A lyrical take on Thai Mythology about an extraordinary human who find out she isn’t human at all - she a mythological bird princess. It’s got shades of Indiana Jones x Twilight x Supernatural. If SJM had written this, it would have been 2 books, but this has a lot of plot that happens pretty fast. Good 🌶️

This started out extremely strong for me and then ended up fizzling out pretty quickly and I felt like I wasn’t enjoying it as I continued. I feel like it had a lot of competing storylines and could have benefitted from some editing or choosing one storyline and running with that one.

It did get compared to Sarah J Maas who has become one of my all-time favorite authors so maybe I had my hopes and expectations too high.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this opportunity!

Holy mother of Pearl but what was this book? Oh it was lush, romantic and dangerous to my reader mind! I have zero criticism as this is a perfect book. The author spun such a fantastic tale that sucks you in and spits you out with a major book hangover!

This book hit me exactly the way I expected. I enjoyed the reading all the way through and have not one complaint on the characters or plot. The storyline was also very appealing.

The only issue I have is it hit me exactly as I expected it to. There was nothing that I would say surprised or shocked me. Not that that is necessary in every book but, I just felt as though I had already read this book. The characters were all new to me but the story in many ways wasnt.

I know there are many people who are going to absolutely adore this read and give it a 5 star review. I personally give it 3.5.

I was lucky enough to get this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I have to say that I have been a fan of Piper J. Drake for a while. Because I enjoyed her other books, I was excited to read this new one.

This is the story of Peeraphan "Punch", a Thai bird princess who lives in modern day Seattle. She is a dancer who has received a new pair of dancing shoes, which unknown to her are actually cursed. Meanwhile a vampire named Bennet finds her and is shocked to see that she isn't falling victim to the curse of not being able to stop dancing once the dancer starts. Bennet pretty much kidnaps Punch and pulls her into a supernatural world where other vampires are hunting down the shoes that Punch now cannot take off. She meets dragons, a witch, and werewolf family members. All while of course falling for Bennet.

Over all this is great book. It's a good start to the Mythwoven series and I can't wait to see where Piper is going to take this next. If you are looking for a good start to a new Urban Fantasy series, then I would recommend picking this book up. You will enjoy it.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

I absolutely loved this story and had trouble putting it down once I had started. Would love to read more but love how the story ended too

Thank you sourcebooks for the E-Arc

“My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess, the kinnaree, and no matter the cost, I will be free.”

Like from start to finish I was captivated. The book sucked me in to a world like no other. I have always been a fan of mythology and the supernatural. Like who isn’t right? But omg I’m obsessed. I need to read more. Like it just wasn’t enough. I need to know the back stories of every character I just read. Like I need to know about Duncan , Thomas, the back story of Bennett. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Everyone has to read the story of Peeraphan Rahttana ! Highly recommend

I got to 6% into this book before giving up. I don’t think that is nearly enough to give a fair assessment, but I can already see this book will not be for me.

The dialogue feels stilted and there’s something off about the prose in general. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the choices the author is making with the wording just feels awkward.

For example: “his features came together like a sculptor’s attempt to capture primal intensity and a hunter’s patience in a human visage.” This phrasing just feels so awkward and painful to read.

This is true for the dialogue as well. For example:
“You don’t believe me and you don’t have any reason to, except you should.” His tone had taken on a quiet urgency. “This is similar to standing on a ticking bomb. Listen to me now and ask questions after you are clear of the blast zone.”

I understand that the character speaking is not human, but even still, that is some weird phrasing given the situation.

I was looking forward to this book, but I am choosing not to continue. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. Because I did not get very far, I don’t think it’s quite fair to give the book a star rating. The NetGalley system is requiring me to do so to submit this review.

Stopped at 5%. This is almost all telling, no showing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars

The premise of this book had so much to offer but fell short in my opinion. Punch was a kinnaree which was not really explained well in the book. I still have a very basic knowledge of what that means. Which I was hoping the book would explore the folklore of a kinnaree more.

Punch was a dynamic main character. I loved her little sugar gliders and enjoyed her quirkiness. Some of the things she went along with might have been a little far fetched. I think her relationship with Bennett didn’t feel as organic as it could have. Especially since at the end they were saying I love you and had only spent a few days together. Along with that he barely knew anything about her.

I had such high hopes for Bennett. With him being a vampire I was looking forward to him having to resist her blood as well as work on the mystery of the red shoes. Overall it just seemed like he wanted to be around Punch but didn’t have the vampire tendencies. He was almost too caring for a vampire.

Overall I enjoyed the story building and the fantasy island. This book was definitely more character driven than plot. Half the time they ignored the shoes to pursue other things. I would have loved to have more information on the kinnaree themselves.

I read this whole book thinking this was a debut novel, I realize how wrong I am!

I greatly enjoyed the characters and myths woven into this and look forward to more! Peeraphan is likeable, believable and relatable. Bennett leaves more to be desired but everything gets set up really well for what I'm sure are plenty of more stories to come. I look forward to learning more about Marie and Thomas and a few others introduced. With a large amount of unique characters, it never felt too much. I always knew who was who and they blended well together.

My biggest negative is some sentences seemed run on and clunky, I would have to read them a few times to figure out if they made sense and even then they didn't feel right. It wouldn't deter me from reading a second though - just a few editorial errors that could be fixed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I enjoyed this book. It's been a while since I've read an urban fantasy book that kept me hooked. I enjoyed the weaving of the supernatural and human. The writing flowed and I will be recommending this to friends. I cannot wait for more in the series.

The book started off really well, with our main character putting on a pair of cursed shoes and vampire Bennett quickly coming to her rescue. I know what it sounds like, but trust me on this one, the beginning was riveting. However, after the stellar opening, the excitement just died down and never really picked up again. I kept finding myself drifting away from the story and having to reread while paragraphs over and over. It just couldn’t keep my interest for long.

