Emma may have become the Green Witch for her land of Greater Greensward, but the position came at a price: her beloved Aunt Grassina has fallen prey to the family curse, which stipulates that after each female in the family line turns sixteen, even touching a flower will rob them of all that is good and positive, turning them into a vicious, selfish, ugly witch. Emma has no intention of seeing this happen to her, so she decides it’s time, once and for all, to break the curse. After all, she’s come into control of her magic after the frog incident, been named a Dragon Friend after embarking upon a quest to save Grassina’s fiancé from life as a woodland creature, and outwitted all manner of dangers already. How hard can this be? With the aid of her bat friend, L’il, and her best friend/potential future husband Eadric, Emma utilizes all of her resources to discover the exact origin of the curse. But it won’t be easy: first she has to take a trip back through time, to unravel family history from centuries ago, without actually changing her own past. Then she’ll have to track down and placate an angry fairy harboring centuries of bitterness. Finally, she’ll have to confront her aunt and grandmother, both victims of the curse, both extremely powerful witches without an ounce of kindness left in them. But can Emma break the curse, or will she be doomed to a life without flowers, and possibly without love?

This is actually the third in a series that began with The Frog Princess and Dragon’s Breath, and it provides a highly satisfying conclusion to Emma and Eadric’s story. Once again, Baker has taken many classic fairy tale elements, and woven them into a highly original, entertaining story, featuring strong characters and an unpredictable plot. Once Upon A Curse is the perfect payoff for anyone who’s followed Emma this far, and I actually found myself hoping we’ll see more of Emma and Eadric in the future. I’m sure their propensity for adventure will bring them back into the spotlight sooner or later.