I was first drawn to this book by the stunning cover. Then I read the premise for the book and was intrigued by it. This book was amazing and I was happy to escape reality and be transported to this magical land. The world building and characters were well formed and gave you a vivid description so you could envision it as a movie played out in front of you.

I have never read a book about Thai folklore so that added a new dimension to the book. Punch puts on a pair of red shoes and her life is forever changed. These shoes are cursed and are to compel the wearer to dance until their death. Bennett is there to watch her dance but is shocked when she sits down and wonders how she can do that. He is there on a mission to get the shoes.

The relationship that grows between Bennett and Punch is beautiful as they both share their truths and get real with each other. Punch figures out who and what she is is and learns to be comfortable in her own skin. She finds friendship, love and a purpose.

I loved this! Very well written and a great beginning to world building! I want to know more about the consortiums and other supernaturals therein!

Wings Once Cursed and Bound
Ahhh the beginning of a new mystical series. Joy!

This is the perfect first book to introduce you to a series. It gives you background into the myths that will be part of the stories. It has intrigue. It has wonderful characters. It completes one story line, dangles the next one, and gives you a taste of what is to come.

I adored this story. Peeraphan is a strong female main character that is bold enough to withstand a curse. That is curious enough to talk to a dragon. That is brave enough to speak her truths. To face them. To survive. To fall in love. Peeraphan has such joy, curiosity, wonder, and awe. She brings us on this wild ride that could be scary, but is mostly magnificent.

I can't wait for the rest of the Mythwoven series!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess

The kinnaree

And no matter the cost,

I will be free.

Peeraphan Rahttana lives her life in Seattle, unaware of the complicated magical world spinning just beyond the shadows and mist...until a violent clash outside her dance rehearsal has her literally whisked off her feet. Her darkly brooding rescuer, vampire Bennet Andrews, claims to represent a secret organization dedicated to locating objects of myth and magic, tucking them safely away where they can do no harm—but he's too late to save Peeraphan from a deadly curse.
Wings Once Cursed & Bound
by Piper J. Drake
Pub Date: 11 Apr 2023

Yet Peeraphan isn't what she seems. Wings unbound, she's a Thai bird princess of legend...and while the curse won't kill her outright, it's only a matter of time. Determined, Bennett sweeps Peeraphan deeper into a supernatural world far beyond anything she ever imagined in a desperate bid to find a solution...and an explanation for the powers even she doesn't know how to define.

Her world may have changed overnight, but Peeraphan knows one thing for certain: she can't go back to living as a human anymore. Not when she's felt what it's like to fly with Bennet by her side. She's determined to keep her wings and her freedom...and defy anyone who would try to take them from her again.

What would you save if the world you knew disappeared

And you could open your eyes to what exists just beyond?

Wings Once Cursed and Bound is as confusing to follow as its title. Half the time I couldn’t follow what was going on. There’s too many “storylines” and too many supernatural characters to sort out. It mostly revolves around Peeraphan, a woman that is coming to grips with the fact that she’s a kinnaree, a supernatural being known only through Thai mythology. Then a pair of red dancing shoes appear at one of her practices for a performance, and naturally she can’t resist putting them on-because in addition to this having all kinds of paranormal elements it also has to have fairy tale elements as well. Then a couple of vampires get in a fight over her, and she, curious about being around another “not” human and unable to get those pesky shoes decides to let Bennett, the lesser of two evils, feed on her and then take her back to his home. Which is filled with other antisocial supernatural creatures that apparently work for a dragon collecting valuable items. Oh but the shoes just have to come off, so let’s harken off to a cave (magical, and in another dimension, of course) where Peeraphan (who also goes by Punch off and on throughout the book) can try and get the shoes off. Meanwhile Francesco, the other vampire, is still lurking around, not done with Peeraphan just yet. And if there isn’t enough going on for you already, there’s a romance brewing between Peeraphan and Bennett that’s being stunted by Bennett’s trauma of a past lover not wanting immortality so she could live forever with him. Does your head hurt yet? Are you completely lost as to what the point of this book was yet? If so, you are not alone my friend. I feel like I’ve given up hours I can’t get back, and wish I hadn’t given them up in the first place. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

Though the story was fairly good, it felt very Y/A and I didn’t quite connect with it. The writing was also kind of difficult for me to wade through. I would recommend for those that enjoy the twilight series.

I did not like this at all- right away it gave me twilight vibes. I don’t like insta love and that’s what this felt like. The premise of this book seems good but there is just some complexity missing. The whole red shoe aspect was so silly to me.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper J. Drake is a Thai-inspired fantasy romance that is extremely original. The story revolves around Peeraphan, a Thai bird princess. She lives in contemporary Seattle, keeping her powers and magical nature under wraps. One day, while in a dance rehearsal, she encounters Bennet, a vampire from a secret organization. Peeraphan has been dancing with cursed red shoes, and Bennet wants to save her from them..

Here is an intriguing excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Peeraphan's point of view:

"Peeraphan Rahttana closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, letting her senses expand until she was aware of every dancer waiting in the wings, of every stage tech behind the backdrops. It was a part of her warm-up when she was onstage, a way for her to get a feel for the people and space around her and prepare for the performance to come. She bent at the hips and reached forward until her fingertips brushed her pointed toes, stretching her muscles as she extended her awareness in a way those around her couldn’t—past the empty rows of seats and outward into the halls beyond until she was aware of every stir of air within the theater, of every warm breath taken and given back.
And sensed one presence entering the theatre that…wasn’t drawing breath. A person, walking across the front hall who didn’t need to breathe.
That couldn’t be good."

