Cursed

Title: Cursed
Author: Leigh Kenny
First Published: December 15, 2023
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 121
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Format: Ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating:

Have you ever agreed to something without understanding the consequences?
What would you do if a cursed object came into your possession?

Burn it?

Seek spiritual help?

Pass it on?

This is the impossible choice Curtis must face as a sinister entity is thrust upon him. As the walls close in and the evil takes hold, he must act before his life is forever altered.

Curtis is haunted.

Curtis is afraid.

Curtis is... Cursed

The ideal read for fans of horror, mystery thrillers, possessions and supernatural beings.
The Grudge meets Drag Me To Hell, Cursed is the story of one man's relentless journey through darkness and isolation, as he discovers how far he's willing to go to save himself and those closest to him.

Review

I’m bummed when I end up disliking a book that I struggle to come up with much to say about it that doesn’t feel too critical, especially when it’s indie and a debut. Cursed is a cursed object horror story that borrows heavily from the films that inspired it but lacks several writing components to make it fresh. Curtis is an unassuming trashman who finds himself in possession of a box haunted by a ghostly woman with long black hair, reminiscent of Sadako (Ringu) and Sadako (Ju-On). I’m a big fan of J-Horror, so I was intrigued by the premise, and the cover is fantastic.

The plot follows many of the story beats from Drag Me To Hell. I think what didn’t work for me is that the story lacked cohesion and a solid story structure. The first few chapters were interesting, but I found myself feeling worn down with scene after scene after scene of the ghost appearing with very little lasting impact. Many of the scenes would be fantastic in any story, but no one scene was given any time to sink in and crawl under my skin. These scenes were more like stringing together jump scares, the way they would appear in cinema.

The use of an Asian ghost was also a bummer. The ghost is aggressive and constant, grinning and banging on doors, the complete opposite of the way that Onryo are typically portrayed. Asian horror is quiet. There is no mystery and no substance to this ghost. The most lore you get is, I quote, “She got it from Asia or something.”

I liked Curtis at the start; he seemed like a genuine everyman with some faults, but I ended up feeling unconvinced by him. One scene he’s freaked out, and then his narration switches to thinking about romance and seems to forget about the ghost, killing all narrative tension. He acts in ways that don’t make any sense for someone that’s being haunted. Supporting characters were flat, and relationships were more tell than show. There were scenes where Curtis was having a conversation that would describe the conversation without actually including much dialogue at all, and it made the scene feel flat. The ending was almost good, but the build-up to it doesn’t feel earned.

An interesting premise that unfortunately felt underdeveloped, a sad miss for me. I think there is some promise in Kenny’s writing; she can write a good scary scene, and that’s a start.

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