DNF'd at 35%. Had a hard time getting into the story and thought the MMC was not my cup of tea. I loved that the character was of Thai origin and that the folklore of the Thai people would be weaved in, but I think it just fell flat.

4⭐ 1🌶️

Wings Once Cursed and Bound was my first Piper Drake book and what a place to start! I really enjoyed this epic start to what I’m sure will be a captivating series. The mythology woven into the story had me utterly hooked and the world building was so fascinating and unique. The characters were so eclectic and inviting and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes them. My only complaint was that this is written in third person point of view, which I tend to have a hard time connecting to, though it’s truly just a personal preference and I’d still absolutely recommend this book to friends.

Both Peeraphan and Bennett were fantastic and I really enjoyed their banter and chemistry. Peeraphan was such a kind and caring soul, while still showing some backbone and calling Bennett on his nonsense when needed. And Bennett was the delicious vampire boyfriend I didn’t know I needed but now can’t do without. Tragically broken by his past but unable to resist Peeraphan, I simply couldn’t adore him more. Not to mention his sweet little “bromance” with Thomas…I don’t know if I’ve read an enemies to friends storyline but I’m absolutely here for these two as well.

I tandem listened/read this on audio and e-book and Cindy Kay did an excellent job. Both her male and female voices were spot on and I’ll certainly be looking for future books she narrates moving forward.

I usually love Piper J Drake's books. Her romantic suspense books are awesome and I can't put them down once I start them. So I was excited when she announced that she was doing a PNR book-I couldn't wait since PNR is my go to for most of my reading! And while I really wanted to love it, it was just ok for me. I felt like I was all over the place in this book, and I wasn't even quite sure what was going on at some points. The Thai mythology was cool, especially as I knew nothing about it. The romance portion of it just didn't gel for me. It almost felt like it was shoved into the story in order to be labeled as a PNR book, and honestly, it didn't really add anything for me. All of the pieces for a great story were there, they just didn't come together as I had hoped. So for me, it was just ok while it has the potential to be great!

Peeraphan is a self-taught dancer inspired by her Thai heritage to create her dances. When she puts on a pair of beautiful red shoes that are meant to kill her, and doesn't die - she piques the interest of a secret organization that investigates mythological artifacts. Bennett is the de facto leader of the organization and after preventing Peeraphan's kidnapping by another more sinister organization, she is brought into a world with vampires, werewolves, and fae (oh my.) This is more an urban romance than a fantasy romance and I overall I enjoyed the read. I will definitely be interested in further stories in the series (hoping for a future witch, kitsune throuple.) I loved the addition of South Asian mythology and look forward to more exploration within the diverse world. While I enjoyed the banter between the characters, as well as the side characters, the story could have benefited with more world-building, but a good first entry in a new series. I would recommend to readers who enjoy the Hollow series by Kim Harrison or Chicagoland Vampires/Heirs of Chicagoland series by Chloe Neill.

Prior to reading this book I was unaware of folklore and mythology within Thai culture. It was a lot of fun to go down a rabbit hole of learning about it. This story was an inventive way to bring classical fairytale, Thai folklore and paranormal character into one story.
My only critique is I just wish we had a little more world building to fully convey the beauty of the story. But, does a good job giving a wide range of characters to help set up later books and maybe an opportunity to further the world building.

Peeraphan "Punch" is a post-college twenty-something working for a dance company in San Francisco. While at rehearsals one night, Sirin, a friend and fellow dancer, brings her a beautiful pair of vintage red shoes. After Sirin convinces Punch to wear the shoes during rehearsals, Punch finds herself trapped by the curse of The Red Shoes. Bennet, a centuries old born vampire, was hoping to track down The Red Shoes before they found their way onto the feet of their next victim. Normally, Bennet would have allowed the curse of The Red Shoes to take its course, but there's something about Punch that compels him to try and save her life. Bennet whisks Punch away to a hidden mythological world of vampires, werewolves, and fairies where sparks fly as they work together to try and break the curse of The Red Shoes before it takes her life. Along the way, Punch comes to learn she's not quite human herself and has much more untapped power than she expects.

I was initially really excited by the premise of Wings Once Cursed and Bound. I went to Thailand last fall and thought it would be really cool to learn more about Thai mythology through this new fantasy series. However, I found out pretty quickly that I was not getting the story I expected. This book's pitch does not paint an accurate picture of what you're actually getting. Perhaps if I'd read Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer Armentrout before, I'd have had a better idea of what I was getting. This is not a historical fantasy centering Thai mythology with a secondary romance plot. This is an urban fantasy romance with most characters being from well-known European mythology (vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, dragons, etc.) Punch is a Thai mythological being called a kinnaree, although the story has very little to do with that. In fact, she doesn't know what that really means nor do any of the other characters. It's teased that future books in the series will delve more into the mythology of kinnarees; however, that's not enough to keep me reading at this point. I did not enjoy Drake's writing style; I felt like I was reading YA rather than an adult book. Additionally, I am not a fan of insta-love, especially when not executed well. The whole story takes place within several days where we're constantly told the characters are falling in love with each other, but there's nothing in the writing that makes me believe this romance. I hope this book finds its audience, because I am not it.

