This was an interesting read! I was really grabbed by the amazing cover and within the first couple chapters, I knew I was hooked. The characters are incredibly sweet, and the world building/two sides to London was really interesting when done with the mythological twist. I couldn't help but get attached to the stories of Fang and Lazare. I can't wait to see what the author does next!

In an alternate timeline filled with magical species and undead humans, where "Deepsiders" live in a subterranean London populated by dragons, vampires, zombies, and all manner of dangerous creature, two "Uppersiders", Fang and Lazare, wake from ther violent deaths to find something has changed, and they are now somewhere between human and undead. Their adventure to learn more about and eventually lift this curse will take them through danger and mystery to the heart of Deepside and bring them closer to each other...

Delightfully funny, yet gruesome and horrifying, Cursed Under London succeeds with great world building and character development. Amber and Fang were real standouts for me, and this book also gets bonus points for a character name... Captain Dame Isobel Honkensby... I mean, that's just incredible...

Cursed Under London is a great story, with a fantastical world, lovable protagonists, a horrific and unsettling enemy, and so much humour! I really look forward to more in this series!

I wanted to love this book. It's both historical fiction and fantasy, with vampires, zombies and queer main characters. What's not to love? Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver for me.

Upper London residents Fang and Lazare wake up cursed with new special abilities after they are killed in violent gang fights. Fang can make things appear disgusting. Lazare has wings. The two strangers team up to try to remove the curse, even though this means they their deaths will probably now be successful.

Along the way they meet a tiny dragon named Amber, who is my favorite character, a woman named Nell and others. Eventually their little crew makes the trek down to Lower London where all the undead creatures live to finish their quest.

First of all, the plot barely made sense to me. Why would Fang and Lazare want to remove a curse when it will apparently just kill them when it's gone? The whole book is built on this point and I just don't understand. The whole plot is rather thin, with very little stakes and no real motivation to anyone's actions.

The world building is the strongest part. I love that the police are magic swans. And Fang can make maggots appear. And Lazare looks like a vampire but isn't one. And you can take a tube from Upper London to Lower London. And city dragons are stunted! Just so many fun little details like that.

However, it is supposed to be the 1500s London and I it just doesn't feel like it at all. The characters' concerns all feel very modern. We don't get any fun details with clothes or food. There is a great deal of time spent talking about poop being thrown from chamber pots, or else I would have guessed this was an alternative modern time period or even a post-apocalyptic future.

Thank you Farrago Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC to review.

From the writer of Horrible Histories, Gabby Hutchinson Crouch brings you Cursed Under London, a cosy, hilarious, mysterious, LGBTQ+ romantasy read!

In an alternative Elizabethan London filled with dragons, vampires, zombies and werewolves, Cursed Under London, follows two Upper London residents Fang and Lazare who face the wraith of death... only to survive? Thrown together by their curse, Fang and Lazare set out with the help from Nell and Amber to try to discover and reverse the spell they are under. But as they go on their journey of discovery, the gang find out that their mystery unearths a deeper and more dangerous plot that they're right in the middle of.

Cursed Under London is a fresh take on a historical romantasy that will have you laughing out loud. It is a quick and easy read that helps you escape from the real world for a little while, and grow to love the many characters you meet along the way. If you're looking for a cosy, historical romantasy mystery, look no further!

mid overall i think it had an interesting premise but lacked editing. i think the characters could have been more explored. this is definitely a interesting story so it pains me to say the writing and editing killed it for me.

"Cursed Under London" is a fantasy novel set in 16th-century London, and it’s quite unique as I don’t recall encountering a fantasy set in the past before. The style and language are refreshingly accessible, unlike many books from that era. While some might see this as a drawback, preferring more authentic period language, I found it beneficial. Old-fashioned texts often make me focus more on comprehension than on enjoying the plot.

The story centers on two men who, cursed at the moment of their deaths, are rendered immortal. They embark on a quest to uncover the truth behind their curse, facing numerous challenges along the way. Though it’s an easy read, it’s not something I’d readily recommend. The book’s humor and intriguing plot concept are appealing, but overall, it felt like a series of random events strung together. There was little suspense, and the storyline was quite predictable.

This is a queer historical fantasy set in an alternate Elizabethan London where supernatural beings roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London. 

The plot centres around Lazare; a theatrical Frenchman, and Fang; a jaded traveller running from his dark past, who both find themselves cursed with immortality and curious new powers. As the two men set out to cure themselves of their mysterious ailment they, rather reluctantly, find themselves in the thick of a dangerous plot involving rival gangs, royal Swan guards, thespian vampires, stolen fae weapons and an adorable dragon sidekick. 

I really enjoyed being thrown into the derelict streets of an old-timey London. The concept of a divided city being inhabited by different fractions of supernatural beings was really unusual and intriguing. 

The chemistry between Fang and Lazare was surprisingly sweet and realistic considering the unusual circumstances they found themselves in, however, I felt a bit disconnected from the main characters. They felt a little flat and I wasn't entirely invested in their predicament until the last few chapters of the book. There was a lack of urgency throughout and I often found my attention wandering.

