Book Review: Truth Cursed by Angie Dickinson

March 4, 2025 Celeste Comments 0 Comment

Truth Cursed by Angie Dickinson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Truth Cursed was billed to me as Black Widow by way of Ella Enchanted, and that description honestly isn’t far off. The opening paragraph immediately put me in mind of Ella Enchanted, both in tone and in the condition of our main character. Also, while I’ve never read the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger, I have a feeling this novel would scratch that same itch. There was mystery and suspense and intrigue, with a dash of romance thrown in. Honesty was contrasted with open communication, appreciation for one’s abilities contrasted with acceptance of oneself. But while there were some important themes, couched subtly within the story, it was the story itself and the development of its characters that kept me turning the pages. It was such a fun, romp of a tale.

Cressida Hoth has been cursed by her aunts to never tell a lie. Which would be quite the burden in the best of circumstances. When those same aunts decide to send her to a finishing school for young ladies, Cressida knows she’s embarking on an “adventure” that is sure to be a trial to everyone involved. Especially to herself.

But it turns out that there is more to Miss Tepsom’s School for Gently Bred Young Ladies than meets the eye. Beneath its innocuous surface, Miss Tepsom’s school is concerned with churning out more than elegant young ladies: this school specializes in moulding spies. Cressida is thrilled at the prospect, until a stomach-churning conundrum presents itself:

“How could someone without the ability to lie ever become a spy?”

This is one of those stories that could really only work through first person narration. Thankfully, Cressida’s voice was an engaging one. She’s a compelling, sympathetic character, dealing with real hardship and real reasons for inner turmoil instead of merely being plagued by reasonless teenaged angst. Which meant that I wasn’t annoyed by her, even when she made some wrong decisions.

The school year were blown through fairly quickly but, while I was left wanting more, it also didn’t feel rushed. The dynamics and relationships built here are integral to the rest of the story. While I enjoyed the other characters for the most part, only one person besides Cressida really stood out to me: Emric. Emric is a great romantic interest. He’s kind and respectful without being a pushover. I liked him instantly, and that affection deepened every time he stepped onto the page.

Truth Cursed is just a strong, steady story. It’s well written, with solid pacing and interesting characters. There’s intrigue and mystery at its heart, both of which were well presented and never overplayed. It was totally clean in terms of content. There was even a very light element of faith that proves to be pretty important to the plot. And it wraps up beautifully, though I would happily read the further adventures of Cressida and Emric. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut, and I’m excited to see what Dickinson puts out next!

This post has been part of the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour for Truth Cursed.