Review Detail

OUR CURSED LOVE is an intriguing fantasy/contemporary romance. Remy and Cam have been best friends for about forever, and they are visiting Remy's sister and Cam's brother in Tokyo to see the magical university Remy dreams of attending together. Cam has plans to go to MIT, which would obviously be quite a ways away. Remy wants to tell Cam how she really feels before they are separated by so much distance, and this trip feels like the perfect opportunity - if only she can get up the courage to do so.

As they explore the city, they find their way into a magical tea shop, and Remy gets a reading. Even though everyone is said to have a soulmate, she is told that she has none. So when Remy and Cam find themselves faced with a banned, illicit love potion, they decide to take it. However, instead of the expected effect, Cam loses his memory of Remy. The potion will take full effect on January 1, so Remy and Cam only have a little time to relive their memories and hopefully prevent him from forgetting her forever.

What I loved: The magical world here was really interesting, especially as it is overlaid upon our own. The magic-aware like Remy and Cam know that it is around and where to find it, but the unaware only get a hint of what is really going on. The magical world was really fascinating, and I loved getting to explore this in the context of the story.

The story was mostly told from Remy's point-of-view, but it also gave us some sections from Cam's. The dual points-of-view were helpful in understanding how both felt and why this trip mattered so much to each of them, which also contributed to a bit of poor decision-making in taking a banned potion.

What left me wanting more: The storyline was interesting enough, but it often felt difficult to really get into the romance. The setup to the main plot included in the synopsis actually takes quite a while to get there, and the perspectives, particularly Remy's, felt a bit angsty even before the potion. As a result, it felt a bit slow to me and easy to put down.

Final verdict: OUR CURSED LOVE was an intriguing YA fantasy romance that will work well for readers who want a cozy friends-to-lovers story with a touch of magic.