Overall, Wings Once Cursed & Bound is an adult fantasy romance that will appeal to fans of Jennifer Armentrout's From Blood and Ashes series or Raven Kennedy's Gild series. One highlight of this book is the focus on Thai mythology. I've never read a Thai-inspired fantasy before. In fact, I can't remember reading any books with Thai characters. It was super interesting to see a new mythology in the fantasy space. Another highlight of this book is how the chapters from dual perspectives were written in third person. First-person dual perspectives is a major pet peeve for me, so I appreciated that. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy romance in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

Before I even begin my assessment of this book, I want to take a moment to address something. I wish publishing companies would stop - comparing their authors. I think each author has a unique ability without comparison to other authors. Each author's story is different, and unique in characters and world-building and I think comparisons should stop there. I get it that some of the stories may have the same sort of world-building but these stories do not overlap each other. This story is one that does not feel or seem like something Sarah J.Maas or Jennifer Armentrout would write. It may be something similar but all stories have different paths and this is one of them.

Just my opinion on the matter. :D Now for the real review of this book.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The character development was absolutely great. I could see each character grow on their own causing their personalities to shine brightly but never overlapping each other. The world-building was amazing and I loved how richly the mythology and 12 dancing princesses fairytales were woven into the story. This book was actually a fun read.

Not everything is going to be perfect in the first book. I never expect it and I am quite sure the second book will be just as amazing as its first. I am really looking forward to seeing how the next book connects.

10 stars! Adventure, folklore, curses, witches, vampires, and fae - complex plot with interesting characters, and the addition of Thai myth and cursed objects. A bit of romance intertwines and keeps things interesting. Creative and engaging, hope to see more!

Wings once cursed and bound is about a young girl punch finding herself. She’s at an odd in between point in her adult life, trying to be independent. Until one day she is offered a pair of red shoes that will change her life. The shoes don’t come off and they compel the wearer to dance until death. A vampire, Bennett shows up to claim the red shoes, take them out of the mortal world so they cannot keep killing. Their connection changes everything. They both go on a journey together for their changing life and to get the red shoes off punch. They learn more about what they are in their own lives and their own growing relation on the quest to remove the shoes. This is a beautiful novel about Thai folklore. The characters are bold and speak their mind. The alternation of chapters is always a favorite for me. Seeing their relation grow was nice it was a slow burn. The truth punch learns of herself was just as sweet and heartfelt and the friendships she built. This is an arc from NetGalley and sourcebooks. Releasing in April.

She is a Kinnaree who accidentally puts on dancing shoes that apparently are cursed and now she’s entangled with a handsome vampire who is willing to do anything to get the artifacts from her and maybe steal her heart along the way. Peeraphan “Punch” Rahttana is a dancer in Seattle, but her secret is that she is actually a Thai bird Princess known as a Kinnaree (wings included and animal guardians too). When she tries on beautiful red shoes she knows she feels something off but she doesn’t know what, until a dark and brooding vampire appears who claims to be part of a secret organization dedicated to locating objects of myth and magic to make sure they don’t harm anyone... except now the shoes are stuck on Peeraphan, and the curse is very much active and attached to her. Bennet now has to retrieve the artifacts from Peeraphan without killing her and free her from the curse, as well as keep other artifact hunters from going after her. Peeraphan finds her quiet life in Seattle now completely upturned as she is thrown into the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves, fae, and so much more, and she is now searching for answers on what she is herself. Yet the more time she spends with Bennett the more their connection and chemistry grows and despite the fact that he is definitely not available they are drawn to each other. Can they break the curse before it’s too late or will the shoes fulfill the curse and kill her? This is the first book in a series and I had fun with it. It definitely was a fun read and I enjoyed the romance between Peeraphan and Bennett. I can’t wait to see where the next book goes and what new adventures or characters are introduced!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I had high hopes for Wings Once Cursed and Bound, especially with the comparisons to SJM and JLA. But this story did not work for me. The pacing and writing style didn’t hold my attention enough to finish. DNF at 27%

The narration of the book is off. When it presents something interesting, it loses the reader with unnecessary information that works as a distraction. I read 1 interesting fact and then a bunch of information that had me skipping pages because I just wanted to keep on reading the dialogue.
I loved the fact that the story touches on Thai culture but the book lost me early and I just couldn't get back to it.

A beautiful story with such diverse folklore and characters!

The book starts off fast and you will instantly be drawn into the story. However I did find it peters off and takes awhile for the story to move forward from there.

Really cool concept. Loved the Thai mythology and use of various fairy tales and mythical creatures. However, this just didn’t click with me like I really hoped.

I don't think I will purchase this for our collection. It was a bit all over the place for me. I think the first few pages had me roped in but I lost interest really fast,

Thank you for allowing me a preview of this title. After trying a few times I was unable to connect with the story and the author's writing style was not my cuppa tea. I wish you all great success.

A thrilling fantasy. I was hooked from the beginning. So glad I had the chance to read this and love this!

Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

I am from Southeast Asia, so that was why I requested this book. The premise and concept were really interesting However, the dual POV wasn't so good. I couldn't differ their POV. The spicy part was enough and not really too much.

Enjoyed it.

I really liked this one. The premise and mythology are fascinating and in-depth and really immersed me in the story and the characters.

I also really enjoyed the romance element of this book. It felt a little fast in places but was well-written and I really liked the connection between Bennet and Punch. It was impactful and lovely. Punch reacts so stoically throughout the novel, she is very unphased throughout everything that is thrown at her but instead of being boring it works with the story and is just so very intrinsic to her character and personality. The side characters are a diverse bunch of people/creatures and it works very well.

Overall this is a fun, well-thought-out novel and I'm keen to read more from this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.