Fang is dying when a little urban dragon from Deep London, Amber, comes up to him in the alley and calls baggsie (or dibs) on his corpse. Lazare is struggling after being dismissed from his tutoring gig for being turned into an undead creature. Neither man can die, but neither is a normal undead. Lazare has vampiric wings but doesn’t need to eat like a vampire; neither has been bitten by a zombie or any other creature, so now they’re stuck.

Set in an alternate universe of 1599 London, ‘Cursed Under London’ is the first book in the Cursed series that focuses on Fang, Lazare, and their companions as they discover the curse that keeps them alive and maybe find love along the way.

The foreshadowing in this book is, at times, laid a bit thick, and the use and discussion of sexual slavery and rape come out of nowhere towards the end. Additionally, the author’s origin in fan fiction can be seen through her style, which may not be enjoyable for some readers.

Overall, ‘Cursed Under London’ is a promising first book in the forthcoming fantasy rom-com series, which features a richly developed world and magic system. I’d recommend this book to fans of Cassandra Clare, particularly her Infernal Devices series, and anyone who enjoys societies of magical beings/creatures.

In short, it’s an easy to read urban fantasy, with likeable main characters, a vividly realised world, offbeat humour, and a sweet heart.

The book’s set in an alternative version of Elizabethan London. Where the undead and mythological creatures inhabit a lower level of the city, and humans live in the above-ground world we know. We soon meet Lazarre, an actor who’s found himself down on his luck, and not quite human. He soon meets Fang, who’s similarly in limbo between human and not. The pair form an unlikely team with Fang’s self-titled best friend Nell, and the dragon Amber, and try to solve the mystery of their affliction.

The setting by is familiar to anyone who knows London, Shakespeare, or Elizabethan England. There’s alleys, noise, and gangs, with a vividly realised world that touches all the senses. Including smell. (Thank god this is a book!) The supporting characters are also well realised, from Wulfric the tavern owner, to Honkensby the copper. Fans of this period will also get a kick from finding familiar figures from the era!

The main characters shine in this world, with clear personalities and motives. They’re all distinct from one another, with internal monologue and dialogue to match. The prose skips between each’s internal dialogue, as well as the descriptive narrative, which made the narrative style feel a little inconsistent.

The style is conversational and easy to read. Although a few rare word choices in the narration were jarringly infantile. But given this is an advance copy, those rare blips may well be solved. 🤞

I really enjoyed this read, and will keep an eye out for the next instalment.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for this review!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this novel!

I want to start off by saying that I don't think the book's description is giving it any favors. This book isn't particularly funny, nor would I call it "cosy" or label it as a romantasy. I recognize that humor is subjective, but I didn't think this book was funny at all. The handful of scenes that read as "funny" to me were just cringey and kind of annoying. All the other reviewers seem to think it's funny though, so what do I know. Also, I'm not particularly in on the cozy trend, but I didn't think this book felt cozy at all. The stakes felt pretty high to me. There was also a lot of running around violence. I guess maybe the first chunk is "cozy" since very little happens, but I don't know, maybe I just don't know what cozy means. I also wouldn't call this a romantasy either. Yes, there is romance, but I wouldn't say the romance and the plot held equal weight in the story.
Now, marketing aside, I didn't really get into this book until about 70% of the way into it. I just wasn't particularly invested for the majority of the book. I don't really know why, I just found it kind of boring. I did find the end quite engaging, but it did kind of come out of nowhere. I also thought this book was a stand-alone, so I was quite disappointed by the abrupt ending. Oh! I found Fang's descriptions kind of icky. I feel like we were constantly being reminded how "pretty" Fang was. Every time Fang would come up in the text it had to be mentioned that he was attractive. And pretty much every male character that is introduced thinks Fang is super attractive and wants to get in his pants. And Fang was very clearly not into it. It just felt kind of voyeuristic, I guess.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for this review.

Cursed Under London is a fantastic read. Witty and heart-warming with fully realised characters. Many funny texts have cardboard characters or clunky plots, but in this book Crouch shows a real mastery of story-telling. We are drawn into the world with clever descriptions that are not burdensome, and connected to the characters through a series of believable encounters and dilemmas.

The characters were the highlight of this book, with complete personas, recognisable internal dialogue, and understandable drives. Including historical personas like Christopher Marlowe (as a lascivious rake) and Shakespeare (as a morose loser) were wittily included.

A great read that contains more heart than one expects.

This was a fun cute nice fantasy read :)
Great characters, great writing and a great start to a series.

I went into this book with mixed feelings, but ended up having a pretty nice time actually!!!
Slight spoilers ahead, beware
I loved Fang and Lazare, their dynamic and banter were a joy and I really liked their relationship!!
Nell and Amber were a delight!! Both well rounded characters and I adored Amber and her eternal hunger!
I do feel like the world could have been fleshed out a little more, and I was confused at first about the timeline, but it smoothed out during the story!
I also very much enjoyed Kit and Bill (the undead playwrights) and Wulfric, the vampire, thousand-year old kid and tavern keeper!
Overall, a pretty enjoyable book and I am lookingforward to the next in the series!!

Thank you NetGalley and Farrago Books for the ARC!!

DNF
I unfortunately could not finish this book. It had all the things I usually like, dragons, vampires, magic etc. But I couldn't stand the childish writing and humour as well as the language used which was not correct for the time period. There was also a wording error on page 1! Not for me unfortunately.

Interesting world building and very cute characters but unfortunately it just didn't reel me in. Still a cute book for a chill read.

This is a fun comic romantasy set in an alternate universe London during the reign of Elizabeth I. History has played out a little differently here; Wales is independent thanks to help from a dragon monarch and London is divided into Upper London, inhabited mostly by humans, and Deep London, inhabited by magical creatures who mostly see humans as prey.

