headhopping and causes some emotional distance).
Although overall my curiosity kept me interested and the story drew me along, the pacing seemed a bit slow to me. This is a very, very character-focused and incredibly slow-burn (and very clean) book. Ravenna and Liam don’t have much chemistry, but in a way, that worked for a book that is more focused on trust than feelings and on love as a chosen action more than attraction. I did appreciate those themes. However, the MCs…don’t do much for most of the book? The book covers MONTHS and there isn’t a lot of development/plot, even though there were subplots that could have been fun to explore even more, like the raiders and the mysterious accidents and her uncle’s highly suspect behavior, but those kept getting forgotten (there is also some complications, though, as doing more with these probably would have required Ravenna to trust Liam, which was a whole deal on its own). (It does appear these will get some more attention in the sequel, and I definitely liked this book enough I plan on picking up the sequel!) There was a subplot and some lengthy flashbacks that, to me, interrupted the main story too much. So there were parts I read more quickly because I wasn’t as invested in those aspects, but again, a personal taste thing.
The worldbuilding was confusing at points, and there are some things I have questions about (like how easy it apparently is for creatures and people to get inside the castle walls).
But this book did make me smile a lot and chuckle a few times, it was very sweet, and it was a relaxing read, which was honestly what I wanted. I really loved Liam, and I adored the whole dog prince thing. I read it for that aspect, and it completely delivered (dog lover here, haha). My only quibble with that part was it came up that dog Liam can’t see color, which isn’t strictly true…but a common enough oversimplification/myth that it’s not a big deal, and it’s not like it was a major plot point.
It’s maybe worth mentioning this is appears to be a Christian-informed book, with a deity with apparent parallels to the Judeo-Christian God, and the characters’ faith forms an important part of their lives. I appreciated it, myself, even though it surprised me.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to those looking for a sweet, clean, easy read with minimal violence, gentle themes of healing from past hurt and loving intentionally, and an adorable dog prince. 😉
This book tells the story of Queen Ravenna, a queen with a curse. Every time a suitor proposes, they turn into a dog! When Prince Liam of Wilderose announces that he’ll pursue Ravenna’s heart, he is resigned to live life as a canine until she says yes.
I loved Liam and Ravenna as characters and their progression as a couple was sweet. I really loved Liam as a dog, he just seemed so fun and energetic! The writing was fast paced and easy to read. Sometimes you just need a fluffy fairytale to get you through 2020, and The Cursed Queen did that for me!
In short, I adored this book! I love fairytale retellings and this one was just calling my name! Thanks to the author for sending me an arc for reveiw! I can’t wait for The Swan Wing to come out!
The Cursed Queen is available everywhere books are sold on December 8, 2020. Be sure to snag a copy!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book. I am such a huge fan of fairytale retellings. So I was already super excited to start reading The Cursed Queen.
The book is about the young queen of Lyra, Ravenna, who is so fed up with heartbreak that she convinces her fairy godmother to put a curse on her so that whenever someone tries to court Ravenna they turn into a dog until they both fall in love with each other. It was really exciting to see the dynamic between Ravenna and Liam change as the curse intensified.
I also appreciate how the romance between Ravenna and Liam was well-paced. To the point that, you’re almost scared that they’ll never break the curse as you get to the end of the book.
Each chapter left me wanting to get to the next one. The writing was clean and witty. And I love that towards the end, the book kind of feels like a mystery novel.
I’m really excited for the next book in the Lyrian Alliance series. I could see this becoming one of my favorite series! I would completely recommend this to other fairytale fans!
I'll admit that when I first read the synopsis for this book, I was skeptical. A queen who's cursed so that her suitor becomes a dog until they fall in love with each other? I was completely taken back by this idea and wasn't sure how I would feel about a dog prince.
