Romantasy

Review: A curse of love by Elizabeth Stoltz

August 4, 2026

Synopsis:

One curse.
Four mortal women.
Seven days before the gods are banished to Purgatory forever.

Shadow’s whole life is flipped upside down after her boyfriend breaks up with her at a coffee shop. Now, she must survive in a world where bloodmagic is currency, and she has none. Enter Augustine. He’s handsome, charming, and just cynical (and witty) enough to capture Shadow’s attention. At first glance, he seems like the perfect answer to her problems. That is, until she learns that he’s secretly the God of Dreams, and he lives in a castle with all of his deranged siblings.

After being imprisoned within the castle walls, Shadow quickly learns she isn’t alone. Three other women share the same fated rules: fall in love with your assigned deity by week’s end, and your life will be spared. Fail? And your life will be forfeited.

So naturally, the women make a plan. Don’t fall in love, and the curse will condemn all the gods to Purgatory. If someone falls in love? The others will suffer the consequences.

But that’s the tricky thing about love, isn’t it? It never plays by the rules.

Review:

The beginning of the book had me very hopeful that it would be an amazing read. Shadow was a character I instantly felt a connection to. She is different, doesn’t really fit in, and relies on her boyfriend to make a living. When he has to marry in a few days and she is not a suitable candidate, she is heartbroken and doesn’t know what to do. When she is kidnapped by a handsome stranger, it marks the beginning of a different journey for her.

Learning that people are after her and that there is more to her than originally thought came with a compelling story and so much potential. While I enjoyed the early part of it and her constant verbal battles with Augustine, it lost a bit of my interest as it went on. Everything happened in such a short amount of time, and not all of it resonated with me. While I appreciated her connection with the group of women who were bonded by a similar fate, some of their interactions and dialogue just didn’t land for me. The love story started out with so much promise but then missed critical moments in between that would have helped build on the initial connection. As a result, I felt left out and simply had to accept it.

There was a lot of potential, and while some elements worked well for me, others didn’t. It’s a good start to the series, though some parts felt a bit unfinished to me.

🌙 Recension: A curse of love (The Shadowborne Trilogy #1) by Elizabeth Stoltz
📚 Genre: Romantasy
📅 Release Date: August 4, 2026
📗 included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
📆 Pages: 414
⭐️ 3.5/5