The Cursed Melodies by Connie Glynn, was provided by netgelly in exchange for an honest review.

The follows a pair of twins (Jonas and Astrid) appear even more in sync than average twins. Despite being a boy and a girl, they look incredibly similar in an otherworldly and androgynous way (ie both slim and very blonde, fae-like almost). We see their current life and how isolated and cruel they've been treated and it becomes very clear why they repeatedly say and act in a way that they only have each other. However, they know there's something weird about them as they hear music from plants and nature, which leads them to meeting the other main character, Gwen. She was born into and lives in the magical population, called Bloombloods (non-magical people are Redbloods, which leads me to wonder what colour Bloombloods bleed?). The twins want to know where they came from and Gwen just wants to be normal and have reliable, useful magic.

When the twins meet her, they both feel an intense draw to be near her and protect her. And as she witnesses them using magic they don't understand, she brings them back to her coven and home. Thus begins the mystery of the twins background, the dark backlash of Gwen's magic, and what secrets everyone else is hiding.

So good parts:
I liked the almost alien nature of the twins, really made it clear quickly that they didn't fit in the reguar human world.
The fact that it took the twins so long to build trust with anyone was so great in the sense that it makes sense that in similar stories, people get over their past trauma so quickly. So the building of trust shows their growth with building connections.

The critiques:
I found the magic system and the use of Bloom to be somewhat...underexplained? like there were many bookshelves and books mentioned, and how most people are trained from birth to wield magic. Then the twins show up and they can do a certain type of magic (which is explained) but then they are shown using regular Bloom magic and there's never anything shown with them learning/practicing spells which I found odd.
I think the name The Grim could've been better named, as it 1) implies it one being almost 2) a grim is a think in folklore (and H*rry Potter). Obviously, like all of this review, it's my personal opinion but seeing as Bloom is good magic, it could've been something more plant/nature-based (like, Blight, the Corrosion etc). I think my main criticism i guess was not really understanding the world; how are 'Redblood' people kept in the dark, is this set in modern UK with a different royal family, is it an AU UK, what year is it meant to be???

I was intrigued to pick this up essentially for the idea of the magic system, being this mix of music and nature, so I was pretty excited to start. It was very easy and quick to read and the characters were likeable enough, though some of the emotions would sometimes appear from seemingly nowhere? Especially the conclusion that Astrid or the the twins in general exist to protect Gwen. So it doesn't feel equal, which Gwen seems as uncomfortable with as I did as a reader.

I'd recommend for YA fantasy readers in general especially if you want a darker tone than most.
3.5

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for approving me to read this early, I’m rating this 3.5 stars.

This story had very quirky gothic vibes throughout, I adore the twins and their peculiarities. YA fantasy is a real favourite of mine and this story is a good addition to the genre. Gwen is also a lovely yet naive character full of well meaning intentions, but seemingly quite lost.

I enjoyed the mystery that plays out surrounding our three core characters, we get some good world building introducing us to magic and creatures that cause all sorts of chaos. The story has an eerie vibe to it linking the past to the present, and although after some twists and turns we do get some answers, there is still much to unravel about the characters and the sinister plot unfolding around them.

I’m looking forward to continuing the story and finding out more.

The Cursed Melodies felt like stepping into a hauntingly beautiful fairytale - dark, lyrical, and completely mesmerising. Astrid and Jonas’ connection to nature was written in such a vivid, enchanting way that it made the whole story feel alive, with flowers that whispered secrets and trees that sang of the past. The tension of their isolation, mixed with the mysterious world of the Bloom Bloods, created a gothic atmosphere that kept me hooked from start to finish.

I loved how the story balanced its eerie, magical elements with the deep, emotional bond between the twins. The sense of longing and danger built steadily, and by the end, I was completely invested in the unraveling of their past and the secrets hidden within the manor. If you love lush, atmospheric fantasies with a touch of darkness, this one’s a must-read!

This was one of those books where the story grabbed you and wouldnt let go. I just loved it. The world is excellent and there is a decent, diverse cast of characters.
My only complaints are that the relationships that will form are super obvious right from the start. Maybe in the second book I'll be proven wrong, but I doubt it. I have no issues with the relationships themselves, they are just so in your face obvious.
The other issue is that, although I loved the story, it took me some time to get to like the main 3 characters, Gwen, Jonas and Astrid. It sort of worked for the twins, Jonas and Astrid, as their whole thing was not wanting to know other people and being left alone. But with Gwen, as the main character, I found myself needing her to come out her shell a bit more to the audience, even if she didn't do so to the other characters. But by the end, I was with them all the way and desperate to continue their story.

