Cursed Princess Club: Season Three - LambCat - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: LambCat
SERIES: Cursed Princess Club #3
GENRE: Webcomic, Graphic Novel.
RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: Still going full-strength! Still recommended as heartily! The subplots are getting deeper now, and the episodes are correspondingly getting longer. This review is for the ENTIRE third season and not specifically for this graphic novel.


NOTE: I'm reading this book on the WEBTOON app, but as Goodreads doesn't have that option, I'll be updating my progress against the graphic novel entries.
The first two graphic novels corresponded with the first two seasons of the webcomic. However, from this book onwards, the paths diverge. This third volume of the graphic novel series is based on episodes 62 to 77 of the webcomic. However, season three ends at episode 106. My review is for the entire third season, so it will go far beyond the content of this graphic novel.


The plot continues from the events of the second season, and should NOT be read as a standalone work. No plot preview, as I don’t want to go into spoilers.

All the feedback I wrote in my review for the two books is valid for this third book as well. The first review highlighted the key themes while the second review spoke of my favourite characters. In this review, I shall focus on some of the special features that elevate the plot from the good to the outstanding.

💖 The core concept of cursed princesses who don’t get a happily ever after, thanks to the spell on them not being broken. Innovative!

💖 The idea of the ‘cursed” princesses being a club for mutual support and independence.

💖 The Easter Eggs that are sprinkled so generously that it is easy to miss a few if you aren’t reading carefully. Even the illustrations contain hidden clues.

💖 The idea of how important self-love is in dealing with confidence issues and mental health struggles.

💖 The twists in the plots that come out of nowhere and yet make so much sense in retrospect.

💖 The subtle jabs at social attitudes, such as how men clamp up at the mention of menstruation or how beauty and brains  aren't supposed to go hand in hand.

💖 The female characters, so varied in behaviour. We have the flirt as well as the fighter, the anxious as well as the overconfident, all in perfect harmony. I love how the book uses even supposedly negative female traits and turns them into endearing features.

💖 The tackling of social expectations and beauty standards, which aren't just about those who don't fit into the assumed beautiful mould but also for those who are considered gorgeous.

💖 The way it constantly made me challenge my perceptions, not just of the characters but also of how I viewed them as per earlier fairy tale clichés.

💖 The multitude of arcs, so rare in a graphic novel. In no way can the plot be called straightforward, and yet all the arcs get equal focus and aren’t rushed.

💖 The balance between comedy and seriousness, which creates an excellent way of keeping readers educated as well as entertained.


The series isn’t perfect, of course; no book ever is. But the balance is overwhelmingly tilted towards the positive side. It is after decades that I have read so many comics within three days. But my interest in the book hasn’t diminished at all. This is turning out to be the most fulfilling and eye-opening series.

Still strongly recommended to all, but read the series in the right order.

4.5 stars.

Onto the final season! I am on track so far with my plan of completing all episodes by the 24th before this becomes a daily pass webcomic. However, the episodes are getting much longer in the final season, with many arcs yet to be resolved. Fingers crossed I’ll reach the finish line on time!

My thanks to the WEBTOON app for this free access to the story!

For your reference: here’s a comparative listing of the episodes on the WEBTOON app and the physical graphic novels.

WEBTOON:

The end.

PHYSICAL GRAPHIC NOVELS:

Volume 1: Complete Season 1, Episodes 1 to 29.

Volume 2: Complete Season 2, Episodes 30 to 61.

Volume 3: Season 3, Episodes 62 to 77.

Volume 4 (To be released in December 2024): Season 3, Episodes 78 to 93.

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