Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books for the ARC

This is the first book in a series and I think it has potential. I was very confused by the worldbuilding. I didn't think it was fleshed out enough, but this might be better in the later books as I've gotten more used to it. The pacing was a bit uneven and the characters unlikable. This unfortunately made it hard to stay engaged during the whole story. But I do think it has potential and I'd be interested in reading the next boom as well

DNF'd at 77% - ⭐️⭐️

I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I enjoyed this book up until about 20%. When I'm reading ARCs, I like to make annotations of things to either provide feedback on or raise in my review. They're colour coded for easy glancing at how I felt about a book while reading this. Unfortunately, in this one all of them were red.

I liked the world, I liked the premise, and it started off strong. The world building was enjoyable and the magic system was unique.

But then it just seemed to feel less polished - perhaps the final published one has some revisions that weren't in my copy.

To start with, I struggled with the pacing. We went from multiple chapters about single days at the start to suddenly she had been "clean" for a week after only a couple pages. The pacing consistently changed throughout the book making it hard to follow smoothly.

Scenes were referenced as occurring that never happened - e.g reminiscing about a kiss the day before, but in the scene from the day before there was no kiss.

Alternatively there are scenes that act like the last scene never occured - she revealed the "secret" of her husband for the first time... two scenes in a row, to the same person. Or when they asked how long someone had been allied with the goblins with shock, as if they didn't get attacked by that someone and the goblins a couple of chapters ago.

Some parts were mislabelled, such as stating Court of Storms when is should have been Court of Sorrow. Names misspelled, pronouns wrong.

There were perspective changes mid paragraph - it was hard to keep up with who was thinking what when it keeps changing.

The fight scene with a kraken was a whole two sentences long.

Characters providing world building information spoke as if they were reading from a textbook.

And finally, the thing that irritated me most and made me decide to stop - characters do not exist outside of the MCs field of vision. She will be in a room full of people acting like she's a badass, then makes a couple self-deprecating comments and suddenly someone is falling to the floor kneeling (literally, always kneeling) in front of her telling her how amazing she is and strong etc as if they're not still in a room full of other people. Every other page this happens.

I very rarely DNF a book, but my curiosity to know what would happen at the end just wasn't enough to push through.

Thank you Net Gallery for the ARC.

I REALLY did not like this book. The characters were in likable. And the whole thing felt rushed and confusing. It just wasn’t good.

First book of The Mind Breaker trilogy! I was so excited for this one, I read it in just a couple days and am ready for book 2 😅

As the first book in the series, there’s a lot of world building and a lot of characters to learn, but I quickly fell in love with Aelia and Amolie’s friendship, and was picking sides in Aelia’s love triangle.. 😏 definitely not mad at how that ended, buttttt I also know not to get too comfortable as the series isn’t over yet, and anything can happen..

2.5 Stars (I did Round Down because I don't think it was living up to potential for 3 Stars)


This book felt more like a sequel than a first installment, leaving me lost and confused. The world-building was lacking, with unclear details about the different regions and the court system, which detracted from the enjoyment. The timeline was also disjointed, with characters traveling across the world too quickly without any magical assistance.

I struggled to connect with the characters, mostly due to the lack of backstory. Aelia, for example, is introduced as a mercenary and addict, but neither aspect is fully explained. Her addiction is resolved too quickly, missing an opportunity to deepen our understanding of her character.

While the story started with an intriguing premise, I found it difficult to stay engaged as it progressed. Tharan was a standout character, but the romantic relationships, particularly with Caiden and Tharan, seemed more lust-driven than based on genuine affection, making it hard for me to invest in them. I did appreciate that the main character was older, though some of her actions felt immature.

The concept had potential, but the execution fell short. The rushed world-building and lack of explanation left me confused. Although the ending didn’t resonate with me, others might find it more engaging. I encourage readers to give it a try and see for themselves.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story had an intriguing start, but as it went on, I found it difficult to stay engaged. While Tharan stood out to me, I struggled to connect with the characters. The FMC’s relationships with Caiden and Tharan felt more lust-driven than based on love, which made it harder for me to become invested in them. That said, I did appreciate that the main character was older, even though some of her actions felt a bit immature at times.

