"There’s only one thing Bridget Adams wants: to get home.

After being trapped for seven months in the Kingdom of Elyria, where magic is ruthless, permanent, and always comes with a price, she’s tired of dealing with curses, especially ones that take everything from her. In Elyria, all humans are cursed. Whenever one enters the magical realm, they lose their memories. Forever.

The only things Bridget knows about her past are the small tidbits Cora tells her, which isn’t much. The leader of the nomadic Witch coven is merciless, and with Bridget essentially owned by Cora, she always keeps Bridget by her side. No matter how many times Bridget tries to escape her grasp, she always fails.

In the name of helping the coven, Cora places her in a tournament to compete to marry the Fae Prince, Cade. Believing her freedom is in sight, Bridget agrees to join and plans to sneak away before it starts. However, an unexpected binding contract restricts her to the palace grounds. Forced to participate, Bridget navigates the dangerous tasks of the tournament, until she accidentally stumbles upon the prince. Cade has secrets of his own, though, including ones that involve the human realm, and when he offers to help Bridget return there, she decides to trust him.

As they grow closer, it becomes clear things aren’t as they appear. She discovers her presence in Elyria and the tournament is part of a greater plan, one that has deadly consequences. As secrets, history, and conspiracies unravel around her, Bridget begins to realize the greatest curse of all: love."

This would be a good rec for pre-teens.

This was a fun, fast paced, YA Romantasy. I enjoyed that part of story took place in the modern world and the other part in the fae realm. The mix of the two worlds added some interesting dynamics. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel strongly connected to any of the characters. The plot twists kept things exciting but dare I say there were too many twists?? By the ending, there were so many unanswered questions and I felt a bit lost. Most of the time, an ending with a cliffhanger leaves me hungry for the next book but I don’t feel super motivated to grab the second one in this series when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc. While this book wasn’t my favorite, I still had a good time reading it and think others will enjoy it as well.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!
This one was reminiscent of Where the Moon Hatched and Powerless, so if you’re a fan of that, you might like this.

This one I found started off strong, even though it got really annoying that she didn’t have any clue about anything - maybe too confused?
I didn’t vibe with their relationship till a little later and then I was super sold on it even though maybe more bonding and banter not related to the plot would have helped? The before part helped with this too.

Would have liked more detailed cooler trials too!

Near the end, it got a bit confusing and there was a LOT going on. The ending itself was good.

Overall, started strong but the last part was a lot. Romance was cute. Interesting plot!

4.5 stars ✨️ ARC from netgalley 🫶🏾
This book pleasantly surprised me! I honestly didn't expect it to be this good!!!
It was such an original and well done take on subjects that are seen in so many novels these days. Fae and witches mixing with humans. A doorway between realms, with unfortunate consequences for any humans who cross: they lose all their memories.
Bridget is one such human, when we meet her she is living under the thumb of an abusive witch and her coven and all she remembers of her old life is her name.
When she is thrust into a contest, against her will, for the Prince's hand in marriage, pitted against other girls wan the only one without power, she finds herself in over her head with escape the only thing on her mind.
She doesn't expect to be confined to the palace grounds, forced to interact with people who think they're above her and an arrogant prince who seems to dislike humans. An action packed fantasy novel full of twists and turns 😍

I definitely feel like this book fit the bill of a perfect start to a fantasy series, with a more urban and modern aesthetic blended within the story. It was all done very well.
Ends on a major cliffhanger and I NEED the next book yesterday 😂
The storyline was very unique imo and it didn't take 50 pages to get into the main storyline, it was fast paced and gripping.
Highly recommend 🧚‍♀️🫶🏾✨️

I was not expecting what I read in this book! I thought it was a typical fantasy book with your witches, games and trials to marry the prince, magic, you know everything we have seen before (and what I enjoy reading) but man was I wrong!

The "after" started off good, the world building was easy and fast pace and you see where Bridget is struggling as a human in a magical world. There was a lot of things that were mentioned or seen in the after that was a little confusing and you think you're missing something in the story. This is where you might want to stop but keep reading!

When the "before" hits, man that twist is amazing. I was not expecting it and I absolutely ate it up. All of the chapters during the before section were my favorite and I love getting a deeper look at our FMC and MMC.

Cade is a great MMC and I love that he is a little mysterious when we meet him basically up until the end. I loved his character during the before and everything that occurred in that section with Cade and Bridget.

I already wish I could read the second book, ending the book on that cliffhanger was brutal and I want to know everything that happens!

If you like:
-unique magic
-star crossed lovers
-found family
-witches/fae/blood magic
-epic twist

This book is for you. The spice is minimal and the book reads as new adult for me, nothing too complicated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC for my honest opinion.

Man, did this book have a lot going for it. We’ve got fae, witches, warlocks, and nymphs. The concept was intriguing, and I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I was annoyed just knowing it was going to end on a cliffhanger because I was so engrossed in the story. It was similar to another book I read, but not enough that I disregarded this one. I felt the author integrated modern technology well into this other realm separate from the human world.


Thank you to NetGalley and Owl City Press for the early review. All above opinions are own.

