The Curse That Binds by Laura Thalassa: Wow! Let me just start off by saying wow, this was fantastic! I read this as a true prequel to the Bewitched Series and now I cannot wait to read more!

The author uses this work to provide backstory of the relationship between the two main characters. This isnt just a story, it's an adventure through magic, romance and time. To do this she takes us back to the ancient Sarmatian, and Roman people people, where she weaves in pieces of their culture as she tells the characters story.

If you enjoy spice, Thalassa has weaved some spice in too. The spice is written in a manner that feels natural, and helps the reader understand the level of connection the characters share.

The ending had me wanting to leap out of my seat and applaud. It caught me so off guard, and I was so invested I could not put it down! I read this story without reading anything else in the Bewitched Series and I truly cannot wait to pick up Bewitched and find out where the characters take me next!

Thank you to Laura Thalassa, Net Galley, and Bloom Books for the opportunity to pre read an ARC of The Curse That Binds.

If you're interested in any of these tropes then you may enjoy The Curse That Binds:
- Fated Mates
- Fantasy / Magic
- Historical Setting
- Found Family
- Touch her and die

This was absolutely my favorite book in the series up until this point.

I lovedddd getting more insight into who Memnon and Roxi are, which really added to the books that were previously released in the series.

If you haven’t started this series yet and are looking for a place to start, I would read this one first because it’ll absolutely change your perspective of the first two books. You can read it at any point, but I highly recommend it either before book 1 (bewitched) or after book 1 (bewitched).

Memnon and I had a weird relationship in the other books, but I’m officially a Memnon lover now. I’m also a Memnon hater, which doesn’t make sense out of context, but you’ll get it when you read the book.

I loved jumping into the past to get insight into the characters. It changed my perspective, made me think back on moments from the previous books, and is making me yearn for the final book in the series.

This is a book of yearning, heartache, passion, and desperation that you don’t want to miss.

Thank you very much to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the manner in which I received it.

This was one of my most anticipated releases this year. Bewitched and Bespelled were some of my favorites book last year and I was so excited to learn Memnon and Roxi’s backstory. Unfortunately, this book fell flat to me. It wasn’t bad but my expectations were so high. The pacing felt too quick in the beginning and too repetitive in the end. If I wasn’t already so engrossed with these characters, I don’t know how much I would have liked this book. Honestly, this book really put me off Memnon but did make me feel more for Roxi. I enjoyed learning about Memnon’s family, how some of his people betrayed him, and the backstory with Eislyn, but overall, this wasn’t my favorite book from this author. I am still very excited for the next book in the series.

I wish I could rate higher than 5 Stars.
This story is just amazing. I loved getting Roxi & Memnon’s prequel story. Just watching it unfold was amazing. I could not put it down, I neglected housework, and I finished it in 2 days. I can't wait to purchase the beautiful deluxe edition for my shelf.

This story is a bit too weird for me. I also don’t like the literal child abuse at the beginning of the book.

4.5 rounded up 🌟

I already knew going into this that I would binge it just as quickly as I had the rest of the series. It was about time we received Roxilana and Memnon’s backstory. After having it teased for so long I can breathe a sigh of relief now that I know where their story all began. This is such a timeless story about a love that defies all odds. I am such a sucker for a fantasy where the female lead is just as badass as the male lead. Toxic is just as defiant as ever in this book and I DEVOUR every second of it.
Although I already knew what happened to Roxi and Memnon from the rest of the series, their backstory had such a devastating impact. Their willingness to
Fight for one another and create their own family in one another is astounding. These two beings never fail to defy all odds.
As if you weren’t shocked before, Laura Thalassa has delivered yet another instant masterpiece. If this series no longer has any fans then I have successfully left the planet. I cannot recommend this series enough!

I was so excited when this approval hit my inbox. I literally screamed. Laura is one of my favorite authors and the first two books in this series are epic. I was dying to find out what Roxilana and Memnon’s life was like before he was cursed and let me just say that I was not disappointed and you won’t be either.

Starting as friends, then turning into lovers and soulmates, Roxilana and Memnon build a nomadic empire to rival the Roman’s. But with power comes enemies and it was those enemies who tore Memnon and Roxilana apart. I can only hope that in future books, these wrongs are set right because the love that they have for each other is Eternal and I need Selene to see that, broken conscience or not.

Now that I’ve read this, I’m re-reading Bewitched and Bespelled to put together some things that I feel like the third book gives us. Can’t wait for release day to properly buy it to add to my collection!!

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲

Many thanks to Bloom and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

It's cr @ ck she puts in these books. It has to be. That's the only explanation for how I can DEVOUR them without a breath and love every second. I've been waiting for this story for a while and it was everything i wanted it to be. Memnon is my favorite red flag, and that hasn't changed. But he and Roxi are just so sweet and tender together, in addition to being completely SCORCHING HOT.

This is a bloodthirsty and brutal story. And we KNOW how it ends, which makes it all the more poignant and tense. Especially knowing already the names of who betrays them and watching them in the background throughout the book. Even still, I loved Memnon, Roxilana, and Ferox so so much. I was screaming about his choices, knowing where it would lead. I am even more feral now to get to the conclusion of their story in present day.

For anyone asking, yeah you could read this first. But you get infinitely more out of it, especially on the angst and foreboding scale. Highly recommend this series!