The concept of the story has a lot of potential, but the execution fell a bit short for me. The world-building felt rushed, and there were parts that left me confused due to the lack of explanation.

Although the ending didn’t leave a lasting impact for me, I believe others might find more connection with it. While this book wasn’t quite for me, I encourage readers to give it a try and see for themselves!

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

A Curse of Breath and Blood by K. W. Foster exceeded my expectations in every way!

There are so many things to love about this book I don’t know where to begin. I’ll start by saying the FMC, Aelia, is a fierce Queen turned mercenary, she is such a well-developed character that I related to quickly. I love the fact that Aelia was older (30) than what I’m used to reading, I think it gives the character more depth and personality. Yes, she’s made mistakes and she’s flawed but who isn’t?

Aelia has been handed a pretty terrible hand in life and is slowly self-destructing when a blast from her past shows up and needs her help rescuing her sister from her villainous husband.

The world-building and lore in this book are great and not too word-dumpy and boring, I love a book with good banter between characters and this did not disappoint.

Overall, A Curse of Breath and Blood is a fast-paced, action-packed romantasy adventure that I hope millions will love as much as I did.

P.S. The ending will make you scream for the next book so be warned.

This book was a very good read!

What I enjoyed the most were the characters : Aelia is a badass and fierce FMC, just as I like! Add to this she is not 17 years old, and you have a winning point!
The beginning was a bit heartbreaking as we can feel what flows between her and Caiden, but their past continues to catch them at every points.
The appearance of Tharan brought a good twist to the story, and the not so flawless male character was interesting to follow.
This love triangle was entertaining, it is a trope I appreciate when well described.
I liked the side characters as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and KW Foster for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, WOW! I was impressed with the fantasy and magical elements in the story, although the world building did confused me a little. Aelia Springborn is queen turned mercenary who had to work with her ex lover to save her sister from her evil ex husband. While reading, I felt Aelia's pains and struggles. The author did a good job on portraying her character struggling with mental health issues, addiction and relationship traumas. I also fell in love with one of the side character, Roderick and the two MMC (especially Tharan). The characters were flawed beautifully and that was what made me love it even more.

Reread value: Yes!

I would give this 4.5 stars.

This is such a beautiful story! I cried when Aelia removed Caiden's memory. If you have watched the anime series Fruits Basket, you'll understand the pain of loving someone and then having your memories of your loved one taken from you in order to move on in your life.

The premise of this book had good potential, however it failed in the execution. There was little to no world building and the characters were not well developed. I was 30% through the book and still didn’t know who was human and who was not. Also, the character interactions felt so robotic. I also felt like the plot was giving me whiplash- every other page a crazy thing happened and then they just got right out of whatever issue they found themselves in. I wanted this to be so good but just didn’t hit the mark for me. I wish I had DNF’ed instead of reading through to the end.

I loved the first 40% and I ate it up. Then I kind of struggled with multiple elements including them directly addressing her as the traitorous queen to her face. Another thing I was really struggling after the 40% mark. Another huge element I struggled with was the love triangle it felt a tad weird for me. I just wasn’t a fan on how it was laid out.

This was a really good fantasy story. I enjoyed the main character and how strong she was. I don’t like love triangles very much, but I did like Caiden and Tharan. Tharan was definitely my favorite love interest. The ending had a twist I didn’t expect and I can’t wait for the next book.

The premise of this book was interesting, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to it for me. I rated this book 2.5⭐️ and made myself read the whole thing just in case it got better.

This book read like a book 2 in a series, I was lost and confused far too much for a first book. It felt like nothing was truly explained throughout the book. The world building wasn’t there, I had no idea what the different regions were, what belonged to who etc. the court system also seemed random and wasn’t explained either, and for something which is mentioned a lot it detracted from the enjoyment for me. The timeline was just a bit all over the place too, the characters managed to traverse the world rather quickly without magic travel…

Unfortunately I didn’t find myself caring for any of the characters, in fact I disliked most of them and this is due to there being little revealed about any of their backstories. We meet Aelia as a mercenary and addict, neither is explained and in fact she proves to be a terrible fighter throughout. The addiction was resolved within a chapter but that really could have helped us to understand her character and what has happened to her, but instead she just went cold turkey with no issues.

