Name: issa's review of Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
Item: Of Curses and Kisses
Rating: 3
Author: issa

Sandhya Menon

From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast. Will the princess save the beast? For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right? His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck… As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

Of Curses and Kisses

issa

Sarah Sammis

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon is the first of the St. Rosetta's Academy series. Set in Colorado at an exclusive boarding school, it's a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

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http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...

Told in two voices, Jaya Rao, an East Indian princess, and Grey Emerson, an English lord, suffer the effects of a centuries-old feud when they meet at an elite Colorado boarding school.

dija

This book started off really good but then it just,,,, went downhill. It's good but it could totally have been better.

Sepia

Thank you to Sandhya Menon for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

This book follows Jaya and Grey.Jaya and her sister have moved to a boarding school after a scandal broke out relating to her sister. Grey has been in the boarding school since he was 5 and believes he is cursed.

I really liked the writing style of this. It was told in dual points of view and I think that was a great choice as it shows the thoughts and feelings of both Jaya and Grey. It really keeps the story moving forward and we understand both characters a lot better.

I found the plot to be a very interesting take on beauty and the beast. It is a contemporary retelling so I was worried on how it was going to be told but the author did a great job. It doesn't have any fantasy elements in it and is mostly superstitions. Jaya and Grey families have been enemies for generations and Grey believes he will die on his 18th birthday.

I liked the enemies to lovers trope. I think it was well done here but it was mostly the characters families who are enemies and it's not their children's fault. Jaya hated him a lot more and planned to break his heart at the start of the story as she found out he was also living in the same school.I liked Jaya and Grey together and it their love story progressed naturally. It wasn't insta-love which I greatly appreciated.

All in all, I really liked this book and recommend it if your looking for a contemporary take on beauty and the beast.

4/5

Maegan Kennedy

Arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
I didn’t even make it to 50% in. I found the main character to be super whiny and she constantly had to mention that she was a princess. It also followed the side characters more than the main characters which I didn’t really like. I believe others would like this book if they’ve read the author’s other book, but unfortunately I did not finish nor enjoy the book.

Sahi K

I was gonna read this ARC closer to the release date or atleast till I was able to buddy read it with my friends, who are all part of Sandhya’s street team. But I found myself feeling a little sad on my birthday and decided what better way to cheer myself than picking up Sandhya’s book. And that’s exactly what happened. 

This is a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast and while I don’t remember much about the original except Emma Watson’s movie, this book definitely had that fairytale feel all throughout. The setting of the boarding school in Aspen, the snow clad mountains surrounding it, the description of the town of St. Rosetta’s, the rich and fancy kids studying at this school and the whole idea of a generations old family curse - everything added to that whimsical fairytale effect and however unlikely the story felt at times, the author was able to thoroughly transport me into the story and feel immersed in this world. And the best part is that even if you know nothing about the OG story, you’ll miss nothing because this one stands beautifully on its own. 

The pacing is also very fast and the plot so engaging that once I started, I didn’t put it down for even a second until I was done. I was smiling, I was frustrated and most of the times, very very emotional and that’s exactly what I always know I’ll get from the author’s book. I’ve been trying not to read very angsty books for a while now, and maybe this one can’t exactly be called an angsty read, but it surely tugged at my heartstrings a lot. 

Jaya is a stereotypical heir to a Royal family who has taken everything that she has been taught about family and tradition to heart, and believes that it is her duty to do everything for the sake of the dynasty and there’s no place for her own heart’s desires. So, even though the story begins with her trying to take revenge for a perceived attack on her family, what it eventually becomes is her understanding herself better, coming into her own and realizing that she can be both her own person as well as a dutiful heir. And while her very rigid attitudes both towards herself and her little sister really infuriated me quite a few times, I was glad to see the growth as the story progressed and I loved how she handled everything towards the end. 

But it was definitely Grey who left the most impression on me. His backstory, the pain underneath that misanthropic attitude, his loneliness - it was all so genuinely depicted that it broke my heart and all I wanted to do was protect him. But despite his grumpy, stay away from me attitude, none of his friends really give up on him and his friendship with Jaya really opens his eyes to more possibilities and it was beautiful to see him change and hope for something better slowly. He deserves all the happiness in the world. 

There were a bunch of side characters and while we got to know them only a little, they were all quite fun - even the mean girl plot line was resolved quite nicely. I especially liked Jaya’s sister Isha who is passionate about robotics, wants to be an engineer and just have fun with her friends; and Rahul who is the nerdy awkward kid in the group with an almost eidetic memory and his deadpan dialogues always made me laugh. 

