Book Review: "The Crown of Oaths and Curses" by J. Bree

Title: The Crown of Oaths and Curses

Author: J. Bree

Series: "The Mortal Fates" #1

Genre: NA Fantasy Romance

Page Length: 663 pages

Publication Date: May 27, 2023

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

The Scepter (Novella 0.1) Review

The Sword (Novella 0.2) Review

Goodreads

J. Bree has done it again. At this point, we can just call 2023 the year of J. Bree as, of the 46 books I've read so far this year, 20 of them have been J. Bree books. She's become a new favorite auto-buy author and this newest book of hers didn't disappoint in the slightest. 

The Crown of Oaths and Curses is the first full-length book in her new Mortal Fates series. Now, J. Bree had written seventeen books before this series began but this is her first high fantasy series. We've got witches, fae, and a setting in a world not our own. I was so excited for this one but deep down I was a little worried it wouldn't be as good as the other books I'd read by her as the first step into fantasy can be difficult.

I never should have doubted at all because this series is phenomenal so far. The two prequel novellas, The Scepter and The Sword, were stellar introductions and got me quite excited for this book. They provided invaluable backstory of who the characters were and how we got where we were in the few hundred years before the actual novel. And then this book just blew me away.

I think my absolute favorite thing about this book was the characters, as is typically so when it comes to J. Bree books and any of my favorites for the most part. Our main female character, Rooksbane, in particular was my favorite. I loved her, I loved her inner strength and outer strength, I loved her dedication to nature, I just...I loved her. She was so passionate and honestly kept a way better hold on her temper than I would have. When it comes to Soren, our male main character, I enjoyed him a lot but what I'm going to enjoy even more is seeing his growth in the future books. One thing I've seen this book criticized for is Soren's attitude and it gets me a little confused, if I'm honest. The same people who complain most books marketed as enemies-to-lovers don't have actual enemies are now getting upset at the characters being actual enemies and hating each other? I don't get it. 

I am hoping we see some more side characters in the future books. I loved the side characters in this one but I know that there's other characters we met in novellas and are mentioned in this book that don't get much page time, if any at all. It's my great hope that the sequel is going to feature some of these characters strongly and that it'll cause some glorious tension-filled scenes. 

The magic is wonderful and the world is fascinating. I'm especially intrigued by the idea of fate and if you go against it there's serious consequences for the world. I also just want to know more about all the different magic types and kingdoms. I can't wait to explore this more in the future books. I'm hoping we get to see the Goblin kingdom in particular as it's one that's mentioned often and it sounds fascinating. 

The plot is pretty intriguing. Sometimes the fight for the throne plot can get repetitive, but I think the way this one is being done is just different enough for me that I'm not feeling like I'm reading the same thing over and over. 

All in all, I think my reading experience can be summed up by the fact that I read the two novellas and the entire 660+ page beast in less than 24 hours. I read this one in just one sitting, ignoring all my responsibilities and even food. I didn't want it to ever be over, but I also needed to know everything that was going to happen. It was addicting.

I cannot wait for the next book. I'm hopeful that we'll see it before the end of 2023 but I'm not sure. I just know that I'm obsessed with this series and, once again, J. Bree has me in a chokehold. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Review: "These Hollow Vows" by Lexi Ryan

Title: These Hollow Vows

Author: Lexi Ryan

Series: "These Hollow Vows" #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Page Length: 464 pages

Publication Date: July 20, 2021

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see where the sequel takes the story!

I'd seen These Hollow Vows floating around online for a while and decided to pick up a copy a few months ago. Originally, I was going to just wait until the sequel comes out (summer 2022). Then one of my good friends read it and was raving about it and then I felt I had to read it sooner rather than later. 

This book, despite being almost 500 pages, was a really quick read for me. The writing style was really easy to follow, the pacing worked for me, and I was able to fall into the story and stay in it for the most part. There were a few parts where I was just stressed from real life but once I allowed myself to let all that fade away I was able to fully immerse myself in this world.

The world was intriguing and not too hard to understand. I also really enjoyed there was a map in this one (as I think is becoming mostly standard in fantasy?). A big part of the story is the emphasis on the importance of stories and tales. We got a lot of world building for the fae lands in the form of these tales which I think was rather interesting as it added an element of us having to question the validity behind them. 

The actual plot itself was interesting, if a bit predictable. I love thief and heist stories, though I did think that thievery would play more of a role in this one. There were plenty of times I guessed the plot twist or big reveal but that isn't a negative at all as I do like the satisfaction I get of guessing right. That being said, there were a few that I didn't see coming. 

My favorite part of this book was definitely our main character. Her motivations, her personality, etc. She's in a difficult situation and I think many criticisms of this book don't take into account she's a human in a fae world at a disadvantage. I enjoyed the side characters and I definitely am interested in how all of the relationships progress in the next book. There are a few that I really want to see get more page time as well. 

I am torn on the romance. There is a love triangle, which is something I really haven't read in a long time. I will say, the romance aspect wasn't as strong to me, likely because it was split trying to make us love two different characters. What was interesting, though, is that who I wanted the main character to end up with from the beginning of the book was completely different by the end. I was so sure going into the book that wouldn't change and...it did. 

That being said, I have very strong feelings about who I want our character to end up with if she has to end up with anyone. I knew from about halfway through the book which of the love interests I liked better and I truly hope it continues that way in the future. I think part of why I rated this less than five stars despite enjoying it immensely is because I didn't really like some of the romance bits with the love interest I don't like. 

And it's not even that I don't like him for the main character. I just flat out don't like him at all. He's an interesting character, but in terms of likability, I spotted some things and got the ick pretty early on. Obviously there is an entire book left to go and things could change in that regard. However, for now, I much prefer the other love interest (and I'm sorry if that's too vague...I just don't want to spoil anything!). 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading this book. It's nothing revolutionary or genre-breaking but it does exactly what it is supposed to do and is the YA fantasy it's supposed to be. The writing is strong, the story is interesting but not overly complicated, the magic system is (so far) intriguing, and the characters were well-developed enough for me to connect with them. I can only imagine what the next book will be like after that ending!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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