Lastly, there were a lot of errors still present which I wouldn’t expect to see for an arc copy. I spotted a few continuity issues and I found a lot of the book a bit pointless and added nothing to what was already a lacking plot. I do feel if this spent more time in editing and refining it could be a brilliant story, but this sadly did not hit the mark and I was being generous giving it a 2.5⭐️.

This book was a solid read. I enjoyed the fact that the main character was older than the usual teen-early 20’s. At first the writing sometimes felt too simplistic: cheesy almost. It either improved as I read or I got used to it haha. The writing kept me intrigued in the plot. The love triangle was well balanced and paced well. Most of all, the ending threw me for a loop and I can’t wait to read the next!

This book was good. Slow start but the pace of the writing and the story and world building were good. I liked Aelia her character..

Thanks for representation of 30+ characters. The truthful vision of adult novel.

It was not what I expected. Ex-lovers to friends? - ok. But husband to enemies? That was new. And mind reading? I'm IN.

The story was so entertaining. I haven't guessed any plot twist. And the ending was Epic.

And love triangle....ough.....I mean....Can I name it a triangle if one of them don't remember anything? A lot of questions, interesting twist. I'm waiting for the next book.

This book could be the start of a great fantasy series, however, I found this book to be a little hard to get into. I wish there had been more world building in the beginning of the book and there were some instances that felt like the book was setting the characters up for a cheating trope which turned me off. After the 40% mark, the story felt like it really took off for me. I started to fall in love with Aelia and thought she had great character development. I really enjoyed the mental health aspects of the book because it highlighted the struggles each of the characters faced in their own journey and how their mental health affected those around them. The complex relationships Aelia has with Caiden and Tharan were really interesting. I wasn't a big fan of the pacing at the beginning of the book, it felt a little rushed and jumped from scene to scene too quickly and I felt like I was missing moments. I did enjoy the many creatures that are a part of the world and the political systems that I would have liked to see a little more of. I also wish we saw more of Caiden or Tharan’s pov to make it feel a little more balanced. I think this book could be a 5 star book and I am curious about what happens next, especially after that ending.

Thank you Netgalley and K.W. Foster for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book around the 30% mark.

The premise and description of *A Curse of Breath and Blood* initially caught my attention, and I was excited to dive in. However, I found it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. For me, the world-building and character development felt underdeveloped, making it challenging to visualise and connect with the setting and characters. Additionally, the pacing felt rushed, with events unfolding too quickly and moving on without allowing enough time to fully engage with the narrative.

I do believe this book has potential and might resonate better with readers who prefer a faster pace and minimal world-building.

⭐⭐.5

I really enjoy romantasy books and was looking forward to this one, especially with the cool power of mind bending. However, I had some issues with it:

- The world-building was lacking. It felt like you were suddenly placed in locations or situations without much context.
- There were sudden revelations that seemed out of nowhere. I often found myself going back to check if I had missed something, but there was nothing to find.
- Some characters had more depth than others, and the book needed a better balance of plot and character development. While we see what our FMC is experiencing, even with multiple POVs, most characters, except maybe Tharan, remained surface-level. Aelia's scar and her experiences with Gideon, for example, were not explored deeply.
- The leap to big emotions at the end felt abrupt. The relationship needed more development for that to feel natural.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow for me, but the pace picked up in the last third. I enjoyed it more once things were actually happening, though it still felt somewhat disconnected. I will probably read the next one to see if the writer works out these issues.

This book has the potential to be the start of an amazing romantasy series. However, there were some major plot holes and timeline problems that need to be edited. Throughout the book I was often confused as to who people were, where their powers came from, and what their species was. Many scenes were choppy and escalated too quickly or were missing pieces... characters said they did something when in the previous scene the either didn't do that or they did the opposite. Location changes also happened abruptly and often characters appeared randomly then didn't appear again in that scene. I would love to reread this after it goes through another round of editing!