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A review by thebiglittlelibrary
The Cursed And The Broken by Chloe Hodge
3.0
3.25 ⭐️ An intriguing dark fantasy with an ending that left my heart racing!
This story has witches, dark magic, Hungarian folklore, a dagger-wielding FFM, a broody/protective MMC, antagonists to lovers, only one-bed, arranged marriage, and 18+ spice.
Summary:
Years ago, when the dark queen was executed by witches, her cultists went into hiding. . . until now. When young witches start to disappear from a secluded coven on the outskirts of the Dark Forest, Kitarni Barany (a witch with unusual powers) takes it upon herself to search for answers. But along the way, she meets Dante, an arrogant warrior of the Wolfblood clan who captures her attention, fuels her suspicion, boils her blood, and sparks her lust. But only with Dante's help can Kitarni stand against the cultists, or watch her coven and world be destroyed.
Cursed by Death and controlled by Fate, Kitarni is forced to meet her demons. . . or die by them.
"I will meet my fate with iron in my heart and war song in my blood. The time for hiding has passed."
What I loved:
The dark, eerie setting/tone/atmosphere. The author did an amazing job with her descriptions so the reader is able to completely visualize the setting and immerse themselves into the story.
Hungarian folklore and culture. As a Hungarian, I really appreciated seeing this. I was especially delighted to see a lot of references to some of my favorite traditional dishes. (If you've never had Hungarian food, rectify this immediately).
The world-building. The author did a really great job sharing this hidden world of witches within the Kingdom of Hungary. I loved learning about Kitarni's coven, the dark queen, and the Wolfblood clan, and can't wait to see how this expands in the next book.
The plot twist at the end!!! I knew something was up with a certain character but I did NOT see THAT coming!
What I thought was okay:
The characters. I enjoyed reading their story and I feel like they have a lot of potential, but I never quite connected with them. Something was missing. I think since this was the first book, it was just a lot of groundwork and setting up. These characters have a lot of potential and I hope to see more of their development in the next book.
The romance. Obviously, the antagonist to lovers, one-bed trope, and banter was fun to read. However, I think since I didn’t really connect with the character individually I had a hard time getting swept away by the romance. Also, the romance felt rushed and forced. While the lust between Kitarni and Dante is instantaneous, the transition from lust to love happened so quickly and near the end that it wasn't quite believable. But I will say, their relationship was spicy, sweet, angsty, and fun to read.
What I didn’t like:
The pacing. The beginning was incredibly slow, then things picked up halfway, and from 75% on it moved quickly - almost to the point where we skip days and head straight into the big events. I wish the beginning was slower and the middle/end (when Kitarni is in Mistvellen) was longer. And while I actually enjoyed the story, this book was too easy to put down. Usually, I read books this length in less than a day but it took me 6 days. Again, it’s a great story but just didn’t make me super eager to finish.
The characters use some relatively modern language, phrases that took me out of the story. Examples: bring it on bitch, asshat, ex-girlfriend (wouldn’t be called that back then).
So would I recommend this? Yes! Especially if you like dark fantasy (witches, wolves, magic), antagonist to lovers, insta-lust, dagger-wielding FMC, broody MMC, banter, violence, mystery, and some 18+ smut. Truly, if the pacing had been better, this would be a 4-star read for me. But regardless, this story features intriguing lore, dangerous adventures, and an emotional ending, so I definitely will be reading the next one!
Thank you to Chloe Hodge for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
This story has witches, dark magic, Hungarian folklore, a dagger-wielding FFM, a broody/protective MMC, antagonists to lovers, only one-bed, arranged marriage, and 18+ spice.
Summary:
Years ago, when the dark queen was executed by witches, her cultists went into hiding. . . until now. When young witches start to disappear from a secluded coven on the outskirts of the Dark Forest, Kitarni Barany (a witch with unusual powers) takes it upon herself to search for answers. But along the way, she meets Dante, an arrogant warrior of the Wolfblood clan who captures her attention, fuels her suspicion, boils her blood, and sparks her lust. But only with Dante's help can Kitarni stand against the cultists, or watch her coven and world be destroyed.
Cursed by Death and controlled by Fate, Kitarni is forced to meet her demons. . . or die by them.
"I will meet my fate with iron in my heart and war song in my blood. The time for hiding has passed."
What I loved:
The dark, eerie setting/tone/atmosphere. The author did an amazing job with her descriptions so the reader is able to completely visualize the setting and immerse themselves into the story.
Hungarian folklore and culture. As a Hungarian, I really appreciated seeing this. I was especially delighted to see a lot of references to some of my favorite traditional dishes. (If you've never had Hungarian food, rectify this immediately).
The world-building. The author did a really great job sharing this hidden world of witches within the Kingdom of Hungary. I loved learning about Kitarni's coven, the dark queen, and the Wolfblood clan, and can't wait to see how this expands in the next book.
The plot twist at the end!!! I knew something was up with a certain character but I did NOT see THAT coming!
What I thought was okay:
The characters. I enjoyed reading their story and I feel like they have a lot of potential, but I never quite connected with them. Something was missing. I think since this was the first book, it was just a lot of groundwork and setting up. These characters have a lot of potential and I hope to see more of their development in the next book.
The romance. Obviously, the antagonist to lovers, one-bed trope, and banter was fun to read. However, I think since I didn’t really connect with the character individually I had a hard time getting swept away by the romance. Also, the romance felt rushed and forced. While the lust between Kitarni and Dante is instantaneous, the transition from lust to love happened so quickly and near the end that it wasn't quite believable. But I will say, their relationship was spicy, sweet, angsty, and fun to read.
What I didn’t like:
The pacing. The beginning was incredibly slow, then things picked up halfway, and from 75% on it moved quickly - almost to the point where we skip days and head straight into the big events. I wish the beginning was slower and the middle/end (when Kitarni is in Mistvellen) was longer. And while I actually enjoyed the story, this book was too easy to put down. Usually, I read books this length in less than a day but it took me 6 days. Again, it’s a great story but just didn’t make me super eager to finish.
The characters use some relatively modern language, phrases that took me out of the story. Examples: bring it on bitch, asshat, ex-girlfriend (wouldn’t be called that back then).
So would I recommend this? Yes! Especially if you like dark fantasy (witches, wolves, magic), antagonist to lovers, insta-lust, dagger-wielding FMC, broody MMC, banter, violence, mystery, and some 18+ smut. Truly, if the pacing had been better, this would be a 4-star read for me. But regardless, this story features intriguing lore, dangerous adventures, and an emotional ending, so I definitely will be reading the next one!
Thank you to Chloe Hodge for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.