Magic has been fading in the kingdom for decades, and Kas’ skill at breaking magical things has made her no friends. Avoiding a forced marriage, Kas is an itinerant adventurer, fighter, and general problem solver-slash-hero. Stuck in a fierce storm, she takes shelter atop the least decrepit of an unusual field of towers. At the top, she finds an ensorcelled sleeping woman. Luckily, this is something Kas the Cursebreaker can handle. But this sleeping beauty’s true identity reveals some troubling realities – and Kas will need to head back into the very place she ran from to do the right thing. Think lesbian sleeping beauty where it starts with the kiss. -Booktalk given on the Librarians Recommend panel at Geek Girl Con, Seattle, October 2018

Love Sasha L Miller's writing, it is like a happy place to come and rest! This short gem is just the thing to read during a cold rainy day, snuggled up with a warm beverage by the fire.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40687687-the-cursebreaker-countess" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Cursebreaker Countess" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1530482730m/40687687.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40687687-the-cursebreaker-countess">The Cursebreaker Countess</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3475793.Sasha_L_Miller">Sasha L. Miller</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2540320428">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/LT3 Press.<br />Ms. Miller has done an admirable re-write of Sleeping Beauty with added twists and turns. A too-short romance with some comedy that was enjoyable.<br />3 stars.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

60 years had passed since the Mage princess was last seen. Magic had been muted and the kingdom cut off from outsiders. That would all change when Kas a spell-breaking runway countess seeks shelter in a tower. Uncertain of what would happen Kas takes a chance at breaking the spell, and releases a very confused princess.
Hesitant to go back to the kingdom Anika join Kas on a journey of rekindling lost relationships with relatives and creating a new relationship along the way. Romance and mystery keep you on your toes at every turn of the page.

I am grateful for NetGalley for letting me read and review The Curse-breaker Countess. I felt this book could easily be part of a series and would love to know what happens next to Anika’s and Kas’s adventures. I would like to see more action in some places in the book and I felt the ending was a little too abrupt. Overall, the book was an exhilarating book to read.

Yesssss! Lesbian fantasy!
This book is just wonderful. It has a well structured plot, compelling characters, magic, mystery and lesbians. What more could one ask for?!
Firstly, it is so nice to see other sexualities in fantasy fiction. It's something that someone like me, who reads a massive amount of fantasy, really sees the lack of. Now, being bisexual myself, I don't mind boy meets girl. But we are flooded with it in modern writings, and fantasy has long been a man's world - both in author, protagonist and romance options. Preferably with a lithe and lissome beauty with bouncing breasts and pouty lips... I am sure you can think of a few examples. So to have a queer protagonist who is female, and to have her queerness as completely natural and not sold as a sexual device to titillate straight men is just glorious.
Secondly, I'm always wanting to imagine myself as the protag. A queer countess who somehow can suck up magic and falls for a mysterious sleeping beauty? Yes please!
Highly recommended.

See what happens when you wake an ancient princess from her beauty sleep and accidentally fall in love with her!

Told from the POV of Kasmira Daelmans , this novella features Kas, as she accidentally frees a princess trapped by a sleeping spell which therefore leaves her with a long lost princess, a crush and a whole lot of questions.

Let’s start with the good: our characters! Anika and Kas were fantastic. They were both complex and while completely different they seemed to compliment each other well. I liked how they worked together and how neither girl questioned the others motives. They stood together against the enemy and watching them fall for each other, even in a small amount of pages, was adorable. The mystery aspect was quite intriguing and it left me speeding through to find out who put Anika under the spell and why?

However, I think one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected is that steampunk just isn’t my genre and, for the first 50% of this novella nothing happened. I probably wouldn’t have judged the novella as hard if it was a full length novel, it wasn’t. It was 106 pages and we had over fifty pages of unnecessary writing. We meet both Kas and Anika and they travel to the palace. Due to the length we don’t get much information about the world or their journey. It made picturing the scenes harder and the pacing was off. On top of that the Magic system didn’t make much sense, I couldn’t tell who was who and what was what.

Overall, The Cursebreaker Countess wasn’t a bad novella. It had some pacing and world building issues but I really liked our characters and I enjoyed their story. I do wish the ending was clearer and I’m hoping there’s a sequel.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All words written are my own.*

This is a sweet fairytale featuring a well-written f/f romance, which I am the target audience for, so it was a no-brainer that I loved this! <3

I went in thinking that it was a genderbent retelling of Sleeping Beauty but aside from Princess Anika being placed under a sleeping curse, there really isn't any other connection as the author has created an entirely fresh new plot. Kas wakes up Anika not with a kiss of true love, but her ability to break curses (roll credits!) which frees Anika from her slumber after sixty-six years. Normally that would be the end point or at least the climax of the story, but their adventure is only just beginning as they discover that Anika's tower was merely one in a cluster of many towers which imprisoned other women with magical abilities, with no clue as to who was responsible or why.

