Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
She was cursed at birth to marry him. He is cursed to never know her love. Rhoslyn Gautier refuses to accept her fate. All her life she believed she was nothing more than a poor merchant’s daughter from Factory Row. Not an elven princess in an arranged marriage. But when thrown to the wolves as punishment after challenging her queen, she becomes trapped with Fentienne Beausoleil, an aristocrat in an enchanted chateau who is half-monster by daylight and full monster by moonlight. An ugly, tormented man from an enemy realm she was bound to in faerie blood from her first breath. And there is no escape. If she breaks their bonds, she will die. If she falls in love with him, she will die. Rhoslyn believes the chateau will be her tomb. Then a mysterious man appears in her dreams with claims that he, too, is a prisoner. A wickedly beautiful man with a sharp mind and even sharper heart who captures hers completely. Magic seals away his identity. Yet Rhoslyn suspects that appearances are not all what they seem. But to know for certain, she would need to revolutionize more than a realm on the brink of civil war. And trigger a curse that will claim her life.
Is Of Thorns and Curses appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
This YA Beauty and the Beast retelling features moderate fantasy violence, an arranged marriage curse, captivity themes, and fade-to-black romance with kissing and tension. Political intrigue and realm conflict drive the plot.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, moderate sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include emotional abuse, captivity, and death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teen readers will love this romantic fantasy retelling with a cursed beast prince, a heroine who refuses her fate, and mysterious dream encounters that test love and loyalty.