The book was ok, it just wasn’t for me.

Peeraphan “Punch” is a dancer preparing for a performance when she receives a new pair of dancing shoes. Little does she know, they are cursed and the wearer will dance until their death. Bennet Andrews was on his way to retrieve the cursed shoes but he was already too late. Punch was wearing the shoes but she was able to stop dancing, intrigued and surprised he saves her from a rival vampire in search of the cursed footwear.

Very unique idea introducing Thai folklore and mythology, the novel opens with a brilliant hook, a curse, a chase and vampires. I thought the setup was really interesting - League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-esque but it fell short of being an epic fantasy.

It seemed like the supernatural world was just briefly touched upon, sadly not going in depth about all the mystical creatures listed at the end of the novel, even the main kinnaree history was not explained, myself not being knowledgeable about the myth thought this was a large plot hole.

I couldn’t decide if this was leaning more YA or adult, then I felt like the romance was too rushed in the end, it was slightly reminiscent of early 2000s vampire novels. However, I was not connecting with Punch like I was hoping, she seemed bland, Bennett was a typical centuries old vampire-gentleman, interesting enough but just skimming the surface.

Ultimately something was missing for me to take this story to the next level but I am interested in where the author will take this if it’s meant to be a series.

I was first drawn to this book by the stunning cover. Then I read the premise for the book and was intrigued by it. This book was amazing and I was happy to escape reality and be transported to this magical land. The world building and characters were well formed and gave you a vivid description so you could envision it as a movie played out in front of you.

I have never read a book about Thai folklore so that added a new dimension to the book. Punch puts on a pair of red shoes and her life is forever changed. These shoes are cursed and are to compel the wearer to dance until their death. Bennett is there to watch her dance but is shocked when she sits down and wonders how she can do that. He is there on a mission to get the shoes.

The relationship that grows between Bennett and Punch is beautiful as they both share their truths and get real with each other. Punch figures out who and what she is is and learns to be comfortable in her own skin. She finds friendship, love and a purpose.

I loved this! Very well written and a great beginning to world building! I want to know more about the consortiums and other supernaturals therein!

Wings Once Cursed and Bound
Ahhh the beginning of a new mystical series. Joy!

This is the perfect first book to introduce you to a series. It gives you background into the myths that will be part of the stories. It has intrigue. It has wonderful characters. It completes one story line, dangles the next one, and gives you a taste of what is to come.

I adored this story. Peeraphan is a strong female main character that is bold enough to withstand a curse. That is curious enough to talk to a dragon. That is brave enough to speak her truths. To face them. To survive. To fall in love. Peeraphan has such joy, curiosity, wonder, and awe. She brings us on this wild ride that could be scary, but is mostly magnificent.

I can't wait for the rest of the Mythwoven series!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess

The kinnaree

And no matter the cost,

I will be free.

Peeraphan Rahttana lives her life in Seattle, unaware of the complicated magical world spinning just beyond the shadows and mist...until a violent clash outside her dance rehearsal has her literally whisked off her feet. Her darkly brooding rescuer, vampire Bennet Andrews, claims to represent a secret organization dedicated to locating objects of myth and magic, tucking them safely away where they can do no harm—but he's too late to save Peeraphan from a deadly curse.
Wings Once Cursed & Bound
by Piper J. Drake
Pub Date: 11 Apr 2023

Yet Peeraphan isn't what she seems. Wings unbound, she's a Thai bird princess of legend...and while the curse won't kill her outright, it's only a matter of time. Determined, Bennett sweeps Peeraphan deeper into a supernatural world far beyond anything she ever imagined in a desperate bid to find a solution...and an explanation for the powers even she doesn't know how to define.

Her world may have changed overnight, but Peeraphan knows one thing for certain: she can't go back to living as a human anymore. Not when she's felt what it's like to fly with Bennet by her side. She's determined to keep her wings and her freedom...and defy anyone who would try to take them from her again.

What would you save if the world you knew disappeared

And you could open your eyes to what exists just beyond?

Wings Once Cursed and Bound is as confusing to follow as its title. Half the time I couldn’t follow what was going on. There’s too many “storylines” and too many supernatural characters to sort out. It mostly revolves around Peeraphan, a woman that is coming to grips with the fact that she’s a kinnaree, a supernatural being known only through Thai mythology. Then a pair of red dancing shoes appear at one of her practices for a performance, and naturally she can’t resist putting them on-because in addition to this having all kinds of paranormal elements it also has to have fairy tale elements as well. Then a couple of vampires get in a fight over her, and she, curious about being around another “not” human and unable to get those pesky shoes decides to let Bennett, the lesser of two evils, feed on her and then take her back to his home. Which is filled with other antisocial supernatural creatures that apparently work for a dragon collecting valuable items. Oh but the shoes just have to come off, so let’s harken off to a cave (magical, and in another dimension, of course) where Peeraphan (who also goes by Punch off and on throughout the book) can try and get the shoes off. Meanwhile Francesco, the other vampire, is still lurking around, not done with Peeraphan just yet. And if there isn’t enough going on for you already, there’s a romance brewing between Peeraphan and Bennett that’s being stunted by Bennett’s trauma of a past lover not wanting immortality so she could live forever with him. Does your head hurt yet? Are you completely lost as to what the point of this book was yet? If so, you are not alone my friend. I feel like I’ve given up hours I can’t get back, and wish I hadn’t given them up in the first place. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

Though the story was fairly good, it felt very Y/A and I didn’t quite connect with it. The writing was also kind of difficult for me to wade through. I would recommend for those that enjoy the twilight series.