Book Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out.

However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

My Thoughts:  It's no secret that Jennifer Armentrout is one of my absolute favorite authors.  I have been hooked on her books since Half-Blood and was thrilled to be able to read Cursed early.  Due to an unexpected move I had to put off reading it for a month but once I started, I couldn't stop.  Cursed was just as amazing as all of Armentrout's books!

Ember takes care of her little sister, Olivia and their mother.  Ember's father was killed two years ago in the very same car accident that killed Ember herself.  Yep, Ember died two years ago.  Her little sister has a "magic" touch however and brought Ember back to life.  Now Ember is known as a "freak" at her school and her mother has fallen into a deep depression, leaving Ember to take care of everything.  This is difficult on Ember not only because she is only a teen but because anything Ember touches dies.  

When someone touches Ember and dies one day, her own world gets turned upside down.  She comes home to find her little sister and her mom gone and a stranger in her house.  The only thing Ember remembers is the stranger apologizing and then waking up in someone else's house.  She meets Jonathan Cromwell who has adopted many "gifted" children.  She gets cozy with Jonathan's son, Hayden, and has to try to convince Jonathan and his other children that she is not a threat to them.  This proves difficult as everyone but Hayden makes it clear that they do not want Ember around.  To top it off, someone is trying to hurt Ember and she has to figure out if it is Cromwell or one of his kids or someone else.  

I loved Ember and Hayden!  Ember is strong for all that she has to go through but there are moments when she just irritated me.  She is a very easy to relate too and likable. Sometimes she pushes Cromwell's buttons just to be a pain. Hayden is sweet and a little mysterious.  I just really liked him and the tension between him and Ember.

I do have to say that I suspected the "bad guy" from the get go.  I didn't know why or how this person was even involved or knew about Ember so it kept up the mystery and kept me reading to find out why.  It was a great mystery throughout the whole book.

I am not sure if this book is going to be a start of a series but I sure hope so.  There are several questions left unanswered about Ember, Hayden, the Facility, etc. so I am really hoping this isn't a stand alone.  Plus, I just love Armentrout's books so another series by her would make me very happy!

Now I must go and find a book that captures my attention like this one did....