Not for me. The writing was just a little more stilted and juvenile than I typically see, even in this genre. I often even overlook writing thats less polished (esp in romantasy) if the atmosphere, characters, or storyline have that page turning compelling quality, but this just fell a little flat for me.

<i><b>”Do not let them break you, Aelie.”</b></i>

<blockquote>Thank you to the author for this arc! 4.25 rounded up for gr and because: the vibes. I binge-read this despite it being a week of finals for me hehe

<u>NOTE</u>: before picking up this book, you will NEED to read the <a href="https://kwfosterauthor.com/#history-of-moriana">History of Moriana</a> blurb from KW Foster’s website. It’ll ensure everything makes sense, as this is an extremely fast paced romantasy! <i>Do NOT scroll to the next blurb about character info until you’re about halfway thru the book; it contains spoilers.</i></blockquote>

Aelie is our 30 year old traitorous queen with an extremely unique gift, which you’re introduced to up front. From royalty to mind-ripper for hire, she struggles with mental health issues, ptsd, relationship trauma, and addiction. Be sure to read the content warnings before diving in, but I really loved seeing all of this represented in a fantasy book! Babes is also bi <3

The mmc’s are equally flawed and beautiful (team Tharan 👀). It was refreshing to not endure a miscommunication trope at any point; they all acknowledged each other’s shortcomings and reacted accordingly based on their own character. Also, forest magic?! Sign me UP.

This is the first installation of a new adult romantic fantasy trilogy, with a very fast-paced plot and a satisfying ending that leaves readers ready for book 2!

Going into this it seemed like it was going to be a bog standard fantasy romance, Think SJM or From Blood & Ash. The most obvious reason is the title, and the description screamed it too, so i thought i knew exactly what i would be getting myself in for.
The plot sounded really interesting, and it seemed like there were a lot of unique aspects to the book too in terms of powers, magic, and world building. Unfortunately it all fell a little short for me.

The pacing felt really off the whole way through, like no plot points had been fully thought out and finalised. It really felt rushed, with things either not being explained as much as i would have liked, or immense detail given to the most mundane things. It all felt kind of thrown together,

Just like with the pacing being inconsistent, so was the fmc. It seemed like she couldn't fully commit to any choices that she was making, which infuriated me to no end.

All in all it felt like the author was trying to tackle too many huge plot devices instead of focusing on, and perfecting one. It left things being very rushed and confusing, and overall hard to swallow which bordered on un-enjoyable.

I feel like some things could have been benefited being left till book 2, to have a bigger impact and make things less confusing.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me after 41% through.

The pacing felt a bit off for me and the main reason was the content, please look into the triggers before going into this book. It just wasn't for me and I could not finish it.

Another great debut!! I could tell from the first few chapters that I was going to love it.
This is the second book I've read recently with a love triangle and I am OBSESSED.

I was given this book as an ARC for my honest review. Let me start with OMG! I was hooked immediately and tried to squeeze reading in every chance I got. THE EPILOGUE!!!!! I was dying and screaming inside. Talk about a cliffhanger. I can’t wait for the next book to come out. This was fantastic. I will definitely be reading this one again. This is one I can’t wait to have on my shelf!

I thought the plot had a lot of intrigue and the cover is so pretty, but as I was reading I felt confused with the world building and the political system. I felt the pacing was off and we were just bouncing around a lot. I think the characters had a lot of promise but the flow of the story just felt jarring.

In the end I didn't finish it but I still think the story has potential

Sorry but this book wasn't the one for me , I truly wanted to feel connected with this book but I felt , it was lacking something . The arc was provided by Netgalley , and honestly the world building wasn't done properly .

sorry but DNF-ED

I liked the concept and the many courts, it made the world feel really big and detailed. I found the back and forth choices regarding the romantic side of the plot confusing and a little jarring at points, I just wanted our FMC to make a choice and live with it.

The betrayal is a hard pill to swallow given how much the characters sacrifice during the story. Tharan is a confusing character as well, he seems genuine but he also has an edge of secrecy that feels like he has hidden motives, which I’m sure will be explored further in the next book.

This book was really enjoyable! I’m not a fantasy reader, however, this book delivered.

It follows Aelia who crosses paths with her ex Caiden. Caiden begins to tell Aelia that he has found some new information on her sister who has been missing for 5 years!
Caiden looses all his memories of Aelia! They begin to grew closer as the story unfolds to then declaring their love for eachother and Aelia then erases all memories of Caiden!

This is a very crazy ride but I just loved loved it!! I am so excited to learn that this isn’t a stand alone!!

I enjoyed this book! This is a good read for anyone interested in fantasy & romance. Bonus for those that are interested in a love triangle or second chance.

When I first started this, I will admit that hearing the names of the different courts and territories was very confusing. I couldn’t piece together what the structure of this world was and wanted to understand their magic systems as well. I wish that I had read The History of Moriana on the author’s website before I started this as it did help clear up some of the confusion. I heard that this may possibly be included on the final print, which I think is a great idea. I also suggest that you check it out on her website regardless, before the book releases!

This story was very fast-paced and at times I felt like I blinked and missed something. I would go back to confirm that I hadn’t missed anything, and I didn’t. I do wish there had been more character/relationship/world development so it didn’t feel as rushed at times or leave me with more questions. I think ultimately I just wanted more!

All of that aside, I had a good time with this read. I admired Aelia - a flawed and relatable older FMC working through her trauma. I definitely want to know more about her past. I can’t wait to reread when officially published and to see Aelia’s journey in book 2.

