Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dark Hour Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Cursed Age is a dark historical fantasy book filled with curses, pirates, intertwined fates and chosen family.
Even though it was close to 600 pages, personally it didn't feel like a long book at all because I found the pacing perfect and was so invested in the characters and their journey.

While there certainly is a solid plot that is fast-paced, what I appreciated most about this book was the contrast of toxic, obsessive love to a pure, sweet love without the drama and 'excitement', as well as the paths we take in life - whether we allow our experiences to make us bitter and hateful, or to fight to stay kind in spite of it.

This beautiful, thoughtful exploration, in both the main and side characters, reveals how quiet strength is often overlooked and that staying kind in a cruel world is one form of that.

A Cursed Age by A.M. Dunnewin grabbed my attention the minute I read the summary. I love a good book about magic and pirates. Throw in some steampunk aspects and I'm sold. I honestly couldn't put this one down and while it seemed a bit drawn out at times, I still wanted to know everything that was going to happen next so I kept turning the pages.

Our mmc is Captain Ryland Coldwell. He's a pirate and adventurer who just happens to be trapped in the West Indies. He's also immortal due to angering the wrong woman but he's determined to get off the island he's been trapped on to get revenge on his ex, Gwenifer, the witch who cursed him. The problem is that he can't use a normal ship to escape because along with the immortality, she's made it so that anytime he tries to leave, Ryland is pulled back to the island by whatever means necessary. And typically that requires the sinking of the ship he is on. Luckily for him, the world has begun to evolve and with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte there has also come the rise of the airship, the only type of vessel that Ryland thinks he has a chance of getting away on. So when one happens to reach the shores of the West Indies, he knows he has to take a chance.

Our fmc is Emmeline Whittock. She is the only woman on board the airship Nyx and to say it's been a challenging trip would be an understatement. Not only are they off course in the West Indies but she just happens to be fleeing from her murderous fiance and the threats of Napoleon's army. When she and her crew are attacked by pirates, Ryland is the one who comes to save the day and for some reason Emmeline feels a pull toward him despite knowing nothing about him. But because of the assistance he has provided, she agrees to take him on board not realizing that the growing storm is the wrath of the sea witch Gwenifer, hunting for the man who wasn't supposed to leave.

This was such a great book in terms of characters. Not only do we have Emmeline and Ryland but there is an entire crew on this ship that we get to know and it was lovely to see and understand how they came to be where they were and why they were there to support Emmeline. Of course you have the bad guys (her fiance and father - I won't say anything here but you'll learn all about them) but from Arthur, the Captain, Brent, Porter, Miguel, Gutter...all of them had an impact on the story and a purpose.

Emmeline herself has been through some stuff. Her childhood, despite her place in society, hasn't always been easy but she always had her brother to lean on and now that she's on her own, she has to find a way to stand on her own. She's still finding her way but she's slowly coming to see her strength and Ryland is pushing her to do that as well as pushing her to see what's good around her.

Ryland recognizes he hasn't always made the best choices but he is determined to get his revenge and at the same time, keep his commitment that he won't harm Emmeline and her crew. He also knows now what Emmeline is to him and he decides he will be the monster (so she doesn't have to) and destroy those around her that would harm her if that's the last thing he does. And boy, does he come through.

The relationship build between Emmeline and Ryland was done really well too. There was an immediate connection which is explained as the story unfolds and I loved how it came together. I'm not ashamed to say that the ending actually made me tear up...and you'll know why when you read it.

All that to say I truly enjoyed this book. There is action, magic, curses, romance, and danger throughout. Dunnewin takes the reader from the West Indies to New Orleans to Venice and I was along for the ride. If you're looking for a new Fantasy with great characters and a page turning story to pick up consider this one. Don't let the length scare you away, it is a bit long but I think you will enjoy it.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher allowing this book up for a free-read.

WOW. Sign me up for finding a new favorite author! What got me to read this was how the author was saying this was a gothic romance, infused with Treasure Planet and pirates. She wasn't wrong!

