Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I would give the book 3.5/5. I finished it in a day and couldn’t put it down but sometimes things happened too fast I felt like they were explained so quickly.

The story line is intriguing and I connected with Aelia and her struggles. Love Tharan and I wish we got to know more of him. I would read a whole book just about him.

The epilogue had me anxiously awaiting the next book.

ARC REVIEW

A Curse of Breath and Blood
Rating: 🌟⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

This was just such a good read. I absolutely loved it. I loved the banter and the character development. I loved the world and the lore. I loved Tharan most of all. A great, face-paced read with an older (30yr old) FMC who is broken and hurting but shows such strength despite it all. Cannot wait for more!!!

I feel like there wasn't enough development of the fantasy setting for me to really visualize what the world looked like. It often feels like the lead female has slept with, or will sleep with half of the characters introduced in the book-- which would be wonderful, but in addition to a lack of worldbuilding, the author often tells you straight out how the characters are feeling instead of showing how they feel. I got to the mermaid-type ex named Ursula before I finally called it quits. A more deft author could pull it off, but Foster isn't there yet.

Absolutely loved "A Curse of Breath and Blood"! This fantasy romance debut had me hooked from the first chapter—I wished I could ditch all my responsibilities just to keep reading 😊. It’s a perfect blend of 'A Court of Thorns and Roses', 'Six of Crows', and a touch of 'Lord of the Rings'. The feeling this book gave me is exactly why I adore reading fantasy.

Aelia is a fierce main character. As a telepath, she can enter minds and alter memories, leading to some heart-wrenching moments. The world-building is incredible, with different courts, magic, epic battles, and side characters I loved—Amolie and Roderick are the best! Tharan, who started as a side character, grew on me and now I can't wait to read more about him.

The dual POV storytelling with a surprise chapter kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing is beautiful and descriptive, making it easy to picture everything. Heads up, Aelia’s journey involves dealing with addiction, so be aware of the trigger warnings. The story touches on heavy themes like sacrifices and loss, but Aelia’s character development was inspiring. From a traitorous queen to a commanding ruler, her growth was incredible, and now I desperately need book 2 after that jaw-dropping epilogue 😫.

Tropes:
❤️‍🔥 Love triangle
❤️‍🔥 One Bed
❤️‍🔥 Mind Magic
❤️‍🔥 Second chance romance
❤️‍🔥 Morally grey FMC

𝒜 𝒞𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝐵𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐵𝓁𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝒜𝑅𝒞
unfortunately, this was a 𝑫𝑵𝑭 for me.
I did like that our FMC was thirty, and I also liked that she had a vice. Seeing our MCs struggle with addiction just adds a certain 𝓳𝓮 𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓼 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓲, in my humble opinion.
That being said, right from the get-go, this felt like a second (or even third) book in a series, not an introduction. There were so many characters, relics from the past, old friends & lovers introduced by the fifth chapter that my head was spinning (and not in a good world-building way, I still knew nothing of the world or who Aelia was).
While I can see that it may not be fair to abandon a book five chapters in, my time is limited and I’m learning it’s perfectly acceptable to stop reading when I know something isn’t for me. I should know by the fifth chapter whether or not it is something that I will actually enjoy reading or not, and this one was a no for me. I know people WILL enjoy this book, it’s just not for me.

I thought this was a really good debut. I was a huge fan of Aelia and the fact that she was 30 years old. It made me believe all of her past trauma and suffering more than the usual 20 year old. FMC we usually get. There was a good bit of action and the court politics were intriguing. I liked Caiden and I know he was her first love and all, but Tharan. just hit different for me. I hope that she chooses him in the end. Speaking of, I did think this was just a one and done book but the epilogue has me thinking otherwise. Can’t wait to see more of this series!

"Don't let your past control your future"

Wow. This story had me gripped from the very first page. I really loved the fact Aelia, our FMC was 30. It made her past trauma's and the person she is now, seem a lot more realistic.

I loved the world and the politics between the courts in this story. The different regions were so magical and well described. The characters were all fantastic. The FMC was so raw and vulnerablem, I would've loved a bit more insights into her past and what lead to these events but i'm sure that will come in other books.

I am not normally one who enjoys a love triange, but between Caidan and Tharan, i did not mind, at all! Both of these love interests were perfect and I honestly cannot decide who I want her to end up with. I am a sucker for first loves but the way Tharan was with Aelia, felt so special.