I loved this book; the setting, the characters, the plot, the humour, were all massively enjoyable. The stakes are both huge and really personal and there’s no infodumping, which makes the way the story unfolds all the more entertaining. I really recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago Books for this opportunity. This book is available 7/4/24

A rom com set in an alternative fantasy Elizabethan era that fell flat on its face for me.

I didn’t find it whismical or fluffy or cute. I found the characters wicked annoying. In short for me I really didn’t like this book at all.

This was a wonderfully fun book! It's cosy fantasy, with deeply interesting world building, and a very Discworld-esque writing style. It's funny and enjoyable and you can't help but love the characters. At times the romance subplot feels like a bit of an afterthought, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, the book would have just been as wonderful without it. I can't wait to continue the series!

I am a fan of this author and have read her previous books. The humour is off-beat and the world-building is excellent. If you are in the mood for something darkly funny and surprisingly sweet, you will enjoy this book.

I loved the two main characters and the way they work with each other. The story moves pretty quickly but the writing is detailed and I didn't want to miss a word, so it took me a little longer to read.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This one surprised me, with how much I actually liked it.

I love anything fantasy and this was Elizabethan fantasy which took me a second to grasp the time frame.
Zombies/Vampires/Fairies/Magic oh my!

The adventure of trying to figure out how or why 2 people (the MCs) were cursed to not die but to be half human and half something else.

All while creating a bond and a found family within each other 🖤

I received an eARC of this book, intrigued by its setting in an alternate Elizabethan-era London where monsters exist. The actual reading experience, however, was a mixed bag. At times, it feels like a cozy fantasy, featuring a delightful found family trope with a diverse and lovable cast of characters. Their banter and humor often made me laugh out loud. However, that same humor was sometimes awkwardly placed within the story, detracting from more serious plotlines.

While each character had a well-developed backstory, the narrative took a while to pick up pace and become engaging. Despite being a short read, the first 60% felt much longer, and I struggled to connect with the characters in a meaningful way. Overall, it's a fun read, earning a solid 3 stars, though it may simply not be my type of story.

I thought this book was enjoyable. I am definitely a fan of romantacy. I can tell that its the start of a series and as a result there were a lot of characters to introduce. the POV switching was helpful but also a little confusing sometimes. I am not sure if I would be grabbing the next book (if I could). Thank you for the advance copy!

2SLGBTQIA+ Historical Fantasy Romance set in London 1599 about three humans who find themselves struck with an immortality curse set out to reverse the spell with a dragon and fae child's help.

4/5 stars: Hutchinson Crouch's 2SLGBTQIA+ Historical Fantasy Romance that's set in London 1599 and features three humans, Fang – who hails from the the Ming Empire, Lazare – a French actor and Nell – a Welsh apothecary owner, who find themselves struck with an immortality curse as they set out to reverse the spell with the help of Amber – an urban dragon and Tem – a fae child. Hutchinson Crouch's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Fang, Lazare, Nell, Amber and Tem are great. Each of them hold their own and have distinct voices. Additionally, the world building is interesting and well-done. Oh and this is a slow burn (72%) off page romance but still had plenty of tension, banter and swoony romance. Hutchinson Crouch touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. I look forward to reading the next in this series.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Duckworth Books & Farrago Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

I will preface this by saying this novel is not for just anybody. You need to have a particular brand of absurd humor (or liking books like that) to enjoy this one. You have to be able to detach from any rational thinking to just kind of...accept the book and what it tells you. Elizabethan England for really no reason as an urban fantasy? Okay! Dragons casually eating people, but only in Deep London where it's legal? Okay! People suddenly unable to die leading a ragtag band of 3 people and a tiny dragon on a quest? Okay! Gangs? Okay! Giant magical swan/geese police? Okay!

Anyways, yeah, were there plot holes? Yes. Did it really need to be set in Elizabethan England? Not as far as I can tell, but Marlowe being a zombie was interesting. I also think this does build more to other novels per the ending, so I think it could come -- the setting -- into play more...especially with the Dragon Queen of Wales and other locations also mentioned.

anyways, this was a delight.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and I am glad I pushed through to the end!
Cursed Under London is a story of intrigue, mystery, magic, love, and found family.

Things I loved:
The banter was highly amusing and engaging, the ease between the characters and their humor was fun to read.
I appreciated the character's complexity and history, the way they seemed a to truly have flaws.
I liked the second half of the book a lot, the pace picked up quite a bit.
I loved the concept of how London as a city was set up, and the magic systems.

Things that were not my favorite:
I almost did not finish this book several times because the first half of it dragged so so much. It took me a long time to be able to tell which characters were talking when / who was who.
Once the plot picked up about 50% of the way through I finished the book in under a week, but the first half took me a month. The last bit of the story, and the character's themselves are the reason why I went up to 3 stars.
Sometimes the dialogue felt forced, and stilted or unnatural.

Overall, glad to have gotten to read this book!
I would like to thank NetGalley, Duckworth Books, and Gabby Hutchinson Crouch for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A light romantasy set in Elizabethan England where supernatural creatures exist. Both Fang and Lazare find themselves turned one day into something new. As they seek to find answers, they can’t ignore the their growing feelings for each other.

I liked the characters a lot here, but the setting didn’t work for me. I’m not sure why she chose Elizabethan London and not just some alternate timeline London. That would’ve made the anachronisms and more modern speech patterns make more sense.

enjoyed this one and i liked most the characters in i was curious about the world building and how it would play out and it had a lot of aspects i enjoy it a fantasy and there are parts which are very funny and the plot is engaging i had read it all within a few days