We are introduced to our sea witch and her 'hide-away' with her court of harpies and boy oh boy, I was like - okay, this is what I am talking about in a book. She is sexual, beautiful, wicked, and out for revenge and conquering her foe / past lover. Our past lover is a captain who has been 28 for over a hundred years. In that time he has experienced a lot, can shoot like crazy, use a sword like a beast, but he cannot die. Oh, he also can't leave the island due to her curse of making him immortal.

Our female lead escaped a marriage, recently lost her brother, and stole her flying ship from her fiance's clutches. With her trusted group of men, she is heading for America to live with her uncle. She and the male lead when he assists her men in outmaneuvering her fiance's hired goons. Seeing that she has a flying ship, and he can't go near the water, this will assist him greatly in getting off the island, questing to find the sea witch and killing her.

This book is a one-shot / stand alone and it's sad because there is a plot element that I feel, based on the fantasy aspect and 'fate' that could use a second book (with a happier ending) if the author so truly wished. However, if that were to occur that will cheapen the ending. The ending was right, and reminded me of The Canterville Ghost strangely enough.

Oh, and the romance? The romance was AMAZING. Lingering glances, "I would do anything for you" moments, he falls first and hard, she slowly falls in love with him, and finally being one another's anchor.

I really encourage any one who loves really well done fated / doomed love stories to check into this one. You won't regret it.

Nautical Gothic tale set in 1806 about a cursed pirate, a wrathful sea witch, and the rise of the airship.
"Alls fair in love and war... and revenge"
Not my usual genre to read but I did enjoy. Suspenseful and intriguing!

I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint! I admit that I fell in love with the cover but promise me a nautical adventure in 1806, too? Sign me up.

Captain Ryland Coldwell is immortal. He gained his curse from scorning the wrong woman and is now a pirate without his ship and his crew, roaming the earth in search of a way to break the curse. Unfortunately, he leaves sunken ships behind him, and as a result is perpetually stuck in the West Indies.

A new phenomenon, the airship, has been invented due to the conquests of Napoleon Bonaparte. When one arrives in port, Ryland knows it is finally his chance to escape. The airship, the Nyx, was blown off course while fleeing from death and capture. Emmeline Whittock, builder of the ship and the only woman aboard, is stunned to meet Ryland after he saves their ship and their crew from a group of pirates. She feels a mysterious pull towards him, but is unable to figure out why.

As thanks, Ryland has one request—to come aboard the ship and to be able to escape the West Indies once and for all. His other mission is to get rid of the sea witch that has haunted him for years, once and for all.

This was a really great book and I loved reading it. The setting is fantastic and the author did a great job of research and developing new ideas. This is a story about friendship, love, adventure, and revenge. I will definitely be getting a copy of this for my shelf when it comes out!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

(4.5 Stars)
Reaction:
A Cursed Age is a dark historical fantasy novel set against the backdrop of the early 1800’s, a time filled with innovation and marred by the Napoleonic Wars. Action and romance are the drivers of this story, but found family, self-discovery, and healing give it heart. The writing is poetic and vivid, eliciting visceral images that drew me into the feelings and emotions of the story from the very beginning. The book gives some Pirates of the Caribbean vibes, especially towards the start. Ryland comes off as a pirate with the confidence and swagger of Jack Sparrow, but the slow-burning anger of William Turner, which is a potent combination. Emmeline is a character that’s easy to like and relate to. A smart woman who is working on her confidence, but her superpower (and weakness) is her capacity to care about those around her. Their romance feels like a slow-burn as they try to resist the magnetic pull between them, but is at the same time intense, and I enjoyed the tension between the two, although it was a bit too close to insta-love for my taste. The airship’s crew are an eclectic but loyal group that adds depth to the narrative, especially the father figures of Captain Dormer & Arthur. The settings are vibrant, and each have been thoughtfully placed to contribute to the scenes themselves, such as the voodoo culture of New Orleans as the backdrop for the introduction of more intricate mystical ideas. I thought the presence of fantastical creatures like mermaids upped the ante in the action scenes and made the other magic, like Ryland’s curse, believable in this alternate fantastical world. The ending of this book is super emotional, with different layers of feelings and realizations happening at the same time, I could not put it down! I really enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books with complex characters, found family, and a rich backdrop to get lost in.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dark Hour Press, and A.M. Dunnewin for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

