Like a Curse

LoveReading4Kids Says

Concluding the dazzling duology that began with Like a Charm, Elle McNicoll’s Like a Curse is a thrillingly plotted, magic-rich adventure underpinned by inspiring themes of self-belief.

For context, Ramya comes from a family of powerful women — “Aunt Leanna. A healer who can make plants and flowers bloom. Cassandra, my mum. Hard, tough, and capable of setting this entire house ablaze. Then, Aunt Opal. Who can do anything.” And Ramya herself has tremendous powers, which she’s learning to hone and harness. She also has dyspraxia, “a learning difficulty that affects coordination, speech, and motor skills.”

After fighting to save the city of Edinburgh from the clutches of Portia, a self-serving Siren who’ll stop at nothing to extend her power, Ramya and her family are holed up near Loch Ness, where she’s desperate to do something to restore order to the city, while learning magic from Aunt Opal.

Always attuned to the world around her, and to magic, Ramya notices something strange about the oak tree in the garden, and then discovers a surprising truth about Loch Ness monster myths. It’s not long before she takes it upon herself to take flight to Edinburgh to try to save the Hidden Folk.

Peppered with proud statements of self-affirmation that will serve as pep-talks for neuro-diverse readers, Like a Curse is at once a thrilling adventure and mightily empowering. With that in mind, I’ll leave the last words to Ramya: “If there’s one thing I know as a dyspraxic girl, it’s that staying down is not an option. People expect you to. They sometimes want you to. So, I always get back up.”

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About Like a Curse

A thrilling and heartwarming sequel to Like A Charm follows Ramya as she seeks to rescue her beloved Edinburgh from the deadly grip of the Sirens. Like A Curse is a magical fantasy set in Scotland, by multi-award winning author, Elle McNicoll.Stuck in Loch Ness while Edinburgh falls under the control of a terrifyingly powerful Siren, Ramya Knox is frustrated. She's supposed to be learning magic from her Aunt Opal, but that isn't going as smoothly as she'd hoped. As she pushes to rescue her Hidden Folk friends in the city, long-buried secrets come to light and legends come to life.

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