Today I’m doing a first, and reviewing a sequel. (Or is it a threequel? What is the correct word for the third book in a series? Oh well.) I’m covering the third book in Bethany Atazadeh’s Stolen Kingdom series, THE CURSED HUNTER.
In no particular order, here are ten things I loved about THE CURSED HUNTER:
1. A Silent-ish Romance
CH is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. As such, the focus of the story is on protagonist Nesrin’s growing relationship with this story version’s of the beast. In this case, the male lead, nicknamed Durst, is a dragon and cannot speak. It was fascinating to see how the author had the relationship develop and the leads communicate when one of them is silent.
2. Stands Alone
When I picked up CH, it had been quite a while since I’d read either of the two preceding books. I wondered if I would need to jog my memory of the first two, but as it turns out, CH stands completely on its own. There’s a reference to a kingdom from the first book here, a mention of a character from the second book there, and if you’ve read the first two you’ll have a better understanding of where the book fits into the greater plot of the series, but CH can stand completely on its own. If you’re new to the series, you can start with CH just as easily as you could with the first book. That’s not an easy feat to pull off, but CH nailed it.
3. Nesrin
Nesrin is a determined mountain climber, seeking an impossible treasure to help her family. Only one of those traits-the familial devotion- is a typical Belle trait. Not only is Nesrin likable on her own, I like that the author is willing to twist around the character archetypes of the story to give a more unique vibe to the tale.
4. Unique Elements of the Fairytale
All of the classic elements of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale make an appearance in CH in some form. But they’re not always presented in this story the way they usually are in others, which leads to a refreshing mixup of the familiar ingredients.
5. Quick but Thorough Length
CH is a fairly quick read, but while it may not be lengthy, it still pulls off a fully fleshed story. This would be a good one for your fantasy beach-read.
6. Distinct World
I like that the town Nesrin lives in has a very distinct feel, both in general and compared to the other locales of this series. You get a good sense of the social dynamics and the affects living near dangerous dragons would have on a group of people.
7. Quieter Focus
I liked that this story had a more quiet focus in a lot of ways than the other books in this series, and other fantasy books in general. It’s more personal. Nesrin just wants to help her father pay off his debt, and later she wants to break a curse. For much of the story, Nesrin and Durst are the only two characters around. It’s just nice to see a fantasy with so much more of an intimate focus for a while.
8. Glimpse at Complicated Politics
That said, I liked that there’s a little bit of a portrayal of the way well meaning public policy can have negative effects. (It’s not a huge part of the story-okay, it’s very small, but I just really liked to see it.)
9. Durst
Like I said earlier, Durst spends most of the story in a forced silence, but that doesn’t mean he can’t communicate. Not only does he communicate to Nesrin through expressions and actions, he also communicates to the reader through his point of view. His perspective passages are unique, to put it simpler, which helped spice up the narrative.
10. The Ending
CH does a great job of tying up the story it tells fairly completely. There’s a couple loose threads that tie in to the greater story of the series as a whole, but you could easily read CH as a standalone.
So that’s THE CURSED HUNTER by Bethany Atazadeh. Let me know if you want to see me cover the other books in the series, or if there’s other books you’d like to see me cover in general.
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