Review of The Cursed

[Olga Markova]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Cursed" by Beth Schluter.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Have you ever been spellbound? This is how I felt reading The Cursed: Servants of the Wheel Book 3 by Beth Schluter. The story unfolds on a farm near the enchanted Deschawnee Forest. Little Luca, a farmer’s son, is looking after the goats in the pasture, with his little brother Jono in tow. They get caught in heavy rain and find shelter under the overhang of a large oak at the edge of the forest. Suddenly, Luca loses sight of the goats, climbs the tree to see if he can spot them, and goes missing. Meanwhile, a group of magi, known as the Servants of the Wheel, are mounting their winged horses and leaper birds. Before long, they will be on their perilous journey to the Library of Magical Arts to learn about the curse of Deschawnee Forest, so they can lift the curse and destroy the invading evil. But will they succeed?

The Cursed is the third book in the Servants of the Wheel series, but it reads perfectly standalone. The plot is fast-moving, suspenseful, action-driven, and full of magical twists and turns. The descriptions of magical artifacts and the magical combat of the good magi with the evil monsters are so vivid that I felt like watching an awesome film. But the story offers much more than amusing magical stunts. It focuses on the standoff between good and evil and demonstrates how instrumental friendship and mutual support are in perilous and hard missions. But most of all, I liked how Beth transitioned the jaw-dropping climax into the sequel.

The only aspect of this book that invites improvement is typographical errors. Having this brilliant book professionally edited would take it to the highest level of excellence. Meanwhile, much as I want to give this spellbinding fable a perfect rating, the lack of professional editing compels me to deduct a star and rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I highly recommend this awesome magical fantasy to children and adults who enjoy fantasy and adventure novels. The publisher recommends this book to children aged 11 or older, but I think that fans of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter will enjoy Beth Schluter’s The Cursed, regardless of age.

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The Cursed
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[Amy Luman]

I don’t like to begin a series anywhere besides with the first book even if the volume can be read as a standalone. I do, however, enjoy a book with such vivid descriptions that it is easy to visualize all of the circumstances. Thanks!

[NetMassimo]

Some classic tropes of the fantasy genre are used to create what seems like an engaging novel full of magic, so I hope the author does another round of proofreading to make it excellent. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!

[Osvaldo Borghese]

A pity for typographical errors, maybe with professional proofreading, this book will become a must-read for the readers of this genre. Thanks for the professional review.