After reading the plot synopsis, I had high expectations for this book. I have a lot of love for the fantasy romance/romantasy genre, and I think that the plot of this book is promising. There were some areas that the book could improve, and I have high hopes that the author will take some of the reviews posted on NetGalley to heart.

To start off with the positives, I really love that the main character, Aelia, is older. Personally, I am tired of the fresh 20-year-old protagonist that we are just supposed to believe is ultra powerful. I appreciate that Aelia had life experience, however negative those experiences may be. Additionally, I appreciated the connections and relationships that Aelia maintained with the other characters in the book.

One major area for improvement would be pacing- the pacing for this book didn’t feel like it progressed naturally. At some points, the story felt like it was moving unnaturally fast, and at other points, it dragged on for a bit. Dialogue was also another are for improvement- some of the conversations felt a little immature for characters that were supposed to be 30s+/several centuries old.

I will be giving the final release of this book a chance in September. I am looking forward to how the story develops after some editing by K.W Foster and team!

I really enjoyed this book and think that this series could be incredibly fantastic. The characters were all easy to like and connect to, and the plot drew me in immediately. As soon as I started reading this, I didn't put it down until I finished it. I was a little bit annoyed with the whole "which love interest will the main character choose". It wasn't overdone, but it was in enough of the plot for me to want to move on to something else.

There were a few parts of the book where things weren't explained well. The two male love interests' names were switched a couple of times, and characters appeared in situations where it was already described as them being elsewhere. These are minor issues for how good of a book this is.

When I first saw this book on my social media feed, I knew I wanted to read it from the cover alone. I really enjoyed the first half of the novel, and loved the main character. I do wish there was more world building, but I’m hoping as the series continues that the author will weave more of that into the storyline!

The ARC I received from NetGalley captivated me with its mind-bending powers, appealing to my interest in romantasy. However, I encountered difficulties with the world-building, as I felt abruptly thrust into various settings without adequate context. Additionally, unexpected facts appeared without prior foreshadowing, resulting in confusion due to insufficient related information.

Character development varied greatly throughout the story, with most characters, except for Tharan, lacking depth. While the protagonist's journey was well depicted, characters like Aelia and Gideon were only superficially explored. The emotional climax at the end seemed rushed, lacking the relationship development needed to support such a sudden change.

Although the book started slowly, it picked up pace in the final third, becoming more engaging as the action unfolded. Nonetheless, the narrative still felt somewhat fragmented. I am considering reading the next installment to determine if the mentioned issues are resolved. Unfortunately, I rate this book a 3 out of 5.

I wasn't sure from the first ~30% of the book if I would like it or not, but I'm glad I kept reading because I ended up really loving it. This is the first book in The Mind Breaker series and honestly book 2 can't come soon enough. It is a dual POV with our FMC Aelia and Caiden who is Aelia's ex love. But we also have Tharan who I can only imagine we are going to get even more of in the next book, who is the new love interest of Aelia. The cliffhanger from the Epilogue was just not nice to do to us with such a long wait, but I think it will be well worth it.

Thanks to netgally and Aethon Books for the early arc in exchange for my honest review.

𝑀𝓎 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈
I had high expectations for this book as it was my first time reading this author, but it fell short. Here are some reasons why:
1. The world-building is lacking. The setting feels abrupt and underdeveloped, leaving the reader feeling disconnected.
2. Sudden facts and events are not properly introduced or explained, making the storyline difficult to follow.
3. Some characters have depth, but others remain pretty surface-level. The lack of balanced character development affects the overall plot.
4. The emotional development in relationships feels rushed and has no natural progression.
5. The book could benefit from more meaningful dialogue to clarify plot points and an index for species and world systems to aid reader comprehension.
6. The pacing suffers from abrupt shifts in significant plot points, which can be confusing and disrupt the flow of the story.

In conclusion, the book has potential due to its unique premise and older female main character, but it requires significant editing. Although the beginning was slow, the story picked up in the last third despite feeling unconnected. Additionally, including certain tropes, such as love triangles and second-chance romance, did not enhance the reading experience.

However, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc and an honest review.

I love fantasy and romantasy books and I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, I had trouble getting into the story from the start and this ended up being a slow read that felt I had to push through to the end just to finish the book. I almost DNF multiple times. Here are things that I think need work to improve the writing, story and characters:

1) I found the first 30% of the book to be fast paced with the characters moving from one place to the next extremely fast. It made it hard to imagine the world around them and the story was confusing at times. The characters go from one problem to the next so quickly, it’s hard to keep up with them. I also found that there was no depth to the characters. At times, it felt like robots were talking to each other, going through the motions.

