Review: The Curse That Binds Us

• Title: The Curse That Binds Us

• Author: Katie Hayoz

• Series: The Devil of Roanoke #1

• Genre: Dark Fantasy

• Rating: ☆☆☆☆

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC. These are my honest thoughts.*

I originally DNF'd this book at 30% simply because I didn't realise just how dark of a read this would be, and it was a little too much for my taste. Even when I did give up on this book, I could admit the writing and weaving of the historical aspect of this world was done so impeccably well. I just was unable to relax into this world as a reader. I have since slowly taken my time to complete this book and look into the mystery around Roanoke Island, and I have come away from reading this in awe at Katie Hayoz' attempt of creating a world where everything makes sense in the narrative of what we know about the mysteries of the colony.

Whilst it is still too dark for me to truly have enjoyed it, the author's attention to detail and fleshing out three very distinct characters, especially through the story telling of Eleanor in the past, was executed so well. You can see the effort Hayoz has gone to with each character. This story is told from multiple POVs, yet it's never confusing, which I truly appreciated. The curse, along with the evilness in this book, was paced well and the storyline interesting enough, even if it made me uncomfortable a few times (down to this genre, not the author). I loved learning more about the Dare family line and the mask itself. I also found John's village intriguing, to have such a place exist that heralds over evil and demonic acts and yet is darker than what you ever expected of Eden to begin with.

It's unfortunate that I was unable to enjoy this as much as I had hoped to when I read the synopsis, but I can still appreciate a well written attempt at offering a plausible answer to the mysteries that happened on Roanoke Island.