This was such an interesting, unique, quick read!

I do have mixed feelings about it though...

Okay. First, let me just say that this is one of the most original, beautiful and interesting fantasy world / main character I have ever read about. It was all so fascinating and I loved it! Peeraphan's history and character development as she uncovered her powers, the myths, the folklore, the action, the flying, the suspense, it was all great.

Sadly though, I didn't enjoy the romantic aspect at all. It actually made me want to cry lol, I just wanted to love it more! Because there was sooo much potential, the world so amazing, the obvious research that went into it, but it was overshadowed by the love story. Actually, I think this is the first time I can say the Romance aspect ruined the story. *cue sobbing*

*** slight spoilers ahead ***

I just couldn't understand, fathom, relate or like the insta-love and the main characters's interactions. It all felt rushed and cringy. Finding and falling in love with your "beloved" in less than 24 hrs is a stretch in my opinion, even for a paranormal romance type of setting. I wish we went a little longer and deeper into this supposed connection they had.

That being said, the book is told in 3rd POV, switching between the main characters and a few secondary characters. I loved this setting of having different supernatural beings interact and work together and seeing thir own take on situations and how different they were. They had an upbeat voice, I did like the banter, all the growth, camaraderie and fun the entire group developed as a whole.

3.5 stars (but it could have been more!)

I will try the author's other work in the future, as I find her world building so original and refreshing.


*eARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a honest opinion. Thank you!

The food descriptions were good. Probably some of the best I've read.

Other than that, I felt nothing besides annoyed with the main characters. The first 5% of the book focused on how special and attractive the main characters were, but it never become clear why exactly they fell in love with each other. There was a lot of exposition that did not improve the further I got into the story, and a lot of internal dialogue that felt preachy and overly concerned with proving that the characters were all moral and good. Some parts felt like I was reading a self-help book.

There was also no real urgency or stakes. I'm still unsure at what point she got rid of the cursed shoes because I spaced out towards the end. Unfortunate, because I was very excited to learn about Thai mythology, but even that aspect felt very superficial.

First off, I have to say that this book cover is just gorgeous! This is the first book that I have read by Piper J. Drake and I really can’t wait to see where this series will go!

I have not read any Thai folklore before and I really enjoyed this one! I feel like this is a great foundation to the world that Piper is building but would have loved to get a little more description and history within it. I would have loved to get to know the side characters a little more and how they all have come together. I really enjoyed the secret organization with the magical artifacts and the paranormal creatures.

I did enjoy the main characters and would have loved to learn more about their background. Punch is such a strong, honest FMC. I am all about the romance and hope that the next book has a little more spice to it.

Overall, this is a really great start to a series! There were some slow parts to this book but then I felt like the end seemed to be rushed a bit. Looking forward to the next book!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬…
Thai Mythology
Multi POV
Paranormal Romance
Urban Fantasy
Insta-Attraction
Slow Burn

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebook & Piper Drake for the ARC of this book for my honest review!

I tried so hard to get through this one and I failed. I needed more world building. It was 50% almost and I still didn't know why anything was the way it was.

While I was unable to read this entire book before my eARC expired, I think I read enough to say that this is a fun, unique, romance. It dives into lots of different mythologies which I found really interesting. If you like paranormal romances then check this out!

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

This book was just okay. It had some nice moments, and the storyline was well thought out. Nothing really stood out to me, and I had a hard time staying interested. It just fell short of what I think it could have been. All of the pieces were there. The world building worked well, and I did enjoy the different supernatural beings involved with the story.

Overall, I do think it could be a good setup for more to come. I might be interested to see where this series might go.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Yes - read it.

I loved Sarah J. Maas ACOTAR series! So I just saw Sarah Maas and that is what got me to read the book. Which this book isn't as good as - in my opinion. But it could be spot on for Crescent City by that author & I wouldn't know (Crescent City was referenced in one description).

And there was something that even reminded me of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Again, not as good but a very satisfying fix - if you know what I mean!

That being said, if you are a fan of either author, I think you'll enjoy the read. It's got all kinds of supernatural goodies crammed in what looks to be the first in a series.

I liked the characters! I am very interested in the upcoming books to learn more about them & see what adventures are to be had.

I received an ARC from Netgalley to help me prepare my honest review.

I had high hopes for Wings Once Cursed & Bound. I was excited for a fantasy with Thai mythology woven in and a strong female protagonist. Unfortunately, I felt like the pacing was off for much of this story, with so much happening so quickly that it felt hard to believe the emotional responses of characters. The romance felt rushed, especially in the midst of a life-saving rescue mission weekend and it was hard to stay feeling connected to characters with so much going on. I felt like there was a lot of potential here, and I enjoyed parts of the story, but it just didn't quite deliver for me.

Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake is a story that you will not want to miss out on reading. It has not just Thai mythology, but other folklore and mythologies tied into it as well. I love how the author wove them all into the story and did such a wonderful job doing so. There were a few spots where I found it difficult to continue on as I lost focus in the story, but overall, it was a very enjoyable read to me as I was introduced to a new mythology.

I love the main characters Peeraphan, who goes by Punch and who so happens to also be a Thai bird princess, and Bennett, who is a vampire. These two are sooooo good together! They talk through issues that arise and I love that Peeraphan calls Bennett out at times. I enjoyed how open minded, kind, and independent Peeraphan is and I love the growth that Bennett went through. I also really enjoyed the side characters as well!

If you enjoy books that have folklore and mythology woven into them, romance, vampires, werewolves, dragons, found family vibes, among other tropes that I can't think of at the moment, then you should pick this one up and read it. See if you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Wings Once Curse and Bound may be the most surprising fantasy romance I’ve read so far this year.

Admittedly, I was fully prepared for this to be shit which makes somewhat of a difference (don’t ask me why, I think I’ve just been let down a lot by hype with some recent releases) Still! I was impressed by what I got in this book. The use of lesser well-known fairytale elements and nonwestern folktales as inspiration made this way more original than I was prepared for it to be. The story was unapologetically grim in its telling, which I loved. We also got surprising well formed characters and a (mostly) healthy romantic relationship! Utterly refreshing!!

Honestly this absolutely could have been a knockout, I just have to dock a couple points for the writing. The narration, in my opinion, was occasionally lacking a clear voice. At other times characters motives or scenes were over explained. Everything would be flowing, until suddenly you’d be yanked out of the story and beaten over the head with a recap of what was going on. Really the characters and story were well developed enough that the narrative could have been trimmed way down and ended up more enjoyable! I’ll chalk that up to this being the first of a series. It’s a little frustrating at times though.

I’ll contain any more back-handed compliments and wrap this up. It’s a little rough at times but I did thoroughly enjoy this book! I really look forward to seeing what else Piper J Drake has in store!!

This is secret society out to save the world (think League of extraordinary Gentlemen) meets all the supernatural creatures you can think of. There are Vampires, Side, Flying Fae, Werewolves, Witches and more. What makes this unique is we add in some Thai lore. Our main character, Peeraphan, is a Kinnaree, a mystical Thai bird princess.

The story starts when Peeraphan, also known as Punch, receives a beautiful pair of red dance shoes. Turns out the shoes are cursed and Bennet, the vampire, and the consortium he is a part of have been looking for the supernatural artifact. The story takes a turn for all of them when Punch is not affected by the curse the way she should be. Off they go for a way to break the curse.

From there we have kidnapping, a rescue, magical powers revealed, friendships (and romance) forged and adventure.

What I liked:

-the characters were each well nuanced and added their own flare to the story.
-the self analysis of Punch and her journey to self acceptance was a major theme that was a win. The scene in the cave where Punch faced her truths was a beautifully written way to present it.
-the world building was well done. It laid a solid foundation for what's to come.
-some good girl power (does anyone still say that?). Punch is feisty yet flawed, doesn't hide her opinions and questions where necessary even when her world has been tipped upside down.
-the additional of the Thai folklore and myths gave it a really unique edge. I want more.
-Bennet's struggle to find vulnerability, to love again and not compare the two women who were able to steal his vampire, immortal heart.
-the curse of the red shoes. It felt like something out of a children's fairy tale - the creepy Hans Christian Anderson kind - and I am here for it.

What missed for me:

- all of this takes place in like a weekend. Besides being exhausted trying to accomplish it all, the level of trust and intimacy between the characters, even when in crisis, felt a bit forced. Punch's life had been turned upside down and inside out and it all felt too easy.
-the romance went from 0 to everything in the blink of an eye in the last couple chapters. Even though it was clearly hinted at earlier, it felt like an afterthought that exploded in the back end of the book.
-there were a few scenes that felt like wasted pages - all the description of how lovely Punch's bath was for example - when there was so many directions to go with the story and the characters. There were a few scenes like that and I felt like they took the pacing off the rails just when it was taking off at a good clip.

Overall, there were parts that were great and there were parts that felt like the thoughts weren't quite finished. I liked it enough that I'll be keeping an eye out for the second instalment.

