I am a big fan of fantasy with Asian mythology woven in, and found this one to be particularly intriguing for me. We have elements of supernatural beings, the Thai myth about the Kinnaree - a legendary Thai Bird Princess, and one of my favorite macabre folklore tales of The Red Shoes. It sounds like a lot to incorporate into a story, but for me it just worked.

I also listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the cadence of the narrator’s voice. She was expressive, and paced very well. It truly painted the story in my mind!

I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and hope to have a physical copy on my shelves at some point.

I love books that are multiple points of view because they keep me on my toes and the entertainment value of them is usually really high! I am not familiar with many of the cultural elements presented in this book but I was thrilled to learn new things as I journeyed through this story alongside the characters. The writing was descriptive and engaging and I really look forward to more stories by this author and also more books in this, which will hopefully be a series! Highly recommend!

Wings Once Cursed and Bound......what a beautiful cover to hook the reader before they even open this story! This story is multi P.O.V., Thai folklore with other mythologies/folklore as well, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. I like the freshness of the writing and the interesting take on an alternative Seattle. My only drawback would be that the ending wasn't quite a cliffhanger, but it wasn't a complete ending. We will have to see what the next book in the series brings us.

First of all I want to thanks Netgalley and the Publishing House for the opportunity to read this ARC! Thank you so much!

Let's talk about this book!
Let's start with what I had read from the plot: that it was perfect for Sarah L Maas fans! Well, you know I clearly love her, and so every time I read something like that I'm going head over heels trying to find something like what she writes. Although it's happened other times, it wasn't for this one.
Let's start by saying that it's a completely different story from what I expected. The plot is very interesting but could have been developed much better, because the themes are beautiful, detailed and certainly particular, both from a material and a traditional point of view. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it talks about mythology, Thai tradition, folklore and much more, in addition to the thousand fantastic creatures that are a classic in our fantasy imagination. Here, the Thai-inspired part is very interesting, also because I know very little so it's even more so, so I would have liked something even more focused on this, which would have made the book truly one of a kind.
The plot revolves around a paranormal fantasy with a romance background which, however, in my opinion runs a bit too much (for example, many things on this aspect already happen in this book, when in my opinion we could have waited and increased the tension) while instead i found the paranormal plot really too slow, too much introduction, very fast initial action and then super slow again! Too!
Let's just say that it didn't win me over from this point of view!

This book was fun, and started immediately with sinister magic and a violent battle between vampires. I was "sucked" in and eager to know more. Unfortunately it became a bit convoluted as more and more magical characters were introduced in different roles, many of which lacked depth. We didn't really get their story or significance it just got hard to keep track of who was who. The details got a bit murky as well. How was Punch this mythical Thai kinnaree but kept it hidden so long? Especially if she slept and transformed so easily. A quarter of the way through and there was still so much to figure out that instead of being invested I began to lose interest. It felt like a forced attraction of Punch and Bennett I wasn't buying right away because we didn't get to know much of who they were. It was more of that dangerous handsome immortal who has morals and the tough female protag that breaks down his stoic persona and takes no shit. I'd have appreciated more world building and backstory. The entire book happens within a 24 hour period. Putting those thoughts aside however and just letting the story unfold, the overall story was entertaining. I enjoyed learning about less-known mythological legends and I happen to read this during AAPI month which fit well in recognizing and celebrating diversity and inclusion of Asian culture and history. This story was a unique blend of Thai mythology with fairy tales and paranormal romance. It was marketed more as a high fantasy though and I think that is misleading as it is more a paranormal romance, urban fantasy closer to a Karen M. Moning than Sarah J Maas.

I loved every single thing about this. The modern world setting was done to perfection. It had a diverse cast and drew from Asian culture and I was super engaged by that aspect of the story. But also I loved the romance. This was one hundred percent a supernatural story done the right way. I hope this is a series because I want more. Also, I listened to the audiobook from my library.

What bummed me out about this is that there was legitimate potential early on. Yet, the author decided instead of making a story about fairy tale/supernatural influence in the "real" world, that the MC would fall dramatically in love (while fighting for her life) with a guy she'd known for, what? Like, six hours? Then it's all sexy interludes, but with teeth. Literal teeth. Blech.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wings Once Cursed and Bound was a unique take on a supernatural realm, and I appreciated bringing to light some lesser known mythological ideas. I flew through the book and look forward to the series next books.