What I enjoyed:
·       I appreciated that Ryland and Emmeline’s fights were not born of typical tropes like miscommunication or jealousy. The conflicts came about because each could see potential in the other person, and they were desperately trying to make the other realize it, which made their attraction feel more sincere.
·       The magic is well-integrated and supportive in the narrative without dragging it down or overshadowing it with drawn out explanations. Blending the ideas of sea witches, voodoo, and mermaids against realistic industrial pursuits like flying ships and the Napoleonic Wars, the story asks the reader to only slightly suspend their sense of reality without giving it up entirely.
·       One of the themes in this book is the plight of women during this time period. Both featured women, Emmeline and Gwenifer, are products of the male-dominated society they grew up in. Both struggle with a woman’s lack of independence and opportunity in their own way, and I think that theme is still extremely relevant to the experience of being a woman today.

What I didn't enjoy:
·       The one point I didn’t follow was the idea that Gwenifer wanted to seduce Napoleon Bonaparte and give him an heir. That Gwenifer would seduce for power was believable for her character, it just seemed like a bit of a stretch that she was going to go so far as giving Bonaparte an heir in a vie for magical power.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this
Ryland cold well is a cursed pirate that fell for the wrong woman a witch named Gweneffer. He lives an immortal going from ship to ship trying to get revenge on the woman that cursed him. He meets Emmiline Whittock, a woman escaping from her murderous fiancé. They journey through the island, trying to escape the witch that cursed Ryland. The story was good, but I felt like it was slow in some points of the book. I would recommend this to anyone that is a lover of the sea and pirates. The love is beautiful and gives you hope in the lives of two people trying to escape the past and facing it head on

This was an epic dark fantasy romance, in an alt history, steampunk-ish setting. Really enjoyed the world building, the characters and their back stories. Each person grew in depth and developed further as the story progressed.

Although really well done, I did find it a bit long, with a lot of action, but almost too much going on (places, people, magic/mystical/lore stuff, mythical species, etc). Also felt it was a bit insta-lovey/ fated love which I’m not a huge fan of.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Dark Hour Press/IBPA for a copy!

This book was given by NetGalley as an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ryland is a pirate who has been cursed to immortality and to never leave an island by his ex, who happens to be a sea witch. Emmeline is a brilliant inventor of a flying ship. Emmeline’s ship is just the thing Ryland needs to get off the island he’s been bound to since it will enable him to escape through the air rather than the sea.

Honestly, I was a little bored and didn’t love the writing style. I should have loved Emmeline’s crew more than I did and I should have been more invested in what happened to the characters.

When I say the ending of this book made me sob...

The beauty, the tragedy, the gut wrenching agony and power of the ending is the book does not shy away from it. It tells you upfront what will happen, it warns you that your heart will be ripped from your chest if you continue and yet you have little choice because like the sirens waiting for the crew, the writing will lure you in and never let go.

A fantastic alt. history where airships are invented during the time of Napoleon, with a splash of magic, a pirate from the golden age, who cannot die and a love story that has spanned lifetimes.

Em's father and fiancé are disgusting excuses of men and make for some worthy villains of the piece. It was a joy to finally see them receive their just desserts. Seeing Em's growth, her story was a delight too, as she struggled with all she had lost but slowly learnt to see everything she had and everything she could be.

Truly enjoyable story that I gladly gave my heart away for.

