Curses

June 1, 2021
A "beastly girl" meets a handsome boy in a tongue-in-cheek fairy-tale universe vaguely reminiscent of Victorian England. Not a typical member of the fairyborn aristocracy, Merit has horns, fur, and a tail. Unless she finds a love match or marries a suitor her mother chooses before her next birthday, she will keep them forever. Compared to some in her curse support group, though, she's not so unfortunate; a tincture of a certain herb from her family's lands can restore her normal form for a few hours. As penance for his mother's theft of the herb, Tevin, a magically charming con boy, promises to help Merit secure a worthy partner. Merit and Tevin's sweet romance grows naturally from their friendship, but supporting characters provide the most entertainment--especially Tevin's sharpshooting lesbian cousin, Val. In fact, Merit and Tevin match so easily that it's hard to feel a lot of tension or suspense. Plus, their stalwart crew of friends always seems more than capable of handling the garden-variety villain, an ambitious queen. Sassy chapter titles and the odd cheeky aside infuse the traditional setting with some humor. Refreshingly, marriage equality seems to be the law of the land, and one culture in this world does not believe in binary genders. Most characters are cued as White; there is some diversity of skin tone in the cast. Earnest and amusing. (Fantasy. 12-16)

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July 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 Merit Cravan, daughter of a noble family, suffers a fairy's curse when she refuses her betrothed, which turns her into a beastly creature. If she marries a man of her mother's choosing--or her own true love--before she turns 18, the curse will be lifted. Tevin, who comes from a family of con men and thieves, has his life traded for his mother's when she crosses the monstrous Merit. He's been used as a pretty-boy pawn in swindles before and only stays with his dishonest family to protect his younger siblings. When he's given the chance to help Merit end her curse, he agrees to use his skills to seek out the sorts of handsome gentlemen Merit might approve of. But as they delve into the ranks of nobility, they find that the answer to breaking the curse may not lie where they expect. McBride's voyage into this full fantasy world brings a different kind of humor from her Necromancer duology, and it's a worthwhile pivot. Recommended for all libraries.

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