Once Upon a Curse

It's a trip to the past to find out the exact wording of the curse that falls upon the daughters of Emma's line should they touch a flower once they reach sixteen. If you've read 'A Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury, don't worry. Emma, Edric, and Lily don't have to be THAT scrupulous about not changing the past. On the other hand, do enjoy Emma learning how much history can be forgotten or distorted over the centuries. The tournament scene back in the present day is quite exciting, and not for the usual reasons. I did not expect the resolution.

Mostly annoying. Time travel is so easy to mess up, and here Emma blithely ignores all the warnings about not changing things (except when she doesn't want to do something, then she remembers the warnings and keeps out). Of course, it turns out that apparently she was always there messing with events - and the story she knows, about her ancestress Hazel, is about 9/10ths false. I wonder what Millie's name is - if it's something green too? Bugsy is cute, both times. And the only problem with the solution is that it's something that could have happened, without them knowing about the details of the curse, at any time in the last...what, fifty years? But of course it didn't happen until after the adventure. Not a favorite, even in this show more fluffy series. show less

Once Upon a Curse by E.D. Baker is the third of the Frog Princess tales. Each curse Emma breaks seems to have further consequences. Her whole world is built on a foundation of curses. And now her aunt has fallen to the Green Witch curse, leaving Emma as the new witch and facing her own future doom.

So Emma decides she needs to go to the source of her family's curse. That means going back in time to either prevent the curse or learn the ingredients.

Emma's family curse is tied up in events very similar to Princess Aurora's curse. Rule one: don't short change a fairy. It seems like a simple fix, right? Let's just say the version of the curse that's been passed down the ages has been simplified.

This is the book where the series finally show more addresses what exactly the Green Witch does for the kingdom and the castle. It's also the point where we learn that the curse might be justified. show less

Many years ago a slighted fairy placed a curse on a beautiful young princess--a curse that caused her and all her female descendants to turn into mean, ugly witches if they ever touched a flower after turning sixteen. Now, Princess Emma, who is about to turn sixteen herself, is determined to break the spell once and for all. Emma travels back in time to the day the curse was placed on her ancestor in the hope of preventing the curse from being cast. Unfortunately she isn't successful in her efforts, but she does learn how to break it. Armed with this knowledge, Emma returns to her own time full of hope. But disaster ensues and Emma is about to give up completely--until true love shows itself in the most unexpected place of all.
With a show more bit of courage, a pinch of luck, and of course, a healthy dose of magic, Princess Emma charms her way through the third hilarious adventure in the Tales of the Frog Princess series. show less

What do you do when a curse is genetic and comes around puberty? You rebel like a proper teenager would and look for the cure. Which is even more fun when being around the family members who are infected with the curse, which in nice words, turns a kind person into a big grumpy as- jerk.

This book reads for later teens, it's more wordy and written curiously. I found my attention drifting and had to set it aside and return it to the library for a later date. It's not bad, it's more I didn't expect to need to pay so much attention to things written, a single sentence not taken in makes for a confusing page, or minor details make for a dozen questions if you really think on them. Definitely not for little kids unless they're fully invested.

I am enchanted by this series, and now I'm 1/2-way through. I don't ever want to leave this world - escapist fun at its most charming! If I had a daughter I would definitely buy these books for her, as the girl hero is brave, smart, not afraid of getting dirty or sweaty, but by no means perfect, either.

In this installment we spend just a bit more time with some of the adults, and that's fun for me, because after all I haven't been the target age for these books in 4 decades. There's a bonus time travel element, but unfortunately it doesn't do anything interesting w/ paradoxes etc. Eadric becomes a bit stronger, as a character, too, which is nice.

Rating: 4/5

I picked up Once Upon a Curse from the library as an impulse read. I was unaware that it was part of a series, but I was in the mood for a cute, light-hearted read. I was not disappointed.

Once Upon a Curse is a super cute and sweet middle grade fantasy novel about a witch princess named Emma trying to break the curse that has been placed on her family. Whenever anyone in her family touches a flower, they will turn into a crabby, ugly witch. I enjoyed the lightness of the read. Sometimes you just get tired of reading books whose themes are dark and heavy. I love reading middle grade because often times they are light and cute. This book did not disappoint! I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.