A vengeful sea witch, curses, a pirate (singular), fated lovers and adventure. I really enjoyed this, whilst I thought it could be condensed in some places I had no problems getting through it. The slow burn had me in a chokehold! Please do a second book where they get more time together, maybe enough time to even get down to it 🤭 I loved the closing chapters but I will forever be wondering what happens when they find each other in the next life.

I think fans of L J Andrew’s would enjoy this (no spice though).

A Cursed Age is an exhilarating and beautifully written adventure that sweeps you across the high seas and into the skies. With a dashing, cursed pirate and a fierce, resilient heroine, this story blends romance, danger, and magic against the rich backdrop of the Napoleonic era. Ryland and Emmeline’s chemistry is undeniable, and their journey—full of betrayals, battles, and bittersweet hope—keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. The world-building is vivid, the stakes feel real, and the emotions run deep. Fans of fantasy, historical fiction, and star-crossed lovers will absolutely adore this unforgettable tale.

3.5! Whew this one was a ride! Pirates, curses, mermaids, history, fated love, steampunk... what more could a girl want? The writing was descriptive and a vibe, however, I must caution this baby is LONG strap in for a long and wild ride from Venice to the West Indies and back again.

The characters were interesting! I love me a powerful woman and Emmeline grows into that so well throughout the story that I grew to appreciate her more and more. I enjoyed Arthur so much,,, sweet lil doctor boy who just loves his wife. And then there's Ryland... I mean, he's an immortal pirate, doing well so far. I think his revenge mission limited his growth a little bit, but his love for Emmeline was genuine and pure so I can overlook it. Gwen was a little different for me - don't get it twisted, I love a woman villain, female rage speaks to my very essence, but not this way. Her jealousy, and obsession for Ryland, limited her full scope of icon-ness. She did other horrible things, that becomes very clear, but that's not what motivates the other characters. They seem opposed to Gwen because of her obsession with Ryland and her ability to seduce Napoleon, which,,,, is not enough for me.

This leads me to the historical context of the book which was PHENOMENALLY DONE. From the beginning I was like OH THIS HAS RESEARCH BABEY! That speaks to my heart sooooooooooo deeply!!!! From the golden age of piracy to the napoleonic conquests, I was in love with the atmosphere the context created throughout the book. Absolute VIBES.

Overall fun and mystical, my rating would have been much higher if it was a little bit shorter (sub 500 pages, perhaps)... Regardless!!!!!! I would still recommend this to anyone who had a steampunk and/or Pirate of the Caribbean obsession at any point in their life.

Thanks to Dark Hour Press, NetGalley and A M Dunnewin for the arc!

This is a slow burn, historical fantasy with no spice but great tension between the MMC/FMC – ideal for fans of M.L. Wang, and potentially Leigh Bardugo, Laura Thalassa and Cassandra Clare.

While the writing was great, I think this book tried to be too many things instead of focusing on one thing and delving into that or doing it well. The pacing of the overall book felt slow, and for a decent chunk of the beginning of the book it was unclear what the quest would be, with only vague plans for either main character. I found it a little hard to get through as at the end of each chapter, I didn’t know what I was looking forward to in the next part, and the overall quest hadn’t been laid out. I also find it hard when you invest a lot of time in reading but the time in-world is barely moving – I was about 60% of the way through when I realised that less than 10 days had passed since starting the journey.

While I loved the scope of locations (Caribbean, New Orleans, Venice), the settings themselves were not immersive, which made each place fall a little flat. I like that we got a taste of each place, but would have preferred more depth for each of the locations instead of the reader filling in the blanks and relying on their knowledge or imagination.

The issue with the locations was also repeated with different elements of the book – so many were crammed in, but each only featured briefly. Pirates, mermaids, sirens, prophecy, a sea witch, voodoo, Napoleon Bonaparte, Greek mythology, steampunk vibes etc. If you love delving into one world and getting to explore that, this probably won’t be for you – but if you just want a sprinkling of fantasy/magic elements, with a focus on the characters (told through a split POV), you’ll enjoy this.

