The Crown of Oaths and Curses: 1 (The Mortal Fates)

After reading The Bonds that Tie series, I have taken it upon myself to check out—and if possible, read—all the other books written by J. Bree. If you haven’t read the review I wrote for TBtT series (follow the link if you’d like to) I enjoyed the series immensely and devoured the books within just days, and it was a six book series.So when I’d checked out J. Bree’s page, for some reason I was immediately drawn to A Crown of Oaths and Curses—of course I chose the series that had just begun and not the ones that are completed. Blessedly, the book was also on KU, which I of course immediately took as a sign. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I went into the book, but my God, it was everything I didn’t realize I needed to read.The only similarity I found between the two series was the intense internal rage that comes from the way the heroine is treated and what she experiences despite not deserving it. Also, of course, the fated mates trope. (This trope isn’t mentioned in the blurb but it’s revealed in the prequels and within the first chapter of the book, but just in case, highlight to read.)When the book starts, there’s a lot of information that the characters give us, which while initially may seem like quite a bit, eventually becomes super understandable and clear. The world-building in this book was done really well in my opinion. Despite not reading the prequels, nor having read any other review, I was right there with the characters as they narrated about their worlds.The book reads with a dual POV and usually I don’t prefer that—like I’ve mentioned perhaps 200 times in all my previous reviews—I was definitely intrigued to see the inner workings of the hero’s mind as well and I understood the reasoning behind why the author chose to depict the thoughts of both her main protagonists. I do feel that even with the perspective of the hero weaved into the story-telling I have so many feelings about him. Without that insight, the intensity of the feelings I had about/for the hero would’ve been 100x more. And not necessarily in a good way.The heroine on the other hand, I have immense respect and love for. She just might be one of my favourite heroines ever and I also think she’s one of the protagonists that have gone through the most as a main character to prove themselves. With every page that I fell in love with her, Rooke’s obstacles only increased. There’s a lot of grovelling the the next book is going to require and I’m going to be there for everything single moment of it.The writing was amaaaaazing. I hadn’t checked how long it’s been since the release of TBtT series and this one but the writing is practically worlds apart. I’m unsure if it’s the maturity of the characters and their experiences that defined the way the writing was executed or if J. Bree’s style has evolved. Either way, I enjoyed it immensely. Even though the characters’ story can be considered slow burn, I feel that the actual slow burn in the story we’re sitting at the edge of the seat about, is the story unfolding. I thought I’d lose my mind at many points for something spectacularly worthy to happen.The plot reminded me a litttttttle of K. F. Breene’s Deliciously Dark Fairytales. There’s a similar, dying-of-the-land, curse-upon-the-world that this book follows as well, but the approach to solving these common struggles vary greatly, so the similarities end fairly swiftly. That being said, you also don’t feel as sorry for Soren as you may have for Nyfain. I loved the way the plot unravels slowly, keeping pace with the world-building and they both give space for the characters to grow into themselves first and find their places in the story.The pacing was fantastic. The book was gigantic, but I all but swallowed it whole in a day. Sometimes I wonder how many hours an author puts into a book, especially one this big, but us readers just devour it in hours and are knocking on their door (metaphorically) begging for the next one. This series is set to be a three books series, but this book in itself could’ve been split into two books with how big it was. Despite this, when it ended I wailed in denial as is usual. Just keep at it in the beginning, in no time you’ll be chasing the words on the page.Highly highly highly highly recommended. Happy happy reading. Five million starts. All the stars. Stars galore.Please please check trigger warnings.

I wouldn't have believed it if someone was to claim that J Bree could create a Heroine more powerful and glorious than Oleander Fallows....but that's just what she did, she gave us Rookesbane Eveningstar.What a world she has weaved with the two short novellas and TCOOAC. Her true accomplishment is her ability to create such vivid scenarios of utopian worlds that almost appear to be plausible. From the forest of Ravenswryd to Yregar...it's almost like a walk down Tolkien's Lord of the Rings only more blood thirsty and filled with mad witches.We first meet Rooke and Pemba in The Sceptre novella and then Soren in The sword. They finally meet in TACOOAC only for Soren to realise his fated mate is none other than his mortal enemy, a witch. What follows is a slew of ill treatment and vicious insults but Rooke stands against it all with stoic, patience and calm. Her true fate is finally revealed, or a portion of the same, in the final faceoff between the Fae and the high witch, but by then Soren seems to have well sabotaged his relationship with Rooke. I hope she gets the grovel she deserves in the following book...Airlie is that perfect friend to Rooke, however Bree hasn't managed to replicate an Avery Beaumont still....though this is just book 1 and I still have faith in her!!!

