Review: 13 Curses

The Thirteen Curses by Michelle Harrison

Summary (from Goodreads): When fairies stole her brother, Red vowed to get him back. Now trapped in the fairy realm, she begs an audience with the fairy court where she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned – but only if she can complete a task set by the court. In a world of trickery and deception, Red is about to find that not all is as it seems. For even if she succeeds, will the fairies keep their promise?

My Thoughts: Now this is more like it. Excellent book, full of exciting twists and turns.

That was my initial thought, which I posted on Goodreads, with the promise of more to come here. And now I’m trying to decide what to say. I don’t want to give away anything in this book. (Just be aware that some things in this book could give away stuff from the first book, 13 Treasures.)

First and foremost, I loved getting to see Red’s story. I can’t say I was too curious about her in the first book, simply because she was such a small (albeit, quite important) character. But, snippets of her story are strewn about throughout this book, and it’s handled perfectly. Just the right amount is shared before returning to the present adventure, leaving the reader satisfied, yet eager to read more.

Speaking of the present adventure, an adventure it is. And it’s fast-paced. This is a longer book than the first, but it reads much faster. It’s a real page-turner, and I read it all in one day (taking breaks for kid-related tasks and dealing with my own illness). I didn’t want to stop. There were many unexpected twists and turns, with the big reveal toward the end hitting me at about the same time it was shared with the characters.

Another thing I really liked was learning more about Warwick. His character is much more likable than I’d ever have guessed, and I have a hard time fitting his image as described in the book with the image his persona tries to create in my head. But that’s not the book’s problem – it likely reflects my own prejudices, or something. I loved his having a more integral part, complete with more dialogue.

I felt the characters had much more depth this time around. I felt I got to know each of them better, except maybe Tanya, who didn’t seem much different from before, and was more of a secondary character this time around. She was quite important, but this was focused more on Red.

Overall, I felt this was much better than the first book, and I am so glad I made sure to read it. I look forward to the final book in the series, 13 Secrets. I hope that we’ll get to know Florence much more in this book. While I know it’s a book for younger readers, Florence is really the biggest mystery (character-wise) left in the series. I really would love to know more about her, have her more involved, and learn some of her own secrets.

My Rating: 4 stars

Source: Received through Book It Forward ARC Tours for review.

Read It: Get your own copy of 13 Curses HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge, the 2nds Challenge (second in a series AND second book I read by Michelle Harrison), and iChallenges 2011.

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This review is part of Book Review Party Wednesday.

FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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