Elva was once a faerie princess, bound to the Seelie King and renowned throughout the land. Until that was all stripped from her in a single moment. Now, she has recreated herself as a warrior woman. Fierce and strong, she is sent to the Ice Mountain where a beast reigns. Watch him, kill him if necessary, but do not fall in love.Donnacha was once a dwarven noble, until the Troll Queen saw him. … saw him. She curses him into the form of a bear. The only way to break the curse is to marry her daughter. But when a certain faerie princess enters the picture, he realizes there might be another way to free him.
Determined to hate each other, they quickly realize there’s more to people than just appearances. When the Troll Queen steals him away, breaking her part of the deal, Elva must follow the bear she fell in love with east of the sun and west of the moon. To save him, she would give up everything.
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I am a sucker for a good re-telling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” and this one had everything I wanted and more. I loved reading about Elva’s story & her relationship with Donnacha. This book touched on some deeply important themes and ideas in a really lovely way.
Emma Hamm writes exciting fairy tales with a deeper message. This one’s main theme was about healing from sexual abuse. Elva is a royal fae with a dark twisted past that has left her feeling trapped, but she forges a new path of self-discovery and empowering herself. There are a few descriptions of her past that aren’t clear to me as they seemed contradictory, but that might be because I haven’t read all the books in the series. Donnacha is of dwarven nobility and is an honorable character who helps Elva to learn to trust again. The trolls are an evil race that enjoy killing and hurting others. The description of the troll princess gets repetitive and there’s an anti-climax toward the end, but it does get explained, so that it fits within the context. This is an inspirational story filled with hope and healing.
I received an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I have always loved Elva. This girl has had one heck of a life. I am so pleased she got her own story, and a happily ever after worthy of her. She is strong. Donnacha is the perfect hero for Elva. Absolutely no other would have handled her so well. Elva is one tough girl, but she has still been traumatized and requires gentleness. Donnacha is just the perfect combination of gentle strength she needed to walk through life.
This story was awesome. I wholeheartedly enjoyed walking along with Elva and Donnacha as they discovered how to break the horrid curse the troll queen put upon him.
I love everything about this series. The whole thing is a delightful romp through Irish mythology and fairy tale retellings. Absolutely start at the beginning and work your way through this amazing series.
Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
Elva and Donnacha! What a beautiful pair of mismatched personalities, yet they completed each other perfectly! In this new book by Emma Hamm, the Celtic mythology meets the tale of East of the Sun, West of the Moon where a Dwarf is cursed to be a bear and an elf warrior has to remain with him.
The story is wonderful with amazing scenery and details, yet the depth is given to Elva’s character who may be damaged but strives to surpass her own fears and problems. I loved the humor and the fighting scenes and the ending was worthy for both of them.
No, seriously Emma Hamm has taken the classics and reimagined them into a whole new level! Her writing is stellar!
If you’re familiar with Emma Hamm’s Otherworld series, you know and love Elva. First introduced in HEART OF THE FAE, Elva is the drug addicted consort to the evil Seelie king. Once she wises up and leaves, she transforms into the warrior woman we meet in THE FACELESS WOMAN and THE RAVEN’S BALLAD, but always is on the sidelines. Finally, Elva comes into her own in CURSE OF THE TROLL, a “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” retelling.
Donnacha is a dwarf lord cursed to be a bear by the evil Troll Queen for refusing to marry her daughter. In an attempt to break the curse, Donnacha seeks the aid of a warrior woman who must live in his ice castle for a year. Upon Elva’s arrival, they seem to have a connection. As they spend more time together, the kindhearted Donnacha begins to help Elva mend her broken soul… until a grave mistake is made and Elva must find Donnacha and save him from the trolls’ clutches… east of the sun and west of the moon.
It was utter magic. Donnacha is the sweetest, kindest, most humble hero around. You just want to hug his furry bear body. His patience and understanding are a beautiful balm for Elva’s rough edges. Elva is a wonderful and complex heroine who knows she’s struggling and is doing the best she can. The two together made me smile.
The conflict and plot were clear and well thought out, making the pages fly by. I loved seeing more creatures than the traditional Seelie/Unseelie and how Elva begins to perceive them and her world.
The ending was utterly heartwarming. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted for the mistreated and misunderstood Elva. I loved every page of this novel and would highly recommend it to fans of The Otherworld series.
Curse of the Troll was an adventure that I enjoyed. I loved the premise of it and the fact that it was a difficult situation of which I think the author did an awesome job of resolving. I definitely recommend this to those who love retellings.
Copy provided by author