Garber, Stephanie. A Curse for True Love. Flatiron Books, 2023. 978-1-250-85120-8. $20.99. 448 p. Grades 9-12.
Evangeline Fox has lost her memories. She knows very few things to be true: she traveled to Magnificent North, she married Prince Apollo, and they live seemingly happily together in the castle. However, she knows that something has happened, something involving a mysterious Lord Jacks. Apollo has told her to stay away from him because he is dangerous and the reason her memories are gone. Little does she know that Apollo is the one who stole her memories and wants to keep Evangeline all to himself. In order to keep the secret, he must kill Jacks once and for all. Through the alternating point of views of Apollo, Jacks, and Evangeline, Apollo’s plan starts to fall apart as Evangeline starts to ask questions and is unequivocally drawn to the mysterious stranger, Archer, that comes to her rescue and encourages her to remember who she is. As the prince slowly becomes the villain and the villain the hero, Evanegline will have no choice but to listen to her heart and trust that true love will guide her along her way to her fairy tale ending. “She was the moth, and Jacks was still the flame.”
THOUGHTS: My expectations for the finale of this series were high. Maybe too high? Although I still loved every moment of this book, I was left feeling as if the story was unfinished as there were still many unanswered questions as I finished the last few pages. However, with the way the book ended, I’m hoping for more stories from the Magnificent North and maybe a bit more of Jacks and Evangeline in future, companion novels. As with the previous two books in the series, its pages are filled with magic spells, deceptions, forgotten stories, danger, curses, and above all, the power of true love. “Other stories were brewing in the Magnificent North.”
Fantasy