Thank you to Net Galley for my e-arc. All views are my own.

Wings Once Cursed & Bound, by Piper J. Drake, follows Peeraphan Rahttana, also known as Punch, a woman hiding her identity as a kinnaree, a mythical Thai bird princess. When she's tricked into wearing the cursed red dancing shoes of legend, a vampire named Bennett sweeps her into a world of supernatural beings while they try to figure out how to save her from the curse. As she and Bennett grow closer and Peeraphan finds herself appreciating the chance not to have to hide her identity, she ultimately must face the truth of what she is and whether she is willing to do what it takes to keep her newfound freedom.

This book had a lot of promising aspects, but ultimately falls short in a lot of ways.

I did really enjoy the worldbuilding aspect of it. The interactions of different supernatural beings from all over the world was super interesting and wasn't really something that I had seen in urban fantasy before. While I do think the worldbuilding could have been done a little better, I do also recognize that this book works on a very compressed timeframe, taking place over the course of a day, and that those details might not have been realistic to explain.

The Darke Consortium, the organization that Bennett is part of and which deals with magical artifacts, was definitely intriguing; each of the members that we see are unique in their magic and in personality. This book is planned to be the first in a series, and I assume that missions for the Consortium would make up the bulk of the stories covered. I would be interested to see where the series goes; there's a lot of scope within the world Drake has created that there are many different ideas to be explored, and I think that it could only improve from this first book.

I think the biggest of this book's problems was that it was trying to expand a plotline into a full novel that simply did not have enough going on. Taking place over only 24 hours and without any real subplot beyond the poorly-executed romance, the book drags despite being only 300 pages long. The story of the magic shoes was quite simplistic and simply did not give the novel enough substance to work with.

The whisper-thin plot might have been okay if the characters were more interesting, but unfortunately I could not tell you a single defining trait of either Peeraphan or Bennett, our two protagonists. They quite literally have no personalities, beyond Bennett having a shred of the typical adult romantasy "alpha male" archetype. Their backstories are virtually non-existent, and there is no sign of character development. The latter is excusable due to the compressed timeline of the book—I'm not expecting full character arcs over 24 hours—but literally anything to make me care about these characters would have been appreciated. Additionally, their romance arc is far too insta-love-y for my taste; there is no development or anything, but they are still completely obsessed with each other by the end.

Overall, though this book was quite promising in its setup and worldbuilding, its execution left a lot to be desired. I think it probably could have been more successful if it was shorter in length or focused more on character; this very easily could have been a solid coming-of-age story for Peeraphan, but splitting her page time with Bennett and not actually developing that aspect of the book beyond a single chapter simply makes this book full of missed potential. I would still recommend giving it a shot if you're looking for a quick read in an interesting urban fantasy setup, Despite this book being a hot mess, it was still kind of a vibe, and I really do think that this series has potential. Ultimately, however, I can't give this installment any higher than a 3/5.

This book is totally underrated! I highly enjoyed this read, and I think the blurb is very misleading. I wouldn't comp it to SJM and JLA like the it says, but maybe KF Breene or Ivy Asher. It's definitely an urban fantasy/paranormal romance which I loved because I can never get enough of vampire love interests. I might even go as far as to label this one cozy, as there's a ton of elements that fit the type with found family, fairytale objects, and supernatural characters of all types. It's multi-POV, and each character has a distinct tone of voice which I really appreciated. There's also a ton of sexual tension, and even a few really good spicy scenes. Overall, this book was such a pleasant surprise for me, and I'm looking forward to reading more of this series!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but found the execution to be lacking. The characters seemed too powerful and clever, the only mistakes they seemed to make were in their relationships with each other. And the book goes to great lengths to try and convince of us how powerful and incredible and amazing the characters are compared to other people. Personally I don't enjoy reading books that treat their characters this way. Its a vampire story so I expect the vampires to the stronger and faster than anyone else to have certain territorial and possessive tendencies, but they should still be flawed and capable of making mistakes, otherwise they're boring to read about.
I also felt that the romance between the two main characters developed too quickly. Almost as soon as they saw each other they wanted to jump each other. There was no easing into attraction as they got to know each other, they just immediately were attracted to each other and in love.
The supernatural and fantasy elements were really cool and I loved that it was heavy on Eastern mythology instead of just focusing on Western mythology, but the story itself just didn't do it for me.