However, I did enjoy the 'found family' element of this book a would have loved more time to explore the dynamics of this dysfunctional little group of loveable miscreants.

This a cute, queer, alt-history romance, wrapped around a mystery, with a heavy dose of humour woven in. Absolutely adorable on so many levels (pun unintended), the characters are well written and wholly believable - not an easy feat when they include a werewolf, several vampires, assorted dragons, and a police officer who is… well, I’ll let you find out about the Captain for yourself. Our trio (or possibly quad) of main characters are all lovingly rendered, and their stories are told with passion and joy. It definitely feels like Hutchison Crouch was having fun when she was writing this book.

The will-they won’t-they romance is played out wonderfully, and the sort-of cliffhanger ending absolutely has me wanting the sequel - to a book that doesn’t officially come out until 4th July!

This book was so different from anything I'd ever read before in the best way possible. It felt like a cozy fantasy while still somehow being an urban slightly dark fantasy. It was overall a fun easy read that had me laughing out loud at times. I also thought that the found family within the book was so wholesome and cute. I also absolutely loved our little sidekick dragon Amber.
Will most definitely be continuing this series, can't wait.

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch is a fun and quirky start to an Elizabethan romantasy series. Set in an alternate version of Elizabethan London, the story follows Fang and Lazare, who wake up from death only to find themselves cursed and not quite human. As they navigate the shadowy world of Deep London to break the spell, they uncover a larger plot that threatens their existence.

The book is filled with humor and charming characters, but the frequent narrative shifts can make it hard to follow. While the premise is intriguing, the plot feels underdeveloped and the historical setting could have been more pronounced. Despite these issues, the witty dialogue and unique setting make it an enjoyable read for fans of urban fantasy and lighthearted adventure.

I recently finished a book that I found to be quite a quick and easy read. The story is set in an alternative Elizabethan era and centres around a romantic fantasy theme. The main characters are Fang and Lazare, two unique creatures who join forces with apothecary Nell and a small dragon named Amber to break a curse. While the story has its humorous moments, the frequent transitions in the narrative may challenge readers to keep pace with the unfolding events. I found it difficult at times to follow the narrative due to these frequent shifts. Moreover, I felt that the plot was lacking and in need of further development. Exploring a more nuanced and elaborate plot could have added depth and complexity to this already captivating storyline.

This book was so much fun. It was excellently paced and made this alternate world of a magical Elizabethan London feel so real. (A+++ use of real historical figures BTW. Kit Marlowe coming back as a zombie is freaking hysterical!).

Despite the book taking place over a short period of time, I quickly fell in love with all of the characters and adored that the cast was so diverse. I appreciate that Fang and Lazare didn't end up together in the end as that was unrealistic with the amount of baggage that Fang was carrying.

Crouch also made a good decision to tone down the comedic portions of the book as the conflict became more serious. It was to the book's benefit that there weren't clashing tones.

My only criticism is the vast number of anachronisms that threw me out of the story despite this being a magical setting. (Like discussions of gluten in 16th century England?)

All in all, I had a great time reading this book and feel it is a unique story that I can't wait to continue.

Dear Reader,
My thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy of Cursed Under London, via Netgalley.
Cursed Under London is an adventure comedy with a splash of romance. Set in an alternative version of Elizabethan London, filled with vampires werewolves and other fantasy creatures. Despite their immortality, Fang and Lazare are a mystery, not quite human, not quite supernatural. Thrown together by their strange curse, they set out to reverse it, and are drawn into an even bigger mystery and the shadowy supernatural world of Deep London.
The concept of this book sounded amazing – historical fantasy with supernatural creatures and queer characters. I ended up feeling a little disappointed. The historical setting felt secondary to the rest of the plot and world-building as neither the language nor settings felt particularly Elizabethan or Tudor to me. It almost felt like an excuse to make the characters walk everywhere.
I enjoyed some of the relationships between the characters. Tem and Fang had such sweet interactions, and Nell and Amber were great characters. The female characters seemed to have slightly better personalities, weirdly considering the two main characters are both male. What I found less believable was the relationship between the two male leads, which seemed only to be based on Fang being attractive – as the two barely had an honest or interesting conversation. The parts with Honkensby were just irritating, and made the book drag for me!
The plot was exciting and had a couple of enjoyable twists. I did think, however, that the resolution was slightly unsatisfying as it felt rushed. Especially given how late in the book the ‘big bad’ was introduced.
The pacing was a little slow in the first half but did pick up after the midpoint. I raced through the book's second half after the plot picked up a bit.
This book is so fun if you want a casual supernatural read. If you don’t mind a miscommunication trope in your romance, you’ll love Fang and Lazare’s will-they won’t-they romance. Cursed Under London would be a great read for anyone from Young Adults upwards as the romance wasn’t too explicit. I enjoyed reading it despite how this review might sound. If you pick up Cursed Under London, I hope you enjoy it!

