A new YA suspense series from the bestselling author of The Breathing Series! “Trust no one. Everyone lies. You can only save yourself.”It was supposed to be a Friday night like any other for Lana and her best friends. Three girls out to cause a little trouble. Break a few hearts. And try not to get caught. Except on this night, Lana Peri is the sole witness to a horrific crime, and she can’t say … Except on this night, Lana Peri is the sole witness to a horrific crime, and she can’t say a word. Not if she wants to protect her friends. No one will believe her word over his, so he gets away with it. And she’s forced to pay for her silence.
Instead of serving time in juvie, Lana is sentenced to a boarding school for privileged teens. Removed from everyone she knows and cares about, she’s abandoned at Blackwood School in Vermont, where everything is an illusion, including the lives of those who attend the elite institution. Lana isn’t wealthy or privileged. The only thing she has in common with the sons and daughters of celebrities and politicians is that she’s a delinquent, just like them. And they’ve all been forced to grow up much too fast.
Just when Lana begins to feel accepted, mysterious notes start showing up in her belongings and ominous threats are painted on her wall. Only someone she knows could have done it. Someone she thought was a friend. As the pieces fall into place, secrets begin to emerge, leaving Lana with too many questions and not enough people to trust.
The Cursed Series is a thrilling and tangled mystery that explores the sacrifice of love and the secrets kept to protect friends. How do you know who to trust when no one is telling the truth?more
First of all, I don’t know how to review this book without only saying: go read it!! But I’ll try! Intriguing, fast paced, great characters, wonderful writing. It’s only the beginning. I really believe this is the kind of book you should go blind. Don’t try to read spoilers, don’t read the last page first, just enjoy the ride. From the first page you don’t know who to believe, how everything connects, where the story is going. I spent the whole book trying to decipher all that is happening behind the curtains and when I think I have some clue, everything shifts. Lana is a wonderful character and I can’t wait the next book to see more of her and her new challenges!
0Ooooooooo that ending of part two?! Yes please give me more! If you liked pretty little liars you will go crazy for this story.
Lana has a life that is not very clean. After the events of an unspeakable night, she’s sent off to this school.
The school is not what it seems to be. Everyone is playing a game but who plays it the best is the question. Secrets and liars, crazy notes written on walls? Yes this is insanely good. I wish I knew what to expect next!
First off I must say this is the best book I have read in quite a few years!
The story was so well written and the characters were so interwoven and complex that I could not put this book down.
I resonated with Lana and her belief that everyone has a curse. These curses could be good and/or bad but the curse was theirs to endure.
The characters were intermingled with the perfect amount of mystery that the reader believes they are witnessing these lives and how they played out eagerly and with an abundance of interest.
This is my first book by this author, Rebecca Donavan, and I excitedly look forward to reading all her others.
A beautiful 6 star book!
Okay, wow…. Just wow. I am speechless. This series is definitely one of a kind. This was a very complex book. It was intriguing. I got sucked into this word filled with mystery and a lot of secrets.
Lana is not an easy person to get along with. She does not have many friends or people she can tolerate. She is brutally honest and that honesty sometimes hurts people but although she always speaks the truth, one night changes her life forever. In this case, she was honest but only the partial truth was revealed. She was doing this to protect the people she cares about and in doing so, she was sent to a delinquent academy for the children of the rich and famous. It was either this or juvie and at least here, she has some semblance of a freedom. She meets and befriends some interesting people. They are her type of chaos.
Notes and messages start appearing. Someone is messing with her. It might be someone she knows. It might be one of her new friends. Lana needs to figure out who to trust.
I loved Lana’s attitude. She is badass. Her life is far from perfect and the thing I admired about her was she didn’t blame anyone for how she turned out. All her actions have consequences and she deals with them. I need part 3 and 4. The last chapter in this book left me reeling. I am so confused. I have so many questions that need answers.
I was addicted to every single word because it was so intense. Who can she trust? Who’s behind everything happening around her? It was seriously making my head spin with theories. The characters all have riveting, quirky personalities and I pretty much love each and every one of them. The private school is just dark and mysterious…I want to know all of its secrets. This story was a page turner that I didn’t want to stop reading. I literally read it nonstop in one sitting. Perfection.
Not as good as Rebecca Donovan’s Breathing trilogy but still good.
Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2763692342?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Part one:
In one unexpected cursed night Lana finds herself at the mercy of the truth. Just in one night her entire life was upended. Telling the truth should set Lana but free instead it binds her to a curse.
