ImPerfect Curse
๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ข๐๐จ๐๐จ? ๐๐๐๐ง๐'๐จ ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ.
Iโm exhausted. Done in. Needing a stiff drink and about a weekโs sleep. But thatโs not going to happen.
Because Franc is dying, struck by a curse placed on him by the Sistren Of Bordeaux, one of the most powerful groups of Talented in France. And because of our deal, itโs on me to find out what the hell is going on, and how Franc has offended the Sistren. Apart from by simply existing, of course.
Except a simple trip to Bordeaux turns into a living nightmare as the past comes back to not just haunt me but to kick me square in the nuts, and I'm sent to the one place no Talented ever wants to go. Where those with magic either vanish or get ruined, left as nothing but empty husks.
This time, it might not be the world at risk.
It might be my very soul.-Goodreads
Title: ImPerfect Curse
Series: The ImPerfect Cathar #2
Author: C.N. Rowan
Page Count: 320
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: 3.75/5.0
Date Read: April 23rd, 2024
Opening
I began my journey through the ImPerfect Cathar series by C.N. Rowan last year with ImPerfect Magic and had a lot of fun with it. It was a quick, easy and entertaining story. Iโve been wanting to continue the series and finally had the chance with ImPerfect Curse in April. I admittedly finished both the first two books with the audiobooks available. However, I think I might enjoy this series more as a visual read going forward. More on this in a moment.
Pacing
The pacing leans a bit toward the fast. I think this has more to do with the books being on the shorter side which I always need a couple of those each month to keep my sanity for the larger reads. I also do seem to like the authorโs writing style for the most part as well. As I mentioned a moment ago Iโve been listing to the audiobooks with the first two and I think the author does a good job in narrating his own books. However, he seemed very over the top with his narration in Curse. Iโm not sure if I just picked up on it more this time around or not. In turn this left me a bit confused and lost at times. This is why I think for book three Iโm going to try and squeeze it in as a visual read and see if I connect as well as I think I will with this world.
World Building
The world building continues to be intriguing. This is a very magic deep world on the darker side of things. The Urban Fantasy genre continues to grow on me with series like this and the Dresden files just to name a couple. Iโve been enjoying the depth of what Iโll call factions in this series and that continues with book two. As far as the geography of the world itself, there is only so much to say about that as itโs in our world. What that means for me is it takes more story and character to really draw me into the fantasy of it all. C.N. Rowan does a nice job in painting the picture environmentally for me to imagine the world this story is taking place in. This style is a nice balance though as I donโt feel like the descriptions are just going on and on trying to be poetic or over the top. That kind of style has its place but I tend to lean more toward less is more when done right.
Character Development
The character development was interesting in imPerfect Curse. We continue to learn more about Paul in the second book which has a nice overall story arc. I think the characters Franc and Aicha and their relationships with Paul is what really make book two though. There are plenty of twists and turns in this series and it continues with the second installment here. The ending of book two was a hard one though. I honestly didnโt see that coming whether itโs for the best or not. Iโm sure we will learn more as the series continues.
Closing
Overall, Iโm still enjoying this world which does remind me a lot on some of the early Dresden reads with itโs own twists of course. I feel the banter and overall theme in Cathar is a bit darker than what Iโve read from Dresden. They both give me that urban fantasy magic user investigating mysteries type of vibe though and Iโm all for it. I also feel the author does a nice job with inclusion of LGBTQ characters without it being in the readers face constantly which is always a plus for me. I love diverse characters but I also like some balance as well.
Scoring
Pacing 3.5 / 5.0
Worldbuilding 4.0 / 5.0
Character Development 4.0 / 5.0
