Welcome to my MTMC Tours stop for The Cursed & The Broken by Chloe Hodge!
If you’re looking for a dark and snappy fantasy with witty dialogue and badass witches, this is for you! It’s a story of Hungarian witches, folklore, cultists and a girl who has more power than she knows what to do with. And does it deliver a long list of fan-favourite tropes? Why yes, yes it does. We have enemies-to-lovers, reluctant chosen ones, there’s-only-one-bed, and more.
Kitarni Barany is a mouthy witch of badassery with an IDGAF attitude. She dearly loves her mother and sister and is so soft and protective of them, and she’s driven by a heart of gold, truly. She will bite the head off someone who’s messing with her, but she’ll deplete her magic totally as she tenderly cares for a wounded animal 🥺 I loved that contrast. She was a very easy heroine to root for, and you have to admire her arc. She goes from feeling like an outcast to really reclaiming her own power and belief in herself.
The book partially takes place in a village exclusively for witches. There’s also a forest where dark and malignant things are happening, and an old power awakening as cultists run wild. Also Death & Fate are personified (love when books do that). These are people with magic in their bones, ruled by old lore and traditions, and I loved the ancient vibes it brought across. It’s also not too complex with the world building or language, so perfect for people who want more romanasy with their fantasy.
Death laughed. “I said I wouldn’t kill you tonight. You are marked, Kitarni. And you are anything but safe.”
Romance? It’s got your romance. Kitarni and Dante are very spark-and-flint when they’re together and they clash most gloriously. Towards the end, it definitely focuses on the romance with plenty of intimate scenes, so fans of the romantasy category will undoubtedly love this.
“Magic can make monsters out of all of us.”
And the ending will leave you punched in the chest, with betrayals and action-sequences, and old rotten magic flooding the page. It shouts for a sequel.
A witchy and stabby read, with badass heroines and an explosive romance and dark magic that should have been left alone…
And head over to my instagram page for the INTL giveaway.
Title: The Cursed And The Broken (#1)
Author: Chloe Hodge
Publication Date: April 15th, 2022
Genres: Adult Epic Fantasy
Purchase a copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blackwell’s | Book Depository
Add on Goodreads!
Years ago, the dark queen was executed by witches, her cultists hunted down like rats and forced into hiding. Their black magic buried and put to rest, all was well in the world … or so we thought.
Kitarni Barany, witch and shepherd of her flock, has always been different. There’s a darkness in her blood and a destiny beyond the border of her small village.
Corruption is spreading, and the whispers of cultists stir through the woods once again.
Betrothed to the heir of the Wolfblood Clan, she risks not only her life but her heart. United, they must stand against the cultists, or watch the Kingdom of Hungary fall.
Cursed by Death and controlled by Fate, Kitarni is forced to meet her demons … or die by them.
A story of succumbing to wicked desires, death, and the temptations of a deliciously dangerous love. The Cursed and the Broken is a steamy, enemies-to-lovers dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Kerri Maniscalco. No broomsticks or cauldrons here, only magic of the darkest kind and dimples to swoon over.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chloe Hodge was born in Adelaide, South Australia to New Zealand parents and a Hungarian heritage. In 2017 she completed a Bachelor of Journalism & Professional Writing at the University of South Australia, receiving recognition as a high performing student in the top 10 percentile. She was a finalist for the Julie Duncan Memorial Award, and worked as a journalist for a technical grape and wine magazine before founding her own small editing business, Chloe’s Chapters, and starting a career as a Young Adult Fantasy author. Hodge lives in Brisbane, QLD, with her husband and two dogs. She can be found at chloehodge.com or you can contact her on her Bookstagram account @chloeschapters. Website | Goodreads | Instagram
@cgdrews thanks @mtmctours & @Chloe Hodge for the copy!! See the q&a with the author on my blog 😌📚 #thecursedandthebroken #books #chloehodge #bookish #fantasybooktok #romantasy #romantasybooks #booktok ♬ Enemy – Epic Version (from Arcane League of Legends) – Samuel Kim
Hi Chloe! So thrilled to have you here for an interview today! So tell us about your publishing journey and how The Cursed & The Broken went from first idea to finished novel on our shelves!
