by Angie Dickinson
publisher’s synopsis
Cressida Hoth is alone in the world. Orphaned and unwanted, she is inflicted with a peculiar curse by her mischievous aunts and banished to a finishing school in the secluded kingdom of Dernmont. Students train in every accomplishment suitable for young ladies: music, dancing, etiquette…and strangely, poison-making, fencing, and lock-picking.
The school is a front for a rebel spy ring, and when her training is complete, Cressida is selected to join a mission to infiltrate the kingdom’s royal court. She has been thrown unceremoniously into a world of ball gowns and espionage, but she is still under a curse, and it threatens to expose them all.
Defending her teammates and her secret, Cressida discovers that the kingdom’s buried history and the truth behind her curse run far deeper than she imagined.
In one of its endorsements, Truth Cursed is compared to Ella Enchanted, which really is a fantastic comp title for it.
Dickinson’s writing style is different from most YA books nowadays and more classic-feeling, which fits nicely with the plot of the book. I was expecting there to be a little more page time exploring Cressida’s time at the school, but the pacing makes sense. There are also plenty of twists along the way to surprise the reader.
Overall, Truth Cursed is a lovely novel perfect for younger YA readers and fans looking for spies and intrigue.
Cautions: one kiss; light romance; brief, non-graphic moderate violence
(I received an eARC from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Hailey Huntington 
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