To conclude, this was exactly the kind of book I needed to make me smile and I’m so glad I decided to read it sooner than I intended to. If you’ve already enjoyed Sandhya’s previous books, I promise you’re gonna love this. Even if you are unfamiliar with the author but enjoy fairytale-esque stories in contemporary YA settings, I think you’ll really like this one. If was fun, it was emotional and it was a delight. Thank you so much Sandhya for making my day better.

hope

es simplemente la cosa más mona del mundo i wont elaborate

Tanja Hoffmann

2.5
Ok, so this was objectively not very good - the writing wasn't very good, the plot was pretty stupid at times and characters seemed immature. But, I liked the boarding school setting and the very brief discussions of colonialism and feminism, and the unraveling of the plot was very engaging, even though the ending was very rushed and super cheesy.

Kayla 

I picked this up from the library on a whim and it was cute! I’m not sure what age group this is written for (perhaps early teens) but I enjoyed it. I loved the setting of a boarding school and the rivalry between the main characters.
⁣
While this book wasn’t one where I needed to see what happened next immediately, it was very relaxing and light.

Katie

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy free for review. All opinions are my own.

What a fun little retelling of Beauty and the Beast! I loved the mountainous boarding school setting, and the characters were interesting enough, especially since Jaya is a princess, but not really.

The story wasn't anything unexpected, especially the with some things that were revealed near the end that I called at about the 20% mark. However, it did twist the conventions of the Beauty and the Beast story enough that it didn't feel stale. Grey and Jaya both had interesting character development, though Grey's was more natural and it felt like Jaya changed all at once at the end of the book.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read! A nice way to pass the time with a cute book, especially if you're a big Beauty and the Beast fan like me.

laura

*I got this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really did enjoy this retelling so much. I really loved the diversity of this read. I also really loved how this book took the beauty and the beast myth in a contempory setting with some magical hints. I really found this book to be such a refreshing read. I also really liked the duel POV and felt that these characters but changed dramatically over the book. I also really liked the boarding school as a setting. I found some elements of the plot were predictable at times but overall the book did impress me and I will def keep reading this series.

Jelke Lenaerts

Sandhya Menon has done it again. I had heard some mixed things about this book so I was a bit hesitant going into it, especially after reading 10 Things I Hate About Pinky, another hate-to-love romance by the same author. I didn't like the romance in that book at all and was scared this would be the same way. However, I stand corrected. This is so much better of a hate-to-love romance. The characters and their feelings for each other actually grow together. Everything feels so natural. I also absulutely loved our two main characters. Grey was my least favourite of the two just because there were some character tropes within him that I didn't like as much. However, overall I still absolutely loved him and Jaya. I loved how their relationship developed. They took their time and had many real heartfelt moments, both opening up to each other a lot before really showing that they caught feelings already. I also really liked our cast of side characters. They were all really well developed as well and hopefully we'll learn more about them in future books. I also just really loved the setting and the plot of this book. It was pretty dramatic but just the right amount to keep me on the edge of my seat until the very end. A thing I really liked about the plot was the curse element and how the book keeps you in the dark if about if it's real or not until the very end and even then you could debate about the fact if it was actually real. I absolutely flew through this book. I was just so compelled by it. I can't believe I have to wait now to read another Sandhya Menon book because I've made my way through all of them.

Samantha Seeman

2.5 ish.

Blame it on the pa.. pa pa pa pandemic.
I really struggled getting into this one. I never wanted to pick it up, the characters weren’t important to me and I was getting lost in this boarding school world. I’d like to think if I had more time to read it straight through, I might have liked it a little better (like a 3 star rating?) but alas, it just wasn’t meant to be.

When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud by targeting Jaya Rao's little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she will be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and she knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. His Lordship Grey Emerson is doomed once he turns eighteen-- thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch. When Jaya Rao bursts into his life, he can't shake the feeling that she is hiding something. As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it is possible to write your own happy ending.

A St. Rosetta S Academy Novel

Alice

Chelsea Breher

Freaking adorable, I picked it up because of either tiktok or Insta recommendations and I am so glad I did. Super cute take on Beauty and the Beast

Victoria Michalle López Canales 

Not my favorite retelling but it wasn't that bad either. Probably someone younger than me might enjoy it more. It's a book full of heartbreak, friendship, romance and finding who you are.

I dive into this book with a lot of expectations and it just didn't won me over. It had a slow start and I didn't like the way they play with problems without actually telling us what was going on until further in the book. 

It annoyed me soooo much the need to use Daphne's both names. It was cool that at the beginning she was introduced as Daphne Elizabeth but once she became more than an acquaintance I was hoping they will drop the use of both names. 

