A Curse for the Homesick, Laura Brooke Robson (Review by Sophie Mallaro)
Rating: 4.8 Stars
A Curse For the Homesick, by Laura Brooke Robson, tells the story of a young woman from Stenland, a fictional island in the arctic circle. The women of Stenland live under a curse: periodically, three women become skelds. Eye contact with a skeld turns a person to stone. Tess confronts the weight of this curse early in life as her mother killed her schoolmate Soren’s parents during her time as a skeld. They shouldn’t fall in love but that’s exactly what they do.
A Curse for the Homesick is a coming of age story, a romance, and a fantasy novel all wrapped into one. I was very invested in Tess’s journey, crying as she struggled and cheering on her successes. Robson does an incredible job of building out the world around Tess and creating a strong sense of place so the story completely engulfs the reader. Tess faces so much inner turmoil, her love-hate relationship with Stenland causes turmoil in all her relationships, and I absolutely loved following her adventure. The book had a bit of a slower start for me, but by the end, I was sad to see it finish. If you are looking for a beautifully crafted story to tug on on your heartstrings, A Curse for the Homesick is a book you won’t want to miss!