As this is an arc, errors are to be expected, there were a few spelling mistakes and names in the wrong place, for example, when Caidan say's his wifes name he says Trinity rather than Cassandra. I do love dual POV in books, they're my favourite type to read, however in this it kind of felt like an afterthought. Jumping from the 1st person view of Aelia, to then 3rd person of Caidan, didn't feel necessary. I love dual POVs as you get to see into both sides of the characters and how they're feeling, whereas Caidan's chapters just felt like it was still an Aelia chapter. I am sure with some more edits this book would be a 5 star for me!

Overall, this is a 4 star for me! The world building, the courts, the characters and creatures all felt unique and so interesting and I cannot wait until the next book!

This felt like a second or third book in a series; too many things happened simultaneously.
A debut book into a series introduces the world to the reader; instead, after the prologue, chapter 1, five years later!
I couldn’t care less about the main character because who is she? What happened in those five years that led to her ending up in a mess?
Regrettably, the book fails to provide essential chapters that could have fleshed out the main character more, I couldn't to connect with her.
Sadly, It’s not the book for me.

A curious title for a curious book, “A Curse of Breath and Blood” has more of the latter as we tumble across a path destined for chaos and retribution.

Overcome from a history of abuse our heroine, if you can call her that at this stage, Aeila lives out her days as a mercenary whispering sweet nothings and drowning her sorrows in whatever is closest when her past catches up to her brining back old friends, lovers and enemies looking to save her sister. Forced to reconcile her pain and come face to face with the monster she leans on who she can and has to trust those perhaps she shouldn’t leading to a showdown only the dead can rise from.

I really liked our main character here, she was very real in the way she coped with her pain with both highs and lows of that cycle to find herself after so much torment. She was very true to her word when given and companions when called upon making any of her setbacks or failures easy to forgive because her heart was so pure. The romance department was not lacking and I was a bit nervous going into it at the beginning but over the course of the story found my self pleasantly surprised and excited to see what comes next.

The world building was nice with the only touch of ACOTAR like similarities being that of the ‘courts’ even still they were different and I again rather enjoyed those places as new and not replicated.

There’s a rather strong plot line that I am eager to see through to the end and I think it’s going to hurt but the best stories always do.

*special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review*

2.5⭐️

So, first off, this could be an amazingly great book, If there was more detail and more back story for the characters. There were names just thrown at the reader with very little background to them. There are so many magical creatures and races with very little explanation on some, and most don't need to actually be in the story because it serves nothing to the plot. There are some grammar issues, and sometimes, the wrong name is used. I did enjoy the book, but I felt like the ending was rushed. I'm not a fan of immediate love, like in the end. This book has soooooo much potential. It just needs to have a little more attention to it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aethon Books, and K.W. Foster for an E-Arc. This is my honest review.

4.5/5 stars 1.5/5 spice
Oh my god wow, what a story! I read the blurb and thought this book is going to be interesting, but what I didn’t expect was the depth of emotions portrayed along side the fantastic world building. This story drew you in and the tension and hatred turned lust in do many of the pages was irresistible and so hard to put down. Yes it is heavy world building with magic, hierarchy, and heavy on memories of the past it doesn’t feel daunting like other fantasy books.
Now to the parts that were just stunning to read such and the depth emotional turmoil and growth. K.W does not shy away from the difficulty of addiction and poor coping strategies that are so common and relatable. A lot of books that touch on addiction simply just gloss over it and then suddenly the person is all better but the deep descriptions of withdrawal and craving are so visceral and raw. The side characters were also perfection providing love and encouragement during times of need in a way only a deep rooted friendship can.
K.W. So eloquently describes the loss of a loved one. Wanting to hold on to pain because even if it hurts it still allows you to have that person. I didn’t think this would hurt my heart as much as did during a fantasy novel. Overall great read and I will be impatiently waiting for book two.
Aelia Springborn has made many mistakes that have led her down a dark path breaking minds for the highest paying creature. Haunted by her past regret she numbs the pain and dives into the psyche of others to destroy. When her past catches up with her in the form of her past love Caiden Stormweaver,she must go on a mission that includes destroying her former husband. Unable to take the pain of love lost the two scorned lovers come to an agreement, complete the mission and Aelia will erase every memory of her from Caiden’s mind. When lost and past longing come back with vengeance can these two fight the lust complete the mission and part ways without causing too much damage. Prepare yourself for high stakes fantasy combat in a Six of Crows meets A Court of Thorns and Roses.

