Book Review: All The Queens’ Curses by Alyssa Hollingsworth

[ID: a blue and white book cover with an illustration of a young man with dark curly hair in a suit and a blonde young woman in a dark blue bonnet and Regency gown dancing with a dark haired young woman in a white dress and bonnet peers out at them from a white mirror or reflection. A dark, haunting figure looms in the background with yellow eyes. The book sits on a bed of loose book pages on a gray wooden floor with a piece of white lace draped across the top. Fake white roses frame the left side of the photo with a knotted dark blue ribbon at the bottom. A dark blue and white flowered tea cup with a white rose inn it sits to the right with more white roses. At the top of the photo there’s a spool of dark thread with a pair of vintage silver scissors in the shape of a bird.]

Happy Disability Pride Month! I’m thrilled to kick off my celebrations with a review of one of my MOST anticipated disability reads of 2026: ALL THE QUEENS’ CURSES, releasing August 11th! Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy!

Summary: Chronically ill and abused by her new stepfather, Princess Kit finds solace in her kind stepsister Catharine, until Kit’s mother, the queen, strikes a bargain with the fae. They swap Kit’s ailing body for Catharine’s to change their fates. Kit and Catharine embark on a quest to break the curse that takes them north to another kingdom where they meet a prince whose also under his own fae curse…

This book is near and dear to my heart as Alyssa Hollingsworth was one of the first chronically ill bloggers I read as a teen. Seeing someone with a similar chronic illness was so, so special to me and was one of my first introductions to the disability community.

When I heard she was finally publishing a YA fantasy based on her experience with rheumatoid arthritis, I was over the moon! I’m relieved to say that ALL THE QUEENS’ CURSES completely delivered on my high hopes!

This book made me cry and clutch my heart more than once. It’s a beautiful interpretation of Scottish fairytales with a lovely Regency fantasy setting. At times, I was nervous how the portrayal of chronic illness would come across as for most of the book Kit believes it’s a curse. However, the way the plot threads came together in the end was simply stunning.

I was obsessed with Kit’s character journey, the fairy tales elements, and the sweet romance. Family ties and romance carry equal weight here and it makes for a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Fair warning, however, this book contains discussion and descriptions of abuse, mutilation, PTSD flashbacks, and panic attacks.

ALL THE QUEENS’ CURSES gave me all the emotions and deserves all the stars. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start reading it again to dig deeper into the plot and savor the characters. This is definitely going on my all time favorites list!