61 pages • 2 hours read
Brigid KemmererA Curse So Dark and Lonely
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 51-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 51 Summary: “Harper”
Harper, her brother, and Grey find Rhen close to where Grey wounded him. The monster charges toward them, 10 feet tall and snarling, and Harper is struck with the idea that it’s “terrible and beautiful and somehow entirely Rhen […] yet not at all” (432). The monster plucks Harper off her horse and attacks her brother and Grey. Harper shouts to Rhen, reminding him of the time they spent together. The monster brings her back to the ground, letting her down gently, and then calms, resting his head against her chest.
Chapter 52 Summary: “Monster”
Chapter 53 Summary: “Harper”
In Harper’s presence, Rhen remains docile, and the group returns to the palace to find much of the army has stayed and is ready to fight. The people are amazed to see that Harper seems to have tamed the monster, but Rhen feels threatened by the soldiers, grabbing Harper and flying away. She shouts for him to bring her back, but instead “he lets go” (447).
Chapter 54 Summary: “Monster”
Chapter 54 is one word: “Destroy” (448).
Chapter 55 Summary: “Harper”
Rhen catches Harper and flies toward the invading army, attacking and destroying soldiers until a catapult sends him crashing and Harper flying. She’s captured by a group of enemy soldiers who wound her and threaten to do worse to keep Rhen at bay. Harper’s army arrives, and Grey gets Harper to safety back at the palace, where she passes out. Later, she wakes up to learn the enemy army fled. Her brother brings her outside to where Grey and Rhen, still a monster, wait, telling her how amazing she was and that “mom would be really proud of [her], Princess Harper” (460). He goes back inside, and Lilith arrives.
Chapter 56 Summary: “Monster”
Chapter 56 is one word: “Destroy” (461).
Chapter 57 Summary: “Harper”
Lilith intends to use Harper to force Rhen to do her bidding, but Grey asks Lilith to accept him as a servant instead, offering up his sword. Lilith takes the sword and accepts, turning to kill Rhen. Harper jumps in the path of the blade, and Grey grabs Lilith and disappears to Harper’s world, where he believes killing her permanently may be possible. Pain engulfs Harper, and just before she passes out, a male voice says, “Oh, Harper, what have you done?” (466).
Chapter 58 Summary: “Rhen”
After Harper’s wounds are stitched up, Rhen and Harper’s brother wait to see if she’ll wake. Rhen doesn’t know if Harper broke the curse, if Grey killed Lilith, or even if Grey is still alive. After a long silence, Harper’s brother tells Rhen he’ll kill him if Harper dies, to which Rhen replies, “I will offer you my blade” (468).
Chapter 59 Summary: “Harper”
Harper wakes six days later, amazed to see Rhen in human form. Days pass, and Grey doesn’t return, making them think he’s dead or trapped. Rhen feels like he failed because he didn’t stop the curse and its mess from happening, and Harper tells him not to blame himself because he did many things right. Rhen asks Harper if she loves him. She doesn’t know, but while pulling him in for a kiss, she says, “I'd like to find out” (473).
Epilogue Summary: “Grey”
The night of the fight, Grey brought Lilith to Harper’s world and slit her throat and then returned to Emberfall before he knew if she died. Grey is the true heir to Emberfall’s throne, something no one but the dead king and Grey’s adopted mother should know, but somehow Lilith and the northwest kingdom’s queen found out. Realizing his life and the stability of the kingdom are in danger, Grey flees, telling the woman who raised him, “Grey is dead, Mother. That is all you need to know” (477).
Chapter 51-Epilogue Analysis
These chapters contain the book’s climax, falling action, and resolution, as well as the setup for the sequel. Chapters 55-57 are the climax, bringing at least partial closure to the internal and external conflicts. Rhen and Harper’s battle with the enemy army gives Emberfall’s forces a fighting chance, resulting in the kingdom being safe for the foreseeable future by the end of the book. The confrontation with Lilith offers an end to the curse but also brings more questions. Rhen isn’t sure if Harper’s love changed him back or if killing Lilith undid her magic, meaning that he and Harper move forward into an uncertain relationship. Grey’s sacrifice is the ultimate example of The Benefits and Drawbacks of Loyalty. He is willing to let Lilith destroy him if it means Rhen may have a chance to break the curse, and the fact that Grey tricks Lilith without swearing allegiance to her shows how dedicated he is to both Rhen and Harper. Lilith allowing Grey to cross between worlds at will turns on her here because it lets Grey take her away from what she wants.
These chapters question the true meaning of love. Harper jumps in the way of Lilith’s killing blow to Rhen, a show of love and sacrifice. In Chapter 59, Harper admits she isn’t sure exactly how she feels about Rhen, which suggests that love is not a static emotion. Harper is loyal to Rhen, but loyalty doesn’t necessarily mean love. Similarly, Grey’s decision in the Epilogue shows how much he cares about Rhen and the kingdom. Grey knows that exposure of his identity would undo the progress Rhen has made in keeping the kingdom safe and winning over the trust of the people. Though Grey cares about Rhen and the kingdom and wants to help them, he also knows that staying away is the right thing to do, exemplifying How Misconceptions Lead to Misjudgments. Grey’s choice may be right, but that doesn’t make it the best option. He has been an instrumental force in protecting the kingdom throughout the book, and while the threats have passed for the moment, they will return. Grey’s perspective in the Epilogue foreshadows that he will be a point-of-view character in the sequel, and his situation suggests that the theme of The Burden of Leadership will be explored further there as well.
Rhen’s progression of thoughts in monster form continues to show how he is still himself beneath the effects of the curse. In Chapter 51, Harper gets through to Rhen, which confirms the significance of him recalling her name in Chapter 49. Her presence soothes him, which offers support that her love undoes the curse, rather than Lilith’s death. In Chapter 51, Rhen’s thoughts come in a complete sentence, rather than in single words that describe simple concepts like “pain” and “sleep.” The “destroy” in Chapter 54 is initially misunderstood. Harper and the army believe they have spooked him and triggered him to attack, a fear that is bolstered when he lets go of Harper instead of bringing her back to their allies. In Chapter 55, however, as Rhen flies toward the invading army, Harper realizes that Rhen hears and understands what’s happening around him and that they truly are working together to protect the kingdom. The pair may not have managed to break the curse, but as they might in a game of King’s Ransom, they have figured out how to play a bad card effectively—they are using the curse to their advantage. Rhen’s single-word thoughts suggest that, while he understands basic concepts of conversation, he is mainly driven by instinct, another example of The Benefits and Drawbacks of Loyalty. Rhen has developed a sense of loyalty to Harper and his subjects that is stronger than the curse, and with Harper’s influence, his human loyalty can influence his monster instincts.
In Chapter 59, Rhen still feels like he’s failed the kingdom, despite destroying the invading army and fighting to break the curse. Rhen’s character arc illustrates the dangers of anybody blaming themself indiscriminately, especially if that person is a leader. From the beginning, he has placed blame for the curse on himself, not on Lilith’s deception and choice to place the curse to begin with. He has internalized a mistake so deeply that his ability to lead has been paralyzed, and his lack of leadership harms the kingdom. Rhen regaining control of himself as the monster suggests a true moment of transformation. He is able to take ownership of his mistake and to lead despite it—or, perhaps, to lead thanks to it, as he has now incorporated the wisdom it has taught him into his actions. Nonetheless, his mindset in Chapter 59 shows he is still growing and has much to learn, which sets up for his character arc in the sequel. Similarly, Harper’s brother and his boyfriend are trapped in Emberfall for the time being, meaning they will have to come to terms with life there until Grey is found or another way back presents itself.