Overall it was a fun and easy read. Jaya's character development was really great.

Sunny Song

This was difficult to get through. I was expecting one thing but received something completely different. The story felt like it was all over the place and the pacing wasn’t the best. I enjoyed bits and pieces but as a whole it could’ve been executed a lot better.

*emmie*

Veronica Zarate

Of Curses & Kisses is a modern retelling of Beauty & the Beast and Romeo & Juliet. Jaya Rao's family - Indian royalty - has been feuding with the Emersons - British nobility - since the 1800s when Britain held rule over India. After refusing to return a stolen ruby once India acquired independence, the Emersons were put under a curse by a Rao family ancestor that would, ultimately, result in the end of the Emerson blood line. Fast forward to present-day & the two families are still at war, attacking each other in turn. This feud comes to a head when the Emerson's are suspected of leaking damaging photos of the Rao family's youngest daughter, Isha. In an attempt to stifle the scandal, the Raos send Isha & Jaya (as Isha's protector), to an elite boarding school in Colorado named St. Rosetta's where Jaya realizes the Emerson family heir is also a student. Determined to get revenge, Jaya hatches a plan to break the Emerson boy's heart & ruin his family forever. However, Jaya finds that her suspicions are not as cut & dry as she'd like & that the curse has affected the Emerson boy more than it has ever affected her. Now she must decide whether to continue the feud & protect her family, or tap into her better nature & help him.

The story is set up to slowly introduce different aspects of these characters & their stories as the plot moves along which helped me stay hooked as I wondered how on Earth the mess was going to get settled. There was good dialogue, inner monologue, diverse characters, dynamic characters, and great description. The side characters were great, though some side plot didn't add too much to the story overall. This story is strong in how it brings both R&J and B&tB together, but be aware that it is not strong as just a B&tB retelling alone. Still, I don't regret reading this one - it was entertaining & solid & a little steamy!

Geneviève Rouleau

I really expected to enjoy this book more, especially since I'm constantly raving about all of Menon's books. I will always love her stories though, especially since they always feature main characters from Indian descent. But I'm longing for a Menon book featuring a non-binary and/or non-straight MC. So anyways, for this review, I will base my Beauty and the Beast knowledge on the Disney movie, since I have never read the original story 😅 

There is something utterly magical about a snowy, fancy, boarding school somewhere in the mountains. There are quite a few elements that resemble the Beauty and the Beast story, and I enjoyed how you can recognize them, without being too similar either. For example, I liked the boarding school twist to the usual Beauty and the Beast castle. The author kept the beautiful, enormous library and I loved that part. Because let's face it, it's one of the best things about Beauty and the Beast 😂 Also, the rose was represented by a rose shaped jewel, encrusted with rubies. Like the rose petals in the Beauty and the Beast Disney movie, the rubies fall one by one. However, the curse recites that once the last ruby has fallen, so does the Emerson lineage end. So yes, btw, Grey Emerson portrays the Beast (I love how the author describes him! So dark and broody) and princess Jaya Rao as Beauty. 

If you've read the synopsis, you'll know that the Rao and Emerson families have been feuding for centuries. I loved the following quote, because it means so much in SO many contexts. It really reflects on the messages this society sends out, especially to young children (like about what is acceptable for a boy vs a girl) : "The problem's the messages we're given, starting before we can fully understand them."

So about Jaya. She is very protective of her family, always placing their needs before hers. Being the eldest, she is the heiress of her family's legacy. However, she seriously got on my nerves and I found sometimes she was a bit too agressive. I liked how towards the end she stepped up more for herself, putting her needs first, for once. Also, she apologized for assuming a girl was straight at one point and I was super happy about that 👏 

I found that the beginning of the book was long, the pace only picking up around 60% through. The ending felt a bit rushed and quite a few plot twists were predictable. 3⭐

Vanessa Bintou

I am a huge fan of Fairytale retellings, especially when there are different takes on the original story and originality.. I believe that Beauty and the Beast is one of the most difficult stories to remake, mostly because it's very well known, it has been remade both in books and movies, a million times and is a universally loved!

This was not my favourite retelling, but it had some very interesting aspects.

What I really liked was that it was a contemporary story with some very interesting characters, such as Isha and Grey. Isha was my favourite and I wish we had seen more of her. She was smart, loyal to her family, but at the same time fighting for her needs. She was a modern young woman, unapologetic about her choices.
Grey was such a nice guy. Such a big heart, filled with guilt and uncertainty, because of his father's acts! I loved him and I wanted him to be happy!

