All the Queens’ Curses by Alyssa Hollingsworth – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Love outlasts curses, princes, and fae.
YA book title: All the Queens’ Curses.
YA author: Alyssa Hollingsworth.
Genre: Young Adult/ Fantasy/Folklore/Fairytale/Romance.
Published by: Rock the Boat.
ISBN: 9781836432876.
Recommended for children aged: 12+.
First published: Paperback August 2026.
This YA novel is ideal for: Teens and young adult readers who enjoy folklore-based fantasy, with a touch of romance and emotional depth. Fans of Holly Black’s Cruel Prince and Wicked King, Allison Saft’s A Fragile Enchantment or Marissa Meyer’s Gilded.
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Our review:
On the mainland, Catharine, daughter of the wealthy and powerful King Byrne, and her stepsister Kit prepare to welcome Prince Idris, Catharine’s betrothed. Catharine has led a privileged life in the castle, unlike Kit, who has been burdened with a cruel wasting disease and a stepfather who takes an unhealthy interest in her every move. Kit’s mother, who resents Catharine’s charmed existence, is determined to save her only daughter, to protect her from the king’s abuse and her relentless pain, by striking a bargain with the fae that swaps the two princesses’ bodies.
Idris, upon meeting his future queen on the night of his eighteenth birthday, is more taken with the humble, authentic Kit, sensing her anguish and hidden pain. Yet he carries a secret of his own, revealed to him by a mysterious fae visitor sent to collect on a long-forgotten debt. Idris must decide whether to pass his family’s curse to his younger brother or shoulder a weight carried across generations, even if it costs him his life.
Horrified and desperate to return to their own bodies, the princesses flee their home for Idris’s realm. As the story unfolds, each of them faces choices that will reshape not only their own futures but also those of their loved ones, choices that may ultimately determine which curse gets broken and which one doesn’t.
Our verdict:
All the Queens’ Curses is a brilliant retelling of Kate Crackernuts, a lesser-known fairy tale rooted in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, given a slightly darker edge. With classic folklore features of castles, fairies and princesses, the book tastefully addresses themes of abuse and chronic illness. Through the body-swap plot, Hollingsworth draws on her own experience with rheumatoid arthritis and the trauma of being disbelieved about her own pain, handling both with real sensitivity. Its exploration of familial relationships between parents and children and between stepsiblings, alongside its budding romance, should resonate with young adults navigating the shifting demands of the people in their own lives.
With its steady pace, compelling plot and touch of romance, this is a superb read for any young adult.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
Teaching Points
Chronic Illness and Responses of Others
- Kit’s pain is dismissed as a ‘curse’ rather than taken seriously as an illness for much of the story. This illustrates how invisible illness or pain can be dismissed by others and how others have differing responses to the illness, depending upon their relationship and insight.
The Cost of Fixing Someone
- Kit’s mother’s decision to swap the princesses’ bodies, without consulting Kit or seeking her input, highlights how making decisions on behalf of someone else can have devastating consequences, despite good intentions.
Inherited Burdens and Generational Curses
- Prince Idris and Kit carry the burden of their families’ decisions. This reveals how expectations and obligations can be passed down through families and what is required to break the cycle.
Recognising and Responding to Abuse (may not be a suitable theme for some age groups)
- All the Queens’ Curses shows how abuse within families can remain hidden or ignored and how fear and denial can enable the power of the abuser. It highlights the importance of believing others and supporting those who may be being harmed.
Book Club Questions
- If you could swap bodies with someone for a day like Kit and Catharine do, who would you choose, and what do you think you’d learn about their life?
- Kit and Catharine are stepsisters, not related by blood, but their bond feels as strong as any sibling relationship. What do you think makes their relationship so close?
- Idris has to choose between passing on his family’s curse to his brother or carrying it himself. Do you think he made the right choice? What would you have done?
- How did your feelings about Kit change once you understood what she was really going through, both her illness and her home life?
- Kit’s pain is often dismissed or explained away as a curse rather than something real. Can you think of ways people today might have their pain, feelings, or struggles dismissed by others? How do you think it feels when that happens?
- All the Queens’ Curses explores the idea of breaking a curse but also the cost of breaking it. Do you think some things are worth a difficult sacrifice? How do you decide?
- Kit’s mother makes a huge decision to try to protect her daughter, but it affects Catharine too. Have you ever had someone make a decision for your own good that affected you in a way they didn’t expect? How did that feel?
- The story deals with a difficult topic: a stepfather who mistreats Kit. Without going into detail, why do you think it might be hard for someone in that situation to ask for help? Who are the trusted adults you could go to if you or a friend needed support
- All the Queens’ Curses is based on a real Scottish fairy tale called Kate Crackernuts. Have you read or heard other fairy tales that deal with hidden identities or transformation? How does this one feel different?
Many thanks to Rock the Boat for the review copy.
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