Overall:
If your expecting this book to be anything like The Breathing Series you will be disappointed. This is nothing like that series. The Cursed series is about a young girl who is cursed with the ability to lie. She identifies individuals by their curse. It’s these curses that define an individual. When she meets someone she immediately labels them by their curse. Being cursed is a flaw. These flaws will lead to their demise.
The Cursed series is written into four parts. This was part one where Lana witnesses a girl getting pushed down the stairs and a robbery all in the same night. Her curse is Honesty and it’s up to Lane to tell the truth to help herself from being an accomplice to the robbery, but at the same time she needs to protect her friends who were with her that night.
I have to admit it was difficult to read each part individually as they were released. Now that the series is complete I’m revisiting this book in its entirety with no interruptions. It’s much better received as one long read.
This was a character driven story with Lana guiding the journey.
It was intense, clever, and shockingly addictive. It’s a story like no other, very original. It was suspenseful.
Tropes: high school years, young adult, drug use, and opposites attract
Part two:
Lana is forced to make an impossible decision that challenges her curse of Honesty. Her curse is that she either tells the truth or keeps it locked inside. Since she chose to keep it locked inside Lana pays the price of her silence with being sentenced to Blackwood private school. Lana doesn’t come from money so being at this boarding school raises all kinds of questions. Being sentenced in the summer limited the number of students living on campus. Lana meets some new people. She defines and labels them all by there curse.
Lana meets Grant while on assignment. He’s a lifeguard. The small circle of friends play detective by helping Lana solve the mystery behind some mysterious messages.
Overall:
On one hand I’m curiously fascinated by this unique story. On the other I feel the execution is taking too long to reveal its motives.
An interesting twist for a summer fling during the high school years. In some ways I find the story fascinating and intriguing. Other times I question the point of Lana’s ability to find trouble.
Couldn’t figure out the Thaylina passages prior to each chapter. Obviously it’s about someone hurting Lana, but I’m trying to decipher the relevance of the words in correlation to each chapter.
Book two had an entirely different vibe than book one. These two books are so different it’s almost like they aren’t connected. Book two centers around the students that attend this elite boarding school during the summer. While book one centered around Lana getting caught up in a robbery and accident at a nightclub. With the way book one ended I had envisioned an entirely different outcome. I had other preconceived ideas about this book. I wasn’t expecting this to become a discovery of love book. I kept waiting for something significant to happen regarding the curses. Instead I found many examples of trust. What am I missing about these curses? I felt like I’m missing something vital. This book didn’t help connect me to these curses.
Narrator:
Phoebe Strole was the solo female narrator for both part one and part two of the Cursed series. Her performance was superb. She brought these characters and the story to life.
This was an unabridged copy with a few minor tweaks here and there.
f I’d Known (Cursed #1):
4 stars
AHHHHHH, the drama! I was not expecting these chain of events. Onto the next one!
Narrator Phoebe Strole is actually doing a great job. I believe this is also my first listen by her.
Knowing You (Cursed #2):
4 stars
Of COURSE there is a cliffhanger of sorts. I sorta guess by the end where this was going. Lana for me at times was getting annoying. Just got to stick with it to find out what happens next.
Narrator Phoebe Strole is great.
Suspense, intrigue, and angst set the tone for The Cursed Series, parts one and two. It is good that both parts are in one volume because waiting for the next book would be excruciatingly difficult. Rebecca Donovan has created some strong and memorable characters for the series.
Lana Peri is a force to be reckoned with. She is forthright, honest to a fault, and smart by bookish standard and according the standards of the street. She has had a tough life and has been influenced by the strongest of women. Her grandmother lead the way to forming the powerhouse Lana had become at such a young age.
Lana is a risk taker who is as loyal to those she cares for as she is honest. This combination doesn’t bode well for her. In fact it lands her in some trouble that results in a major life change.
It is during this life change that she learns there are secrets surrounding her parentage and which connect her to people she never imagined being linked to. The drama that surrounds her discoveries is what makes this series impossible to put down.
Rebecca Donovan has delved into an interesting topic in this series that explores peoples virtues as being curses. The very qualities that make humans admirable are the cause of their demise. This concept makes for an interesting and entertaining read. There are mysteries and clues that will keep you guessing about how it will all end. Rebecca Donovan will leave you absolutely breathless and ready for the next installment of The Cursed Series.
I immediately fell in love with this cover, then read the blurb, and I knew I just had to read this book! It was amazing! It was intense! It had mystery and intrigue! I really enjoyed the suspenseful storyline. It was quite unique! I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely can’t wait to read the next parts!