When I started Vengeance Blooms, I remember feeling so overwhelmed with everything involved with self-publishing, but I’ve found my rhythm over the years and this amazing bookish community! My first series is an epic YA Fantasy with a very Tolkien-like feel, but this new book is vastly different as my reading tastes have slowly morphed in the last few years.
It was my heritage that gave me the idea for The Cursed and the Broken. I am part Hungarian and I wanted to pay homage to my grandad, so the story began with exploring my roots and learning about Hungarian folklore. I also knew I wanted to write about witches, so it became a labour of love that grew into this multi-headed beast with enemies to lovers and so many other fun tropes. What I loved about this process was being able to drop breadcrumbs from my own life—memories with Hungarian foods, learning new phrases, and combining such a rich culture with a fantasy setting. Everything else fell so readily into place and the story just blossomed from there.
Of course, a story is just that unless you have a brilliant team to assist with covers, editing, formatting, etc, but it really does take a village to get a book out and I’m so grateful to everyone involved, including you, dear readers!
Since you’ve written several incredible fantasy novels now, has anything about your writing process changed since you started?
Not really, surprisingly! I work with a skeleton outline, but mostly I like to fly by the seat of my pants and make everything up as I go along. Despite me being the one writing them, it often feels like the characters are the ones pulling me along some days! I’ve had some of my most enjoyable scenes play out like this.
It’s sometimes nice when the characters do the work of writing themselves 😌👌🏻 What are some of your favourite tropes to write?
I adore writing found family tropes! That has remained constant throughout my books, but with TCATB I’m serving all the tropes, it seems! Enemies to lovers was a challenge for me. It’s my favourite trope, but it’s so far from my reality that it was hard to embody in this fictional world. In saying that, I’ll be writing it again! I also thoroughly enjoyed doing the one bed scene and incorporating an arranged marriage into the story. They’re just so fun and have so much potential to use in any book!
The tropes here were glorious (and also must admit found-family is my favourite too!) Now what was your favourite thing about writing Kitarni?
For me, it was the moment she realised she didn’t need anyone’s permission to grow and become the best version of herself. Kitarni was bullied and treated indifferently in her village for so long that she’d accepted and believed she was unworthy and unloved. It takes going through certain events for her to break out of that and realise she deserves so much more. It’s walking that fine line of bitterness and forgiveness that leads her to growth.
I loved building on that and seeing her work through her insecurities and fears to accept all of herself and become the badass b**** she was all along!
It’s really amazing seeing her take control over her fate 🙌🏻 Can we get a sneak peek secret about the sequel?
For those who’ve read the book, you’ll have felt the sharp and bitter sting of a plot twist! Well, I can promise that someone has lots of explaining to do and there miiiiggght be some more saucy, possibly angry, spicy sex to make up for it.
I can also hint that Kitarni will venture somewhere new in the sequel and let’s just say, it’s not the liveliest of places. You will also be able to spend more time with other loveable characters like András, Margit, Eszter, and Lukasz.
Looking forward to the return of our faves, that’s for sure. And lastly! What are some of the best author moments you’ve had?
Honestly, just engaging with bookies! I’ve made some lifelong friends, had some hilarious discussions, and have found so many amazing new books. I love connecting with readers who truly *felt* when reading my books, and it’s a pleasure to connect over stories.
One moment that stood out was seeing my book in physical stores like Dymocks. It felt surreal seeing my work on a shelf alongside so many talented authors. If you’re a self-pub author, yes, this can happen!
Okay, one more and then I’ll stop, but lastly, it’s seeing art. I’m a visual person, so to see my characters or worlds come to life is just mind blowing! Holding a beautiful book—my beautiful book—in my hands for the first time is surreal and will never get old!
Congrats on your new release, Chloe! So excited for everything in store for Kitarni, Dante & everyone!!
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