As for Jaya... she was the main reason I didn't enjoy the book that much. She was a confused girl who pretended to be an adult. Undoubtedly, she loved her family and especially her sister very much, but her actions were ridiculous... and for god's sake, she should have seen the bad guy from a million miles away!! To be fair, she was a good person and I liked her, it's just that I didn't like her actions and her beliefs...

The writing was ok, but the book could be a little more fast paced. There were a lot of scenes that felt exactly the same, especially when Jaya was thinking her plan....

The ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa van der Heijden 

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Title: Of Curses and Kisses
Author: Sandhya Menon
Narrator: Jason Carpenter, Shiromi Arserio 
Length: 10h 49m
Published: February 2020
Rating: 3.5/5

Of Curses and Kisses was one of the 2020 releases I was excited for. The fact that it’s a beauty and beasts retelling set at an elite boarding school grabbed my attention. While it took me some time to get into the story, I ended up enjoying the overall experience. 

The plot was well developed. The arc of the story made sense and the progression to the climax of the story felt natural. I loved how the romance was handled. It slowly progressed some strangers to friends to something more. The pace of the romantic plotline made me invested in their relationship. However, I didn’t care a lot about the high school antics of the mean girls and bullies. Continuing, the plot was predictable. 

The author did a great job of the characterisation of the main characters. Both were very consistent in their behaviour and actions. I loved how they both grew as people because of their relationship. I also loved the sibling relationship. I found the female lead to be unlikeable; one of the reasons it was hard to get into the story. Continuing, I found the side characters to be stereotypical. 

I enjoyed the writing style. It was easy to listen to and had a nice flow to it. The story was told from dual perspective. Both perspectives were unique enough to be distinguished. Also, there was a good balance between descriptions and dialogue. Additionally, the narrators did a fantastic job. Their voices were lovely to listen too. 

I loved setting. It added atmospheric backdrop of the favourite. The elements of the fairytale were originally incorporated into the story. I also loved the Indian culture and the inter-cultural relationship. 

Overall, this was enjoyable beauty and the beast retelling. I’d recommend it if you love YA contemporary or beauty and the beast retellings.

Hannah Adamson

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE! 
When I heard the premise of "Of Curses and Kisses" it INSTANTLY became one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and I was not disappointed.
This book has EVERYTHING:
- "hate"-to-love romance
- sweet and loveable characters
- boarding school setting!! 
- ADORABLE snowball fights!!!!!
- and a touch of magic<3 

Jaya Rao is a princess of Mysuru and heir to the throne. After her younger sister is caught up in a scandal, the sisters are sent to St Rosetta's to finish their schooling. Jaya is convinced that Grey Emerson is the one who has started the rumours that ruined her sisters life and when she finds out he is also attending St Rosetta's she comes up with the perfect plan. Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart....

The thing I loved the most about this book was the characters - especially Grey. I just wanted to protect him! He is so loveable and pure. I also really loved Jaya, her loyalty to her family was admirable and even though she was stubborn and annoying at time i really liked that side of her because it helped the reader see her character grow as her and Grey got closer. 

The relationship between Grey and Jaya was also adorable! It was super believable and I could feel the chemistry between them. There were so many charming scenes between them that made my romance-novel heart happy<3 
Theres swimming, skiing and a snowball fight! What more could you want? 
I also really liked the 'enemies' to lovers trope in this because they weren't *really* enemies. Their families were. I think the main message behind this book was acceptance and learning to not judge others based on the actions of their ancestors. 

The side characters in this book were also superb. They all felt fully developed and I really enjoyed the scenes where we got to delve more into their lives. I've heard Menon is writing two more books in this series so i'm really hoping those are about some of the other characters we saw in this story! (and i really hope we get to see more of Jaya and Grey in the background). 

Finally, i thought this retelling stuck relatively close to the original beauty and the beast which I really liked. I loved being able to spot the elements from the original story and i think Sandhya Menon weaved them into this modern retelling perfectly. 

Overall, this book was delightful to read and I loved the exploration of culture and family loyalty. I can't wait to read more books in this world! I would recommend this one to anyone who loves fairytale retellings and contemporary romance.

Kate

A super fun, Beauty and the Beast retelling that goes beyond the classic tale. 
I brilliantly explores familial pressures and expectations, stereotypes placed upon women, friendship and sisterhood, all while featuring the slowest of slow burn romances (love that for me) and weaves elements of the original story throughout in a brilliantly clever way.
Whilst I didn't love this quite as much as her previous books (although, to be completely honest, I think this was more down to my reading slump than anything) Sandhya Menon has once again proved she can do no wrong and is the Queen of YA.

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Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

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