OUR CURSED LOVE

When best friends Cam and Remy arrive in Tokyo for winter break, Remy knows this is her chance. Soon enough, they'll both leave for college half a world away from each other, and if Remy doesn't confess her feelings now, while they're together, she might never get up the nerve to confess. And she doesn't know how she could live with herself if Cam found some other girl to spend the rest of his life with.

But first, some courage. When Remy gets selected for a mystical tea leaves reading, she jumps at the chance. Soulmates, true love: that's what everybody asks fortune-tellers about, right? But her reading reveals something devastating: they're not meant to be together. In fact, Remy doesn't have a soulmate at all.

When Cam and Remy stumble onto a secret, magical alchemist bar, Remy sees her last chance to make it work out between them: a soulmate elixir, created long before love potions were banned. Something that a magical alchemist like Cam can't say no to trying out, if just for the novelty of it. But an elixir so old is bound to have unpredictable results... like erasing Cam's memory of Remy entirely.

THOUGHTS

This book is as soft and sweet as I thought it would be. Perfect for fans of Julie Abe's The Charmed List, this book pulls on familiar characters but is also perfectly standalone. It's a gentle romance, set in a magical city with dazzling enchantments, bubbling elixirs, and delicious food to try around every corner.

PROS

Light and Fun	There's something so magically delightful about this book. It's soft and cozy, perfect to curl up with on cold winter nights. The city lights are dazzling, and the sightseeing is as romantic as anyone could hope. This book perfectly encapsulates a soft and fluffy romance.

Magical Tokyo	Tokyo is already a city of lights and technology, so adding magic to the mix only enhances it all the more. Tea shops where you can seek your fortune, department stores that dip into the future of (magical) technology, and hidden nooks and crannies that only reveal themselves to those who know what to look for: what's not to love about that?

Magical University	On top of the city itself being imbued with magic, the university where Remy has to go for her college interview is even more magical. So steeped in magic that the ancient tomes of the campus have come alive to act as guides around the campus, there's all the charm of the magic outside of the university walls plus a touch of academic flair that's just nice.

CONS

You know what I really didn't like in this book? The unexpected love triangle. Love triangles generally aren't my thing, but I don't know that I've ever read a book where the love triangle was more unnecessary. Thankfully, it doesn't play a major role, but the existence of it at all is irksome. There was really no need here.	Love Triangle Strikes

These kids obviously like each other, so why have they held the truth in all this time? I can get nerves. You don't want to change the dynamic with your best friend, not when there's a chance the feelings aren't mutual. But nerves really only seemed to be the case for one party here. The other party has other motives. I don't want to spoil anything here, but the motive in question is really quite dull. I didn't buy it, not for two people who know each other and respect each other as much as these two.	Keeping Secrets

Sure, it's cute and soft and sweet, but the depth of their affection at times felt a bit too intense for their actual situation. I know high school sweethearts can go on to have happy, successful adult relationships. But Cam and Remy's feelings for each other nonetheless felt a bit more mature than I would have expected from two seventeen-year-olds, no matter how close they are.	High School Sweethearts

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Melissa Landers's Lumara will love this new contemporary world touched by unexpected splashes of potent magic. Those who loved the magical chemistry of Julie Abe's The Charmed List will adore this new, ill-fated couple.