From the author of Hagen’s 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.

First Impressions: Hagen’s Curse starts out with lots of drama! I was immediately hooked by the plot, and the writing style charmed me. I enjoy books with multiple points of view, so the narration was fun to read. Also, I liked getting little glimpses of the characters’ histories. From the upbeat tone of the first few chapters, I expected Hagen’s Curse to be a lighthearted story, so I wasn’t prepared for what happened later in the book.

Cover and Setting: The cover portrays a pivotal moment in the first part of the book. I like the bright colors on the cover! The town of Hagen was described beautifully, and it was easy for me to visualize the different locations in the story. I thought having a statue of the matriarch of the Heckler family in the center of the town was a nice touch. It shows how much the people of Hagen idolized the Heckler name. I also thought the description of Hans’ bakery revealed a lot about his character, especially how he looked down on other people and didn’t like to be around them.

Plot: The first part of the plot was intriguing and enjoyable. The pacing was fast, and there was enough tension to keep me excited about the story. I liked the rivalry and the double-crossing going on among the characters. Some of the scenes describing intimate situations were more explicit than I expected. These scenes felt out of place and could be problematic for younger readers. Unfortunately, the plot got dark in the final third of the book, and some of the descriptions were more distasteful than necessary to get the point across. Also, I personally thought the sexual assault theme was offensive. It appeared out of nowhere, and I felt like it was put in to make sure the “bad guy” was bad enough—and to break the only strong female character in the story. I hate it when sexual assault is used as a literary device, so I hope that wasn’t the intention. From a woman’s perspective, the way this issue was handled was genuinely depressing.

Characters: I felt like the three main characters were fleshed out very well in the first part of the book, but as the story progressed, I confess they got away from me. Jonathan was the most believable of the three—basically good-hearted, but caught between ambition and lust. I wish he had been more mature, but he was young enough that his actions felt realistic. Anika was charming, but she was also inconsistent. I don’t know if someone with her determination would let herself get caught up in the moment. I also thought it was unnecessary for her to be so beaten down in the later part of the book. Hans was interesting (and I even sympathized with him a little bit) until he became too sadistic toward Anika. I think his actions were unrealistic, considering how his character was portrayed up to that point.

Final Thoughts: Hagen’s Curse was a unique story, and the author is clearly a skilled writer. However, the beginning and the ending were incongruous. I think the author tried to wrap things up in a satisfying way, but the conclusion felt empty to me. It was just too sad. (Maybe that was the point.) I think toning down the graphic descriptions of violence and removing the sexual assault theme would have made the story a lot more enjoyable. As an author myself, I’ve struggled with knowing how “dark” to make a book. The best advice I ever got was that darkness is okay as long as it is meaningful. Unfortunately, the darkness in Hagen’s Curse felt gratuitous to me. While there were many things I liked about Hagen’s Curse, I’m sorry to say it isn’t a book I would read again.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book reviewed above.

Originally from Delaware, James graduated from Temple University in 2013 with degrees in English and Film. He now lives in Southern California, where he teaches history to elementary students. Hagen’s Curse is his first novel. Follow James on Twitter @JamesREmmi or join his email list at www.jamesemmi.com to learn about his future work.

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