2) The FMC would have flashbacks to when she was younger, and the author didn’t make it obvious enough. I found myself getting confused where the flashback started and ended, and I often had to backtrack and re-read once I figured out the layout.

3) There were a lot of creatures in the story that I wasn’t familiar with, like “hobs” (mouselike creatures with rabbit ears?). I would suggest adding a glossary with better descriptions of important terms, characters, creatures, etc.

4) The banter between all characters is often repetitive. They seem to always be saying the same things, just in different scenes/places.

I think the story has potential, but there is a lot of work to be done to make it worth my time.

This book started strong and I enjoyed the characters but around 40% it was pretty clear that there wasn’t enough world building or jazz to really hold my attention.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read!

I started of strong with this book but I found after a while I found it hard to connect with it while trying to finish it. It may just be one of those books that just didn’t click with me but I’m sure there are plenty that will enjoy it more

This has a very high fantasy LoTR feel with an expansive world filled with elves, sylphs, magic, and mythos. You can tell that Foster has created a whole world filled with it's own history as well as deep character histories for all of the characters, even if we only get a glimpse of it on page. Foster has created a high fantasy world and presents it with a low fantasy fast paced story.

There are two primary plots, one is Aelia's quest to save her sister, the second plot introduced focuses on a magical object of great power that speaks to Aelia and gives a similar feel to the one ring to rule them all.

Tharan is by far my favorite character, the rakes elf sylph hybrid, bastard son of the Alder King and Lord of Nothing. His character is so much fun and I love it every time he is on page. He gets a POV toward the end and I hope we get so much more of him in book 2.

Overall there are a lot of interesting ideas and character's in ACBB I only wish we had slowed down a little to really get to explore this world more, particularly in the first 30-40% of the book. That being said I am sure we will get so much more in the books to come!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books for the ARC

This is the first book in a series and I think it has potential. I was very confused by the worldbuilding. I didn't think it was fleshed out enough, but this might be better in the later books as I've gotten more used to it. The pacing was a bit uneven and the characters unlikable. This unfortunately made it hard to stay engaged during the whole story. But I do think it has potential and I'd be interested in reading the next boom as well

DNF'd at 77% - ⭐️⭐️

I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I enjoyed this book up until about 20%. When I'm reading ARCs, I like to make annotations of things to either provide feedback on or raise in my review. They're colour coded for easy glancing at how I felt about a book while reading this. Unfortunately, in this one all of them were red.

I liked the world, I liked the premise, and it started off strong. The world building was enjoyable and the magic system was unique.

But then it just seemed to feel less polished - perhaps the final published one has some revisions that weren't in my copy.

To start with, I struggled with the pacing. We went from multiple chapters about single days at the start to suddenly she had been "clean" for a week after only a couple pages. The pacing consistently changed throughout the book making it hard to follow smoothly.

Scenes were referenced as occurring that never happened - e.g reminiscing about a kiss the day before, but in the scene from the day before there was no kiss.

Alternatively there are scenes that act like the last scene never occured - she revealed the "secret" of her husband for the first time... two scenes in a row, to the same person. Or when they asked how long someone had been allied with the goblins with shock, as if they didn't get attacked by that someone and the goblins a couple of chapters ago.

Some parts were mislabelled, such as stating Court of Storms when is should have been Court of Sorrow. Names misspelled, pronouns wrong.

There were perspective changes mid paragraph - it was hard to keep up with who was thinking what when it keeps changing.

The fight scene with a kraken was a whole two sentences long.

Characters providing world building information spoke as if they were reading from a textbook.

And finally, the thing that irritated me most and made me decide to stop - characters do not exist outside of the MCs field of vision. She will be in a room full of people acting like she's a badass, then makes a couple self-deprecating comments and suddenly someone is falling to the floor kneeling (literally, always kneeling) in front of her telling her how amazing she is and strong etc as if they're not still in a room full of other people. Every other page this happens.

I very rarely DNF a book, but my curiosity to know what would happen at the end just wasn't enough to push through.

Thank you Net Gallery for the ARC.

I REALLY did not like this book. The characters were in likable. And the whole thing felt rushed and confusing. It just wasn’t good.