Perfect backstory and painfully emotionally. Honestly I wished I had this to read before the first 2 books as it would have hit more harder but otherwise I can’t wait to read the next book.

I love this series!! I love this author!!

I will literally read anything and everything she writes.

5⭐️ always… and I can’t wait for the next book that jumps back into present day of the bewitched series, ugh these books are life..

If you like seriously intense characters and a very interesting magic system and love interests then feast your eyes on these pages

Thank you for the gifted copy!!!

Publish date July 1st

Also the cover.. like sis please 🔥🔥🔥🔥

This book is a must read of any fans of the Bewitched series. As a prequel it is alway hard to tell a story that we the readers already know the ending to. Going into this book I already had so many thoughts and feelings about Memnon and Roxilana relationship. I was so pleased with how much death and understanding to their tragic love story. I could not put this book down.

Thank you to Netgalley, Laura Thalassa and sourcebook for this ARC.

The long awaited prequel to Roxi and Memnons story was everything I had hoped it would be. After being completed ‘Bewitched’ by book 1 and 2 of this series I was beyond thrilled to find out we get this couples origin story. The beginning of their century long love story. It was enchantingly romantic, it was bloodthirsty in plot, and accept bittersweet. To fall so deeply in love with these two knowing the fate that awaited them at the end.

I don’t think I’ve ever been fully engrossed in a story and knowing exactly how it ends before I start. But this just adds more depth and layer to an already favorite romantasy of mine. Roxi and Memnons love overcame vast space between them, years of distances, battles and betrayals. I am so excited for book 3 now that I’ve fallen deeper in love with them and just hoping after everything they’ve endured they finally get their happily ever after.


I love the imagery in this writing. I felt as if I had transported time back in the days of Roxi and Memnon, imagining an ancient roman civilization and smelling the affects of battle along with them.

Love the bewtiched series. This is the prequel to the series... Roxilana can hear a voice in her head. Memnon claims that he's her soulmate and they both have magic... He takes her to his homeland but things are complicated there...

Love the sexy scenes and angst. It's tragic but so romantic... Terrific characters and terrific romance... So nice to read more about Roxilana and Menon even if we already how the story will end...

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

1.5/5 rounded up because this had so much potential but then it got groom-y.

I mean, I love a good background, a good expansion on a world, but this was not for me.

I had started getting the ick when I read Bespelled (book two in this series) but I was really hoping that this would help make that ick go away. Silly me, everyone knows once you get the ick, you're stuck with it.

Memnon and the bond thing was getting really weird and uncomfortable in a crossing boundaries sort of way for me, and this book made me realize that I'm not looking too into things. That was really there and was a valid thing to get creeped out by.

And the reasoning? The thing that happened in this book that made me really grossed out? Grooming. Yeah, I get that they happened to meet when she was a LITERAL child, but still...she was a LITERAL child...that he then had sexual feeling for. It's a big ole no from me dawg.

And the bummer about that is that this could've been such a good background that could've filled out so much for this whole large-scale story, but no. It went creepy. Sorry, but I really cannot deal with that. That is my line, any sort of consent boundary crossing is an immediate no in any capacity for me.

I hate that I'm giving this a bad review because I have loved so many other books from Laura Thalassa. I guess this series just isn't for me (except book one, loved book one).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Absolute perfection. It kills me to have to wait so long for the third book. It’s been a long time since a story and its characters gripped me so tightly.

"The Curse That Binds (Deluxe Edition)" by Laura Thalassa is an absolutely captivating read, filled with rich world-building and emotionally complex characters that kept me hooked from start to finish. Having enjoyed Thalassa's previous works, I was thrilled to find her signature blend of dark romance and gripping storytelling elevated even further in this edition. A definite 5-star triumph that showcases her talent brilliantly!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.. I have many words but they may not be enough. Another wonderful time I could spend with Laura Thalassa's stories. After the Four Horsemen, I jumped to Bewitched and Bespelled, and now this installment was amazing. Her writing has improved and was amazing at the beginning. The story was full of energy and electric. No info dumps, no dragging.
Not a word more, not a word less...

The Curse that Binds by Laura Thalassa, published by Sourcebooks, Bloom Books, is book three in the Bewitched Series.
A prequel that I greatly enjoyed reading.
2000 years before Selene there was Roxilana. She hears Menin's voice in her head and soon her power awakens.
A complex, complicated third book with timeline set before the first story, an unputdownable read that gives all the feels, derserves all the stars.

If only I could give it more stars! Rarely do I find books that make me drop everything to devour it. This book is perfection. I loved Bewitched and Bespelled and it was a visceral treat to read Memnon and Roxilana’s origin story and how their fate came to be. Knowing how it all ends, their friendship, their intimacy, the world building, the side characters - it all had me gripped with a sense of foreboding. I love it when stories are this immersive. This is fast becoming one of my all time favorites series!

I’m glad the author decided to make this a full-length novel. I would have gladly read a 1000 more pages set in this world. I’m so grateful to Bloom and Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this early. And I’m now a bit sad - I can’t wait for the next in the series!

I absolutely adore Laura Thalassa and everything she writes. I was so privileged to receive the ARC for the Bewitched series! The book is absolute master pieces that is amazingly action but will still punch you right in the feels!