This book takes you through the challenges of life and love. I really enjoyed the book overall. It made me feel as though I was reading a mixture of the fourth wing, The court of thorns and roses, with a new twist. Bridget was trapped in a land that was unfamiliar to her. Bridget was found by a witch from the Gemini coven. Cora was seeking power and was controlling Bridget to attempt to get what she wanted. As Bridget passed into this alternate realm, the curse on humans took all of her memories. Cora entered her into the tournament and Bridget went thinking this was the ultimate way-out. Bridget finding herself being challenged mentally and physically. As Bridget, finds out what is going on she is forced to face a challenging situation. I am excited to find out more in the next book. I had a hard time with the transitions, so I had to go back and read. I would recommend the book to friends and families.

Of Kingdoms and Curses.

What I liked:
I love the premise that humans lose their memories when they cross over to the magical realm. It's used to good effect with the plot, and adds intrigue.

I loved Cade - he is a delicious Cinnamon roll of a MMC, and jumps off the page at you. The found family vibes are great.

What I struggled with:
The tone and lack of spice, made me feel like this was more of a YA book rather than straight romantasy or NA. Although the ages are around 20 years, the dialogue and the characters in the tournament felt more high school age.

I wanted more descriptions and hints about the city - and some explanation about the jumble of present-day and medieval styles, conventions, and items. We get that context and reasoning eventually, but it left me struggling for a sense of place for most of the first half of the book.

The first half also had Bridget making some very dubious choices. I warmed to her during the midway point, but it still felt like everything happened to her, rather than her driving the plot.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty solid YA book. I feel like there's more world building to do, and the next book will help give much needed context.


Thank you so much City Owl Press, NetGalley, and the author, Amy Woodruff, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review. All opinions are my own.

This novel follows Bridget, a human trapped in the Kingdom of Elyria, as she attempts to regain her memory and return back to the human realm. Amidst all of this, there are also questions of blood magic, political and individual motives, and prophecies.

I found this novel a fun and fast-paced read. I loved Woodruff's clever use of "After" to start the novel and represent Bridget's memory loss (especially the use of "Before" after Bridget regains her memory *mind blown). The pacing of the novel was a bit slow to start but by the 50% mark, I was rapidly turning each page. After reading the ending, I have a million questions and I can't wait to see how Woodruff pulls everything together in the next novel.

I would suggest this novel to someone who enjoys fantasy books with a love story that ventures and blends between realms and political plots that have you second guessing characters and their secret end goals til the very last page.

✨I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion✨
I have quite a few opinions about this but I’m not exactly sure how to phrase them. I didn’t necessarily have a bad time reading this, I just sort of felt like it was a bit of a drag. This book talked a whole lot but not a lot actually happened. I mainly felt as though the world building was confusing.
There seemed to have been multiple worlds or lands maybe? That we’re connected but also weren’t and only some people could go between them and some couldn’t? I’m not entirely sure, which could honestly just have been me, I’m not saying it wasn’t. I was just confused.
I read a lot of fantasy romance. I feel the need to say that because books like this are normally my thing! And yes, this was an incredibly beginner fantasy romance, it would be PERFECT if you were just getting started and are worried about being able to follow along.
I was able to guess the twist pretty early on, which I’m not sure was intended or not. You could really tell with how quickly Cade seemed to go to Bridget even when they weren’t supposed to know each other.
I didn’t hate this book, contrary to what this looks like. It wasn’t bad! There were quite a few things that I really enjoyed! I liked Bridget’s (reluctant) friendship with Delphine, I thought they had a lot of chemistry and would have really liked to see that explored a bit more. Finn and Cade also had a great dynamic and I thought Castor was a TON of fun. The characters all had distinct personalities and I thought that was a lot of fun.
Once again, I received this as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is book 1 in the Blood and Curses series. The book follows Bridget Adam’s a human stuck in the Fae world. She has no memories of her past. Bridget is given a chance to return to the human world but must first compete in a tournament to marry the Fae Prince. The more Bridget learns the more things don’t appear as they seem.

Overall this book was an enjoyable read. The characters were enjoyable and I liked the storyline.

If I am honest the book read a little too YA for me. The book doesn’t contain any spice but there is an enjoyable romance. However this may be a me issue and doesn’t take away from this being a decent read.

Oh my God this book was simply amazing I enjoyed it so much! I have never read a book that had the fantasy world and the real world. Kinda gave me "Once upon a time" vibes. To me the MMC gives "I will burn this world for you" vibes and is so sweet and perfect. Our FMC is definitely a closet bad ass I feel like there is a lot of character growth going on for her in this book that I feel like we will continue to see hopefully in book 2 which I will be on the look out for! The story/ plot was amazing everything flowed perfectly there wasn't a dull moment. I can not wait for book 2 so I can find out more of what happens with these two amazing characters Bridget and Cade! Thank you so much for the author allowing me to read this arc I hope I will get the privilege again with book 2!!