I was able to snag this book a few months back after following K.A.Foster on Threads. She genuinely seems like such a sweet, down to earth person! Anyway, this book had me hooked from the beginning. I was instantly drawn to it after seeing that it was 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' meets 'Six of Crows' vibes. It had a lot to live up to with those, but it did not disappoint! I don't want to give out any details, but the FMC was bada**. Aelia is a telepath that can see into minds and alter memories...like whaaaat! The writing style is descriptive, well written, and dual POV (my fave). I cannot wait to see if there will be a book 2!!

Such an emotional book! I really loved reading about an older FMC/characters. There was no silly little high school dialogue. It was deep and serious, and somewhat relatable when Aelia was thinking back on her youth and reminiscing.

The world building was good! I feel like so much happened in this first book, we met so many characters (some not relevant, but they were introduced like they could be!) and traveled to quite a few locations, so I did keep having time re-read to make sure I was following correctly where we were at. The magic and politic aspect were well-written and I enjoyed seeing the different strengths and abilities each character had.

This book was extremely emotional. Aelia was very strong, but very lost and tormented. It was sad to read about her struggles and self-loathing when you just want her to be happy 😭 the ending just sealed the fact that her life may never boring as Amolie would say.


Thank you so much for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review! I’m looking forward to the next book and other books from this author.

I think this book has a ton of potential. It just needs some fine tuning and maybe a little more relationship building to make it more cohesive. But I loved the story line and I could see where the journey was taking me. It’s got really good vibes. I loved the fantasy aspect and world building!

Typically I love a fast paced book, but the pace of this made it hard for me to follow. I felt like we jumped from one thought to another or one subject to another with minimal segway. I’d often be confused about how one sentence related to the next, only to realize we were moving on to another topic completely. I feel like it could have flowed better if it was fleshed out a little more or if there were more breaks (chapter break, scene break, etc.). This did get better later in the book but the middle 40-50% was rough.

The interactions with Aelia and the two love interests, Caiden and Tharan, felt awkward and almost forced. The book said more than showed that there was attraction or tension. There was a lack of build up of lingering looks, or other literary foreplay… we would just jump into an intimate scene. This in itself was really abrupt because her interactions with the love interest were so uncomfortable and formal, like they barely know each other, and then suddenly he is thrusting his co** in her cu** (not even kidding those are the chosen terms).

Aelia is supposed to be an older protagonist but she felt really young to me…

We got random pieces of information and I would feel like I was missing something. For example “their faces red, not from the cold but from the sheer number of bulls’ testicles they consumed.” as though that was a logical explanation for their faces being red—which, unless I missed it earlier in the book, I have no idea why that indicates a red face and there was no further explanation.

The overall storyline was actually very interesting and it was unique to have a protagonist dealing with an addiction—I don’t think I have ever read a fantasy book like that before. However, in my opinion it could use some polishing.

⭐️⭐️ This one was not for me. Maybe with more work and good editing, but not the way it is now.

I was looking forward to discovering this debut author. The cover was pretty and the description of the story checked all of my Romantasy boxes. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting through the book and almost DNF'ed it on multiple occasions.

⚖️ Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. The premise of the story is interesting and the characters are great. The first and last 10% of the book were actually very good. With some TLC, this could be a good Romantasy. It's just not release-ready, in my opinion. It felt more like I was beta-reading a work in progress, where the writer is jotting down her ideas, one after the other, rather than reading an ARC.

🏃🏻‍♀️💨 "That escalated quickly" seemed to be my most frequent note while reading. Most scenes are short, rushed, choppy and disjointed. It skips from one scene to the next, from one emotion to the next. The bones are there and there's definite potential for something magical, it just needs fleshing out. I felt detached from the characters and the events surrounding them.

🌎 World building: There is SO much going on with very little explained to the reader. Avoiding massive info dumping is good, but you have to give the reader some insight into the world you created and the races / creatures / monsters we come across, within the pages of the book.

🤦🏻‍♀️ Discrepancies and errors in the story: A few rounds of editing could help with the various discrepancies. Multiple times I had to go back and reread past content, to make sure that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. There are too many errors within the storyline for me to enjoy myself.

📚 Series: Book one in a series

🎬 Ending: HFN (happy for now) / Cliffhanger in the Epilogue. I'm perfectly fine leaving the series and not reading book 2. The MFC and one of the MMCs have a HFN type ending, even though the epilogue leaves you with a cliffhanger on what's to come in book 2.

