The Cursed Spotlight

Nari lands her first big break when she is selected to perform the coveted Spotlight Solo during the Lunar New Year celebration. However, the spotlight has a curse—every past solo has gone terribly wrong! Even worse, a fire demon dog threatens her band, AURA’s, performance and grows stronger with every doubt. To battle the fear of failure, Nari must rely on the help of her friends and the boy band VORTEX to give her the courage to seize the spotlight. 

After defeating the demons that haunted the school and fed on fear, AURA is back and preparing for finals. After being chosen for the Spotlight Solo, Nari fears the rumors that the solo is cursed and wants no part of it. During the break, Nari invites Tae and Hana over to watch a grand end-of-the-year concert. She also invites Soojin, who reluctantly attends. The girls connect and, when Nari is selected as the performer of the Spotlight Solo, travel back to K-pop Academy to prepare for their performance. Practice is intense, and Nari struggles with the weight of the spotlight. However, it is clear that something is amiss when the girls encounter a mysterious force causing trouble within VORTEX, a boy band making its debut at the winter performance. Nari draws strength from her friends to build her confidence and come face-to-face with a fear-feeding fiery spirit called a bulgae. During the big performance, the bulgae causes Nari to freeze up during a big moment. However, with the help of her friends, Nari pulls through and casts the bulgae out. The performance is a humongous hit, and AURA proves that friendship is always stronger than fear. 

This second installment of the K-Pop Academy Series focuses on Nari, and the shift is effective: she becomes a strong protagonist, given the solo in a big stage performance, and throughout the book she goes through a journey of discovering self-confidence and casting out fear. The other characters also receive more focus and care, as the book takes the time to develop their relationships, so AURA feels more like a real group of friends rather than simply a bundle of characters. The book does, however, seem to undo Soojin’s growth from the previous book—she begins cold and separate from AURA despite the last book’s ending suggesting she’d grown friendlier toward them. Despite this, Soojin is developed into a multi-faceted character, making her interactions with AURA more believable and significant. Overall, the book’s focus on its characters benefits it greatly; everyone gains depth and changes over the course of the story, making The Cursed Spotlight a strong, inspirational read.

The story is much less fast-paced and more focused than the first book, The Stage of Shadows. Its slower pace allows for more character development, especially for Nari. The bulgae is effectively kept in mystery and built up to before its appearance, making it feel more threatening. This time, the mysterious enemy isn’t the focus of the story. Instead, Nari’s struggles to take the spotlight take center stage and the bulgae simply represents her gnawing fear of failure. The creature’s defeat at the end of the book signifies Nari conquering her fear and her growth in confidence. This role fits the book’s focus well, giving the story a mystical element without taking away from its true purpose as a character-driven tale. 

The themes once again center on friendship and casting out fear, with Nari’s journey focused on building confidence in her abilities and trusting that she is good enough. Her friends play a key role in helping her become her best self, and the book emphasizes that one doesn’t have to carry the weight of their anxieties and insecurities alone. It champions friendship as a source of strength and an essential tool for reaching one’s highest potential—a message that feels especially relevant today. 

K-Pop Academy: The Cursed Spotlight expands on the world established by The Stage of Shadows by developing its characters into strong, relatable protagonists, and reminds the reader that perfection isn’t required to succeed—friendship is what makes one truly strong. The improvements to the book’s structure, pacing, and character development make it a step up from its predecessor, even with less action. The Cursed Spotlight successfully builds on the K-Pop Academy series and is sure to continue entertaining and inspiring its fans.

Sexual Content 

• None 

Violence 

• A bulgae enters the girls’ empty room and leaves burn marks behind. Later, the bulgae attacks a group of boys in their dorm. “There was this crash near the window. The glass shook, but it didn’t break. . . when I went back in, the others were on the floor, and something slammed me into the wall.” 

• While in a hallway, Nari fights the bulgae with her daggers. “She moved without thinking. One slash at the glowing shoulder, pivot, second strike from the opposite angle. The blades didn’t hit anything solid like flesh – they sliced through the heat around the bulgae’s body, sending sprays of sparks across the wall. The air burned her exposed skin, but she kept going. The fire dog reared back. . . It swiped a paw through the air, right where Nari’s head had been a split second earlier.” She eventually defeats it using her voice. The scene is described over four pages. 

• During the big Lunar New Year performance, the bulgae returns when AURA is on stage. Together with the boy band VORTEX, AURA uses their voices to defeat it. “Together they lifted the chorus again. Their hands painted arcs through the air and a shimmering blue afterglow trailed behind them. . .The bulgae stumbled backward, flames drawing inward. Its shape shrank, folding in on itself until the inferno peeled away.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• None 

Language 

• None 

Supernatural 

• The Spotlight Solo is said to be cursed. Whoever gets the solo freezes on stage and loses their voice. The girls think demons cause it. “Anyone who gets the Spotlight Solo fails out or transfers the next summer. . . maybe demons hate solos.” 

• The girls encounter a spirit called a bulgae. It is a fire dog that feeds off fear and makes the singers freeze on stage. 

• Soojin mistakes a bird for a demon. 

• The bulgae’s energy is connected to the stage lighting system, causing the lights to flicker when someone shows fear or doubt. 

• During the final performance, the bulgae possesses a street dog and is exorcized using their voices. 

Spiritual Content  

• Demons are not referred to in a religious context. 

by Brent Krueger