Romantasy Melody
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐.5
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy
Spice: Medium
Summary:
It’s 1806, and Captain Ryland Coldwell has been stuck in the West Indies for years. A pirate and adventurer, he was cursed by the woman he once loved, Gwenifer, to never die. Since being cursed, he’s lost his ship, his crew, and his freedom. Any time Ryland tries to board a ship to escape the islands, the ship inevitably sinks, and mermaids drag him back to land. Decades have passed and he no longer tries to escape; he knows it’s useless and doesn’t want to cause any more deaths at his expense. But his ire and hatred of the sea witch Gwenifer has only grown over time. One day, Ryland saves a crew from a group of thugs, and when he follows the suspicious group back to their ship, he’s totally surprised by the ship awaiting them.
Emmeline Whittock, the daughter of a prominent English businessman, finds herself on the airship her and her brother built fleeing Europe for the Americas. Emmeline and her brother were trying to keep the unique airship’s design out of the hands of her father, fiancé, and ultimately Napoleon Bonaparte when her brother was murdered and she was forced to run with the ship and it's crew. When an unusually strong storm blows the Nyx off course into the West Indies, an intriguing and handsome Captain Ryland helps her crew out of a fight. Emmeline is drawn to the mysterious pirate against all logic, and Ryland feels that same pull towards her. When his affliction is revealed to the crew, he asks Emmeline if he can come along as they head to America in exchange for his help and protection. He’s confident that since this ship doesn’t touch the water, Gwenifer won’t be able to use her magic to sink it, and he’s determined to find his ex-lover to kill her and break his curse. When Emmeline agrees that he can join their voyage, it kicks off an adventure filled with heart-pounding action and romance, mystical creatures, and self-discovery.
Reaction:
A Cursed Age is a dark historical fantasy novel set against the backdrop of the early 1800’s, a time filled with innovation and marred by the Napoleonic Wars. Action and romance are the drivers of this story, but found family, self-discovery, and healing give it heart. The writing is poetic and vivid, eliciting visceral images that drew me into the feelings and emotions of the story from the very beginning. The book gives some Pirates of the Caribbean vibes, especially towards the start. Ryland comes off as a pirate with the confidence and swagger of Jack Sparrow, but the slow-burning anger of William Turner, which is a potent combination. Emmeline is a character that’s easy to like and relate to. A smart woman who is working on her confidence, but her superpower (and weakness) is her capacity to care about those around her. Their romance feels like a slow-burn as they try to resist the magnetic pull between them, but is at the same time intense, and I enjoyed the tension between the two, although it was a bit too close to insta-love for my taste. The airship’s crew are an eclectic but loyal group that adds depth to the narrative, especially the father figures of Captain Dormer & Arthur. The settings are vibrant, and each have been thoughtfully placed to contribute to the scenes themselves, such as the voodoo culture of New Orleans as the backdrop for the introduction of more intricate mystical ideas. I thought the presence of fantastical creatures like mermaids upped the ante in the action scenes and made the other magic, like Ryland’s curse, believable in this alternate fantastical world. The ending of this book is super emotional, with different layers of feelings and realizations happening at the same time, I could not put it down! I really enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books with complex characters, found family, and a rich backdrop to get lost in.
Thanks to NetGalley, Dark Hour Press, and A.M. Dunnewin for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
What I enjoyed:
· I appreciated that Ryland and Emmeline’s fights were not born of typical tropes like miscommunication or jealousy. The conflicts came about because each could see potential in the other person, and they were desperately trying to make the other realize it, which made their attraction feel more sincere.
· The magic is well-integrated and supportive in the narrative without dragging it down or overshadowing it with drawn out explanations. Blending the ideas of sea witches, voodoo, and mermaids against realistic industrial pursuits like flying ships and the Napoleonic Wars, the story asks the reader to only slightly suspend their sense of reality without giving it up entirely.
· One of the themes in this book is the plight of women during this time period. Both featured women, Emmeline and Gwenifer, are products of the male-dominated society they grew up in. Both struggle with a woman’s lack of independence and opportunity in their own way, and I think that theme is still extremely relevant to the experience of being a woman today.
What I didn't enjoy:
