Of Kingdom and Curses by Amy Woodruff is a captivating read that takes you on a journey filled with mystery, romance, and unexpected twists. The story starts off at a slower pace, with world-building that takes some getting used to, but once the marriage competition begins, the plot truly takes off. The protagonist’s journey of self-discovery, as she navigates life with amnesia, draws you in, especially as fragments of her past life begin to surface.

The relationship dynamics are intriguing, particularly as the main character uncovers more about her past and forms new connections. Although the trials she faces throughout the story could have been more intense, they still add an interesting layer to the narrative. Some may find the twists predictable, but they’re executed well enough to keep the reader engaged.

The book's ending is packed with action and leaves you with just enough unanswered questions to eagerly anticipate the sequel. Despite some moments where the pacing lags, the story as a whole has great promise, making it a solid read for fans of fantasy with a touch of romance. The emotional investment in the characters is strong, and by the end, you'll be ready to dive into the next installment to uncover the mysteries left unresolved.

Overall, Of Kingdom and Curses delivers a whirlwind of emotions and sets the stage for what promises to be an exciting series. With a bit of refining, this book could easily stand out even more in the fantasy genre, but as it is, it’s a compelling read that will leave you wanting more.

“Of Kingdom and Curses,” by Amy Woodruff

I really liked this book. It started off slow and the world building was something to get used to but when she started the marriage competition it started to get interesting. I liked learning about the MC’s life before she lost her memories, and I’m fully invested in their relationship. I can’t wait to read book 2 because the book ended at a place that I need more answers lol. 4 out of 5 stars, solid read.

-Warlocks
-Amnesia
-Marriage Competition

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

This book was extremely interesting. It definitely had its moments where It was a bit slow for me, but the overall storyline has promise. And I’m looking forward for more

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book!

The book started off strong but I found that Bridget was just a bit too confused at times? I get that she's lost her memory and had no idea how she ended up here but I just got a bit annoyed at how little she knew. Cora was not very forthcoming at all.

The twists were good but at some point I thought that there was a bit too many. The trials were interesting to start but then got a bit

The romance took a while but when it got going I enjoyed it.

I liked the overall plot and idea of the book, it could just do with a bit more refining maybe? I still quite liked reading it and I did not have to force myself to carry on. The ending was definitely very action packed.

This book was a whirlwind of emotions.
From the beginning it was obvious that the FMC had memory loss and there was history we weren’t privy to. This made the storyline hard to follow at times but things gradually started to make sense the further you read. It was worth sticking with it.
However, The “trials” weren’t very exciting. The first started off promising but honestly, I didn’t feel like there was true danger. And the second and third fell extremely flat, like the storyline almost didn’t need them.
Although the characters were well written and easy to get attached to. It definitely made me more emotionally invested in the story.
Though I was able to call part of the plot twist pretty early on. It still was an exciting ending and kept me entertained.
But it left a lot of things unanswered that hopefully we get more insight into in the second book. Which I will definitely be reading.

OF KINGDOMS AND CURSES - AMY WOODRUFF

Let's get this out of the way: this book truly exceeded every expectation I could've had. It's the first book of a new fantasy series - Blood and Curses - and you'll definitely want to be adding this to your TBR. Here's a snapshot of the plot:

There’s only one thing Bridget Adams wants: to get home. After being trapped for seven months in the Kingdom of Elyria, where magic is ruthless, permanent and always comes with a price, she’s tired of dealing with curses, especially ones that take everything from her. In the name of helping the coven that owns her, Bridget is forced to join a tournament to compete to marry the Fae Prince, Cade. As they grow closer, it becomes clear things aren’t as they appear.

Firstly, I love that the main character, Bridget, is a human. This ups the stakes significantly, as she feels particularly fragile within a unique magic system, where magic use has severe limitations and consequences. There are fae, witches and nymphs, and Amy Woodruff does some incredible worldbuilding of this otherworldly realm that Bridget finds herself in.

But, from the start, we're told that Bridget has lost her memory in order to enter the realm, and this mystery of who she was or how she came to be in Elyria is something that simmers below the surface of the novel. At some point, we even see our own familiar world, and this blend of the familiar and unfamiliar works so well to help us see what's really at stake.

As if that isn't enough, there's a tournament too, where participants complete tasks to vye for the role of being Prince Cade's betrothed. The action is non-stop but also not overwhelming, and I found myself thoroughly engaged from the first page to the last. I cannot wait for the second book!

Thank you to Amy Woodruff, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

Review score: 5/5

TW: Blood, violence, injury, memory loss

Witches, Faes, Warlocks, Nymphs -- a portal to the human realm -- a prince -- a romance. What more could you want from a romantasy?!

Bridget, a human, is being held by a witch in a world where she has no memories of her life. All she wants is to remember who she is and get back to the home she knows exists somewhere. She is forced to enter a tournament, where the prince will marry the winner. She must compete against other women with powers, and is the only human in the competition. But when she sees the prince she feels feelings she shouldn't be feeling.

Full of twists and turns, this is a really fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put down. The chemistry between Bridget and Cade is outstanding! AND THAT ENDING!! I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Human, fae, nymph, witches, what more could you want in a fantasy book???

Bridget lands herself in another realm she does not know. She also has no idea who she is or why she is there. Bridget gets fed little bits of information from the head of the witches coven, Cora. Cora informs Bridget that due to the curse, human's lose their memories when they enter into Elyria.

Cora believes there is another gate in to the human realm that is not protected by the king. But why is Cora looking for a 2nd gate? That is something I would like to know. Cora sends Bridget in to the realm for a tournament to marry the Fae Prince, however Cora has an ulterior motive.

Just a little snippet in to this amazing book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I could not put it down. I loved every single one of the characters, especially Bridget & Cade. It was the perfect mixture of fantasy, mystery and love. I cannot wait for the 2nd book to be released (I hope to get an ARC again <3).

Wow -- I really loved this one!

Bridget Adams is stuck in the after (but not, like, the afterworld), and she's unsure how she got there. Without any memory of the before, she's trying to figure out how she got to Elyria and why. Stuck with a witch coven as a human, Bridget is forced to enter the king's tournament, where the grand prize is marriage to the crown prince, Cade. However, Bridget has an ulterior motive for agreeing to participate in the games and may need to recruit the help of said crown prince (and a few of her tournament opponents).

It's lighter on romance (for now -- I feel it'll pick up as the series continues) but has lots of action. This perfectly paced fantasy debut left you turning the pages well into the night. If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas, you'll enjoy this one just as much as I did. I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!

This story follows the FMC Bridget who is trapped in the far realm with no recollection her past apart from some small bits of information that were given to her by Cora, the witch who has taken her into her Coven. Cora forces Bridget to attend a tournament to win the hand of the Crown Prince of the Fae, Cade.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of criticism for this book.

The writing in this seemed extremely juvenile but I believe this is being marketed as an Adult Fantasy book. The world building was all over the place and extremely confusing as we the book starts after Bridget has lost her memories. It starts to make more sense as the book goes on however I feel like the FMC makes little effort trying to find any information and there are plot holes left, right and centre.

Speaking of the FMC, she is extremely unlikeable and whines 90% of the way through the book. She seems absolutely clueless about anything. I understand she’s lost her memory but even Before it seems she didn’t know how to act in social situations and was unbearable.

I feel like this book had so much potential but it just wasn’t executed correctly. As I say, this should definitely be marketed towards YA as I feel there are too high of expectations for this to be Adult Fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for a copy of this eARC.

"There’s only one thing Bridget Adams wants: to get home.

After being trapped for seven months in the Kingdom of Elyria, where magic is ruthless, permanent, and always comes with a price, she’s tired of dealing with curses, especially ones that take everything from her. In Elyria, all humans are cursed. Whenever one enters the magical realm, they lose their memories. Forever.

