I’ve been reading a lot of fairytale retellings recently, and The Caring and the Cursed intrigued me because it included Puss in Boots! It’s a novella, so it was a quick read, but I enjoyed it. The book releases October 4th, 2024, and here’s a quick blurb from Goodreads:
A cursed prince. A miller’s daughter who is willing to do anything to save her family. Are they the only hope to save their kingdom?
When Crown Prince Alexander is cursed into the form of a cat, he fears all is lost. Little does he know that when he stumbles upon two sisters he has found his sweetest and bravest companions.
Eirwen loves her family deeply and is willing to enter into a loveless and miserable marriage for their sake. Neither she nor her younger sister, Rowan, will inherit the mill so this is how she can do her part.
When a talking cat scares them both, Eirwen is afraid that evil has come to destroy her family. But is he really an evil cat, or is it possible there’s more to meet the eye with this new furry friend? And is he someone she could have a future with and not be miserable?
Can these two sisters aid the talking cat in facing off against the evil that is plaguing their country, or are they all doomed for more curses?
Ratings for The Caring and the Cursed
Story: 4/5
Worldview: 3/5
Overall, this story was an interesting ride with some cool twists! I knew that the world had magic, and the broad “good versus evil” themes gave the book a real fairytale feel. The characters had a daring quest and faced escalating obstacles along the way. Eirwen was a great lead, and her relationship with her sister Rowan was sweet as well. 
Worldview was fine, and I can see the intention, but some things didn’t come across right. The world did mention God as being one to give blessings (and thus being an authority over magic, which I liked). One character was alluded as being an angel (but also a fairy). Where the worldview lost points for me was in the romance.
While I usually like a romance subplot, I think this novel could have done with a little bit less. I liked the theme of looking past appearances to see personality, but the execution was a bit awkward. I think the tricky part was a that the male lead was a cat, and with that kind of “look beyond the surface” message, it makes any romantic subtext come across as weird. This is one of the main reasons why I don’t read shapeshifter novels. Even though you may have a nice theme, including the romance made it weird. It’s the same concept as when a character pretends to be another sex to avoid discovery (like a girl pretending to be a guy to avoid being married off), but then the male lead falls in love with her while she’s dressed as a man?
One character did flirt with another character to trick them, and the flirting toed the line of innuendo (e.g. “What would you be willing to show me?” // “I could show you many things.”). It makes sense in context but I would have liked to see them try a different solution instead (especially when diplomacy had been used in earlier situations).
Overall Thoughts
In any case, I did enjoy the twist at the end of the book and the resolution. I’m interested in picking up another book from this author in the future!
If you’re interested in other fairytale retellings with strong themes, you might like Tested by Sarah Carlisle! Or check out Madisyn Carlin’s work as well! (I haven’t read any yet, but they’re on my list.)