I've never been more happy to have been proven wrong. This was such a fun read! Colleen Forbes created a fantastic environment for her characters to thrive in and I found myself falling in love with the idea of a dog that's also a prince (if anyone knows where I can get one of these, let me know). One of my favorite parts of this book was the world building. Forbes establishes the rules of the monarchy well, and the story begins with a treaty alliance, so we get a glimpse into the surrounding countries as well. The kingdom of Lyra is extremely well set up and I loved this take on a monarchy. The concept that a king and queen would be equal rulers and that Ravenna didn't need a king to become queen was so refreshing. I do hope the next book explores the surrounding kingdoms more, because I think they would be fascinating!
Let's talk characters: Ravenna was so intriguing to read. She's strong, yet playful, and her unwillingness to be vulnerable only makes me want to find out more. I absolutely ADORED how much she cared about running her kingdom, and reading her come up with actual solutions to the problems her people were facing was exhilarating. In no way is Ravenna lacking in her leadership or queenly duties. I absolutely loved Liam from the first moment I met him. He's lighthearted, yet serious when it comes to who he cares out. Also, he handled becoming a dog *really* well. I expected some meltdowns or something, but none of that from this prince. His handling of the situation and his kindness made him the perfect prince to attempt to break Ravenna's curse. The side characters in this book were also great. Cress was the perfect support system for our queen, and Tatiana was mysterious in a fairy godmother way .
My only issue was this book was I felt like the writing was a little more telling rather than showing. I think with the next book, it would be nice to see more of the character's emotions in their actions, rather than being told how they felt. But that was really the only thing; I truly liked this book. This made for an excellent debut and I can't wait to see where this series goes!
I received an ARC of this title from the author in exchange for an honest review.
A great read. It was refreshing to have a strong female lead with so much depth and reality. Hurt while young yet she did not see herself as a victim. Firm in her beliefs yet open to try to understand others. Ravenna’s desire to be good queen even when it cost her personally and Liam’s commitment to do what is right even when it may not be what is best for him are role models worth following. The witty dialogue and entertaining story make this one of those rare books that at the end leaves you both satisfied and desiring more. I look forward to the installment.
This book is absolutely adorable! I was given this book by the author for an honest review and I couldn’t be more excited to review this one. This story is magical and whimsical and hit all the right notes for me. The main character Queen Ravenna is cursed and anyone who tries to court her is turned into a dog. Prince Liam decides to try to break the curse and works to win the queen’s heart.
I am a single woman myself who has been hurt by love and I couldn’t help but feel a strong connection to the main character. I loved Liam’s efforts in winning her over and his strong loyalty towards her throughout the book. The twist of Liam being turned into a dog made the story just so much sweeter! I am a huge dog lover (crazy dog lady here) and I couldn’t help but marvel at how Colleen brought the dog characteristics to life and made it work in the story.
This is a magical love story with a twist and I highly recommend it!
This book was such a unique and fresh take on the original beauty and the beast fairytale. I adored it! I really loved the magic of the fairy godmother and can't wait to find out more about this world. This is a wonderful debut and I can not wait to read more from this author!
I wasn't sure what to expect with a dog prince, fairy godmother, and beauty & the beast combo, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cursed Queen! You quickly fall into the world Colleen creates and have to know what happens next. I found myself always wanting to pick up the book! The unique perspective from a dog's point of view was a fun twist. The dynamics going on around the Queen and the alliance make me thrilled to read the books to come! Thanks for such an enjoyable read.
really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling. The protagonists were likeable, and the premise was so unique, I needed to find out what happened!
I will say, the finale was a little predictable, but it's a fairytale, so that comes with the territory. The main area I'd suggest in improvements is mechanics of expression. Sometimes the descriptive passages are clunky or repetitive, or the author tells you exactly what's happening instead of revealing it. However, it didn't make the work unreadable, and I'm looking forward to future books!
This is such a fun read! This was a fantastic debut novel and a great setup for what looks to be a promising fairy tale series.
