My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received an E-arc from the author in exchange for an honest review.
One thing I've learned is you should never underestimate authors like Christina Bauer.
I loved her angelbound series and I was so surprised to see she had started another series that I DIDN'T know about. Cursed was just as good and unlike other series, I liked that Bauer created a whole new world separate from her other series.
Elea is a necromancer, she never planned on getting trained until her best friend, Tristan, dies and she learns that he will burn in hellfire for eternity. Not only that, but because of his love for her, in exactly five years, she's bound to burn in hellfire as well. She leaves everything she knows to become a fully trained necromancer in hopes of killing the Tsar that put cast the curse.
After he training, with a week to spare, she sets out to kill the Tsar and meets handsome, swoony Rowan and his band of casters. They get off to a rough start but slowly learn to trust and work together in hopes of saving Elea and Rowan's people once and for all.
Bauer has a way of really pulling her readers in with her feisty female characters. Elea has a moral compass that she breaks for no one. No romance, no letting my friend burn in hellfire.
Elea is also incredibly brave, but not foolish enough fall into traps she could have avoided like we see many female YA characters do. No, Alea is smart.