“Wings Once Cursed & Bound” is a fantasy novel that captivates listeners with its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and the evocative narration that brings the story to life. In its audiobook format, the story is greatly enhanced, allowing listeners to fully engage with the richly woven tale of magic, myth, and adventure.

The story follows Peeraphan Rahttana, a woman who discovers that she is a descendant of mythical creatures and possesses extraordinary powers. As she grapples with her newfound identity and the responsibilities it entails, Peeraphan embarks on a journey that challenges her perceptions of herself and the world around her. By skillfully blending elements of Thai mythology with contemporary settings, the author creates a unique and compelling narrative that stands out in the fantasy genre.

The narration of the audiobook is particularly noteworthy. The narrator’s performance is captivating, with distinct voices for each character that add depth and personality to the story. The pacing of the narration is well-suited to the plot’s twists and turns, maintaining a balance between moments of tension and introspection. The narrator’s ability to convey emotion and nuance enhances the listening experience, making the characters' struggles and triumphs feel more immediate and real.

Overall, "Wings Once Cursed & Bound" is a standout audiobook that combines a beautifully crafted story with exceptional narration.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

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"Wings Once Curse & Bound" by Piper Drake is a captivating contemporary fantasy that takes readers on a thrilling journey into a magical world filled with mystery, danger, and romance.

Peeraphan Rahttana lives an ordinary life in Seattle, unaware of the magical realm that exists beyond the shadows and mist. However, everything changes when she is swept off her feet during a violent clash outside her dance rehearsal and rescued by the darkly brooding vampire, Bennett Andrews. Bennett reveals that he represents a secret organization dedicated to locating mythical and magical objects, but he arrives too late to save Peeraphan from a deadly curse.

As Peeraphan grapples with her newfound identity as a Thai bird princess of legend, she joins Bennett on a desperate quest to find a solution to her curse and unravel the mysteries surrounding her powers. Along the way, she discovers a world far beyond anything she ever imagined, and she realizes that she can never return to her ordinary life as a human. With Bennett by her side, Peeraphan embraces her wings and her freedom, determined to defy anyone who tries to take them from her again.

"Wings Once Curse & Bound" is a spellbinding tale of adventure, love, and self-discovery. With its richly imagined world and compelling characters, this novel will enchant readers from beginning to end. If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas's "Crescent City" series, you won't want to miss this bold and captivating fantasy by bestselling author Piper J. Drake.

Some cool ideas, but the overall story lacked originality in a genre that is already pretty saturated. I wish they had delved into the Thai aspect a bit more. Might be great if you are new to romantasy.

Thank you Piper Drake, NetGalley, and Dreamscape media for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 2
Narration - 4
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 2.8

"My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess
The kinnaree
And no matter the cost,
I will be free."

This was a really fresh entertaining story!

Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper Drake had great moments throughout but it wasn't for me.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I tried. I really did. But something about this narrator really turned me off to the story, and I unfortunately could not get into it and had to DNF it. That being said, I do think that this story sounds interesting and if I read it as opposed to listening to the audiobook, I think I might enjoy it.

Good idea. But this book was not for me. It did not hold my attention at all. Too much going on but not in a good way at all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
- I loved the Southeast Asian mythology woven into the story! I do wish we got to know more about the Kinnaree. That part was very interesting, but unfortunately we weren’t given a lot of information about it.
- The book started off fast-paced which instantly drew me into the story, but the rest kind of fell flat. I did enjoy the worldbuilding aspect of it.
- I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book being told in third person, but I did like the multiple POVs.
- I didn’t really connect with the MMC, Bennett. He just seemed… bland. I loved Punch tho! She was feisty.
- This book read more like a YA fantasy book than an adult paranormal book. There was a bit of romance and spice toward the end, but it felt rushed. Overall, their relationship just felt a little forced and insta-love.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me a copy of this book.

Loved everything about this book! The Vampires, the lore, and the beautiful writing and narration. Piper is an author to watch!

The narration was great. The story was compelling. I wish the romance hadn't been so insta-lovey but that's a personal preference. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free copy.

I'm going to be honest, Im not 100% what I just listened to? Ok so maybe it's me being a new fantasy lover that needs to be physically reading a book to help navigate the world building for a better understanding.