Tropes:
Curses
Multiple Worlds
Lost Memories
Re-falling in love
Fae and Human
Destines Prince
Competition for Prince's hand


WOW JUST WOW

I feel like it is so rare that I read a book that feels new and refreshing and let me tell you this was one of them. I feel like we have all read so many books in which there is a competition for the princes hand, Red Queen, The Selection, and so on. However this one was new a refreshing. The story line instantly grabbed me in with a main character who did not remember where she was from and was surrounded by witches. As the story progressed each new piece of information shocked and excited me. I quite literally saw none of the twists coming, and was eating it up each time they happened. I am usually not a fan when a fantasy book goes to the human world, however in this case I enjoyed it and it was done in a way where I did not mind stepping into NYC for a couple of chapters. I think that the over all story was new and intriguing. The world building, although it was smaller in this book (I do believe we will go to more places in the next), was done beautifully and I was able to envision every room the characters where in. The character development in the book was great as well. We really got to see the characters progress and have information revealed to us that led the character to become more complex and deep within the pages.

Overall I could not recommend this book enough. It is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy book that has curses, princes, faes, and multiple worlds. If you were a fan of Cruel Prince and The Selection I believe you will love this book!!!

Three and a half
Bridget is human but has spent the last seven months with a coven of Witches. What makes everything worse is the fact that she has no memory of her life before she arrived in the Fae kingdom and has clearly been abused by Cora the coven leader. This very quickly became a book featuring females in a tournament to become the bride of the Fae Prince which obviously has been done many times ! Bridget sees it as a way to escape but very quickly seems to fall for the Prince who clearly has secrets.
I think this would have been better if the story started a tiny bit earlier so the reader could understand the relationship between Bridget and Cora although I did like the way it's split into three parts. For the most part this felt YA and sadly something's did feel terribly obvious so not my perfect read although I do think many will enjoy this story.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This one was such a tough one for me to rate. I didn’t hate the book but I also really didn’t like it either.

PROS: I love how the author split up the book its three parts to get a better idea of some context and history. I thought that the pacing of the story was really good and enjoyed the ways the characters interacted.

CONS: The first 10-15% was such an info dump but not in a good way. I was incredibly confused and could not for the life of me picture how this world was supposed to look. I did not like any of the characters particularly and couldn’t connect to any of them so I wasn’t hooked. The MFC was so annoying and whiny I couldn’t stand her.

This book started off kind of slow. I actually put it down for a little bit. Then thought to give it another chance. Oh my I am glad I did. It is for sure a fantasy romance, and mystery. You will be trying to figure it out as you go through the book. Then things turn around and you are surprised. I am honored to get to read this book. I really liked it.

4.5
This book was good, it was in the third person which always takes me a bit to get used to but I loved it. This story is about Bridget who is in the fae realm and she has no memories she only knows her name and nothing else. She is in a witch coffin with the head witch Cora who is horrible to her

Cora wants Bridget to enter these trials, for her to marry the fae prince Cade because Cade is supposed to be this horrible person, that hates humans and witches.

I loved how the author does after, before, and now. It shows a glimpse of everything and slowly gets the pieces back together. Bridget is this strong FMC who never gives up and when everything is thrown at her she never stops. She is a badass

This book has zero spice, but it has everything from the trials to the fighting, to the magic system. The love story. I can't wait for Book 2.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to say: what a gorgeous cover!

This is more of a 2.5 for me, though I rounded up. I really, really thought I was going to enjoy this more by the description. I think too much information without context was given. In the beginning, I even thought maybe there was a first book I was missing?

There’s a mystery aspect to this book - Bridget is a human who has lost her memories so she is unsure of how exactly she ended up in the Fae world. But.. with an info dump, crucial information / context missing, I didn’t find myself intrigued and wanting to learn more… I just found myself thinking “why should I care?”

Over time, you get more glimpses but I think the pacing could’ve been a little better. I enjoyed the romance between Cade and Bridget and the action towards the end. Overall though, this one fell a bit flat for me. 🙁

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I enjoyed this read- I was instantly drawn to the mystery and characters. I do think this is more towards a young adult fantasy, if you’re looking h for a spicy read- you won’t find any of that here, but still a great read without it! I am glad this is going to be a series and am looking forward to the next book!

When I started the book it seemed like a common magical type story where a human gets stuck in another world and has no memory of it, BUT the moment chapter 3 ended, my curiosity skyrocketed tenfold making me feel like I judged it pretty early. There is so much to explore with so many questions in my mind. Now I have a feeling that this one will be very loved.

Bridget just can’t keep anything in for a long time, she blurts everything out at the first chance she gets and I really love her for that, like there is 0% chance of miscommunication in this case. My favourite is her and she lights up every scenario. The story is captivating and keeps me from wandering.

The writing, the plot, the characters and especially that damm cliffhanger were superb and I highly recommend reading it. I am very curious as to how and what happens next. With Fae, everything is so uncertain as they have so much hidden in a simple line which can explode in your face and just surprise you.

I really need book two now. I keep thinking about what’s happening and how Bridget is going to deal with it all. How Cade is going to react and everything will take place. Cade is the highlight of the book where he is a mystery yet he feels so familiar at every book and corner that I was able to relate to the story and see his pov without having his pov. Must read.

It’s a 4.5⭐️ for me.