Review For A Curse Of Shadows And Ice By C.A.Maura.

kristawebster

Sep 3

Step into the mesmerizing fantasy world of A Curse of Shadows and Ice and prepare to swept away by the incredible romance in this Beauty and the Beast retelling!

Fall in love today!

https://hi.catharinamaura.com/ice

Blurb:

She must break the curse, or she'll lose him forever.

Princess Arabella of Althea is left no choice when Felix Osiris, the Shadow Emperor, threatens to overthrow her country unless she agrees to marry him.

When she learns his empire is cursed and she's destined to set them free, they come to an agreement: help him minimize the curse's effect on his people, and he'll let her go.

As Felix teaches Arabella how to control her forbidden and volatile magic, her feelings for him turn from hatred to passion… and she realizes that she must break the curse, or she'll lose him forever.

My 5* Review:

A Curse Of Shadows And Ice is the first in a new series by Catharina Maura writing as C.A. Maura. I am not usually a fantasy romance reader but I thoroughly enjoyed this imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I was drawn in and captivated from the start about the story of Felix and Arabella. Their powers were realistic and I liked how they could control the elements around them. The story develops at a good pace and I couldn't put it down.

Theon Felix Osiris is the powerful leader of Eldiria. He is known as the Shadow Emperor and feared throughout the empire he has built up. He has been suffering the affects of a curse placed on him for years but slowly the darkness is overwhelming him and the battle has become harder to keep the monster within.

Arabella of Althea is a princess but she has had a tough childhood because he father despises her. She has endured everything to protect her younger sister. As the daughter of a sorceress, she knew she had magical powers but magic is banned in her country. She has grown up trying to hide it away because whenever her magic has escaped, she was punished.

The curse has taken everything from him, Elaine and his people. Their country is shrouded in darkness and it constantly snows meaning nothing thrives anymore. The destruction has led to misery for everyone. He is shocked over the prophecy the Seer gives him that Arabella is the person to break the curse and is destined to become his Empress. He doesn't understand how a young girl can set him and his people free. She is a glimmer of hope in his bleak world but is in love with another man.

Arabella's father agrees to her marrying Felix and she finds herself living in his desolate country. As the darkness tightens its grip on him and threatens to engulf him, will Arabella help find a way to help him. Can he persuade her to give their marriage a chance and save his people. I liked how we get to see her being trained use her powers and laughed at her frustration when things didn't go quite as planned.

The other stand out character was his best friend and commander of his Army, Elaine. It was great to see a strong woman in such a position and her faith that true love will break the curse was unwavering. I am now really looking forward to Elaine and Raphael's story in A Curse of Magic and Sin.

I felt sorry for Felix and all he had been through. He really thought he would never have or deserve to be loved. I liked his concern for his people and how he was willing to be patient with Arabella.

I loved how she developed and grew throughout, becoming much stronger than she thought she'd ever be. It was lovely how their relationship grew and they worked together to find solutions to their problems. This is an enchanting read that I totally recommend.

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