The Cursed Prince tackles so many different genres and does so without getting lost in the details. I didn’t think that a dystopian-elfin-fantasy novel could be well written, but this novel proved me wrong. The Cursed Prince is gripping, and it’s the uniqueness of this world that kept me entranced.

Additionally, reading Ali’s inner thoughts was a delightful experience. Ali’s a trained assassin and wields a magical sword and a teleporting crystal. Ali is fiercely protective of her brother and a lover of Rick Astley and his hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up.” To sum it all up, Ali is super awesome.

Meanwhile, Marroc mainly enjoys his existence in his small cell, lusting for blood staring at his pet rat. Is he a vampire in addition to a sorcerer? I don’t know it’s never explicitly stated if Marroc is a vampire, but shoot he might be.

The romance in this novel is barely there. It's a slow burn with longing touches and knuckle brushed so don't expect a spicy sex scene with this one.

Also the reveal of Marroc's true identity was gross and I debated the idea of tossing it then and there. Spoilers for the explicit details but I feel like I should mention if you're thinking of reading this novel. Marroc is actually the person Ali has been hunting, the one who enslaved her race and indirectly led to the death of many elves in the cave. Although Marroc's reasons are revealed it's still icky.

I give this story 4 stars for the fantastic plot, 5 for and the creative writing, 2 for romance, and a 0 for diversity. There’s potential to interweave BIPOC or even LGBTQ+ peoples in a fantasy novel, but they're absent.

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Cursed Prince (Night Elves Trilogy #1)

C.N. Crawford