Mobility Mom Bookshelf: The Curse of the Wretched by: S. Usher Evans (Audio Review)

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Book Description

An ancient witch with a vendetta against his kingdom
An earnest prince charged with breaking her curse

It starts with a legend and an ominous warning. Five hundred years after the legendary hero of Genad supposedly vanquished her, the shadow-wielding witch Ophesia reappears to curse the kingdom, and the crown prince Thom is tasked with finishing what his ancestor started. Armed with ancient journals, he travels to her dangerous manor—only for her to imprison him and vow he'll never leave.

His new captor is reclusive, but not unkind, and eventually concedes to dine with Thom every evening. Through stilted conversations about art, books, and poetry, Thom learns more about Ophesia's heart, and through it, unravels more of the mystery of what really happened on this mountain with his legendary ancestor. And saving his kingdom might just mean mending her broken heart first.

The Curse of the Wretched is the first book in the Wretched Curse series, a spicy, gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast retelling with forced proximity, hidden identities, shadow magic, and slow burn yearning. Perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent's Daughter of No Worlds, Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting, and Rebecca Ross's A River Enchanted. This is the first fantasy romance from award-winning cozy fantasy and young adult author S. Usher Evans.

About S. Usher Evans

S. Usher Evans was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. After a decade of fighting bureaucratic battles as an IT consultant in Washington, DC, she suffered a massive quarter life crisis. She decided fighting dragons was more fun than writing policy, so she moved back to Pensacola to write books full-time. She currently resides there with her husband and kids, and frequently can be found plotting on the beach.

Evans is the winner of the 2019 (The City of Veils) and 2022 (A Quest of Blood and Stone) Florida Author Project YA Books of the Year and is the author of young adult and adult novels.

My Thoughts

As a massive Disney adult with a huge appreciation for a fantastic fairytale retelling, Beauty and the Beast has always held a truly special place in my heart. Because of that, I was absolutely all-in for The Curse of the Wretched by S. Usher Evans, and the brilliant gender-swapped twist made it the absolute perfect take on a classic. Getting a fresh, suspenseful reimagining of one of my favorite stories—complete with a mentally tortured but incredibly sexy "Shadow Mommy" who is also a deeply relatable bookworm—was sheer perfection. I was so incredibly thrilled to receive a copy of this book, and this one had me completely hooked from the very first chapter.

The story starts with an ancient legend and an ominous warning. Five hundred years after a legendary hero supposedly vanquished her, the shadow-wielding witch Ophesia reappears with a vendetta to curse the kingdom. The earnest Crown Prince Thom is tasked with finishing what his ancestor started and saving both his kingdom and his friend. Armed with ancient journals, he travels to her dangerous manor, only for Ophesia to imprison him. However, his reclusive new captor is far from unkind, eventually conceding to dine with Thom every evening. Through their stilted conversations about art, books, and poetry, Thom begins to unravel the mystery of what really happened on that mountain centuries ago, realizing that saving his kingdom might just mean mending her broken heart first.

Thom and Ophesia’s world is far too easy to get sucked into, making it almost impossible to try and savor the story by reading slower. The forced proximity, hidden identities, shadow magic, and delicious slow-burn yearning make this first installment of the Wretched Curse series an absolute must-read. The characters are completely delightful, particularly Jamie—and honestly, the next book needs way more Jamie, please! There was even a fantastic cameo that made my heart so happy. It all wraps up with a cliffhanger that left me wanting more as soon as humanly possible, and I am already waiting impatiently to see where this journey goes next.

To top it all off, the audiobook narration is brilliantly done. Performed in a flawless duet by Juniper West and Sam Brooks, they capture the emotion, tension, and magic of the characters beautifully. I cannot recommend this book enough—in fact, I haven’t been able to stop talking about it since I finished it. If you love a unique, fresh, and spicy fairytale reimagining, you do not want to miss this one!