A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost

Title: A Curse of Beasts and Magic

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Beautiful and Beastly # 1

368 Pages, Hardcover

Publication: May 26, 2026

Source: Libby 

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Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her!

She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it 'feed' on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

MY THOUGHTS

I was so excited when I heard Jeaniene Frost was coming back with a new urban fantasy book. The Night Huntress novels were my gateway into the UF genre. A Curse of Beasts and Magic was promoted as having Beauty and the Beast vibes, except the "beast" is the heroine. I love Frost and anything Beauty and the Beast-related, but unfortunately, I didn't love this book.

I felt like the book tried to set itself apart from the oversaturated romantasy market, but it still relied too heavily on cliché tropes, ultimately rendering it unremarkable. Don't get me wrong, I adore plenty of tropes, and when they're done well, I can read them endlessly. However, I didn't think they were executed particularly well here, nor did the story bring anything new to the genre.

The story is set in New York, but there's also a parallel magical world where other supernatural creatures rule and reside. When the leads temporarily crossed over, it felt like a generic medieval fantasy setting. Their time there was brief, but even in that short span, I didn't find it interesting. I don't know if the author tried to incorporate dragons (to be different, she made them shifters) because that was all the buzz the last couple of years or so, but I found them quite dull.

I also didn't like either of the main characters. I don't know what it was about Raine, but I just couldn't connect with her. I love the fake dating trope, but this version was more frustrating than fun. Raine was adamant about keeping their relationship strictly business, constantly reminding Remy of that fact. Yet the moment his ex showed up, she was green with envy, desperately trying to act nonchalant while unsuccessfully throwing it back in his face after they slept together. I didn't find Remy interesting or likable either. I guess you could describe him as another typical shadow daddy. There was nothing that made him stand out, and if you've read one, you've pretty much read them all. For me, once the FMC and MMC finally got together, the story stalled and became tiresome. I lost interest pretty quickly.

I was so excited for a new Jeaniene Frost book and went into it with high expectations, but it unfortunately fell short. It felt as though the book was written because romantasy is hot right now rather than because it had something fresh to offer. To me, it came across as following the trend instead of setting one. I don't plan on continuing with the series.