This book was ok. I might have missed it, but I didn't realize this wasn't a standalone until the end, so I kept wondering how they were going to fit everything into one book. I didn't feel for the characters. Maybe because the love triangle seems a little forced - or maybe it's not even supposed to feel like a love triangle, but I don't know what else to call it. I get the ACOTAR marketing comparison, because I felt it several times...which to me wasn't a good thing because it wasn't like an homage, more like copy/paste. How Feyre flirts with Tarquin & eventually messes with his thoughts seems a lot like Aelia and Tharan. Tharan is similar to Eris (red hair, bit of a playboy, but has more going on than he wants to show publicly). Aelia's journey of redemption and "growth" (using loosely), seems a lot like Nesta. Aelia and another SJM character Aelin, sound similar. The Morrigan, which I realize is Celtic folk lore, so not just SJM's creation, but still, another overlap. I love romantasy, but I need something a little different to really wow me anymore. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC opportunity. Since it is an early read, I am hoping another round of editing can smooth a couple spots as well.

Thank you to NetGalley & the author K.W. Foster for this opportunity!!

One of my favorite quotes: “Hope is a dangerous thing. It blinds us to reality.”

A Curse of Blood and Breath was a refreshing and face-paced read. This was a strong beginning for a first book in a new world/series! I loved the mental health/addiction representation and the storyline for growth and redemption. The book was a perfect blend of fantasy and romance. It was intriguing to read both 1st POV and 3rd POV. I have to say, I’m definitely team Tharan and Aelia has my heart already!

We dive into this book meeting Aelia Springborn, our main FMC in her 30s. Aelia, a queen-turned-mercenary has a rare magical gift, a telepath and the ability to break minds. It was lovely to see her growth and development along with overcoming her addiction to the best of her abilities. I believe we are missing some key background components to throughly understand Aelia’s character as a whole.
I enjoyed meeting our two MMC’s along with the side characters, there was a perfect amount of history and description!

Overall, the ending and the epilogue were set up phenomenally for the next book instalment!

I think this book/story has such great potential. There were some moments where I had to go back and re-read because the sentence structure was confusing me. I do like how the story played out and even with the ending, I am excited to see how the next book will answer some of the questions I have after finishing.

Really enjoyed this. A great little love triangle, a 30 y/o FMC which was refreshing and relatable rather than the standard teenagers we constantly get!

The world building did feel a little bit chaotic. I wonder if maybe this would have been better as a longer book or split into more as it felt quite a lot was put into one but I’d recommend giving it a go

First of all I want to say that I loved the way the author balanced plot and romance throughout the book, for me she developed these two points very well. Now I can say that I am totally team Tharan.

Unlike most people, I LOVE a good love triangle and this one didn't disappoint. The two romantic interests (Caiden & Tharan) are good options so you feel confused like the protagonist to choose one of the two but I decided and I'm 100% team Tharan (please be the endgame 😭)

Extra point for the FMC being 30yo, I'm really tired of teenage FMC's with super older love interests so this one was *chefs kiss*

I did not want this book to end.

Aelia Springborn is a strong fmc who overcomes a lot of hardship throughout the story, her character development is beautiful! She has a complicated love life, with devastating deals being made, and makes sacrifices for those she loves. I spent so much time rooting for her despite knowing the outcome, and still being devastated for her when it inevitably happened. The men in the book are so charming and respectful (except the villains) they make it easy to adore them, and so easy to understand Amelia’s actions!
The ending was a beautiful culmination of the lessons learnt along the way, and felt so cosy, with a shocking final two pages that set the stage for the next book perfectly.

1.5 ⭐️ I just felt confused for the majority of this book. To begin, the world-building was nonexistent, and I felt like I was constantly introduced to new people/places/courts without having any idea how they fit into the greater political scheme or where they even were in relation to each other (a map would've helped). Secondly, there was a significant amount of missing context behind all of the character's relationships with each other that were completely glossed over or only alluded to without getting any more detail. I was expecting more and more to come to light, but nothing ever did. It felt like I was reading the second book in a series (and if that's what this was, it still wasn't giving me enough background to understand the foundation for anything). The love triangle didn't even feel like a love triangle, because there was significantly more telling than showing when it came to describing ANY of the character's emotions.
Thank you to Aetheon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.8 Stars rounded up to 4 below!