Please note that there are some sensitive topics including drug use/abuse/addiction, emotional trauma, physical trauma.

This book has potential but the world building was extremely lacking and every scene was so fast that it was impossible to focus. The last 20% of the book was probably the best part because it felt actually focused for the first time.

I wanted to like the main character but she was all over the place with her feelings. As for the other characters, for as long as the book was, I feel like I learned almost nothing about anyone else.

Trigger warnings for: drug use, alcoholism, abusive marriage, emotional abuse, physical abuse,

I had difficulties fully getting into this book, especially with phrases such as “lap up the fresh sanguine” which … just because blood can be described as sanguine doesn’t make it a synonym. The writing leans heavily into style, with ornate, florid phrasing — and sometimes repetitive phrasing with, for example, several characters use the same “single tear trickled down” their cheeks or “tucked an unruly piece of hair behind [his/her] ear”. There are several copy issues, such as: in a chapter narrated by Caiden, the line is: “Caiden buried his face in my hands.”

These are small things, but they do stand out, and not in a good way. They’re immersion breaking; every time I see them I stop to notice them, and then it’s a struggle to get back into the story. Personally, This just isn’t a book that worked for me on a technical, written level.

The plot itself is fine, but the pace is ridiculously fast. They go from planning a heist at a party to the party to the aftermath in maybe a dozen or so pages. The character moments are filled with a great deal of Aelia reflecting on her nightmarish past — which could have been interesting — but it’s always brushed aside to get to the next scene, so there’s no emotional weight to it. These moments, like the party, are there and gone and I’m whisked off to another chapter.

There are moments here and there that almost work; the scepter of the dead, the hints and shapes of the various courts and their politics, the mythology … but it was never given enough time. The book reads like the second book in a series, especially the relationships, as characters mention a past without the book having to show it, all of which makes the romance feel tepid. I have no connection, yet, to the characters; I haven’t seen them grow and change, I’m only seeing them fully formed with every alliance and romance taken for granted, and — as someone who prefers a character-centric book — it just didn’t work for me.

If you like plot driven books with bitter characters going through dramatic motions, you might have fun with this one. I regret that I didn’t. However, I do want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced reader copy

I had a really hard time connecting with this book. The premise of the novel had me very intrigued to dive in. However there were so many elements that fell flat. No world building, Character development lacked to such a degree that I didn't feel invested in any. Many elements of the authors writing style left me scratching my head as some scenes would "happen" but not be explained on page. With more time focused on character development, world building, language terms used in proper context, and overall sequence of what the plot is condensed this novel could have been something special.

Unfortunately a very tough and confusing read. This is the first book in a series. I am hoping for better come next book.

i must be honest, this wasn’t 100% for me. the themes are really interesting, and the whole concept really drew me in. i think the multi POVs pulled me out of the story a bit. i had a hard time following what was happening a good chunk of the time i spent reading. the love triangle was super fun, and i appreciate that the FMC was in her 30s - which i think we can all admit is very rare!!!

K.W. Foster is a brand new author to me, so I was definitely intrigued to start this one. Unfortunately, I just did not connect with this. I didn't love the characters, and I didn't think this brought anything "new" to the Fantasy genre for me. This had a lot of tropes I usually like, but I didn't love the way they were done in this. I think this had potential, but didn't pan out the way I hoped.

I liked its premise and potential, but this book is a bit chaotic. It feels like we started in the middle of the story, like this book is the second book of the series and not the first. There is so much going on in this book that I just don't feel invested in any of it? And there's a love triangle.

Also. Can we talk about the characters' treatment of magical deals? Let's just go around making magically binding deals without a thought in the world. What could go wrong? These people make magically binding deals like hot cakes. Whatever happened to "if everything is special, nothing is"? What is someone's word worth if they give it so freely over frivolous but binding agreements?


Content: explicit s*x, drug addicts, smoking, language

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

Firstly, I would like to ask where I can send my therapy bill for K.W. Foster. Because the way this book ended has me very upset.

I was completely lost when I started reading this book. The world building could have been better described. The magic system was not very smoothly described. However, while reading the book some things started to make sense but I was still left very confused by descriptions of their "gods" what "sylphs" and "magus" are.

It seems like so much has happened to Aelia in the past and we get to meet her at a point in her life when she is at her lowest. I feel like we could have benefited from having some kind of a novella that would set the setting for this world and for us to connect with Aelia and all of the other characters we got to meet.

The romances gave me whiplash in the best way. The relationship between Aelia and Caiden was so sweet. I hope they have a happier ending. However I feel like things that happened with Tharan were best for Aelia. They are so comfortable and just in sync with each other. I can't wait to see where things go with Tharan and Aelia.

Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful Arc Netgally and well done writing this wonderful book K.W. Foster.

I enjoyed this book. I assumed with our FMC and MMC, that the romance part of the romantasy happens between them, especially in this case when they were already in a relationship before. Then out of nowhere another guy comes in and steals our FMC's heart. It made it interesting though, the characters were all interesting as well. I do feel like an intro to the world, or more details about it could have been helpful, it feels like you're just kind of tossed in there and you have to figure things out as you go. Overall, it was a nice read and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next one.

The novel's strength lies in its complex characters and the emotional depth of their relationships. The stakes are high, with a blend of magical elements and personal vendettas that keep the reader engaged. As alliances shift and bargains are tested, the story promises a gripping read filled with twists and turns.