Cursed

Title: Cursed     

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Publish Date:  18 September 2012

Pages: 288

ISBN:  978-0-9831572-7-4

Source:  bought

Genre:  YA, paranormal, romance

Series:  unknown

Rating:  Loved

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

What do you do when your father dies in a car accident, your mother is in a grieving state where she doesn’t respond to anyone and you have a little sister?  You become her primary caregiver.  That is what Ember McWilliams did.  This is stressful, but added to that is the fact that you cannot touch anyone or they will die.  Ember died in that accident along with her father, but her sister, Olivia, brought her back to life.  Olivia has a gift.  Ember has a different gift, or “curse,” as she calls it.   Ember is at her wits end during this time, hoping that her mom will “snap out of it” and be a mother to her and Olivia once more.   

Then Hayden Cromwell shows up in town.  At first, Ember thinks that she is seeing things because she is the only one who spots him at school.  She instantly likes the way he looks and dreams about him during school.  Then she meets him at the library.  He moves so quickly, she almost thinks that she imagined meeting him.  After that, is when the craziness started. 

First, there is the “accident” at the grocery store with one of Emma’s classmates.  One, who she dated before the accident; then one day when Emma goes to pick Olivia up from school, she isn’t there.  She is frantic.  When she goes to ask the school about her whereabouts, they tell her that her mother picked her up.  Her mom who is in a stupor at home because of her grief.  Emma immediately runs home and Olivia and her mom are nowhere to be seen.  She finds these guys in her house and she fights with them and they eventually use their gifts to overtake her.  What is happening with Emma?  Where is Olivia and her mom?  Who is Hayden Cromwell and what does he want?

Ever since I had heard that Armentrout was publishing this book, I was excited to read it.  When they did the cover reveal for it, I became even more excited.  I have love previous series by Armentrout and wasn’t disappointed by Cursed.  I love the character development.  You get to see who the characters are by the experiences they have gone through.  At one point, I thought like Emma did and thought I knew what was going on, but then Armentrout makes you doubt your own judgment.  Even though I think this is a stand-alone novel, it would be interesting to see what happens to Emma and Olivia.