Really wanted to love this book but for me there was waaaay too much Information thrown at me in the first few pages, dragons, vampires, not vampires, characters, confrontation, old windy streets with wet walls... My head struggled to conjure up any imagery to set the scene and picture the characters. It was overwhelming for me. Id like to give it another go one day, but at the moment I unfortunately can't finish it which im sad about

I want to start off by thanking NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for allowing me to read this!

I went into this deeply fascinated with the concept and being in Elizabethan London where monsters exist like Vampires, dragons, and even Zombies.

However I felt deeply unconnected from the story. Sometimes I even felt lost. I had a very hard time wanting to continue to read it honestly. I was left feeling bored of the setting created. I also had a very hard time with the dialogue for some reason. That I could chalk up to possibly just being a me problem.

I can say I did still love the characters within the story and the romance between Lazare and Fang. Although, it did feel possibly too fast? It just felt weird how much they came across disliking each other and then just, romance.

I loved the concept of the book; it just didn’t feel executed correctly. I still feel lost honestly after finishing.

2.5, rounded to 3 stars.
Final rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Cursed Under London" by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch is a delightful start to a historical romantasy series set in an alternate Elizabethan London. Fang and Lazare wake from death to find themselves not fully human, teaming up with apothecary Nell and tiny dragon Amber to break their curse. There is lots of humour, witty dialogue and engaging characters. Though the stakes might feel low and the historical setting could be more pronounced, the story is fast-paced and heartwarming. A must-read for urban fantasy fans who love humour and adventure.

Cursed Under London left me with mixed feelings. It was a fine read and I enjoyed it, however it wasn’t a favorite and I don’t know that I would recommend it. There was a lot to love about this novel. The worldbuilding was massive and struck a good balance of giving the reader the detail they need not to be confused (and it’s a lot of detail) without getting bogged down in exposition dumps. The fictional setting was very creative and original, and I was wondering at times why the author bothered to call it London given how little it resembled the real world. I liked the characters and their interactions/dynamics, particularly the side characters. Amber, the dragon, was delightful.

There were also a lot of things I didn’t love as much. My biggest complaint would be related to the plot structure; from the readers POV the characters seemed to just mostly float from event to event without there being a clear goal, or plotline. I realize the plot was “lets break the curse”, however somehow the events of the novel seemed disjointed at times (I’m not sure how else to describe it). I enjoyed the journey, but I was never clear on where we were going. This might have been made worse by the wild worldbuilding as I didn’t know that anything (characters, locations, settings) existed until the characters got there, so I had no way of predicting/expecting where things would go next. The big reveal at the end was definitely interesting and made a lot of sense, but also served to further reinforce the lack of agency I had been feeling for the characters. Maybe this was on purpose, and expertly done, but it didn’t quite work for me. If there had been foreshadowing or something of that sort to set up the big reveal it may have worked better. This lack of agency for the characters was particularly stark in how the conflict was resolved at the end; I wont spoil the details, but I found it incredibly unsatisfying.

There were some other little things I disliked. There was constant switching of which character’s head the narrator was in, which I found strange and more difficult to follow. The ending of the novel seems to be setting up sequels or a series, which is fine, but it left a lot of subplots unresolved and future details teased which I might never get to see the payoff for. The bad persons big master plan was neat, but left me with a lot of questions on some of the finer details.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 39%. Not for me. I accidentally fell asleep while reading and though I continued again afterwards, I was sadly not any more interested in the story

In an alternate version of Elizabethan London where supernaturals live in Deep London and humans live in Upper London Fang wakes up to realize that while he died, he did not stay that way. Imagine his surprise when he is introduced to Lazare, a fellow with same undead affliction. The two men realize that despite both coming back to life, that’s where the similarities of their conditions end and that places them firmly in the “unknown” category of supernaturals.

Increasingly suspicious that they are under a curse, Fang and Lazare, joined by the charming and hilarious Amber the Dragon and Nell the apothecary, set out to find a way to reverse the spell. As the story unfolds, Fang and Lazare’s relationships starts to grow into something more, and when they realize their curse is just the tip of the iceberg. This rag-tag group of heroes refuse to give up on the mission or each other.

This book does a great job of being a cozy fantasy novel with dashes of romance and humor thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed my journey from Upper to Deep London. The concept for this book, a story set in an alternate london where supernaturals and humans are separated into different sections was one of the things that drew me to request the ARC and it did not disappoint. Get ready for a ride y’all, Cursed Under London surprised me in the best way. This story was so fun, the characters were cute, heartfelt (I’m looking at you Fang, we love an empathetic king), and downright funny.

I’d recommend this book for fans of the Amelia Peabody series (and if you haven’t read those, you need to). If you’re looking for a cozy, delightful, and intriguing read then this is the book for you!


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Farrago Books for allowing me to write an honest review of the ARC for Cursed Under London!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

My review was posted to Goodreads and Instagram on 5/27/24.

Amazon review will be submitted on 7/4/24 when it is available for review and will posted on my profile within 48 hours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for the ARC!

I unfortunately couldn't get into this book. I DNF-ed it at 37% because the story failed to catch me entirely. I wasn't able to connect to the characters (except maybe Nell, she was quite fun) or the storyline.