For a story this short, I'm delighted that it was packed with solid characterization right from the start - even though we didn't have as much time with our protagonist as compared to a full novel, I felt a strong grasp on who Kas is and what she stands for by the end of chapter one. She has her own problems to deal with (a stepfather after her inheritance by way of marrying her off to the highest bidder, natch), but only ever considers walking away from Anika for a second because her moral code won't allow her to leave a young woman to fend for herself with no resources or knowledge of the current world. 

We see that this sense of responsibility isn't specific to Anika by way of her role as love interest because Kas continues to go to great lengths to rescue other women trapped under the same curse, despite the risk to her own personal safety. I love her nobility and heroism, especially as it's clear that this doesn't come effortlessly to her - she isn't 100% courageous and fearless, she worries about her future, gets paranoid about her stepfather or his cronies possibly following and dragging her off to the altar, has insecurities and doubts like any normal person. She also has a soft spot for a pretty face like Anika, but she doesn't let that overrule her self-respect as they bicker quite a bit at the start, having gotten off on the wrong foot!

I also warmed to Anika, the princess displaced in time - she has a lot to deal with, waking up over six decades later in a world completely different to the one she knew. I like how the author shows the development of the kingdom down the path of science and invention in the absence of magic, which introduces a steampunk element to this tale.

And on another note, Anika is described as having dark skin, which makes me happy that there's not just f/f representation but the 'Sleeping Beauty' of this story isn't just another lily-white princess. Her disposition isn't the most friendly after she's woken up, in fact she's downright irritable, but I cut her some slack given the shock of what's transpired and she had no idea who Kas was and that her intentions were noble. After the rocky start, I loved seeing the ladies bond as they make their way to the royal capital, unsure of the reception that awaits given that there was possibly a conspiracy in the palace to have her taken out of the picture. 

Kas really is so endearing with her growing crush on the princess and trying so hard not to let her heart get invested that she fails to see the signs that Anika returns her feelings! Again I'm impressed at how well this relationship was developed given the relative shortness of the story - of course I would've welcomed a 100,000-word novel about these ladies, but I felt that their budding romance was believable and fully realized.

After all this gushing about what I enjoyed in The Cursebreaker Countess, what about its flaws? I'm afraid that it wasn't entirely perfect - on  a technical level, the plot resolution needed some more polish and finesse. The villain comes out of nowhere, revealing themselves basically just to wrap up the story instead of there being a legitimate reason for the confrontation; even our heroines thought it more likely that they'd send minions to get them out of the way. With all the build-up of the mystery of the curse-caster, they only end up being in the story for a few short pages; in the battle, they exclaim, 'You know nothing about me', which is sadly true and shouldn't be the case.

I'm also disappointed that there was all this creepy imagery of dozens of women trapped in towers having their magic and life-force drained, but it was never explained WHY they had to be in a tower, short of evoking the Sleeping Beauty imagery. Seems a lot of work to go to, constructing all these towers with three hundred-odd stairs with no real reason behind it other than aesthetics! 

That criticism aside, I really enjoyed reading this - it's one of those easy reads that hooks you in and it kept me up all night as I was having too much fun to stop myself devouring it in one sitting. I was a little surprised to see the average rating on Goodreads and reconsidered my glowing praise, but at the end of the day, I'm just speaking for myself here and while this isn't a flaw-free story, it has well-written competent heroines, wonderful romantic arc and compelling plot line, so I still think highly of it. <3

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018/08/12/the-cursebreaker-countess-by-sasha-l-miller/)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library YA collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Slow burn

Relationship dynamics: The Countess on the Run (h1) / The Cursed Princess (h2)

Sexual content: None. Kissing only.

Triggers: None of note.

Grammar/Editing: A few spelling and capitalization problems; as this is an ARC, these will hopefully be corrected before it is published.

Review: The writing style and level are suitable for a YA or NA audience. I found this (very) short novel to be an interesting blend of fantasy, fairy tale and steampunk. It was quite well done as a short novel, but it does suffer from the same problem that many short novels suffer from: a plot that would have been better served by a much longer, more detailed book. That being said, I still thought that the world building was fairly well done, the plot was engaging, if simple, and the prose was quite good.

Kas and Anika are both interesting characters and the development of their relationship is subtle, but sweet. This subtlety is influenced partly by the novel being written from a single point of view: that of Kas. The supporting characters were mostly sufficiently developed for the purposes of the plot, although none were particularly memorable. All of the characters in the book would have benefited from the further development that an expanded novel would have afforded.

Overall, I did very much enjoy the novel as it was written, even if I felt that there needed to be significantly more of it. If there were to be a follow-up novel featuring the same heroines, I would definitely read it.

Song title mash-up version: On the road again, black magic woman! Stop!

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kas is a runaway teenager Countess, who tries to stay away from her horrible stepfather that tries to marry her off and steal her fortune. She has an ability that is rare in her Kingdom: she can break all forms of magic. And this is exactly what she does one stormy night, inside a terrible tower: she breaks a spell, and a long-lost Princess wakes up from a 60-year-old slumber. Two young women with a lot of trouble following them find themselves together. They will soon have to unite forces to fight their problems. Will they be able to fight the evil in hide together?

