STORY | Ever since she can remember the Emerson’s have been enemies to Jaya Rao’s family. The rivalry goes back centuries, and is a part of who Jaya is as a person. Imagine her surprise to find Grey Emerson attends the new boarding school she and her sister, Isha. This is something of a problem for Jaya until she decides to make the best of a bad situation, and exact revenge for what his family did to her sister. Her plan? Make Greyson fall in love with her, and then… break his heart.
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What she doesn’t plan on is how different Greyson is. Is he really as serious as he seems? Or is he just that good a liar? Thus begins Jaya’s plan.
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon | Book Review
REVIEW | This novel, though it’s been out for quite some time now, was something I was really excited to read. This is not just because of the author, who’s books always sound cute and yet remain untouched on my bookshelf, but also the plot. If the title doesn’t give away the secret, this is a young adult (contemporary) re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. This is easily one of my (if not the) favorite fairy tales. The book takes liberties in its creative approach and tries to find the common ground between inventive and complimentary, something that I think it does pretty well.
There’s still a rose and the general outline of the characters though to be more realistic, Grey doesn’t have the deformities of the iconic beast character. Still there’s a bookstore scene and a slow-burn little romance that suits the fairy tale. On a deeper level, one of the things I do like about Of Curses and Kisses is that there is more to Jaya and Grey than most YA characters. They each struggle with something, and I cannot tell you how glad I am to see how Jaya evolves. She starts out with something of an agenda, but I really feel that she grows and comes to understand her “best” laid plans might not be good.
Any reader who likes this type of story (a new spin on a classic) will find a sweet tale in Sandhya Menon’s ‘St. Rosetta’s Academy’ series. It’s a gem that though doesn’t immediately draw me in, does fully capture my attention by the time we get to the shifting emotions and cute romance.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Author: Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: Bought
Publication Date: 2020
Series: St. Rosetta’s Academy, Book 1
Find the Book Elsewhere: Goodreads
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary, Secular Fiction/YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Content: There’s about 15 (maybe a few more, maybe a few less) uses of the f-word, and a handful of other commonplace profanity. There’s some suggestive humor/comments, and parties where there is underage drinking.
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