WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!

I am absolutely obsessed with A Curse of Breath and Blood by K.W. Foster! Let's get into it --

This romantasy checked off all my boxes - I was hooked from the prologue and finished this in just over 24 hours, it would have been sooner if I didn't have responsibilities.

Aelia and Caiden have a forbidden love - she is a human and he's a sylph.. they can never be together. Aelia goes off and marries a king in another kingdom... but he's definitely not what she was expecting. Five years later, she's using her telepathic abilities as a mercenary to help erase people's memories... that is, when she's not busy hooking up with strangers in bars after drinking herself into oblivion along with snorting dust. Her douche-bag ex-husband has kidnapped her dear sister and now she has to team up with Caiden and their magical friends to help save her. Caiden had made a blood vow to Aelia's mother years ago to protect her and her sister. It's been years and there are mixed feelings between the two former lovers. Aelia has made a bargain with Caiden that she will erase his memories after he helps her find her sister, a deal that they most go through with or else there will be deathly consequences for the both of them. Along the way we meet Tharan Greenblade and an unexpected love triangle emerges.

I can't give this book enough praise - it deserves a standing ovation and then some. I can't wait to see fan-art and to finally get my hands on the sequel, whenever that may be. K.W Foster most impressed me with the unpredictable outcomes that happen, you think you know what's going to happen but there are plenty of surprises that will leave your jaw on the floor and have you begging for more!!

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to ACOTAR lovers (esp if you love Nesta!) and just anyone who is looking for quality romantasy to immerse themselves in. I laughed, cried, screamed, almost barfed, and awww-d out loud throughout this story.

So much gratitude to Aethon Books, NetGalley & KW Foster for the ARC in exchange for my feedback

We learn that Aelia and Caiden used to be past lovers but weren’t allowed to be together and lots of things have happened in the past (which I won’t spoil) that has resulted in them both hating each other. We learn that Aelia fell in love and married Gideon because he tricked her and he went on to abuse/ control her until she finally managed to escape after the years of control.

4.5
Thank you for allowing me to read this book early and as an arc,
It did take me a while to get into it, but once I got into it a really enjoyed it, I'm not usually a massive fantasy reader but I loved this!
Thank you again for letting me read as an arc

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded up to 4)
🫑

While it took me a hot minute (roughly 40%) to actually get into the book, this was VERY good in the second half. There were a few things I wasn’t the biggest fan of (like the love triangle, the jump between first and third person, and a few others) I didn’t hate this book. I actually really liked it despite my nitpicking.

Aelia had a unique gift and that made her pretty interesting. I liked the fact that she could go into people’s minds and not just read their thoughts but rifle around in their memories, change them, erase them.

Caiden honestly bothered me. Something about him and the way he acted just made me so mad. I much preferred Tharan. THAT MAN was is a much better choice.

The whole quest of saving Baylis took up much less of the book than I thought and I wish they focused more on that and less on the romance or the revenge on King Gideon. Also, it would have been nicer to know more about Aelia and Gideon’s marriage. We didn’t get much insight into that and it would have been nice to know more.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad book. The ending threw me for a fucking loop and that’s the only real reason I’ll read the next one. I just need to know what happens 😂

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
Overall: ☆☆☆☆.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/4?
Plot: ☆☆☆☆
𝔸𝕔𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤:
I would like to thank Netgalley for letting me read the ARC for this book.
𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖎𝖙:
The cover stood out to me but the description/ blurb actually made me read it as there were a lot of references to other books that I enjoyed reading such as Six of Crows and ACOTAR. After reading it, I agree with the references but I want to throw a little bit of the Lord Of The Rings in there too!!!
The blurb:
'A Court of Thorns and Roses' meets 'Six of Crows' in this thrilling new fantasy romance.
A queen turned mercenary. A long-lost love. An ancient evil reborn.
With her home kingdom destroyed and her family considered dead, Aelia Springborn makes a living, using her abilities to break minds for anyone with enough coin. Content to live a life in the shadows, her world is turned upside down when her former lover, Caiden Stormweaver, tracks her down at the edge of the world with a proposition she can’t refuse…. help him thwart her former husband, King Gideon, from obtaining the deadly army of the Alder King.
With a chasm of hurt between them, the pair strikes a deal; once their mission is complete, Aelia will wipe his memories of their relationship, releasing them both from their tumultuous past.
Bound by magic and aided by friends, Caiden and Aelia set off on a journey to save the continent from ultimate destruction. However, as their mission progresses, Aelia and Caiden find themselves reigniting the flames of their past.
But in Moriana, breaking a bargain is deadly.
Things become even more complicated when Aelia meets Tharan Greenblade, a charming playboy whom she cannot help but fall for. With the threads of their fates entwining, the trio will be forced into a high-stakes game that will test their loyalties and raise the dead.
Don't miss this adult romantasy debut combining the dark fairytale atmosphere of Nettle and Bone with the heart-stopping romance of A Court of Thorns and Roses and the found family dynamics of Divine Rivals. With tension at every turn, this novel explores the sacrifices we make to save the ones we love.

𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
This book is a fantasy romance debut and WOWSER is it good.
The FMC, Aelia, is reunited once more- with her ex,Caiden, as he has information to help try and track down the FMC's sister who has been missing for 5 years. He has to help Aelia despite there differences/ past as he made a blood oath with her mother to protect her.
We discover that the two used to be past lovers but weren’t allowed to be together but a couple of things happened that turned them into enemies. (ahh) We learn that the FMC fell in love and married a guy called Gideon but he tricked her and he went on to abuse andcontrol her until she finally managed to escape.

BUT THEN, Aelia and Caiden are forced to be together (forced proximity) as they are on the mission to find her sister. I won't spoil any more but I'll list the tropes and then some quotes and you can see for yourself what I mean when i say WOWSERS.

T R O P E S:

-Enemies to lovers
-Who did this to you?
-Second chance love
-Found family
-Magic
-Love triangle
-Forced proximity
-Multi POV
-Forbidden love
-One bed
ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤:
"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙨, 𝘼𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚."
"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚, 𝘼𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝. 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚."

🇩​​🇮​​🇸​​🇨​​🇱​​🇦​​🇮​​🇲​​🇪​​🇷​
The FMC does deal with addiction, so please be aware of the TW before starting to read this book. It also deals with some heavy topics at times, sacrifices, and loss.

I love that the FMC, Aelia, is in her 30s! In most of the books I read, the FMC is 25 or younger so it’s cool to get that representation in an awesome romantasy book. She starts out still reeling from a break up years ago which makes her so relatable. I felt some of that pain. Despite all her hardships she still keeps going. Every. Day. This woman is fierce. I do like Caiden but in my opinion he is Aelia’s past. I’m Team Tharan all the way! I’m excited to see how that plays out. Engaging and adventurous throughout the whole story.

Fav tropes:
Stabby FMC ⚔️
Morally grey FMC 🩶
Quest 🗺️
Magic ✨
Royalty 👑
Court politics 🏰
Sister bond 🩷
Fae 🧝‍♀️
Fates 🌙
Gods 🌟
Evil Ex 💔
Mental health rep 🧠

Fav quotes:
“Court of Rabbits, Court of Flies, even a few human kingdoms..”

“Your scars are a testament to your strength. Wear them with pride.”

Thank you K.W. Foster and NetGalley for this early copy! I loved reading and reviewing it!

I really liked the concept of this book and the overall plot of the book. There was so much action from the very beginning and I love a book that immediately has challenges that the protagonist needs to fight through. I did feel that I got a little lost with the love story. It felt that there was so much antagonism between the FMC Aelia and her past love, Caiden. Then there wasn't and I didn't feel I really saw that transition happen. There was so much I enjoyed about Aelia's character. I really felt her struggle and PTSD from a toxic ex. I'm really interested in seeing where this book goes. There is a spicy scene in there but I would say this book's plot is really what drives it which I like. This is a 4 star read for me because I cried and any book that can evoke such an emotion from me is going to get a high rating from me.

The story of Aelia, the former princess, married to an evil lord named Gideon, who tortured her crazy to the point where Aelia is collapsing. He let his subordinates hurt Aelia to the point of creating truma, and so when after some time her lover Caiden found her, she was too broken to acknowledge her love for Caiden, so she told him she never loved him ever. But after 5 years, Aelia's kingdom collapsed, all the courts were divided, and she escaped from Gideon's clutches to be a mercenary and used her telepathy to erase memories until Caiden found her and told her he found Baylis in Gideon's grasp, and due to Caiden's oath to protect the sisters, he needs help to save Baylis. In the meantime, there is super cool King Tharan, who you will be delighted to know will become Aelia's partner, and he will also save Bylis (sort of).

