The Cursed Heart

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Kayden was six months old when the doctor found the curse in his heart. From then on, his life was a struggle to keep it locked away and dormant and above allsecret, dreading the day that it would finally break free and wreak havoc. Now he’s fourteen, and that day has come.

Things look bad, but there’s hope — the world’s most prestigious magical school is willing to take him in, keep him safe, and pay his legal fees to avoid bankrupting his family. Most importantly, they can teach him to control his curse, to avoid ever hurting anyone else. It sounds far too good to be true, but what other option does he have?

Kayden quickly finds himself embroiled in a large political game he doesn’t understand. But he’d better learn fast. Because the secrets of his new school run deeper than he ever expected, and his actions have far more dangerous consequences than he could ever have known.

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Want to read ahead? Chapters are posted in advance onthe Curse Words website.

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Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2021
Author: Derin_Edala

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 154
Views: 157,789

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

AlexaLeeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For the first time since I started reviewing books on this site, I truly have nothing negative to say.
Style: The story is so well written. The pacing is perfect and the description is weaved flawlessly into the book. The dialogue is so realistic and well done.
Story: I’m only early on in the book but so far, this feels like a refreshing take on the magical school genre. Many people have already pointed out that this feels comforting to read and it absolutely does. That’s not to say that there isn’t tension or fast paced moments, it’s more that it is so well written.
Characters: Again, very good. Kayden (the main character) is wonderfully rounded. He isn’t perfect but he’s realistic. The author has a gift for writing realistic teenagers and realistic family dynamics. Immediately, I rooted for Kayden. His humour but deep seated fear about hurting people due to his curse really endeared him to me!
Grammar: No noticeable issues!
Overall, I think this is a great story that I will keep reading. The author excels at writing realism in a fantasy setting. The mystery surrounding the school and the curses will absolutely keep you coming back for more.
BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The title says it all. When I was reading this story, there was no doubt about the age of the characters. I could read from the tone and words said that the main character was relatively young.
What's so impressive about this? Well, the ability to write a realistic teenager on RR is currently 1 to however-many-stories-I've-read-on-this-platform. This is the first time I have read anything which doesn't overinflate the IQ in a vain attempt to make the author sound smart. The characters in the story just sound like... actual teens. Stupid, smart, and a bit shallow at times but teenagers nonetheless.
When I get the time, I will be revisiting this story, so it can get the attention that I feel it deserves. 10/10 from here.
HegelundRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
a super cohesive take on a magic school for mages in our world. and it very much literally is our world + mages, and they've always been here. and the way magic and mages work in this world, it all just fits together so perfectly with barely any changes to history. magic is not a secret, you can call a mage on the phone if a curse is causing trouble, it's just another part of society. they're not above the law, they just have good lawyers.
and despite all that, it still somehow manages to make the magic feel so damn magical.
Invictus21Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is very well laid out. You can make out the author has planned it out really well. The character introductions and growth has been good. The descriptions and story line keep you very engaged. Should definitely give it a try.
Style: The way story goes. It keep you hooked and you want to know more. Author is very skilled at keeping you engaged. Really curious on how the magic will involve going forward.
Grammer: Very good grammer. Don't think I have found any mistakes at all. So great job. Keep it up
Story: Story seems to be still in the early days. Guess will know more in the following chapters. Looking forward to it. Unlike most other novels, I could sense a bit of maturity in this, which is great. Also there is a feel of mystery around the school as well, which makes it a more interesting read.
Character: The main character evolves really well right from the first chapter. His introduction is nicely done. The rest of the characters are also well explained. That's great as well. Would look forward to more characters joining the main story line
Overall a good read and would definitely suggest everyone to give it a try.
PrysmcatRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TL;DR version: I broke several of my usual rules when I started reading this one, and I'm very glad I did!
In general, I avoid reading anything with subadult protagonists or magical schools, because the former often bore me and I have never read one of the latter before that I liked (yes, including that one). I will generally start disconnecting and consider abandoning a story in which the protagonist is persistently unsure who to trust.
There are exceptions to most rules, and The Cursed Heart is a major one.
Style
The style is light and enjoyable, easy to read. Everything comes across very clearly, and it's easy to visualize events, but it doesn't bog down in excessive detail. The dialogue is smooth and believable and appropriate to the character speaking, always.
Story
In a word, fascinating. It builds beautifully, from the initial dilemma, through Kayden's first days at school, to the gradual immersion in an increasingly-complex and potentially dangerous situation. It's not a high-action, combat-every-chapter kind of story, but there is no shortage of tense moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also no shortage of vivid emotion, which is what you'd expect from a group of adolescents under varying kinds of pressure, but it never tips over into angst.
The world-building is intriguing, and I love the contrast of what amounts to official vs unofficial magic. So much our own world, and yet all the little changes because of the reality of curses (including info and misinfo how to handle those) and of known, trained magic-users. If the magic in question were different, those cultural changes would have to be larger to be plausible, but with this system... the changes are believable.
Grammar