There's a few editing mistakes and thing's spelt wrong and words written wrong (I think if an editor had another look at it that would be good! - at one point in the book (closer to the end) it says Caiden's name when it should be Tharan.

That being said I really enjoyed this book it was a simple world to understand and I liked how we went straight into the story rather than having to have pages of world building. I really like the main character Aelia I really feel like she goes through a journey in this book and you can see how she grows which is nice. I like how instead of there just being enemies to lovers we have a passed love who has turned enemies but they've found their way back to each other. I wish we could get more of Caiden and Tharan's POV and what they are thinking (think this could be good for book 2). I like how Caiden did actually get his memories wiped (even though this part made me cry) because it had all the feels and was written really well. I'm interested to see whether his memories come back and if they do I want him to fight for Aelia as I actually feel she lowkey deserves better than Caiden.

Tharan is everything 😮‍💨 I absolutely love the relationship between Aelia and Tharan. I love that they can be completely honest with each other and I feel as if Tharan loves Aelia as she is now and they are growing together and sharing all of their scars. Whereas although I do like Caiden I feel like he loves the old Aelia before her trauma. Can’t wait to see what happeneds I want more Aelia and Tharan, I feel like there relationship is more special.

I'm intrigued to see where the plot goes in the next book. What happened with Aelia's sister as she seems to be double bluffing in the epilogue?! Will Caiden remember Aelia and fight for her? What will happen with the sceptre? Overall, I did like the book and would read book 2!

Quotes I loved:

“I’ve wanted to kiss you every day since the first time I laid eyes on you”

“I love you,” I said, looking into Caiden’s blue eyes. “I know you won’t remember, but I hope your heart keeps the memory your mind won’t.”

“I will find a way back to you” He kissed me passionately. “I love you, Aelia. I loved you even when I hated you, and I will keep a space in my heart for you until the end of time.” A promise he couldn’t keep.

“I closed my eyes. Nothing like having your romantic history laid bare in front of your current lover, your husband, and your ex-lover, who’s mind you erased”

“You are beautiful to me, Aelia Springborn. Your scars are a testament to your strength. Wear them with pride.”

I did not love this one. I liked the idea of it and there were parts that had me engaged in the story, but overall the book did not deliver for me. The world building felt disorganized, and the actual storytelling felt more "tell" than show, which meant that the pacing felt very weird to keep up with. The romantic plots felt rushed with and I was not overly invested in any of them, aside from the second male love interest.

I did like that FMC was in her 30's and I appreciated her very real struggles, it just needed so much more to feel explored. I did like the idea of this book, but without the depth the story concept deserved I think this one falls flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books, all opinions are my own.

A redemption arc without the failure part. A fantasy tale travelling through lands with varied races to save the day.

Though the characters share a deep background there’s very little history/depth provided. While I’m glad that the side characters declaring their deep friendship and platonic love weren’t killed off after said declarations it felt like they were made to reinforce a history unseen. This book felt like it was the second or third in a series rather than the first one.

Good chemistry between interests and friends and side relationships. Some great dialogue and healthy relationships. Difficult topics aren’t skimmed over or dismissed or used for plot device. The lore is slowly building to a grand story in the next book. A plot hole which we’ll ignore or we can’t save the day (or be saved) and be in two places.

Overall a good book which was exciting to read and close to those iconic romantasies just a little darker but needs some more developing. I also said that of ACOTAR and it’s become my personality. Would give the next book a chance

Thank you Aetheon Books through NetGalley for an advanced reader copy for an honest and voluntary review

A Curse of Breath and Blood follows Aelia, a queen-turned-memory hitwoman who sets out to save her sister from the man who tortured Aelia for years. As Aelia goes on her journey, she deals with love, loss, as well as her own powers (and demons).

