Book Review: Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

Sandhya Menon’s new young adult trilogy of fairytale retellings is called St. Rosetta’s Academy. These stories will be companion novels and modern retellings. Each book will focus on a separate fairytale and couple. Up first in the series is Of Curses and Kisses, a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Indian royalty and sisters, Jaya and Isha Rao are headed to an elite boarding school in Aspen, Colorado called St. Rosetta’s International Academy to escape the media frenzy surrounding Isha’s scandal. Fiercely protective of her younger sister, Jaya is determined to get revenge on the Rao family’s longtime enemies, the Emersons. When Jaya learns she’ll be in close proximity to Lord Grey Emerson at St. Rosetta’s, she concocts a plan to make him fall in love with her and then break his heart. However, as Jaya and Grey grow closer they question whether they can rewrite destiny and make an ending of their own choosing.

Of Curses and Kisses is easily my favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling! It captures the romance and spirit of the original, and yet spins its own unique tale of two star-crossed lovers. I really loved how Menon incorporated the well-known symbols (the rose, the curse, the library etc.) of the fairytale in a modern setting to give the story a touch of magic. Whether or not magic is at play, is something I feel can be left open to reader interpretation.

One of the most attractive qualities about Of Curses and Kisses is its diverse cast of characters. There are characters who are Indian, Italian-American, British, Vietnamese, and American. It was beautiful to see a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities represented on the page.

Menon’s main characters perfectly encapsulate their fairytale counterparts. Jaya is headstrong, spirited, and intelligent. In contrast, Grey is a loner, broody, and bracing for the day his curse comes to fruition. Their dynamic is fraught with tension, attraction, and burgeoning romance. I enjoyed the slow burn enemies-to-lovers story of these two. Menon knows just how to strike the right balance between swoony moments with ones of emotional connection.

Of Curses and Kisses imparts some meaningful lessons to its readers. Through Jaya we learn that we can chart our own path away from family expectations and to be your own person. Grey teaches us the importance of believing in yourself and your own self-worth. That one shouldn’t be afraid to live. Together, Jaya and Grey learn that yes, they can choose their own happy ending.

Final thoughts: If you like your fairytale retellings with a modern twist then, Of Curses and Kisses is the novel for you! It’s full of humor, romance, and charming characters that you will instantly fall in love with.

The next book in the St. Rosetta’s Academy trilogy will be Of Princes and Promises. It has a tentative release date set for February 2021.