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Do you remember what it felt like to read a fantasy book for the first time?
I remember being surprised by the unusual names and the hint of magic. The author invites you to enter this world of the unknown. This feeling is what James Emmi evokes with Hagenβs Curse.
In the medieval town of Hagen, there stands the most famous bakery in all of Germany: Heckler Delights. When the reclusive beekeeper Anika Everhart becomes the first person ever to challenge the bakery, shocking the town with an extraordinary new recipe, she is arrested for suspicions of witchcraft. Hans Heckler, the wicked heir to Heckler Delights, has claimed that Anika is a servant of the devil. If she cannot overcome his scheme and prove her innocence, she will lose more than a mere recipe. She will lose her life.
Description of Hagen’s Curse from Amazon.
Review of Hagen’s Curse by James Emmi; A Folk-Lore
I listened to the audiobook, which was just about 6 hours long. I feel like that was the right length for this book.
Hagenβs Curse is written a bit nontraditionally, with the climax of the story peaking right around 5 hours in. I think that is partially due to the short length, but itβs also a slower build. There is enough intrigue that is brought up in the beginning of the story to keep the reader interested until this point, so it isnβt a huge disappointment that we are made to wait.
The world building in this book is fantastic. In the town of Hagen, people are highly religious and behave in bizarre ways. People are assigned their purpose and expected to stick with it. Annika Everheart chose not to do that and as a result was pinned as a witch.
The first half of the book is really filled with wonder and mystery, it has a fairly light tone. So much that you might expect it to be a middle grade novel, until things take a dark turn. There is a sudden amount of violence, including some sexual violence, that brings the story down a few notches. I donβt feel that the shift in tone takes away from the story because we are given a lot of background on the characters that force the story to take such a dark turn and while the events are devastating, they arenβt unthinkable.
I typically have a hard time listening to audiobooks because my mind will wander. But the sound effects, enthusiastic reading, and gentle transitional music kept me hooked.
I really enjoyed this book and thatβs why Iβm thrilled to be able to be doing an audiobook giveaway!
When you enter the giveaway, your name could be selected from a list of entries to win Hagenβs Curse in audiobook format.
How To Enter
Itβs really simple to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter!
I will be drawing all of the names from my newsletter exclusively, so sign up there. While you are waiting to find out who wins the giveaway, you can enjoy the free eBook, The Departure (Leslie Kim Serial #001).
Click here to join my newsletter!
The Giveaway Ends on January 15th!!
I will be sending out another newsletter at that time and announcing the winner to my list. So make sure your name is on it!
I hope to see your name on the list. Good luck!
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