Gabby Hutchinson Crouch’s Cursed Under London delivers a vibrant, often laugh-out-loud dive into a subterranean world where classical fantasy tropes are seamlessly threaded into a richly imagined historical setting. With vampires lurking in dimly lit corners, dragons tucked beneath ancient London streets, and warlocks wielding magic as casually as academics cite sources, the book's worldbuilding is both playful and impressively coherent. It's a setting that feels alive—equal parts history and high fantasy, and wholly unique.

Crouch’s signature humor shines throughout. Whether it’s a sharp piece of dialogue, a bizarre magical mishap, or the absurdity of bird-led bureaucracy, the writing has a tongue-in-cheek charm that carries much of the novel’s energy. Her comedic timing ensures that even the exposition-heavy moments feel light and engaging.

However, not everything in Cursed Under London clicks as smoothly. While the setting is strong and the humor consistent, the character development lags behind. A central relationship between two main characters unfolds in a way that feels more confusing than compelling. Their emotional arc lacks clarity, making it difficult to root for them or even understand where they're headed.

The book also stumbles in its plot execution. The pacing is sluggish, with stretches that feel like they’re spinning their wheels rather than driving forward. The villain is a particular weak point—more a caricature than a credible threat. His motivations are undercooked, and his eventual defeat arrives with disappointing ease, robbing the climax of tension or payoff.

In short, Cursed Under London is a funny, imaginative romp that excels at crafting a quirky, magical version of London’s underbelly. It's a delight for readers who prioritize worldbuilding and wit. But for those seeking tight plotting, compelling character arcs, or a memorable antagonist, it may fall short. Still, as a humorous fantasy with a unique voice, it offers enough charm to warrant a visit beneath the city streets.

I loved this!!! Funny and full of suspense, action and a little bit of messy romance! I loved the magical creatures from all over the world.
It ends on a cliff hangers so I am preying number 2 comes out soon!

I think this was a case of right book wrong person/right person wrong book. I the concept of this book sounded really intriguing to me but I think it's not my style. I don't by any means think this was a bad book but I just think it wasn't for me. I think I've decided that vampires and werewolves aren't really my thing. Again, I think that's more of a me issue than a book issue.

This was such a fun and cozy read! I'm a sucker for a period piece, especially when there is a supernatural element!

I really enjoyed Cursed Under London – it's clever, atmospheric, and packed with Elizabethan intrigue. Gabby Hutchinson Crouch’s wit and strong character work are still very much present, and I loved spotting her signature humour even in a darker setting. That said, I didn’t love it quite as much as her previous series. Darkwood remains my favourite – it had that perfect blend of satire and heart – and I found myself more emotionally invested in the Rooks books. Still, Cursed Under London is a solid, engaging read, and I’ll definitely be picking up the next in the series!

I wanted a bit more from Cursed Under London! I feel the story was well thought out but I wanted a bit more drama, the stakes to be higher and the speech to match the era in which it was set. That being said it was an enjoyable read!

It's Elizabethan London, but not just the time of Queen Elizabeth, political intrigue, and Shakespeare. This is a London full of vampires, werewolves, fae, and others, and it's here that main characters Fang and Lazare, the former running far from his family in China, the latter an actor originally from France, find themselves bizarrely cursed with immortality. They're not vampires, zombies or any of the other types of beings that populate the city; rather, they're something never before seen.

The two must traverse the underground Deep London to find answers so they can remove their curses. They'll have to travel together, and Fang, cranky guy that he is, and ever-cheerful Lazare, must fight their attraction to one another, while also travelling with Nell, a no-nonsense healer, who insists on supporting and helping them.

The tone is quirky and humorous from the story's outset, with lots of sarcasm and banter amongst the three as they evade criminals and others intent on using the situation to the trio's detriment.

The romance is a slow burn, and Fang and Lazare are cute together.

My favourite character is Amber, hands down; she's the small, delightful dragon who finds Fang soon after he is cursed, and sticks by the trio, providing helpful comments and ideas. She's small, but has a huge heart and loyalty.

