Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Cursed
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pages: 312
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: September 18, 2012

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

My Thoughts: I admit it took me more than half the novel until I was hooked. While I was reading, I noticed other reviewers mention how it felt different from Armentrout's other novels, and I was totally nodding my head in agreement. I think it might have been because Cursed is a stand-alone. Stand-alones aren't a bad thing at all, but having read two series by JLA, I don't think one book for this story was enough to make me feel a strong connection. There were plenty of characters and so much more to explore that I felt like I only got a teaser.

Ember and Hayden are the main characters in Cursed, and although I like them both, they aren't quite as memorable as Katy and Daemon from the Lux series or Alex, Aiden, and Seth from the Covenant series. I didn't swoon over Hayden nearly as much as I wanted to. Plus, if you've read JLA's other books, you know how hot the romance can get. The romance between Ember and Hayden had it's intense moments, but I did find it a lot tamer than JLA's other romances. It's understandable why though, considering Ember's gift. I just couldn't help wanting more.

I know it may seem like I didn't enjoy Cursed. I was expecting to like it a lot more, yes. However, even though I found the first half to be only okay, the last chapters definitely made up for the beginning. It's why I decided to rate it four stars. The ending was satisfying. I wouldn't mind a sequel, though, since there's enough unanswered questions left at the end. Hopefully JLA decides to write a second book. I would love to read it, especially knowing how much she has grown as an author.

Cursed is like a sneak peek of the awesomeness that is a Jennifer L. Armentrout novel. If you're a huge JLA fan like me, reading this book is a good fix while you wait for her next novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Spencer Hill Press for the ARC!