Truth Cursed
In Angie Dickinson’s fantasy novel Truth Cursed, a girl on a mission of vengeance uncovers deep secrets about her country.
Due to a curse inflicted by her aunts when she was a child, Cressida is unable to lie. Her curse poses a new challenge when she discovers that the finishing school her aunts sent her to is a front for a rebel spy group interested in exposing the secrets of the kingdom—secrets that could be connected to the murder of Cressida’s parents. After training in both etiquette and espionage, Cressida and her classmates are sent on their mission in the royal court, where Cressida works to uncover the royal family’s secrets without revealing her own and putting her team in danger.
The book balances the personal and political stakes of Cressida’s mission well. She is driven by a desire to avenge her parents, but as she investigates at the royal court and learns about different magical powders that used to be mined in the kingdom, a much broader sense of justice motivates her to continue to dig deeper. Several twists in the story make all those around her seem untrustworthy at one point or another, building tension as Cressida gets closer to uncovering the truth.
The irony of Cressida’s being a spy who cannot lie sets up an interesting exploration of what truth and trust entail. When Cressida experiences a shocking betrayal, she realizes that she can trust one of her allies when they lie on her behalf. She also discovers secrets on her mission that she believes are best not shared.
A girl who is unable to lie becomes a spy and investigates her kingdom’s hidden history in the twisting fantasy saga Truth Cursed.
Reviewed by
Julia Dillman
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