First book of The Mind Breaker trilogy! I was so excited for this one, I read it in just a couple days and am ready for book 2 😅

As the first book in the series, there’s a lot of world building and a lot of characters to learn, but I quickly fell in love with Aelia and Amolie’s friendship, and was picking sides in Aelia’s love triangle.. 😏 definitely not mad at how that ended, buttttt I also know not to get too comfortable as the series isn’t over yet, and anything can happen..

2.5 Stars (I did Round Down because I don't think it was living up to potential for 3 Stars)


This book felt more like a sequel than a first installment, leaving me lost and confused. The world-building was lacking, with unclear details about the different regions and the court system, which detracted from the enjoyment. The timeline was also disjointed, with characters traveling across the world too quickly without any magical assistance.

I struggled to connect with the characters, mostly due to the lack of backstory. Aelia, for example, is introduced as a mercenary and addict, but neither aspect is fully explained. Her addiction is resolved too quickly, missing an opportunity to deepen our understanding of her character.

While the story started with an intriguing premise, I found it difficult to stay engaged as it progressed. Tharan was a standout character, but the romantic relationships, particularly with Caiden and Tharan, seemed more lust-driven than based on genuine affection, making it hard for me to invest in them. I did appreciate that the main character was older, though some of her actions felt immature.

The concept had potential, but the execution fell short. The rushed world-building and lack of explanation left me confused. Although the ending didn’t resonate with me, others might find it more engaging. I encourage readers to give it a try and see for themselves.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story had an intriguing start, but as it went on, I found it difficult to stay engaged. While Tharan stood out to me, I struggled to connect with the characters. The FMC’s relationships with Caiden and Tharan felt more lust-driven than based on love, which made it harder for me to become invested in them. That said, I did appreciate that the main character was older, even though some of her actions felt a bit immature at times.

The concept of the story has a lot of potential, but the execution fell a bit short for me. The world-building felt rushed, and there were parts that left me confused due to the lack of explanation.

Although the ending didn’t leave a lasting impact for me, I believe others might find more connection with it. While this book wasn’t quite for me, I encourage readers to give it a try and see for themselves!

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

A Curse of Breath and Blood by K. W. Foster exceeded my expectations in every way!

There are so many things to love about this book I don’t know where to begin. I’ll start by saying the FMC, Aelia, is a fierce Queen turned mercenary, she is such a well-developed character that I related to quickly. I love the fact that Aelia was older (30) than what I’m used to reading, I think it gives the character more depth and personality. Yes, she’s made mistakes and she’s flawed but who isn’t?

Aelia has been handed a pretty terrible hand in life and is slowly self-destructing when a blast from her past shows up and needs her help rescuing her sister from her villainous husband.

The world-building and lore in this book are great and not too word-dumpy and boring, I love a book with good banter between characters and this did not disappoint.

Overall, A Curse of Breath and Blood is a fast-paced, action-packed romantasy adventure that I hope millions will love as much as I did.

P.S. The ending will make you scream for the next book so be warned.

This book was a very good read!

What I enjoyed the most were the characters : Aelia is a badass and fierce FMC, just as I like! Add to this she is not 17 years old, and you have a winning point!
The beginning was a bit heartbreaking as we can feel what flows between her and Caiden, but their past continues to catch them at every points.
The appearance of Tharan brought a good twist to the story, and the not so flawless male character was interesting to follow.
This love triangle was entertaining, it is a trope I appreciate when well described.
I liked the side characters as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and KW Foster for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, WOW! I was impressed with the fantasy and magical elements in the story, although the world building did confused me a little. Aelia Springborn is queen turned mercenary who had to work with her ex lover to save her sister from her evil ex husband. While reading, I felt Aelia's pains and struggles. The author did a good job on portraying her character struggling with mental health issues, addiction and relationship traumas. I also fell in love with one of the side character, Roderick and the two MMC (especially Tharan). The characters were flawed beautifully and that was what made me love it even more.

Reread value: Yes!

I would give this 4.5 stars.

This is such a beautiful story! I cried when Aelia removed Caiden's memory. If you have watched the anime series Fruits Basket, you'll understand the pain of loving someone and then having your memories of your loved one taken from you in order to move on in your life.

The premise of this book had good potential, however it failed in the execution. There was little to no world building and the characters were not well developed. I was 30% through the book and still didn’t know who was human and who was not. Also, the character interactions felt so robotic. I also felt like the plot was giving me whiplash- every other page a crazy thing happened and then they just got right out of whatever issue they found themselves in. I wanted this to be so good but just didn’t hit the mark for me. I wish I had DNF’ed instead of reading through to the end.