The story is happening in some fantasy world where magus (people with some sort of specialty like power) and humans counside and live with each other. TBH, I really feel perplexed because the story says the book has similarities with Acotar, so I think the possibility is Gideon and Aelia are endgame, but the more I read, the more I understand Gideon is a really first tire A hole. First he torture Aelia to the point she can't act normal, her truma made her to have horrible reflexes in night so she shall smoke some powder to survive , he disfigured the girl and also make his people humiliate and hurt her as well to the point where she thought she is a monster ,then there is Caiden who only performs a clean lover with outmost love but got me pissed of cause from the start he only would kiss and console Amelia by " I love you but I have no choice , you should go but remember I love you" 😑 I technically thought kill this guy , he's poisoning the atmosphere,  he even has the decency to marry someone else because Aelia said I never loved you , man what about your last affection , and she already proved how she loved you at least pretend you wanna fight for your love but no he didn't and when he saw Aelia he only could say " I don't hate you" 😑 this guy is scumbag,  don't liked him from start and I thanked Author for not ending him up in Aelia bed cause the guy wore his wedding ring in front of Aelia and said I loved you I don't hate you ! It's a mix-signal total waste of emotions. And there is the most awesome guy, Tharan. Honestly, honestly, I want him to end the game even though Gideon gives a mixed vibe, but no matter what, I think he is out, and based on the plot, it seems Thran is the end game. And Baylis, the story is the scum. Caiden, instead of protecting the sisters, sends the poor girl to the forest, not trying to look after her, but due to some plot🙄, suddenly he went to rescue her and ask for Aelia. The book resolves mostly on how the rescue operations work and some tragedy reminders of Aelia. In the end, they saved her, but let me give this one spoiler: Baylis isn't the sweet little sister she used to be; she got seduced by Gideon and worked with him to do something. Wait for the next book.
The author's writing is third-person, but from the characters perspective, and the roundup is valid; it somehow explains each situation. In the first book, but it's really necessary that this state continues in the next book as well, because there are things that were never answered. The book deserves 4, but if the next book in the series doesn't meet the expectations the book 1 built, the story will be less than 2, so we need the story to finish. I rate Spice 2 because I feel more sad and exasperated for how Aelia's life goes on. I wasn't in a mode to appreciate love, since Caiden in the book, with his scumbag attitude and the false love Gideon gave her to lead her to her demise, really felt "the girl is alone; no one cared about her." Even her so-called friend Amolia, knowing she got poisoned, shrugged her shoulders and said, "I should have given you this," and here is Aelia being less on edge because of her😑. In all, only my man Tharan treats my girl Aelia like the queen she is, so let's wait at least the final round and see who Aelia ends up with, nah?

"A Curse of Breath and Blood" is a fast-paced fantasy novel that immerses you into its world right from the start. While the world-building might not be as extensive as some fantasy aficionados might prefer, the story makes up for it with its compelling characters and thrilling plot. For those seeking more context, K.W. Foster’s website offers a wealth of information that enriches the reading experience.

The book’s greatest strength lies in its protagonist, Aelia. She is a complex and captivating character—flawed, brave, and fiercely loyal. Described by Foster as morally grey, Aelia's depth stems from her traumatic past and her intense self-loathing, yet her protective nature towards her loved ones is deeply moving. Her character development is a significant highlight, making her a protagonist you can’t help but root for. Additionally, seeing a thirty-year-old protagonist in a fantasy novel is a refreshing change.

The narrative follows Aelia along with Caiden, Amolie, Lucius, Roderick, and later Tharan, on a quest to find Aelia’s sister, Baylis. The plot is packed with action and emotion, ensuring that readers remain engaged from start to finish. Unlike some fantasy novels that can be overly verbose, "A Curse of Breath and Blood" maintains a brisk pace without sacrificing depth or excitement.

This book is a must-read for fans of fantasy and romantasy. It delivers an enjoyable and captivating read that leaves you eagerly turning the pages. Plus, you need to meet Aelia and Tharan—two characters who truly stand out and make this story unforgettable.

A Curse of Breath and Blood is a fantasy romance debut that will have you screaming.
Loved the characters and the story couldn't put it done.

I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

I liked the idea of the book but I felt it needed more. I needed more background and depth to the characters. There were some inconsistentcies throughout the book. Overall it has potential to be a great book.

This book has a strong potential to be a 4-5 star read and I originally felt like I would be giving it that rating. Unfortunately there is a lot of revisions and editing that need to occur prior to that. There are sections in the book where a character is noted to be left behind and then that character suddenly reappears out of no where before later again being noted to be in the other location and meeting back with the group. There are also several instances where something is mentioned in a way that suggests the reader was already aware of it when there was no prior mention, notably the staff being an object importance to obtain. It’s clear from these instances that things were edited out maybe to make things more succinct but corrections were not made to account for the changes.
It ultimately made for a confusing read and I had to go back several times to make sure I was not just missing information. I would be willing to give it a reread if corrections were made.

2.5 🌟 It was a fun read.
The beginning was fun seeing as Aelia has powers, but then she was not really powerful as I continued. The world isn’t straightforward, it felt like they were in one court then blink they’re in another court.
She kept falling in love with everyone 🤦‍♀️.
I didn’t like how I was rooting for this guy only for him not to be the one!
That epilogue was confusing too.

I thought the overall plot was enjoyable and appealed to my fantasy loving side. However the characters really lacked depth. It was hard to care who ended up with whom just because their development wasn’t there. And the end was confusing when I thought the bad king had died but he didn’t? And then I would have loved way more detail about the past, some things were just “said” but lacked context or full description. I liked what the author did with the cliff hanger ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Aethon Books for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available wide on 9/17/24!

Queen turned mercenary. That is what made me sign up for this arc and man was I in for dang ride. This a tense filled romantasy that takes you on a ride full of steam, found family, intrigue and action. This debut was FUN. It had everything I look for in a romantasy novel and never lulled. It is a dark fairytale that I feel many a Romantasy reader would enjoy.

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.