"This epic end to a duology reels with danger, magic, otherworldly beings, and the rousing resolve of its dyspraxic protagonist."
Concluding the dazzling duology that began with Like a Charm, Elle McNicoll’s Like a Curse is a thrillingly plotted, magic-rich adventure underpinned by inspiring themes of self-belief.
For context, Ramya comes from a family of powerful women — “Aunt Leanna. A healer who can make plants and flowers bloom. Cassandra, my mum. Hard, tough, and capable of setting this entire house ablaze. Then, Aunt Opal. Who can do anything.” And Ramya herself has tremendous powers, which she’s learning to hone and harness. She also has dyspraxia, “a learning difficulty that affects coordination, speech, and motor skills.”
After fighting to save the city of Edinburgh from the clutches of Portia, a self-serving Siren who’ll stop at nothing to extend her power, Ramya and her family are holed up near Loch Ness, where she’s desperate to do something to restore order to the city, while learning magic from Aunt Opal.
Always attuned to the world around her, and to magic, Ramya notices something strange about the oak tree in the garden, and then discovers a surprising truth about Loch Ness monster myths. It’s not long before she takes it upon herself to take flight to Edinburgh to try to save the Hidden Folk.
Peppered with proud statements of self-affirmation that will serve as pep-talks for neuro-diverse readers, Like a Curse is at once a thrilling adventure and mightily empowering. With that in mind, I’ll leave the last words to Ramya: “If there’s one thing I know as a dyspraxic girl, it’s that staying down is not an option. People expect you to. They sometimes want you to. So, I always get back up.”
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