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Betrayal.
He was the deception waiting in the night; the truth I never saw coming. After a lifetime of manipulation, I finally learned the truth. I was his puppet—even if I never saw my strings.
Even knowing how deep his betrayal runs, I can’t shake the undeniable connection between Gray and I—the way a single glance from him sets my soul on fire. We are not the same. We’re enemies, poised to battle for the future of the very thing I’d wanted to destroy.
With the Covenant gone, the revenge I thought I wanted is no longer my priority. The witches that remain played no role in my aunt’s death, and the only person standing in the way of righting those wrongs is the very man determined to keep me in his bed.
But the remaining members of the Coven will never forgive me for the role I played in their demise and subjugation, and the worst part of all is that I can’t even blame them for it. I’d been naive, believing my own delusions of grandeur when destiny clearly had other plans for me. Plans that had been set in motion centuries before my birth.
But even that had been a lie, and now it is my duty to do everything in my power to undo it.
To protect my Coven from my husband’s hatred—no matter what the cost.
MY THOUGHTS
The Cursed is the second and final book in the Coven of Bones duology. It picks up right where The Coven left off, with Willow bringing Gray's body back from the underworld. Throughout the book, Willow and Gray are still grappling with issues of betrayal and mistrust in their relationship; and somewhere along the way, Willow found herself as Gray's wife, adding an unexpected layer to their story. On top of that, they’re facing fallout from The Covenant, with all the witches casting blame on both of them.
Unfortunately, The Cursed didn’t capture the same excitement and engagement as the first book. What I enjoyed most about The Coven was the tension and chase between Willow and Gray, but that spark was missing here. Now that they’re together, despite Willow’s attempts to escape, it’s clear that their relationship was inevitable. Instead of the strong, unapologetic character from the first book, Willow spent most of the story in denial about her feelings for Gray, allowing others to sway her decisions. It was surprising to see her so influenced by her peers, even to the point of acting against her own instincts.
Another downside was the amount of smut. This book was shorter than the first, yet it felt like 70% of it is smut and only 30% plot and the plot itself wasn't compelling. The ending felt abrupt and rushed. It seemed the main arc of the series was meant to bring balance back to Hollow Grove University, but that didn’t come through. There’s only one brief scene where the witches pledge their allegiance (I think?), but beyond that, there’s no real conclusion. The book closes with an out-of-the-blue wedding ceremony, with some unanswered or ignored revelations just before it. The ending left me ultimately disappointed.
Overall, The Cursed felt like an unpolished sequel, as if it didn’t know where it was headed or what it wanted to be. I had high hopes after enjoying The Coven, but this left me with more questions than answers. I can’t recommend this series. While I did enjoy the first book, as a whole, this series felt like brain candy—fun but lacking in substance.
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