A big thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 This alternate reality historical fiction fantasy adventure was truly a nautical tale like no other filled with fated souls, flying steampunk style airships, curses, sky pirates, adventure and romance. Told thur dual POV we follow long cursed immortal pirate captain Ryland Coldwell and airship designer and engineer Emmeline Whittock as they race to break a long held curse all while combating with tyranical power hungry leaders, otherworldly creatures such as mermaids and harpies, and an evil sea witch that can control the tides and weather. Reading this twisty seaside story set in an alternate 1806 was such fun. I loved getting to see the author take bits of history and meld them into a wholly new world and story. The plot alone with its set of centuries held star crossed loves reuniting and battling an evil curse had me already intrigued and yet add in the pirate element (sky pirates no less) and I was completely sold and engaged the entirety of the story. MMC Ryland is exactly what I would picture for an equally reckless and charming pirate. While Emmeline was the epitome of a smart, resourceful, and selfless FMC. Together their chemistry and team work had me easily rooting for them. The setting as well was something I thoroughly enjoyed as the adventuring pair traveled from the likes of the West Indies, New Orleans, and Italy. I won’t lie tho that the books ending did break me however in the best way possible, ensuring that this magical historical romance read will be sticking with me for quite some time. If you’re looking for a historical fiction filled with pirates and magic then defiantly check out this high seas tale.

A Cursed Age comes out May 20th, 2025.
Thank you NetGalley and Dark Hour Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first pirate book, it is a historical fiction, with high-stakes, slow-burn romance and one of my fave tropes, found family.
Ryland is cursed to immortality by a scorned lover. Emmeline is escaping a dangerous fiance, and an emerging war. The pair meet under dangerous circumstances forming an alliance.
You will be emotionally damaged but in the best way. The ending was tragic but perfect, I love when a book has me picking up tissues.
I was a little on the fence for rating this one. While, I enjoyed the story, I felt like it needed more editing.
At times it was overly descriptive or unclear and I found myself re-reading sections. The flow wasn't always smooth and I didn't always love the dialogue.
That said, I recommend giving this one a read. You can clearly see the effort and time A.M. Dunnewin has put into the book.

This book is a must read Gothic pirate adventure. It is a uniquely dark tale that is both beautiful & devastating. It is also perfect for anyone who believes in the idea of soulmates and intertwined destiny. The plot is clever, action packed, and addictive. The author did an amazing job creating the best found family of characters that were full of depth, multilayered, and, just overall lovable. This book made me feel so many emotions and I cried multiple times throughout the story. My only complaint is that I did not get enough time with the main characters and their love story…my romantic heart needed more.
I am thankful to NetGalley & Dark Hour Press LLC for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

From the very first page. This book sweeps readers into a vividly imagined world where magic pulses beneath every shadow and destiny hangs in the balance. With a rich tapestry of lore and an unforgettable cast of characters, this fantasy tale offers everything fans of the genre crave: adventure, heart, and high stakes.

At the center of the story, a compelling hero grappling with inner demons and outer threats alike. Their journey from humble beginnings to a confrontation with fate is as thrilling as it is emotionally resonant. Along the way, a diverse ensemble of allies and enemies deepens the narrative, each one distinct and integral to the story’s unfolding.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the advanced reader copy!

The prologue was lush with a creeping unease that carried on throughout the rest of the book. What a great book get me back into reading! Honestly, the I was looking for a story to sweep me into a historical setting with paranormal elements. I was looking to feel things, to be angry with characters over their bad choices, to be happy with them when they succeed, and to be destroyed over the sad backstories. This book delivered.

All in all: We need more historical fantasies like this with paranormal shenanigans and creatures.

Every once in a while I start reading a book and it doesn’t ask for my attention—it steals it. Quietly at first, then all at once, until I forget the room I’m in, the time on the clock. This book was one of them. Now I'm not really into fate and destiny but I loved this book.