I don't think I have ever seen a High school / Mafia romance author change genres and do it so flawlessly. I was obsessed with JBree when she wrote high school RH romances and now I am even more Obsessed after reading her swoon worthy Fantasy romances.One of the best things that Gives me a kick in a romance book is a strong heroine. And JBree always delivers that. Which is one of the biggest reasons why I am so much in love with her characters and her storylines. This book is no less and it's a start to another great series by this author. I have read the initial prologue books for this series too but to read a full length book was something else and I loved it!!This one was more of an introductory book and even though the novellas gave us some hints about what was happening, this book introduced us to this amazing new world of characters and we finally got some answers. But after that storyline, I have so many questions and I can't wait for them to be answered 🤣☠️Definitely recommending this one to all the fantasy romance loving people out there!

This book was too good. Wanted to punch Soren throughout the entire book and wanted to hug Rooke throughout the entire book. I'm too excited for the next book and the wait is gonna kill me. It already is killing me.

I LOVE this author! I read the broken bonds series first (and loved it) and was thrilled to find out she was starting a new series. I did not put this book down, it is fantastic. The slow burn, true enemies to lovers vibes; great world building; and captivating plot all kept me sucked in. Please give us book 2!!

J. Bree is, hands down, one of my favorite authors at the moment. If I was more skilled in participating in things like TikTok/Booktok and Bookstagram (are those even things..?) I would dedicate them almost entirely to her. I am the type of reader that runs the gamut of genres. I love quick smutty reads, and I love the drawn out, verbose works. I love everything from PNR to Contemporary to Fantasy; RH to M/M. I say all of this because I read some of these reviews, especially the lower star versions, and I couldn't help but think: the negativity you're displaying here is entirely focused on the way she writes, not the story itself. It would be like if they picking up a Jane Austen novel and complained in a review saying "this book was bad because there wasn't any spice!" Well, no, there wouldn't be. That wasn't how she wrote. The same can be said for J. Bree. Her writing is spectacular. Her world building is bar none. This story is unique and beautiful. This book is thiccccccccc and JUST THE BEGINNING!!!! J. Bree NEVER does anything without purpose. She is drawing out the building of worlds and trickle of flashbacks for a reason. I have complete and utter faith that when the next few books come out, we will wholly appreciate the time she has spent focusing on the details and building that tension.I delayed reading the two novellas and this novel as long as I could. I have a love/hate relationship with how long the time period between releases is in that I LOVE that her books turn out magically fantastic as a result, and yet I'm selfishly frustrated that I can't plow through them all at once. I obviously couldn't hold on any longer. So I read them, and suffered through what I think is a fairly benign and mild cliffhanger (hello did you read Forced Bonds???? That was a million times worse!) after what was arguably one of the most awe-inspiring, LOTR-style amazingness, thrilling scenes I've ever read.So I will reread the novellas and this novel as the others are released. And then I'm sure I'll review the series when I'm finished. But here is my advice: if you're impatient for the romance/spice, or dislike how wordy this book might be, just be patient and WAIT. Wait until the series is complete. Wait to see what a gift it will be when you realize she spent the time in this novel building and preparing the reader for all the amazing things to come. If you can handle your impatience and aren't going to riot over the fact there are no smexy times in this book, then go ahead and read it now. And you can join me as we patiently (and anxiously) wait for the next installments.

Eu amei, sinceramente, eu estou apaixonada pela protagonista, que mulher, ou melhor dizendo que bruxa maravilhosa, dona do mundo.Obs: Indo ler o 2 livro e torcendo pra q seja tão bom quanto.

The story captures you from the begining, couldn’t stop reading!! The story is very well written, if you like a good fae book I totally recommend.

Absolutly loved the book. Could hardly put it down.This story is for all who like to read a book about a strong female character, fae and magic.I fell right into this beautiful woven world and can't wait to see how the story continues.