Review: The Curse of Gremdon by Ciara Knight

Published Date: December 19th, 2011
Finished Date: December 20th, 2011
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Format: eBook for Blog Tour
My Rating: 3.5/5

Blurb from Goodreads:
In a world where marriage is forbidden, sex is only granted to male warriors, and the outer realm is full of murderous creatures, Arianna fights to protect the life of her only living relative, her brother.

Tardon, an elite warrior, is granted anything he desires by the Elders, but finds little joy in the voluptuous women presented to him. Born for the bloodlust found only in battle, complicated emotions emerge when he discovers his equal in the alluring warrior, Arianna.

Charged by the Elders with saving the castle from attack, Tardon and Arianna risk the curse when they traverse the vast outer realm to retrieve serum from the Tree of Life. If successful, the Elders have promised Tardon the right to marry and Arianna the cure for her brother’s death fever. Will their love carry them through or will the discovery of a great deception be their ultimate demise?

My Review

THE CURSE OF GREMDON is a very unique mix of Fantasy and Romance that really captivated me. Usually Fantasy novels will focus less on the romance and more on the wars and conflicts going on in their respective worlds, but TCoG has equal portions of both, and that's what I loved about it. I'm a romance junky, but I'd occasionally also like to pick up a Fantasy novel. There aren't too many of them that have a good romance to back the story up, so I usually steer clear of it. That's why I'd rushed to grab the chance to read TCoG when I read the synopsis and it started going on a tour, and boy, was I glad I did.

**My Summary with Spoilers**

Arianna and her brother are orphans. In order to support him, she has to train and fight to be an Elite Warrior. She's one of the best in her field, but there's just one teensy problem - everytime she's near Tardon, she feels a spark between them. Thing is, women are not allowed to have sex, only those that are given as gifts to the male warriors are permitted the pleasure (sexism is so unbecoming of them! Grrr). Arianna controls her urge well, but it is when her brother falls prey to the deadly glutovirus fever, Tardon comes to her aid by providing her a place to stay in his room in the castle, that with both of them alone in the same room, a fire is ignited within them.

But the secret does not stay hidden from the Elders for very long (only a few seconds, actually. They were ripped apart before they did it), and now the two of them are tasked with an impossible mission, one that killed all others who partook it before - to travel beyond the Outer Circle, into the forests of Gremdon and retrieve the sap from the Tree of Life. Without it, the people will die, but to go beyond the walls of the city is to fall to the curse and turn into one of those hideous creatures, like all the others who went before them.

But as they travel futher out, they discover treachery and betrayals, and an ultimate battle to save their city from the ones who are truly evil...

**End of Summary**

Arianna was a very strong, very resilient woman who would struggle all the way to the end. When an Enforcer (man who are much stronger than warriors but too stupid to be one) caught her in Tardon's bed, he had her neck in his grip, hanging her like nothing but she still continued to fight him. And after the Enforcer dropped her on the ground and she was burning in the inside because of the Elder's magic, she still continued to stay conscious and fight it. She's amazing. Not only that, she is a very sensual woman and she gives voluptuous a whole new meaning, I tell you! Tardon couldn't stop harping on about her overflowing breasts and imagining it burst her vest! Haha, I'm messing with you, but yes, Tardon pointed out that fact a number of times.

As for Tardon, he is the best elite warrior there is in the castle, but he is what the saying calls, "brawn without brains". Not necessarily without brains, just not that much grey matter in that thick skull of his. Lol, but he is a very desirable male. He's strong, he's caring, and um, he's good in bed. 'Nuff said.

The plot wasn't an overly-fantastical one, and I took away that 1.5/5 because it got a little dull sometimes. But there was action (plenty of fightin'), adventure, suspense, and best of all, romance. There wasn't too much emphasis on the last bit. Like I said, it's all about the balance in here. When Arianna and Tardon ventured out into Gremdon, I was so unsure of their fate! But when they saw all those beautiful sceneries, the ones they had before the "curse" descended upon them, it was very heartwarming. Very heartwarming to see them finally acting on their feelings, being happy, and when they finally decided to free the people from the "curse". You'll see the reason for the quotation marks after you've read the book.:)

Overall, I thought this was actually a pretty above average Fantasy novel - the reason for the conflict and conflict itself were a little typical, but I loved the romance and action. It isn't common for a Fantasy book to have that balance, and I read it in two sittings. I'd consider this a very good find! I'd recommend this to any Fantasy fans out there who also wants a little romance.

My Rating