📝 Writing: 1st (FMC) and 3rd (both MMcs) person POV in the past tense. I always get confused when it skips from 1st to 3rd person POV. I prefer 1st person POV all the way.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Characters: FMC in her early 30's but she reads as if she's in her early 20's. She starts off as a mercenary who's got mental health and drug addition issues, which make for a darker type of FMC. Both MMCs are great, both kind and caring and loving.

Spice: 🌶🌶 for the presence of descriptive sex on page but I'm tempted to put 🌶 seeing the scenes are short and lack sexual tension, making the scenes mechanical and dry. If you're not into reading descriptive sex, skip ahead 2 to 3 paragraphs and the characters will be fully clothed and discussing attack plans 😉

⚠️ Triggers, warnings, audience: Drug addiction, mental health issues (self-loathing), suicidal thoughts, mental abuse, physical abuse (implied, not on page), violence, descriptive sex on page

This was a really good read, I enjoyed it and the premise, however, I found a good bit of problems that interfered with my reading experience.

First and foremost was the head hopping. It started around 35% and just continued from there. And while I don’t mind head hopping, it’s an issue for me when it’s labeled as one person’s POV and we’re decidedly not getting their POV.

Second, the way the characters’ attitudes and personalities seemed to do like 180s throughout the story. I completely sympathize with Aelia and all she went through and while I don’t condone her using drugs as her escape, hey, I get it. Everyone has their vices. But the way Caiden acted towards her was so hot and cold my head spun. One second he’s hating her and the next they’re having sex. It literally came out of left field and it just didn’t make any sense.

There were some minor errors and stuff like that but it’s an arc, so it’s kinda to be expected.

Third, major continuation issues. Characters were said to have done or were doing things but it was never mentioned them doing said things. It led to me flipping back and forth between pages to try and figure out if I missed something or not.

Spoiler alert: I didn’t.

Like—after Aelia and Tharan (my sweet boy) made their deal, where did he go? Cause next time we see him is at the Court. So when and where did homeboy go?

I wish there was more worldbuilding as well. All these species and such were thrown around but we never got any expansion on them. The way Aelia was “made” so to speak was left out, as to why and what she did to get that scar on her face. A lot of things could’ve been expanded on with worldbuilding and I just felt it lacking.

It was a good story with a lot of plot. The main themes were political intrigue, magical beings, rescue mission and second chance romance . There was some confusion with the term slyph, which I interpreted as just another word for fae. A lot of missed or vague background information. It was not really a love triangle, it was more one relationship finished and another began. Aelia, is very unlikable in the beginning, she is basically addicted to cocaine and working as a mercenary. She has not redeemable qualities until she embarks on.a journey to rescue her sister. I did see some spelling mistakes and issue with story flow. Overall good story, I did think it would be a standalone because there was an epilogue, I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this down. I was on the edge of my seat thr whole time. There was so many personal issues amongt all the characters that flowed so smoothly. You get enough for it to rip your heart out and put back together. The FMC us depicted beautifully with her struggles and I became so invested in her. I cannot wait to see ehat comes next. I'm recommending this to all my friends!

2 things: Team Tharan & when can I get my hands on book 2.

I must admit, I got a little confused in the beginning. There are lots of jumps, only leaving you with more questions than answers at the start. But you really want to know the answers so you just keep on reading. The story gets you hooked. The more you dive into the story, the more you learn but always with little details and subtle hints. And when you think you know what's going on, K.W. Foster has another thing coming for you. That epilogue had me gasping. I really can't wait for book 2 and this one hasn't even been published yet (September 17, 2024. Mark your calendar)

Also: I cried. So yes, I think it's a great read.

The one thing that sometimes distracted me was the POV. It changed between characters (I like!) but also between 1st and 3rd person. So in Aelia's chapters for example, we sometimes get the story from her voice, and sometimes from her perspective but told as a 3rd person.

Aelia, the fmc, is a grown woman who's faced many things in her life. She's easy to relate to because she's known all kinds of struggles. She's also dealing with addiction, which can be triggering to some.

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

Read if you like:
💞 Multiple love interests
👸 Multiple POV's
🗡 LOTR & ACOTAR vibes
💕 Second chance romance
🧙‍♀️ Mind magic
💖 One bed
⚔ Court politics & fighting scenes

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.