This book was one of the first fantasy/romantasy books I’ve read, but the story was easy for me to keep up with and pick back up on, and it was nicely paced; I was nervous with a genre I’m a little less familiar or comfortable with that my threshold to DNF would be much lower, but I loved the story and I hope to read more (the last chapter really just left us like that huh).

Aelia’s powers really captured my attention and the way Foster described Aelia’s “mind breaking” process was so fascinating to me. Much like other reviews, I’m also a fan of Tharan after getting to know him a little more.

I read this book as an ARC, so I’m keeping in mind the fact that this book will likely go through more edits and I’m not focusing too much on frequent repetition of some words, misspellings, etc. The only thing that drove me a nuts for a minute was some head hopping, but it seemed to get smoother the more I read.

A Curse of Breath and Blood. The Mind Breaker Series Book 1.
A Debut Novel By K.W. Foster.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Be sure to check triggers before starting.
A Beautifully magical fantasy romance.

Tropes:
🖤Morally Grey FMC
🖤Love Triangle
🖤Second Chance
🖤Only One Bed
🖤”Who Did This To You”
🖤Magic
🖤ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS
🖤Reformed Bad Boy Love Intrest
🖤Golden Retriever Love Interest

Snippet:
Back in the library of his mind, Caiden gave me a half-hearted smile. "This is it. The last memory."
He handed me a few pages containing our memories from the morning.
A sob grew in my chest, spilling out in a wail. This was all that remained of us. Just a few pages.
•
•
A Curse of Breath and Blood is a refreshingly unique and fun story to read. It has its ups and downs, a love triangle, bad guy, multiple magical creatures and so much more to tantalise your senses

This is an outstanding piece of fiction by the wonderful new author K.W. Foster. She has built an incredible concept and conveyed it perfectly to the page. Her penmanship is astonishing and coaxes you in to this alluring fantastical world. Beautifully done!

A thrilling and fast paced, action packed masterpiece with dark aspects knitted throughout the narrative that will have you on the edge of your seats.

I was hooked from the very start. We have a brilliant and compelling love dynamic between the MC’s. Epic battle scenes and exotic world building. A beautifully unique take on the storyline with our FMC being slightly older than usual… it was unexpectedly refreshing.

Aelia Springbourne is our fierce female character. She has her share of baggage dealing with addiction and at the age of 30 is one of the oldest main characters in a fantasy to date. She has a unique, magical gift. She’s a telepath and a mind ripper… and, Former royalty.

I absolutely Loved her character and the development she undergoes throughout her journey through the storyline. Her character is well weaved and deeply intricate.

A little backstory would’ve been beneficial on Alia’s behalf to fill in some of the blanks, although, we had a snippet at the very beginning when she was young and in love… I’ll leave it there… no spoilers!

Caiden Stormweaver. MMC no. 1. Aelia’s former lover, who she meets early on in the book. A wonderful and complex character that you can’t help but love.

Tharan our second MMC. Who we meet later on in the story.
I loved his character, a lot! I found it hard to choose between the two. But I couldn’t help but be more drawn to Tharan in the end.

The well imagined and delicately crafted plot line is meticulously weaved around a stunning and magical world that makes it a delight to read. beautifully vivid and detailed. Descriptive and well executed.

Fast paced action and perfectly balanced storytelling, slowing the stride when the plot demands it is eloquent.

With a multitude of magical creatures, such as, Satyrs, centaurs, elves, and so much much more. The world building develops nicely and with grace throughout the storyline.

This is a story of sacrifice, loss, love, magic, and the deviousness of court politics. And, hello…Forest magic - bring it!

The journey the characters take provide the narrative with many twists and turns along the storyline. I found myself quite frustrated with the female character at times. I just wanted to shake her! Come on, love!

The Spice was moderate, but rather enjoyable nonetheless. The side characters were beneficial to the overall storyline and brought a sense of depth to the narrative

For me, this was fantastic concept and a wonderful work of genius by KM Foster.

The ending is quite intense and It will leave you needing the next instalment desperately!