In Wings Once Cursed & Bound, we meet Bennet Andrews who just happens to represent a secret organization of supernatural beings and this organization dedicates itself to finding and acquiring mythical objects to protect these objects from the humans. Bennet ends up meeting Peeraphan Rahttana, she just happened to step into a pair of Red Shoes, which ultimately traps her in the shoes curse-she will have to dance herself to death. He thinks he is too late when it comes to The Red Shoes and Peeraphan, but he quickly realizes the curse is not harming her. In the end though, Peeraphan will go through a world of creatures she has never known about.

First, let's just talk about the cover: it is simply eye catching and beautiful.

The premise to me for Wings Once Cursed & Bound sounds beyond amazing and I love that it is marketed to fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout since they are two of my favorite authors, so that made me even more excited to read this book.

When I first started to read this, I was instantly transported into this books world and wanting to know anything and everything. The writing was well done and I was enjoying our characters.

But, somewhere around the middle of the book it started to feel meh for me. I just was not sucked in anymore and that continued all the way to the end of the book. There was a lot of amazing parts, but there were parts that felt lacking and I think maybe if I knew more of the Thai Mythology that was woven into this story and the Kinaree, then maybe I would have liked this more.

For the ending of this book, it does feel rather incomplete with how it ended. I would not fully say it is a cliffhanger, but just an incomplete feeling. Thankfully this is only book one, so I am curious about the upcoming books and will be checking them out.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, and I don't want to waste a day, not even a minute, denying myself the joy of it for fear of how much it will hurt to lose you."

Wings Once Cursed and Bound is so original! The Thai bird princess folklore is a wonderful concept and definitely one I want to read more about.

- found family
- diverse characters
- instalove
- multi pov

Peeraphan "Punch" is literally swept off her feet by Bennett as he claims to be apart of a secret organization dedicated to locating magically object. Said magical object happens to be stuck on Peeraphan's feet & they have to work together to break the curse. Bennett is the PERFECT vampire - all tall, dark and brooding.

Although it's set in Seattle, the world building was exceptional. It contains a diverse cast of characters such as vampires, werewolves, fae, witches and many more! And the multi-pov is perfect.

It's definitely a first book in a series and I'm looking forward to what comes next!

As a modern Thai fantasy, I was quite excited to read this as we rarely get South East Asian romance books in this sphere. Unfortunately, I no longer have the motivation to continue with this book and will be DNFing this book at 30%. The conflict of the book was introduced early on: the tale of the red dancing shoes, but everything else I've read to this point has been some form of romantic banter or discussions about how beautiful the main character is. I love that a Thai woman is depicted as beautiful here, however it is not adding to the story or driving it forward at this point. The pacing feels off as well because as of 1/3 through the story, only a few hours has passed since the beginning of the story. While I can forgive a book for its slow plot, there doesn't seem to really be a plot at all to keep me motivated to stay with their story.

This was such an interesting, unique, quick read!

I do have mixed feelings about it though...

Okay. First, let me just say that this is one of the most original, beautiful and interesting fantasy world / main character I have ever read about. It was all so fascinating and I loved it! Peeraphan's history and character development as she uncovered her powers, the myths, the folklore, the action, the flying, the suspense, it was all great.

Sadly though, I didn't enjoy the romantic aspect at all. It actually made me want to cry lol, I just wanted to love it more! Because there was sooo much potential, the world so amazing, the obvious research that went into it, but it was overshadowed by the love story. Actually, I think this is the first time I can say the Romance aspect ruined the story. *cue sobbing*

*** slight spoilers ahead ***

I just couldn't understand, fathom, relate or like the insta-love and the main characters's interactions. It all felt rushed and cringy. Finding and falling in love with your "beloved" in less than 24 hrs is a stretch in my opinion, even for a paranormal romance type of setting. I wish we went a little longer and deeper into this supposed connection they had.

That being said, the book is told in 3rd POV, switching between the main characters and a few secondary characters. I loved this setting of having different supernatural beings interact and work together and seeing thir own take on situations and how different they were. They had an upbeat voice, I did like the banter, all the growth, camaraderie and fun the entire group developed as a whole.

3.5 stars (but it could have been more!)

I will try the author's other work in the future, as I find her world building so original and refreshing.


*eARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a honest opinion. Thank you!

The food descriptions were good. Probably some of the best I've read.

Other than that, I felt nothing besides annoyed with the main characters. The first 5% of the book focused on how special and attractive the main characters were, but it never become clear why exactly they fell in love with each other. There was a lot of exposition that did not improve the further I got into the story, and a lot of internal dialogue that felt preachy and overly concerned with proving that the characters were all moral and good. Some parts felt like I was reading a self-help book.

There was also no real urgency or stakes. I'm still unsure at what point she got rid of the cursed shoes because I spaced out towards the end. Unfortunate, because I was very excited to learn about Thai mythology, but even that aspect felt very superficial.

First off, I have to say that this book cover is just gorgeous! This is the first book that I have read by Piper J. Drake and I really can’t wait to see where this series will go!

I have not read any Thai folklore before and I really enjoyed this one! I feel like this is a great foundation to the world that Piper is building but would have loved to get a little more description and history within it. I would have loved to get to know the side characters a little more and how they all have come together. I really enjoyed the secret organization with the magical artifacts and the paranormal creatures.

I did enjoy the main characters and would have loved to learn more about their background. Punch is such a strong, honest FMC. I am all about the romance and hope that the next book has a little more spice to it.

Overall, this is a really great start to a series! There were some slow parts to this book but then I felt like the end seemed to be rushed a bit. Looking forward to the next book!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬…
Thai Mythology
Multi POV
Paranormal Romance
Urban Fantasy
Insta-Attraction
Slow Burn

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebook & Piper Drake for the ARC of this book for my honest review!

I tried so hard to get through this one and I failed. I needed more world building. It was 50% almost and I still didn't know why anything was the way it was.

While I was unable to read this entire book before my eARC expired, I think I read enough to say that this is a fun, unique, romance. It dives into lots of different mythologies which I found really interesting. If you like paranormal romances then check this out!

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

This book was just okay. It had some nice moments, and the storyline was well thought out. Nothing really stood out to me, and I had a hard time staying interested. It just fell short of what I think it could have been. All of the pieces were there. The world building worked well, and I did enjoy the different supernatural beings involved with the story.

Overall, I do think it could be a good setup for more to come. I might be interested to see where this series might go.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Yes - read it.

I loved Sarah J. Maas ACOTAR series! So I just saw Sarah Maas and that is what got me to read the book. Which this book isn't as good as - in my opinion. But it could be spot on for Crescent City by that author & I wouldn't know (Crescent City was referenced in one description).

And there was something that even reminded me of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Again, not as good but a very satisfying fix - if you know what I mean!

That being said, if you are a fan of either author, I think you'll enjoy the read. It's got all kinds of supernatural goodies crammed in what looks to be the first in a series.

I liked the characters! I am very interested in the upcoming books to learn more about them & see what adventures are to be had.

I received an ARC from Netgalley to help me prepare my honest review.

I had high hopes for Wings Once Cursed & Bound. I was excited for a fantasy with Thai mythology woven in and a strong female protagonist. Unfortunately, I felt like the pacing was off for much of this story, with so much happening so quickly that it felt hard to believe the emotional responses of characters. The romance felt rushed, especially in the midst of a life-saving rescue mission weekend and it was hard to stay feeling connected to characters with so much going on. I felt like there was a lot of potential here, and I enjoyed parts of the story, but it just didn't quite deliver for me.

Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake is a story that you will not want to miss out on reading. It has not just Thai mythology, but other folklore and mythologies tied into it as well. I love how the author wove them all into the story and did such a wonderful job doing so. There were a few spots where I found it difficult to continue on as I lost focus in the story, but overall, it was a very enjoyable read to me as I was introduced to a new mythology.

I love the main characters Peeraphan, who goes by Punch and who so happens to also be a Thai bird princess, and Bennett, who is a vampire. These two are sooooo good together! They talk through issues that arise and I love that Peeraphan calls Bennett out at times. I enjoyed how open minded, kind, and independent Peeraphan is and I love the growth that Bennett went through. I also really enjoyed the side characters as well!

If you enjoy books that have folklore and mythology woven into them, romance, vampires, werewolves, dragons, found family vibes, among other tropes that I can't think of at the moment, then you should pick this one up and read it. See if you enjoyed it as much as I did!