Imagine, virtues, such as Belief and Honesty, are curses.”..it’s these traits, the ones we deem to be the most honorable, that cause the most destruction.” Take false belief/hope. It’s paralyzing to believe in an improbable outcome or someone who will never exist as you wish. Honesty is the curse of the main character. How is it a curse?”Every day, I see what lying can do.” Lying causes negative outcomes usually. Is it better, then, to always be honest? Truth is a dangerous thing to handle with care because it can also cause unintended consequences. I loved and hated Lana. Cursed with Honesty, she hurts feelings and is flippant. Life is not easy with a sick mother and no money. Lana is tough out of necessity. And, she doesn’t need validation from a boy. She’s standoffish to everyone but her friends and mother. Lana gives up everything to protect her friends after a night partying goes bad. She’s a victim of circumstances and chance who witnesses two crimes. Lana knows who did it but refuses to snitch because Honesty would endanger her friends.The person responsible has the means to win any argument, so she remains silent. In part 2, Lana arrives at a boarding school for prep kids gone bad, Blackwood. She doesn’t belong because these are the rich children of celebrities.Lana has connections,lawyer, and that’s how she landed here and not juvie. No spoilers, so,without great detail, the story picks up, new people, job,etc. She remains flippant and untamed. “Maybe I am my chaos. It comes with me wherever I go.”Following rules won’t bring answers I felt like I was in a funhouse with mirrors. Which way am? What’s that noise? I questioned who was doing what. Puzzling odd things transpire around Lana. Blackwood becomes increasingly sinister and bizarre. The rules/authority figures are creepy. A random guy knows everything about her. Her room is personalized in an almost predatory way. Who can she trust? “Someone’s playing games with me, and I don’t know why.” Mysterious and absorbing, I love the dark menacing vibe. I liked Lana’s whatever attitude and humor. Rebecca Donovan’s writing is immersive and refreshing. An enjoyable read, but that ending? I’m in tatters!
HOT DAMN – This book was AMAZING!!! I CANNOT wait for the next book to release with parts 3 &4.
Part 1 is more of a novella and sets the stage for Part 2 and the next book (Parts 3 & 4). I loved every single bit of this book and was truly surprised by easily I could visualize everything.
The Cursed Series is definitely geared more toward YA age of 16+ because of scenes and topics that are brought up. One thing that I feel the need to point out is that 16 year olds in different situations and life styles react and do things differently. (view spoiler) When you read the book – you will see what I mean.
Rebecca brought out so many emotions in this book. I loved how everything felt so real and like it was playing out before my eyes. Rebecca’s writing truly comes to life right off the pages. The character are real and so raw with their emotions and their actions.
And then there is the suspense – OMG!! Love the suspense that is slowly building in this book. I love the unknown surrounding Lana and how all these characters intertwine with one another. I love every characters because they all are equally important and bring so much to this book. I still have so many unanswered questions and I really need to know where this all ends.
Rebecca has written a fascinating and page-turning YA Romantic Suspense that everyone will love. I devoured this book within one day and that’s with working 8hrs plus doing all the other motherly and wifely duties added in. I could not put this book down – as much as I did not want it to end, I had to know what was going on and where this story was going.
Bring on Parts 3 and 4, Pronto!!
I have to admit that didn’t delve too deep into this book.I just couldn’t.
As far as story it self goes,I’m not gonna say a lot,just that the plot was interesting and messy.
The whole “we are all cursed”part was interesting too,it’s actually pretty realistic.
My main problem is Lana.I found her to be a little bit weird.This book is more in YA category because Lana is only 16 years old.For a teenage girl I found Lana to be bitchy,depressed and not like teenager at all.
Bitchy,because she is mostly rude to everyone(her curse is Honesty,but she took it to a whole new level).I think that she always considers what can she gain from one person before she acknowledge’s them.Like she is better than most of the kids her age.
Depressed,because of her outlook on life.Not so long ago,I was a teenager myself.My high school was hell and my personal life was not so good either,and yet I always had something to make me positive.Lana has nothing.She thinks that everyone lies and everyone will betray her at some pint.
For a 16 year old girl these thoughts are just dull and they make me sad.I can’t realize that nothing in this world makes her happy and positive?
I just couldn’t connect with her.
This book has a interesting plot so maybe later I will give it another chance,but right now I just can’t.
Went in blind not knowing anything about the story or the author. Have to say the ride was bumpy. In book one getting to know Lana Peri, a little young feisty girl who loves with her whole self (mind, body, & soul). She finds herself in more difficult situations which carry over into book two. More characters and culprits are introduced and than bam! She leaves you hanging until God knows when the next book is due out! Shit!
