The Curse Keepers (The Curse Keepers #1)
by Denise Grover Swank
Summary: The wall between our world and that of vengeful spirits has protected humanity for more than 400 years. It’s about to come crashing down.
Ellie Lancaster has lived her whole life by the site of the mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Virginia settlement that vanished without a trace around 1590. Only the descendants of the two men who banished the spirits of an enemy tribe from the material realm know what really happened to the colony. Ellie is one of those descendants—a Curse Keeper. Her father took pains to teach her what he knew of the curse and the responsibilities of its guardians. He taught her that if the two Curse Keepers ever meet, the curse will be lifted, the gate will open, and the raging Native American spirits will be unleashed to seek their revenge.
Despite her father’s seriousness, Ellie has always taken the legend for a harmless fairy tale. Until she meets the darkly handsome, but downright infuriating, Collin Dailey and realizes everything she was told is true. For when they meet, it’s like the air is sucked from the room. Collin’s presence is electrifying… and it’s not just attraction Ellie feels, but the inexorable pull toward her destiny. The prophecy is real, and now Ellie and Collin must battle supernatural forces and their loathing—and passion—for each other to set things right.
The Curse Keepers are all that stand between the world and its destruction.
Add to Goodreads
Source: I received a digital copy from NetGalley
Review:
The Curse Keepers was interesting and unique. I liked the Native American aspects of the story and I enjoyed being immersed in a supernatural plot that wasn’t predictable.
Ellie was the kind of character I’d expect to find in a New Adult contemporary romance and not an urban fantasy, but I was definitely interested in turning the pages and seeing if she’d open her eyes and be more involved in the supernatural world around her. I’m used to far more kick ass characters in urban fantasy, but I knew this was also kind of a New Adult book, so Ellie’s personality certainly wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before. Collin was your typical paranormal romance hero. He was sarcastic, controlling, and he was basically an ass. But he was super hot and he had a bunch of answers.
My initial thoughts are that the book was enjoyable. But if I compare this series so far to other urban fantasy series, like the Fever series or Kate Daniels, I’m underwhelmed by the characters. The story started out with a lot of the tension and push and pull between the two characters, but it wasn’t as sexually charged and frustrating as I was expecting. And then, out of nowhere, they both seemed to do a 180 and completely fell in love. I was hoping for more romantic tension and more of a fight. Their behavior kind of confused me and I thought the author flipped the switch too fast.
I enjoyed the plot, loved the side characters, and can’t wait to see more of the Native American spirits that I’m sure will make an appearance in future installments. But in the end, I feel like Ellie and Collin are immature and I don’t take either of them seriously. They belong in the pages of a contemporary where they can stay wrapped up in their own problems, not saving the world from supernatural forces. Collin is less mysterious and dark than he is just a thief and a bad boy and I’m just not used to seeing that kind of persona in an urban fantasy.
Still, I am going to continue the series. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t nearly as good as others of the same genre. I’m trying not to compare and I’m just going to go with the flow.
Labels: New Adult, Review, Urban Fantasy