The Cursebreaker Countess is an interesting, short fantasy story with appealing and unique concept. The plot is charming, sweet, and sometimes funny. However, I fount the length too short for the concept. It wasn't boring, which is a plus, but it strongly felt like the plot was too dense and needed to be much more detailed in certain parts. What is more, the villain revelation was extremely anti-climactic, with the heroes playing practically no part in this, which was very disappointing.

All in all it was a pleasant a charming story, which could, however, have been much better developed.

Despite some darker moments (all the women in towers, whoa), this is a very sweet, very light story about two women falling very sweetly, very lightly in love while trying to unmask a court conspiracy involving magic. It’s got the same sort of refreshing optimism of The Goblin Emperor, but with a great deal less worldbuilding. A lovely palate cleanser, but I was left wishing for something more substantial and meaty.

This was an interesting enough concept for a story and I did like the two main characters, but overall it just felt incredibly rushed and I think it would have definitely benefited from being a lot more fleshed out. There wasn't really a lot of conflict in this book and what little there was seemed to be resolved incredibly quickly before veering the plot off in a completely different direction. Several times the characters discuss all the steps they are going to have to take to fix a problem then something else happens and they end up resolving it almost immediately. Also I wasn't a huge fan of the ending because again I felt like it just abruptly came out of nowhere. Still, Anika and Kas were interesting characters and I liked seeing their relationship develop, I just wish the author had taken more time with it.

The Cursebreaker Countess is, in a nutshell, a unique and sweet story but lacks majorly in excitement and action.

We meet our heroine, Kas, a tough boyish girl, who has been trying to escape the expectations of a controlling stepfather and has taken to traveling and exploring her country.
Then we meet Princess Anika, equally as tough as Kas despite her royal up bringing and dealing with a complex family life of her own.
I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and relationship development between these two as the story progressed.
The world is without a doubt steampunk but mixed with magic and fantasy in a pleasing way.

The story moves along at an okay pace, a little slow at times but nevertheless I kept reading as it is a short little book, though writing wise the grammar and over use of certain words could be improved.
I enjoyed the descriptions well enough which were what you’d expect from a ya novel but could have used a little more attention.
The character’s had a nice amount of depth to them and were easy to relate too. Also given the main romance in this story is between two women, I’d give a tip of the hat to some well written representation.

Sadly I found there were not enough challenges for our main characters to face throughout the story and the climax and ending to be lacking in almost every way. The action was much too brief, the villain pretty much appearing and being defeated within a few sentences, and the culmination of a relationship I’d actually been rooting for not given enough attention, particularity since the romance side was quite prevalent throughout until this point. The rushed ending is what caused me to drop a 4 star rating to a 3.5.

Great potential here but needs a little work.

Thank you to Less Than Three Press and Net Galley for sending me this eArc in return for an honest review.

4.5 enchanting stars

‘The Cursebreaker Countess’ is a stand-alone fairy-tale type fantasy with hints of steampunk. Please note that this is not a Sleeping Beauty retelling with two ladies, as I originally thought. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by this clean YA fantasy.

Our story begins when Kas stumbles upon Princess Anika’s tower in the middle of a storm. After awakening the sleeping princess, they travel to the palace to ascertain how best to deal with the problem of magic growing weaker and weaker over the years. It seems someone wanted the princess out of the way due to her proficiency with magic, in order to subdue and control magic in the kingdom.

Become enchanted with ‘The Cursebreaker Countess’ on August 15, 2018.

This series is LGBTQ+ friendly historical fiction, with themes of equality vs abuse of power, and a hint of steampunk.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

Couldn't put this book down. Was an enthralling story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Will definitely recommend to customers at my work!

A woman named Kas comes across a sleeping woman when she goes into a tower to escape the rain. The woman has been asleep for some sixty-odd years, and is awakened by Kas. For that is Kas’ nature, no not waking sleeping women – destroying magic. She touched something, something else happened, and the sleeping woman was no longer asleep. Said her name was Anika, then admitted to being the Lost Princess (well, being a princess of that kingdom, and Kas informed her of that title, the ‘Lost Princess’ one).

The two talk. Kas filling in a little on what has happened the last 66 years. Anika fell asleep, by however means, in a world of magic. But magic doesn’t work in that kingdom any longer – at least new magic doesn’t, and magic that’s already working can’t be fixed if Kas touches it.

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I do not wish to do a step by step plot-line break-down, so let’s move on, eh?

The main character is Kas. She’s the ‘Cursebreaker Countess’ of the title, though providing more explanation than that might be too much spoiler information. The entirety of the story is from Kas POV.

I rather enjoyed this story – it had a nice ‘vibe’ to it, and it was a pleasure to read. The beginning and middle were great. The ending . . . eh, what needed to be done was done, but the ending did kind of seem abrupt regardless.

Right, so, I liked the main characters – Kas and Anika. The story was good. There are things left incomplete, but that’s more of a ‘what happens next’ type of feeling than a ‘plots not completed’ type of feeling.

Rating: 4.38

July 4 2018