I can’t wait for the next book

A Wonderful start to this beautiful world. I can’t wait to explore it further in the next book.

Quotes:

"We are not our labels, Aelia. You should know that by now. Sometimes it is easier to live in the armor we build for ourselves than let the world see who we really are."

"Love blinds even the most careful planners."

"You are beautiful to me, Aelia Springborn. Your scars are a testament to your strength. Wear them with pride."

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy…

3.5 rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was an enjoyable book, but it felt like so much crammed into 300 pages. I think I would rather have the backstory as book one and then present day as book two. Or at least a backstory novella. I loved Aelia because she's kind of unlikeable. She smokes, she's an addict, she's grumpy, she has PTSD and mental health struggles. But we see her grow, evolve, and yet she's still imperfect. She doesn't become a perfect person along the way, and I love that.

This story involves quests and trials, a love triangle, found family, and a whole slew of creatures (including a unicorn! 💜). It ends with a cliffhanger, and I do look forward to seeing how the rest of Aelia's story plays out.

I really wanted to enjoy this and love triangles used to be my jam, but I fear I am no longer the target audience for these.

I did love that the characters are older and there seemed to be more sustenance to the story.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. I just think it had so much in the story that it felt like 2-3 books in one without a huge amount of development. Again, solid ideas and arc, but lacking depth.

Because it lacked some depth, I felt the pacing struggled at moments. Certain areas stalled, were boring and were slow. Between the big plot points, the transitions were okay.

I liked most of the characters. The FMC, Aelia, is the most interesting. She has moments where she is so strong and then other moments where she is overwhelmed. I like this journey that she takes (although, more explanation about her relationship with her husband, Gideon, and the crazy lady who seems like the worst of the bad guys, would help to make more sense of how she ended up where the book starts.) I don't really like Caiden. That's it. I don't like the rehashing of their relationship/love. I hated how they just fell back into a physical relationship so easily after all the hate. It wasn't for me. I did really like Tharan, but again I wanted more for his development. I hope Aelia stays with him for the rest of the series. I did feel some secondary characters needed some more umpf to make them "punchy" in the overall plot, but most are likeable.

The ending is solid. It ends in a cliff hanger, and it sure promises more in the next book and beyond.

I think there is so much to explore here, I wish more time was spent developing the world and characters so that everything hit to the potential that it could.

This was a great read! The author built such a complex and beautiful world, I was immediately hooked, not to mention the characters!

I love a good love triangle, but wow this one put me through the ringer. Aelia is our wonderful, but troubled, FMC. As strong as they come, but she certainly has demons she’s been running from and is now forced to face.

Caiden is a love from Aelia’s past, a love spurned once before, but not gone altogether. Then enters Tharan. Son of the Alder King and Prince of the Woodlands, Tharan has a reputation as a playboy. But soon enough he shows his true nature as he grows closer and closer to Aelia.

Two princes & one traitorous queen made for a fantastic love triangle. It was actually too good, because I’m still not sure which of these awesome princes I stan right now!

As for the world building - this book has it all: elves, slyphs (fae), witches, goblins, trolls, humans, even unicorns! There’s politics and court intrigue, which I love in a romantasy.

The only downsides to this book, which I mention only as a small note because it’s an ARC and may be subject to changes, were some inconsistencies. There were a few times where characters had dialogue that had supposedly split off from the group and weren’t even present. These situations were minor in my opinion, and didn’t stop me from absorbing this book in a day.

I cannot wait to see more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for making this ARC available!

DNF @20%
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ebook ARC!

This book... Exists. It didn't make me angry or anything, but I just found it so... meh? I thought the writing painfully barebones, with over-the-top moments, telly writing, and far too many simple sentences (sometimes ones that felt oddly tacked on to moments). I couldn't tell you almost anything about the world except that there's a drug called dust, sylphs and elves exist, and people have magic.