Fairy tale fans will love this, and if you're like me and love Beauty and the Beast retellings, you should definitely check this out. While The Cursed Queen is ultimately its own unique fairy tale, it has enough similarities to Beauty and the Beast that it can be classified as a creative adaptation that still maintains the heart of everything I love about the Beauty and the Beast story.
The world building, especially the lore around fairy godmothers and the different country dynamics, was very intriguing, and I'm looking forward to seeing how these elements are explored and expanded upon more in future books.
I found the main character Ravenna to be very relatable, and her character growth throughout the story was excellent. The side characters had great development as well, and I'm hoping we get to hear more of their stories in the rest of the series!
I'll be eagerly waiting for Collen Forbes's next book!
This was my second reading of a Beauty and the Beast retelling were the beast is actually a beast. The first being a book based on the Dan Steven's movie. The author did such a good job in creating the fantasy realm in this book. I ❤LOVED the Christian elements woven into this, especially about prayer. This is a book that shows you not only the power of prayer, but God has unconditional love for us. Ravenna and Liam's relationship is about love being more in action than words.The chemistry between the characters I would ❤LOVE to see it explored more in more of the authors books. I also wish their were more scenes of Liam in his human form though. There was also mention of a Lady Elliott being allergic to apples, which I hope that means a future Snow White story. Other than that it was a really good book. It had action, some adventure, and a lot of mystery to it. I definitely recommend this book.
Summary: Ravenna has been the Queen of Lyra for about a year. She is one of the youngest monarchy in the surrounding countries been just seventeen. Her Uncle Damien will remain the regent King until she marries, which is proving to be quite a chore. Normally, a Queen would be a object of everyone wanting to woe her except she's curse. Anyone who chooses to court her will immediately turn into a dog and only turn into human form at dinner. That is until they either give up or she falls in love with them. She's already had 25 suitors fail and her prospects are getting thin. Enter Liam, the prince of Wilderrose, he comes to the castle to sign a treaty to help keep peace between their countries. He meets Ravenna's fairy godmother, who asks him to try and break Ravenna's curse. He agrees. Will he be able to soften the Queen stone cold heart?
Plot:I loved the pace and plot. Even though you were in the castle a lot, things moved well and it felt like time well spent whether you are seeing Raveena attend a meeting or having dinner with Prince Liam. Great job! I thought this spin on beauty and the beast was amazing. I think I like it better than the original. I loved it was a clean romance! Characters: I love Queen Ravenna, who is what I think most women are like when they are recovering from a broken heart. I loved Prince Liam the most. What a gentleman and what patience soul. That was a dog/man the readers will fall in love with. I was impressed with how well the writer did on making him feel dog like and human like at the same time. Not easy to do. Regient King Damien was very good prickly character. Description: You got enough of a description to get a picture, but not too much that it felt long. Cover art: I loved the cover of this book it drew me in so well. The ending: I kind of guessed it, but I was very satisfied with it. I can't wait for book two!
Thank you to the author Colleen Forbes for giving me a e-book copy in exchange for my honest review.
I love a good fairy tale retelling and this one lived up to the hype! The swapping of the curse being caused by the beauty rather than the beast makes this book so intriguing. I loved that there was struggle for the beast, and since it was imposed by the beauty, it made her feel so much more obligated to try and help him at the same time. If you read the book, you'll get it! I loved this book.
I could have done without the copycat theology but it was an entertaining take on beauty and the beast. And I like the way he had a set test to earn her love, but did not like how she didn’t really work through her past, just magically seemed to get over it and forgive.
Needs more editing and a little to heave handed with the religious references. But it was a good story and kept me interested till the end. Although I did fine Ravenna incredibly selfish and Liam much too selfless to be believed.
This was pretty good. I had a lot of terrible connecting to the queen though. And the first half where she was constantly referring to 'him' and how she'd been done wrong became a bit grating after a while. I wanted either the full story or to move on and not the little veiled references.