Unfortunately not for me at all, couldn’t hold my attention and the characters fell flat for me, too many flaws in plot that could have been caught. Not my cup of tea

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

I really liked this book! I found the plot so intersecting and loved the characters. I will give a more in-depth review soon, but I wanted to go ahead and get my initial impressions out. Definitely pick up this book!

I enjoyed this book. It's not heavy on the fantasy and world building, and it was an easy read. I think it was a great introduction into what seems to be a duology and/or series.

I do wish that the book had delved deeper into the Thai mythology it is based off of, and it is my hope that it will be further developed in the upcoming book(s). I found some aspects a little hard to believe (aka falling in love in a day), MCs reaction to certain events and some of the writing a little weird (reaction to seeing the main characters erect manhood) but overall nothing that other fantasy books haven't done.

Overall it was an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book.

I requested to read Wings Once Cursed and Bound as I was interested it the Thai mythology it explores and it was refreshing to read a fantasy romance with such a unique plot. The characters were like able and fun to read about. Overall it was a solid series opener that I would recommend to others.

Reading this book reminded me so much of the TV show Angel. Bennett, the caring Vampire, had such similar vibes to that character I would highly recommend this book to any Buddy fans!

DNF'd at 35%. Had a hard time getting into the story and thought the MMC was not my cup of tea. I loved that the character was of Thai origin and that the folklore of the Thai people would be weaved in, but I think it just fell flat.

4⭐ 1🌶️

Wings Once Cursed and Bound was my first Piper Drake book and what a place to start! I really enjoyed this epic start to what I’m sure will be a captivating series. The mythology woven into the story had me utterly hooked and the world building was so fascinating and unique. The characters were so eclectic and inviting and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes them. My only complaint was that this is written in third person point of view, which I tend to have a hard time connecting to, though it’s truly just a personal preference and I’d still absolutely recommend this book to friends.

Both Peeraphan and Bennett were fantastic and I really enjoyed their banter and chemistry. Peeraphan was such a kind and caring soul, while still showing some backbone and calling Bennett on his nonsense when needed. And Bennett was the delicious vampire boyfriend I didn’t know I needed but now can’t do without. Tragically broken by his past but unable to resist Peeraphan, I simply couldn’t adore him more. Not to mention his sweet little “bromance” with Thomas…I don’t know if I’ve read an enemies to friends storyline but I’m absolutely here for these two as well.

I tandem listened/read this on audio and e-book and Cindy Kay did an excellent job. Both her male and female voices were spot on and I’ll certainly be looking for future books she narrates moving forward.

I usually love Piper J Drake's books. Her romantic suspense books are awesome and I can't put them down once I start them. So I was excited when she announced that she was doing a PNR book-I couldn't wait since PNR is my go to for most of my reading! And while I really wanted to love it, it was just ok for me. I felt like I was all over the place in this book, and I wasn't even quite sure what was going on at some points. The Thai mythology was cool, especially as I knew nothing about it. The romance portion of it just didn't gel for me. It almost felt like it was shoved into the story in order to be labeled as a PNR book, and honestly, it didn't really add anything for me. All of the pieces for a great story were there, they just didn't come together as I had hoped. So for me, it was just ok while it has the potential to be great!

Peeraphan is a self-taught dancer inspired by her Thai heritage to create her dances. When she puts on a pair of beautiful red shoes that are meant to kill her, and doesn't die - she piques the interest of a secret organization that investigates mythological artifacts. Bennett is the de facto leader of the organization and after preventing Peeraphan's kidnapping by another more sinister organization, she is brought into a world with vampires, werewolves, and fae (oh my.) This is more an urban romance than a fantasy romance and I overall I enjoyed the read. I will definitely be interested in further stories in the series (hoping for a future witch, kitsune throuple.) I loved the addition of South Asian mythology and look forward to more exploration within the diverse world. While I enjoyed the banter between the characters, as well as the side characters, the story could have benefited with more world-building, but a good first entry in a new series. I would recommend to readers who enjoy the Hollow series by Kim Harrison or Chicagoland Vampires/Heirs of Chicagoland series by Chloe Neill.

Prior to reading this book I was unaware of folklore and mythology within Thai culture. It was a lot of fun to go down a rabbit hole of learning about it. This story was an inventive way to bring classical fairytale, Thai folklore and paranormal character into one story.
My only critique is I just wish we had a little more world building to fully convey the beauty of the story. But, does a good job giving a wide range of characters to help set up later books and maybe an opportunity to further the world building.