I enjoyed this cozy, silly romance, and would be happy to return to this version of London again, if the author wrote more stories set in this universe.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Farrago Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

DNF unfortunately - I just couldn't get along with the haphazard style of writing although I was intrigued by the premise of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
What a delightful novel, full of interesting characters you actually care about! Can’t wait to see what happens in both upper and under London in the future!

This was silly, fun and all over a really great time.

Set in an alternate Elizabethan time, we have real life characters inter-mingling with supernatural ones and everything else in between in strange and quirky ways. This was wonderfully exciting as within the first chapter it brought up the question of whats actually going to happen, what is our story end point?!

We meet Fang, recently dead, or is he? We also meet Lazare under the same guise and both wonder, A) why are they dead when they obviously shouldn't be, B) who made this happpen and C) why on earth do they smell funny?! We meet our two MMC's in Upper London - where humans live and other creatures roam. We meet several other characters and we're away on our journey into Deepside London where fae, vampires and other spooky creatures lurk.

I loved our ragtag team of characters, with their 'found family' bickering and grumpy X sunshine arguments, the chemistry between our main two MMC's was excellent to see unfold. I loved the LGBT+ rep in this book as well, an excellent addition.

My only main qualm about this novel was I wanted more from the setting, I feel this could have been expanded upon so much more/better as we didn't really get much from the inital decription, it was more based on the characters that live in both parts of London.

Despite this I am excited to see where this series is headed!

I really wanted to like this novel, but it just wasn't for me

I was quite excited to read this book because it's set in Elizabethan London, but I just couldn't connect with the characters and the world-building felt very confusing.

Thank you to Farrago Books for the e-ARC!

This is a very intriguing book, and I can see myself liking it some other time. But I wasn't interested in it that much at the moment.

So much fun! Wasn’t expecting the opening at all and it just kept getting better from there. I had such a good time with the prose, the underground setting, the old London and the personalities of the dragons. Recommending it to everyone!

Really cool cover, just couldn’t get into the story at all, took me so long to finish and by the point I did finish I couldn’t remember much about the story

I really enjoyed this book, the story, characters, immersive queerness. Only suggestion would be a definition guide. We’re introduced to several types of beings but left without full explanations of what they are. Definitely recommend this book.

In an alternative Elizabethan London, supernatural creatures like vampires, zombies, and werewolves are abundant. Fang and Lazare are both killed, but manage to come back to life immediately. Somehow, they’ve gained the power of immortality. Additional, Fang has grown wings and Lazare can create illusions. They team up, along with a dragon, to figure out what happened to them and find themselves catching feelings for one another along the way.

I thought this was a cozy and lighthearted read. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Amber the dragon, and thought the premise was interesting. The romance was cute, but very much insta-love. It definitely would have benefited from a bit more tension and build up. I didn't really get Elizabethan London vibes from the setting which was a little bit disappointing. The characters used pretty modern language and there really wasn’t much to indicate that the setting was from that time period. While I did enjoy the overall story, the stakes were pretty low and I was never really invested in it.

Many thanks to Farrago Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sadly ,I've had to do a soft dnf for now and come back to the book in the future. I think the writing was very good. Based on what I've read so far I would still recommend this to people I know would love this type of story.

Interesting mystery plot. I liked how the characters were written and I was invested in their story. They had great banter but this was a case of insta lost and there wasn't much build up of their relationship.

Ghost jokes and romps around the shadowy underworld of Elizabethan London, Cursed Under London is an historical romantasy that follows Fang and Lazare who are trying to undo some strange magic which has bound them together (but is that necessarily a bad thing). However, in doing this they also find themselves in the middle of a dangerous plot. It’s all a bit tongue in cheek, perhaps not exactly my kind of humour but it’s fast paced, light hearted and an easy read. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Laugh out loud, cosy adjacent fantasy.

Liked:
Fast paced, witty characters, comedic action and an all round good time. The banter and found family was brilliantly done. The humour did read more on the YA side than adult but in either case was entirely British which I loved.

Dislike:
Set in an alternate Elizabethan London, I would have liked less modern language or at least a little more of a nod to the time period it was set in.

Thank you to NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for review.