This was an enjoyable first book in a series. I like the idea of mythical items out in the world and supernaturals are out there hunting them down like a treasure hunt. This book started off with plenty of action and I was hooked from the beginning. The pace did slow quite a bit while characters were introduced and the world was set up. It felt like a long time had gone by but in actuality is was only a few days. This resulted in a sort of insta-love scenario but it didn't quite feel like one. I'm interested in reading more books in this series when they come out.

Four and a half stars

Peeraphan Rahttana’s cousin hands her a gorgeous pair of dancing shoes during rehearsal and she tries them on, not recognizing that they are enchanted. Bennett Andrews has been tracking these cursed shoes and is sorry to arrive just in time to see them claim a victim…

A born vampire, Bennett has centuries of experience in the supernatural world. Peeraphan’s not a creature he’s familiar with, though he if he’s honest with himself, he’s deeply attracted to her and her bright and intelligent curiosity about herself and her place in this world. A kinnaree, a bird creature from Thai mythology, Peeraphan feels as if she’s sprung fully formed from nothing, without others around to guide or inform her.

Piper J Drake’s Wings Once Cursed and Bound is the first in her Mythwoven paranormal fantasy romance series, and is a captivating adventure. Bennett and Peeraphan are thrown together by virtue of these dangerous shoes, and find more in common than they might have imagined. Bennett’s household and associates provide an excellent secondary cast, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next in this imaginative series!

Punch a dancer is thrust into a magical world that she felt but never saw by stepping into new dancing shoes. The shoes happened to be cursed and stuck to her feet but they aren't acting like they usually do with mortals which fascinates the one that followed the shoes to retrieve them.
Before this book I didn't know about the kinnaree which in their own mythology are similar to vampires. I haven't read any Thai mythological creatures before. Googling it I have seen golden statutes before of the female with the bird like body and feathers.
Punch (Peeraphan) and Bennett have a very interesting dynamic as teacher and student, predator/prey, slow burn attraction as they try to remove the shoes.
There are so many creatures in this story then a plot to steal some of the artifacts which is more a double cross within Bennetts group. I did not see that coming. I am excited to see what happens next in their relationship in the next book and what adventures they get into.

Thank you sourcebookscasa for the e-ARC for my voluntary and honest review.

I liked this book a lot! Creative world building, promising romance, plot moved at a decent clip. 5 stars.

✨i’m so surprised by this read! it’s super unique and full of rich thai mythology and paranormal creatures. the protagonist is likable yet flawed and unsure of herself, dealing with being non human and cursed early on in the story. we meet a brooding, handsome vampire love interest… who is besties with a werewolf?!? and this might all sound like too much (I thought it would be) but there was not a single moment where i felt overwhelmed by all of the different mythological creatures/plots that weave throughout the story.

✨this is a great first installment to a fantasy series that i assume will focus on a new mythological story with each installment. with that, there are mentions of many myths in this story that are glanced over, that could’ve gone into more depth, but with the idea of more books to dive deep into other stories I felt like the amount of time that was spent on each mention of different creatures/myths was genius. we got enough, leaving us wanting a little more, but not feeling dissatisfied!

✨the romance in this story was something that was obviously going to happen from the beginning. both main characters are soooo into each other and they have many moment of spice throughout the story. it’s not too much, more so happening at the end with the conclusion of the main plot, but their moments are steamy and sweet and perfect for each character.

✨thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was very enjoyable! There is an amazing exploration of supernatural creatures that exist in myth and folklore across the world. The main character, Peeraphan, herself is a supernatural being and once she is introduced to the greater world beyond that of her human one, she is determined to learn everything. The romance progressed way too fast for my liking but nearly every other element had me intrigued the whole time!

3 1/2 stars

This was a fun new fantasy series. I enjoyed reading about different mythical beings along with the standard vampires, fae and lycanthropes. It took me a bit of time to settle into the storyline as it didn't flow easily for me initially. However, once the story fully kicked in, I was drawn into it. I'm not surprised if a new fantasy story takes a while due to necessary world building and so forth but this one almost felt repetitive for a bit and just slow paced. That said, I do feel as if it could have benefited from some more solid world building because it felt a bit patchy in places. Regardless, it still a series I will continue once the additional book/books are released as I'm curious to see where else the author goes with the plot.

Thai mythology isn't something I"m very familiar with so I was interested in reading about it. The bird princess, Kinaree was a refreshing new character to understand. In addition, having the idea of combining the fairytale about the Red Shoes was a clever way to enrich the story. Of course, I was also drawn in by the spicy relationship between Peeraphan and Bennett. Anytime a vampire is involved you can sign me up.

