ARC Review: Curse Bearer #2

To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth

Publication Date: September 16, 2025

Summary from NetGalley:

A funeral. A heist. A desperate mission.

When Dymitr is called back to the old country for the empty night, a funeral rite intended to keep evil at bay, it’s the perfect opportunity for him to get his hands on his family’s most guarded relic—a book of curses that could satisfy the debt he owes legendary witch Baba Jaga. But first he’ll have to survive a night with his dangerous, monster-hunting kin.

As the sun sets, the line between enemies and allies becomes razor-thin, and Dymitr’s new loyalties are pushed to their breaking point.

Family gatherings can be brutal. Dymitr’s might just be fatal.

ARC provided by Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley for an honest review.

Confession:

I really enjoyed reading this second novella in the Curse Bearer series. I didn’t know when I read the first book, When Among Crows, that there was going to be more. So I was thrilled when I saw that it was going to be a trilogy. I just love this dark urban fantasy based on slavic folklore.

I just adore all three of our main characters in this story, although we don’t see much of Nico in this one. Both Ala and Dymitr are such strong characters. They are fast becoming friends while Ala teaches Dymitr how to survive in her world. Nico is also a very strong character who has to make the choice of doing his job or losing Dymitr. All of them go through so much in this story, and the issue of trust is still palpable between the three of them. I also just love this version of Baba Jaga, she is so wise yet so horrible at the same time.

We also get to see a little bit more of Dymitr’s sister, Elza. Her growth in this book was well done. She truly loves her brother and wants to understand why he has changed so much. She is just beginning to see that what her family has always taught her about the ones they hunt, may not be true. It will be interesting to see where she lands when this is all over.

The story was very well done. It starts a little bit after the events of the first book. Dymitr is adjusting to his new life, but still misses his sword. Seeing him with his family was hard. You could just see how much he loved them still, even now that he realizes just how horrible they all are. The themes of betrayal, vengeance and the ideas of what makes someone a ‘monster’ are all handled well. We learn alot more about the Holy Order of Knights in this book and it was interesting. They have built their Order from a mishmash of religions and magic, but have used it all to destroy others. The action toward the end was intense and there is some torture which could be uncomfortable for some, but the ending was great, even if it was a cliffhanger.

I have really enjoyed this series so far and am really looking forward to reading the next book. If you like dark urban fantasy, especially those based on slavic folklore, this is a series you should really consider adding to your TBR.