For example of what I mean by barebones, there was a sentence like "A fireball crashed through the window, catching everything on fire" and then just a character yelling to run away. The only set up to this was a character mentioning they needed to go. It just felt so... lackluster and badly paced and... nothing. I don't need books to be complex. I don't need (or usually want) purple prose. But this just felt on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

It wasn't absolutely horrendous, and I do like the "rep" of people resorting to drugs to cope with mental health. It's a horrible thing to do (for your mental and physical health), but with how oppressive mental health can be, many do, and it's nice to show that (and likely later on the escape from the drugs). Buuuuut the desire to show the bad outcome of poor mental health does not a good character or book make U^_^

So yeah. Not for me. I could probably read on as the writing is so quick and simple, but I don't really have a reason or desire to.

Hope others can enjoy this book, because all books deserved to be loved by someone <3 That someone just isn't me here.

This was a fantasy romance book. The main character is supposed to be 30, but she definitely seemed and acted like a teenager. There were times when some things in the storyline didn't make sense, I would go back a little to reread and still felt confused, as if parts were missing. There were some typos as well. It seemed like it still needs to go through the editing process to fix some things and to make the story flow better. But overall it was a good, enjoyable read with a lot of potential!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC of A Curse of Breath and Blood, in exchange for an honest review.

This book reads like skipping stones on water. It only skims the surface without getting to the deeper feelings of the characters, their emotional settings are either, 1. neutral, 2. slightly emotional or 3. teenage-hormone fueled extremes. Sometimes it feels like actions have been skipped or you had a blink-and-you-missed-it while reading and that is super frustrating because I kept thinking "when did that happen? Where did he come from? What are you talking about? What's your reasoning behind that conclusion?How can you draw the blanket around yourself while he is still on top of you after he absolutely killed the mood, wait, when did he move off the bed?" It was really jarring because it happened throughout the book. I could not keep up, so many things didn't make sense.

Aelia is 30 and have lived an extremely hard life, surviving an abusive marriage, but it broke her and she turned to drugs, drink, and mercenary life to pay for her new life as a pariah, also known as the Traitor Queen (I'm not sure what she did to gain that reputation). She has her DEMONS okay! Yet she acts like a teenager. I'm all for being free with your sexual partners but going from an abusive marriage to use sex to forget, to then almost hop straight into bed with her former lover. I feel like she should get some therapy because it does not seem like she has a healthy relationship with sex. At least she acknowledges that she can't function without being with someone - codependency is something she needs to work on. As well as using sex as revenge. Girl, you need to figure out who you are as a person and not let yourself be defined by who your partner is.

The only side character I actually like was Tharan: he is likeable and seems sincere, where all the rest are glorified teenagers. One and all even the FMC. The characters are stupid enough to make that oaths when their emotions runs hot without the slightest thought to the consequences it might have for the future. Also, a blood oath to protect the sisters have fewer consequences than a vocal one made in the heat of the moment.

The author failed to describe the intricacies and horror of being in abuse relationship, the feelings and reactions you get from being in withdrawal, she just goes cold turkey, and it's only mentioned when she has any teenage emotional outbursts. Everything is super superficial to me. When you write about these things you should also have a strong grasp on terminology so the readers don't suddenly starts using the wrong words thinking it's correct because they read it in a book. So, what is it? The author used "love dumping" when in fact it is LOVE BOMBING My theory is that "trauma dumping" and "love bombing" got mashed together which might just be a mistake, but still not one I think should be made when it's this subject.

Do i have to be so blunt about it?
Yes, I do.

"A Curse of Breath and Blood" by K.W. Foster is a captivating blend of romance and fantasy. Aelia Springborn, a queen turned mercenary, faces her tumultuous past when her former lover, Caiden Stormweaver, seeks her help against a common enemy. Their journey, fraught with magic and danger, rekindles their complicated relationship amid the looming threat of King Gideon. Foster skillfully weaves together intricate world-building with intense emotional stakes, enhanced by the arrival of Tharan Greenblade, adding layers of tension and romance. This debut novel intricately balances dark fairy tale elements with gripping romance, reminiscent of "A Court of Thorns and Roses," while exploring themes of loyalty and sacrifice. A must-read for fans of fantasy romance seeking a blend of intrigue, magic, and passionate storytelling.