The Ocean Curse is the first book of the Ripples of Magic Series, but it can be read as a standalone.
The Ocean Curse is five on my emotional scale. There’s a significant emotional transformation, and the characters confront major obstacles, including unconditional love and forgiveness.
It’s a three for physical intimacy. There is some detail, but it’s not explicit.
Overview
Asherah’s father has auctioned her off to the highest bidder. He claims her family line is what brought him all his fortune. Leo wins the bid and marries Asherah without even seeing or talking to her. He’s desperate for a bit of luck to break his family’s curse. The thing is, Asherah has her own family curse to break.
Leo is attracted to Asherah at first sight and quickly develops feelings for her. Asherah, in turn, begins to see him as not the cold captain like her father, but as a kind and passionate man. She refuses to let him get in the way of breaking her curse.
Positive
I really enjoyed reading The Ocean Curse. It feels like it was partly inspired by The Little Mermaid, just with more adult themes and dark magic. There’s still forbidden love, curses, identity crisis, and found family we love. We also got betrayal and second chances.
The world-building is rich and could have easily been confusing or overwhelming. But the author delivers it at just the right pace, making it understandable and enjoyable. There are so many “creatures” and different types of magic that are all blended beautifully.
The characters are lovable, even with their flaws. While the story focuses on Asherah and Leo, you can tell that the same amount of work was put into the supporting characters’ development. I think the following books will focus on different couples, so having this level of character development helps us get excited about the stories to come.
Negative
There are some points in the beginning that felt like information dumps. It messed up the pacing for me in the first couple of chapters. But once all the info was delivered, the story flowed flawlessly.
Recomendation
The Ocean Curse is a four-star for me. It was a close call; there were points where I found myself excited to get back into it. But I wasn’t quite at the edge of my seat. It’s a delightful read for all my fantasy lovers.
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I received a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy(ARC) of the book for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own and reflect my genuine reading experience. Receiving the ARC did not influence my evaluation, and I was not compensated for this review.
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