There is definitely a good setup for the rest of this series. I'm hopeful that now that I have the characters somewhat figured out and understand their world a bit, the next book will reel me in quicker. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

3.5/5*

This was an interesting concept and while i have read mythology retelling books, seeing how Thai mythology was represented was very intriguing and though i felt that there were a few things that slowed at times and there were some scenes that could’ve felt that it was adult fantasy rather than YA, i did enjoy the book and looking forward to seeing what will come in the next book.

I'm really mad that I didn't like this one more. It's not awful. It's not even bad. It's just that the sum of its parts didn't add up to the greatness it could have. I mean, we've got all the classic supernaturals with the added coolness factor of an introduction to a Thai bird princess and the red shoe folktale, it should have been an epic story. Instead, we get a solid story but one that only differentiates itself from the many like it by including a new culture. That made me sad.
The plot is pretty standard. Peeraphan is an independent woman, who is secretly a kinnari, that gets trapped in the red shoes of folklore. She's saved and taken to a place where she can get help by the taciturn vampire, Bennet. It turns out Bennet is part of a group of supernaturals that work on collecting and keeping safe the items of myth and power of the world, but his interest quickly turns out to be more for the woman wearing the shoes than the shoes themselves. It's a race against time to get the shoes off before they force Peeraphan to dance to her death.
I didn't really think there was much new material in the plot, but it is used to the author's advantage in the fact that the characters are interesting and there is a clear setup for way more to come. Honestly, I found the side characters way more interesting.
So despite how much I love the fact that we're getting a kinnari in Western urban fantasy, I'm not moved to shout about this one from the rooftops.
All that said, I do think I'll follow the series simply because I'm intrigued by the world and characters Drake created. There's a spark in this story of something greater and I'd like to see if it lives up to the potential implied.

Very grateful to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read and review!

3.75stars-WINGS ONCE CURSED is the first instalment in Piper J. Drake’s contemporary, adult MYTHWOVEN paranormal, romance series focusing on a group known as the Darke Consortium, made up of several supernatural powers. This is Peeraphan ‘ Punch’ Rahttana, a Thai bird princess known as a kinnaree, and ancient vampire Bennet Andrews’ story line.

Told from several limited omniscient third person perspectives including Bennett and Peeraphan WINGS ONCE CURSED follows in the wake of the attempted abduction of our story line heroine. Peeraphan Rahttana aka Punch is a Thai bird princess, a mythological kinnaree, and the target of a collector of rare items, artifacts and creatures. A gift of a pair of red satin dance slippers imbued with magical yet deadly powers from an unknown benefactor finds Peeraphan beholden to her would-be rescuer, ancient vampire Bennet Andrews, as they search for a cure to the never ending dance. With the help of several members of the Darke Consortium including vampires, witches, shifters, fae and sidhe, Peeraphan must venture onto a journey of truth, a journey in which Peeraphan’s legitimacy and certainty will free her from the ‘dance of death’. What ensues is the building relationship between Bennet and Peeraphan, and the potential fall-out as the collector makes good on his desire for our heroine, and Bennet must come to terms with the past.

The relationship between Peeraphan and Bennet begins as a rescue but Bennet is gravely injured and our heroine must ‘donate’ blood in order to save his life. Connected at a visceral level, Bennet and Peeraphan must search for a remedy or fix to remove the red satin slippers that are controlling our heroine’s life. Bennet struggles in the wake of losing someone he loved, someone whose life span was limited, someone he compared to Peeraphan Rahttana. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate without the use of over the top,sexually graphic language and text.

WINGS ONCE CURSED is a story steeped in Thai and Asian mythology with a large number of supernatural beings including dragons, vampires, shifters, fae and witches. We are introduced to several members of the Darke Consortium, responsible to locate and retrieve objects of myth and magic: Werewolf Thomas, witch Marie, Bennet’s personal assistant Duncan, winged Fae Ashke-the head of security for the Darke Consortium, Asamoah, and Peeraphan’s sugar gliders Toby and Cori. The requisite evil has many faces


WINGS ONCE CURSED is a story of power and control, obsession and greed, magic and the supernatural, acceptance and understanding. The premise is intriguing and enchanting but the early chapters were more telling than showing, often to the point of discomfort. The romance is fated and tender; the characters are edgy and spirited.



THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/wings-once-cursed-and-bound-by-piper-j-drake-a-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5226022024


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This books was a wonderful mix of romance, adventure, and Thai mythology. This is my first time reading anything from this author and it was a pleasant surprise. I was liked the tie-in of fairytales and foklore of other cultures. It was so easy to all into the story. I do wish for a bit more romance, but it was sufficient as I'm a huge fan of having a chance to experience folklore and fairytales in a different way. I def give this a 4/5 and can highly recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley, Piper J. Drake, and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the chance to review this lovely book. I look forward to the next adventure in the series!