The Thai mythology aspects of this were really intriguing and with having no prior knowledge of it, it kept me on my toes and trying to work out where the story was going. This is incredibly fast paced, the entire plot taking place at just over 24 hours? I mean, this moves fast and has a lot going on. It felt a good intro to the world and while I'm curious where it'll move from here my expectations need to be adjusted. This didn't quite feel the Maas and Armentrout in the 'epic fantasy' sense but far more suiting with an urban fantasy baseline.

Thank you so much for letting me listen to this audiobook. I am still not sure what I should think about this story. But it was nice to listen to.

At first this book was pretty interesting and I liked that it started with the character getting the shoes immediately so it feels like the danger is there.

Unfortunately, as time went on I grew kinda disinterested and bored. The danger of the shoes seems like it was very much downplayed. They said things that they were dangerous, but the way it came across in the book seemed rather tame. There was a reason behind it due to her not being totally human, but that was one of the reasons I was interested in this book in the first place. I liked that there were so many magical/paranormal creatures. It had a big variety that I think they will expand upon in the the rest of the series. I liked the foxes even though we only caught a glimpse of them.

You also don’t really get what the FMC’s powers are or what she is. Her kind is shrouded in mystery and that’s probably on purpose, but it just felt like she said “my powers” and you don’t know what those are.

The romance and spice was fine. But that’s the issue. The book was just fine and it went downhill a smidge. Also when she is in danger in one scene it seems like she gets out of it so fast and easily it seemed weird.

Overall it was fine, but I’m probably not going to continue the series.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I liked this more than I initially thought I would! Wasn't a fan of the basically "insta-love" but it still kinda worked for the story. There was a lot going on and the pacing was hot and cold but it was a decent read overall and I would be interested in more! The narrator was good as well.

Big thanks to piper Drake and Netgalley in exchange for a review.

There is a lot going on in this story. Vampires, Ruby slipers, swan princesses, witches and moral compass tests.

I like the idea behind a wide variety of 'other', or supernatural but there wasn't a decent connection to tie them all together. It had a piecemeal feel to it.

I enjoyed the discovery aspect of the story and the growth and confidence Peeraphan gains.
She was never given a chance to be herself, she was in a shadow. Until she took herself out of it.

3 stars.

I took the time to try and listen to this book several times but I had a hard time getting into, or rooting for, the characters. The initial connection between the main characters was hard to believe in. And it was crazy how he "felt protective of her" from the getgo. I would love to read this again with a few edits, because right now it feels like a Kindle Unlimited book.

I really enjoyed this world building. This whole story was done really well. The characters learning the truth of themselves to survive and how it can make you stronger or crazy.

The characters had good chemistry and love the bromance that vampire and werewolf had.

The plot was really well done. If there isn’t a next story I am happy however I would LOVE a squeal. This story was magical.

The first fantasy novel in a series is always hit or miss for me. This one comes in right in the middle of the pack. There were really great parts of this story, where the story moved along at a quick pace and the characters and story were engaging. There were also parts of this story where I found my attention drifting as the story wasn't as engaging. I would definitely read book #2 so I can see where Piper Drake takes the story and these characters.

I enjoyed Cindy Kay's narration of this novel and I will look for future books narrated by Cindy.

It wasn't my type of reading. I think (at least via audio) this would be great for the "mysterious dark hot guy and innocent girl" type of readers. I honestly don't have a rating.

sad to say that this only ended up being 3 stars.

Such a promising start!
Thai American dancer Peeraphan ends up with a magical artifact on her feet when she first meets Bennett who has come to retrieve said items. Things don't exactly go as planned and as she is still wearing the shoes and clearly not as human as he'd originally thought, he ends up taking her with him wich kicks off the rest of the plot.
And then all the interesting things stop. There is the meeting of the rest of the secret organization he works for, lots of sitting around and talking. Compared to the widely more interactive beginning, this boring part drags on and on. It's also where the initial flickering of interest between Peeraphan and Bennett died for me. Bennett is just - a very boring person. There is barely a personality under his vampire skin and their attraction takes a very straightforward A to B route.
Peeraphan in comparison has a little more to her character and I can appreciate a level-headed, calm personality where we often find women who are TSTL but it does not save the actual story. The plot surrounding her identity and the myth associated with it was not actually as important as I'd wanted and the resolution of the plot was underwhelming.

That said, it's also not terrible or overwritten in a way other fantasy romances have been. The audiobook narrated by Cindy Kay was well done and would be my suggestion if you would still like to give this a try. Maybe vampires do it more for you than me.