So overall, this is a great and incredibly exciting book. I highly recommend it and I will be waiting with bated breath for book 2!

‘If you can hear the music, it's already too late…’

This was an adventure of a read.

The world-building felt unique and I loved the connection to the magic of the tale of Arthur and Merlin and how music is magic itself. The twins themselves did freak me out a bit with how in sync they were with each other in both speech and movements but they were their own characters with so much depth.

Gwen was a character we can all relate to trying to find ourselves in a world that we all try to fit into.

With all the twists abd turns that came along I am very much looking forward to his this story will all unfold

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this! There was definitely a fairytale mystical vibe and the pacing of the book was easy to read and follow.

The mystery of the twins drew me in straight away and the continued suspense around Gwen kept me wanting answers. I loved the friendships and character diversity, and of course the plot twists!!

I’ll definitely be reading the next book and I can’t wait for its release 🫶🏼

the plot twist had me shocked. because the hello??? THE BETRAYAL???

but my complain is the phrase ‘you and me against the world’. i mean, i get it that they're twins and they're trusted with each other. but seeing this phrase got me irritated a bit.

nonetheless, i've still enjoyed and definitely continuing the series (because i want more some astrid and gwen moments.) and some of the characters who lived from faymore manor

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book.

So as you can probably tell from the star rating that I didn't really enjoy this book. It was sold as a dark fantasy but it just wasn't. The elements of romance also promised in the marketing were limited to someone being told they're falling in love and replying with 'yes I can see that'. Which is fine but someone having a crush doesn't make it a 'full of romance' for me. (That's an actual tag line from the marketing btw).

My main issue was I found it incredibly boring. The plot was very predictable, the writing felt very middle grade but not in a good way, and I didn't feel that the characters were well developed. More often than not I found myself skimming just to get to the end of the book.

I didn't like how the twins shared a POV most of the time and I at least wanted an explanation why that wasn't oh but they're twins they're obviously the same person. I also didn't like that while I was reading something would be thrown out there when the action hadn't been started eg. someone tightening their grip on someone else's shoulder when there was no mention of them putting their hand on the shoulder in the first place. This happened on quite a few occasions and led to a lot of wait what moments for me that kept throwing off any sort of flow i was getting in to. The book could have benefitted massively from a little bit of padding. Another example is the description of buttonbug who is 'about the size of a kitten and twice as cute'. That's all the description we get until later on when buttonbug is described as 'moth like'. Like come on a description of the fantasy creature you've made up please!

Now on to the things I did like. Chapter 3. I actually really enjoyed Chatper 3 and It was the whole reason I didn't DNF. It was well written, it flowed well, we were introduced to an actually interesting character in Gwen, and I was chasing the high of Chapter 3 for the rest of the book- which I didn't get.

Then throughout the book it felt like Gwen's character was regressing! She went from this spunky girl who went on adventures alone and was desperate to prove herself to a shell of what she was and quite literally couldn't do anything without the twins holding her hands which was very disappointing.

On to the ending, which was I found quite predictable (I won't spoil it) but we did see a little return of badass Gwen which I appreciated.

Overall, this book was comfortably a 2 star for me and I will not be reading the next one.

A really enjoyable start to a new YA series that I am sure will be a big hit with YA readers. I loved the writing and even though it had a slow start and was a little predictable at times, I found it so easy to get lost in the story, with a wonderful cast of characters and representation, a lovely prose and I really enjoyed of the way the story unfolded with a few plot twists.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the chance to read and review before publication.

The first installment in this YA series is excellent, albeit slightly predictable. I admired the prose, characters, and representation. This series is likely to be a significant success with YA readers.

An excellent first installment in a new YA series - slightly predictable, but I adored the prose, characters, and representation. I think this will be a big hit with YA readers!

Thank you to the author and publishers who allowed me to read this early via an ARC from NetGalley!

Summary: this book is about twins who both have special gifts, but they are unsure the purpose of the gifts, where they came from, and why. This book follows their journey, and they make friends along the way.

What I liked:
- there was LGBTQ+ inclusion and the characters were diverse and interesting
- one of the main romantic relationships is a slow burn and I love that
- there’s a spooky element which I liked, and there were a few plot twists

What I would change:
- some of the back stories of the characters are slow/not completely revealed
- it’s a slow start that can be hard to stick with. Most of the action happens in the middle/end of the book
- there are still a few unanswered questions at the end of the book

Rating: 3/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

An enjoyable YA fantasy with engaging characters and an interesting magic system. I'm a little outside the target audience for this one but I enjoyed the journey.