I’m still trying to wrap my head around what just happened. That ending though! I did not see that coming. I literally sat there stumped and lost in thought for at least five minutes after reading the last page to let it sink in.
This book was so intriguing and had such a sense of darkness and mystery in it, that I’m still left with so many questions needing to understand what and why things happened! I can’t wait for Parts 3 and 4. I need them now! I need answers!
One of my favorite parts about the book was the character depth. I loved how each character brought something unique and new to the storyline, while also still working to keep us as the reader in the dark about what’s really going on.
Loved it!!
Firstly i looked at the title and the cover then I read the synopsis and knew it was a book I was going to read. Lana is our heroine, she may be young but due to circumstances is mature for her age. The story is intriguing and intense with so many layers to it. Part 1 was the appetizer where we get to know Lana and her friends. Part 2 is where the real story begins with so many twists and secrets even the reader will be questioning who to trust. The author has built an amazingly detailed story. I have as many questions as I do theories, can’t wait for the next parts.
I devoured the words of this book in less than 24 hours. The story was out of this world amazing. The twists and turns had you on edge. You think you knew one thing and then you were proven wrong the next instant. Rebecca takes us on an adventure full of suspense, mystery and angst. You are so hooked to this story you don’t want it to end. A beautiful amazing read. I can’t wait for more!
@rebeccadonovan The Cursed Series, Parts 1 & 2: If I’d Known/Knowing You
Let’s start with the title that had me so intrigued. The Cursed. Our heroines curse is honesty. If I think about it I would say mine is empathy. Your curse isn’t necessarily something bad but there’s always two sides of a coin and your curse can make you weak which is something our heroine, Lana refuses to be.
Lana has shot up on my list of my most favorite characters I’ve ever read about. I often forget how young she is because she is so wise beyond her years. Being raised by strong women all of her life has helped shaped the person she is but their tragedies have also formed the sometimes negative thoughts she has towards trust, men and most of all…….love.
Lana is loyal to a FAULT and I mean that because when some absolutely vile and horrific stuff goes down, she takes the fall or at least doesn’t point the finger at the actual culprit, too scared how it will affect the ones she cares for the most. Now Lana is being ripped away from everything she’s ever known and dropped into a world so different from her own.
But this new environment isn’t all that is seems. Someone is watching Lana, making threats, leaving menacing notes. Whatever they think she knows or whatever they know about her they perceive her as a threat. Lana is trying her best under all these new circumstances with the help of some new allies/friends Perception (Brendan) Authenticity (Ashton) and swoon Integrity (Grant)
Try to prepare yourself for this fantastic world that Rebecca has created filled with suspense, mystery, romance, drama, and feels! It’s like Cruel Intentions meets 10 things I Hate about you with a touch of Gossip Girl!
What a wonderful read from Rebecca Donovan!
As soon as I picked this novel up, I knew that I was going to be devouring every last word. I completely fell in love with Lana. She is a character that is so unique and different, and yet, relatable in every way. She has experienced her own form of misery and trouble. She has been through many things in her life, not necessarily considered good. These events have only made her stronger. When things start happening, she is able to use the strength that she has to move forward, and figure out a way to deal with the mysterious events going on around her.
The Cursed Series had me on the edge of my seat from the very first page, and left me constantly wanting more all the way up to the very end. I highly enjoyed this read, and look forward to reading many more books from Rebecca in the future.
4/5 Stars!
This was actually a really great story with a new take, or perspective, on how a person’s most prominent character traits can be seen as curses. A curse of Truth meaning the person tells the truth always, even when others may not want the whole, unfiltered truth. Belief being a curse for someone who always believes the best in others, even when it means you can’t see the whole picture of a person or situation. Honesty being a curse when you want full honesty from those around you, even when that honesty might get you killed. Perspective being a fault when you can see so much and know so much that it makes you suspect or can get you into trouble.
I truly enjoyed this young adult book, even though it was nothing like I expected it would be. When I first saw the title, and even after reading the synopsis, I assumed the curses would be like magical curses bestowed on the characters. They aren’t magical, just true character traits that get the person hurt, even those these traits are always seen as good traits to have.
The characters are strong and well developed. The writing is good and smooth and very enthralling. The story itself sucks you right in so you want to keep reading and have to read til the end. And the ending leaves you craving more. I’d definitely recommend this book to other readers, but don’t expect it to be a light, quick read. There’s a lot to these pages- love, danger, mystery. I’m looking forward to the next in series.