Flawless. I'm fussy about grammar, spelling, inaccurate use of expressions, wrong words that probably sounded right. I'll sometimes ignore it for a good reason, but I'm always aware of it. I'm not seeing any of that here. Nothing jolts the reader out of the flow.
Chara
VMJaskierniaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow. Just wow. This is not the usual story that you find on Royal Road, but it really should be. It's great, and I only found it because of a swap. And now it's going on my favorites and I'll be reading it and waiting for updates.
Overall if you like adventures, young adult fiction, interesting worlds, great characters, urban fantasy, magical schools-- go read this.
Style: First person point of view with our main character, Kayden. Some of the chapters are a different font- probably a copy/paste issue, but don't let it bother you.
Grammar: Saw no issues, well written. Publishable quality and when this author does publish the story,I'll be buying a copy :)
Story and Characters: This is where the story shines. Both the story and the charcters are great and a delight. Characters are realistic, well written, each have their own distinct feel. I love our main character and how she thinks and acts. The very first thing she does in the book is break out to go see friends after an.. attack.
And the story and world is similarly perfect. We are seemlessly introduced to an urban fantasy world with curses and mages, and how that sort of thing changes society. This is not a 'masquerading' world where the spooky things are hidden- it's just part of life that these things exist.
YupnoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Nice basic magic story, there hasn't been much about the magic system yet but I assume once that arrives it will be handled well.
Style
Nothing special I guess. Normal writing style from the perspective of the main character. However, the characters do behave like they should for the age of 14 which is a big plus!
Grammar
One or two mistakes I noticed nothing that stops the flow of the story.
Story (spoiler)
The story isn't anything amazing just yet, that doesn't mean it's bad though. The main character has a curse, that curse nearly killed someone, main character is now under the constant watch of the police, a school for magic introduces itself and offers to help as much as it can as long as he joins.
A bit of a slow start but nothing problematic.
Character
The main character is cursed as already mentioned, he is also actually a girl but since he is trans he dresses and behaves like a boy. Sometimes intelligent, sometimes stupid, he behaves like someone at his age should!
There is also a girl which gets introduced, she has a curse in her eye that can "speak bad events into existence" which is also an interesting curse.
Then there is also another boy, however, he didn't get to show much of his character yet.
Overall
Good story. If I continue doing review swaps with stories like this one I worry I will lose motivation to continue. Which is a good thing, at least for the author.
Improvements? Perhaps get a grammar checker or something like that Derin_Edala.
Aside from that great story so far which certainly has potential... sadly the biggest hurdles are yet to come which is the magic system as well as the villain/villains and their motives.
ninjacat007Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a wonderful story for anyone who’s fond of magic schools (and frankly, who isn’t?). The prose is crisp and the author really excels at characterization and dialogue. Each character has a defined personality and the chemistry between them is very compelling. The author has a talent for making characters stand out with just a few lines of dialogue/description (one example: “he […] gave the distinct impression of someone who, when he was old enough to grow a proper beard, would immediately shape it into a goatee”) hahaha
Plot wise, in the first chapter I was initially a little confused about what was happening (how did the Kayden break their leg? what happened to Matt?) but eventually things start coming more into focus. Chapter 2 takes off with a bang when a stranger appears to invite Kayden to the magic school (in fact I think Chapter 2 is possibly a better opening for the story).
Grammar/spelling were good overall, nothing jumped out at me, but on a semi-related I did notice there were some font shifts (between Chapters 2 and 3 and a sentence in Chapter 5).
Last, I think the title/cover could do a better job conveying the genre of the story. There's a pretty brisk market for Magic School stories, but I would never have guessed this was one of them based on the title/cover alone.
Overall, this is a GREAT story and you should definitely check it out.
~HOLLOW~Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overal Score 5/5
Note: I read up to chapter 4.
I have been on this site for about a month.
This is one out of three stories I have actually slowed down to read.
Most of them I skim through like a textbook until it catches my eye in prose, however for this one it isn't the case. For the first time in a long time I read a story with magic children, that wasn't Harry Potter and the Secret of Neville Long-Bottom's Trouser Zipper.
I suggest this to anyone who wants a good read to unwind with with a nice cup of tea.
Style Score 5/5
Most stories I read I have to go to about maybe the 5th chapter to see a developing style, but from this one it wasn't the case. It hit the ground running and I was able to clearly visualize the setting.
A+ work
Grammar 5/5
Not much to say here, other than relief I don't have to read errors that intterupt the reading expereince.
Story Score 5/5
This story does a good job at exposition without explaining things. Brava. I struggle with this and am quite jealous. By the end of the first chapter I already know the basics of the story. That there's a curse, a boy is being followed by the police, and that someone got hurt. It makes me want to know more, and its a good place to end a chapter to get people to keep reading.
Character Score 5/5
This part has a spoiler, so let me forewarn before you read this section.
Before I realized Kayden was transgender, I did not even realize it. It was hinted at in the story. Kayden was treated like the others. It wasn't said obviously. Why should it be? The other characters already know!
The registration chapter is great exposition, and shows the small and big parts of the hard parts of a transgender person's life.
It is also a great literary vehicle. Kayden can truly be Kayden in this new school. Good Job.
Please read this story. You won't regret it :)
Mister J.Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Well, not enough for a real review.
But i gotta say.
This is totally up my alley.
It's fun.
It's hearthy.
Its crazy.
And i only read chapter 1 xD.
Wll update around chapter 20 or so tommorow.
Then probably an advanced review.
Hopefully it sticks to that nice feeling. The story just flows naturally and i really really like the smack talk of the MC xD.
Hopefully he doesn't become an overpowered isekai guy soonish. He's just right.