The only things Bridget knows about her past are the small tidbits Cora tells her, which isn’t much. The leader of the nomadic Witch coven is merciless, and with Bridget essentially owned by Cora, she always keeps Bridget by her side. No matter how many times Bridget tries to escape her grasp, she always fails.

In the name of helping the coven, Cora places her in a tournament to compete to marry the Fae Prince, Cade. Believing her freedom is in sight, Bridget agrees to join and plans to sneak away before it starts. However, an unexpected binding contract restricts her to the palace grounds. Forced to participate, Bridget navigates the dangerous tasks of the tournament, until she accidentally stumbles upon the prince. Cade has secrets of his own, though, including ones that involve the human realm, and when he offers to help Bridget return there, she decides to trust him.

As they grow closer, it becomes clear things aren’t as they appear. She discovers her presence in Elyria and the tournament is part of a greater plan, one that has deadly consequences. As secrets, history, and conspiracies unravel around her, Bridget begins to realize the greatest curse of all: love."

This would be a good rec for pre-teens.

This was a fun, fast paced, YA Romantasy. I enjoyed that part of story took place in the modern world and the other part in the fae realm. The mix of the two worlds added some interesting dynamics. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel strongly connected to any of the characters. The plot twists kept things exciting but dare I say there were too many twists?? By the ending, there were so many unanswered questions and I felt a bit lost. Most of the time, an ending with a cliffhanger leaves me hungry for the next book but I don’t feel super motivated to grab the second one in this series when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc. While this book wasn’t my favorite, I still had a good time reading it and think others will enjoy it as well.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!
This one was reminiscent of Where the Moon Hatched and Powerless, so if you’re a fan of that, you might like this.

This one I found started off strong, even though it got really annoying that she didn’t have any clue about anything - maybe too confused?
I didn’t vibe with their relationship till a little later and then I was super sold on it even though maybe more bonding and banter not related to the plot would have helped? The before part helped with this too.

Would have liked more detailed cooler trials too!

Near the end, it got a bit confusing and there was a LOT going on. The ending itself was good.

Overall, started strong but the last part was a lot. Romance was cute. Interesting plot!

4.5 stars ✨️ ARC from netgalley 🫶🏾
This book pleasantly surprised me! I honestly didn't expect it to be this good!!!
It was such an original and well done take on subjects that are seen in so many novels these days. Fae and witches mixing with humans. A doorway between realms, with unfortunate consequences for any humans who cross: they lose all their memories.
Bridget is one such human, when we meet her she is living under the thumb of an abusive witch and her coven and all she remembers of her old life is her name.
When she is thrust into a contest, against her will, for the Prince's hand in marriage, pitted against other girls wan the only one without power, she finds herself in over her head with escape the only thing on her mind.
She doesn't expect to be confined to the palace grounds, forced to interact with people who think they're above her and an arrogant prince who seems to dislike humans. An action packed fantasy novel full of twists and turns 😍

I definitely feel like this book fit the bill of a perfect start to a fantasy series, with a more urban and modern aesthetic blended within the story. It was all done very well.
Ends on a major cliffhanger and I NEED the next book yesterday 😂
The storyline was very unique imo and it didn't take 50 pages to get into the main storyline, it was fast paced and gripping.
Highly recommend 🧚‍♀️🫶🏾✨️

I was not expecting what I read in this book! I thought it was a typical fantasy book with your witches, games and trials to marry the prince, magic, you know everything we have seen before (and what I enjoy reading) but man was I wrong!

The "after" started off good, the world building was easy and fast pace and you see where Bridget is struggling as a human in a magical world. There was a lot of things that were mentioned or seen in the after that was a little confusing and you think you're missing something in the story. This is where you might want to stop but keep reading!

When the "before" hits, man that twist is amazing. I was not expecting it and I absolutely ate it up. All of the chapters during the before section were my favorite and I love getting a deeper look at our FMC and MMC.

Cade is a great MMC and I love that he is a little mysterious when we meet him basically up until the end. I loved his character during the before and everything that occurred in that section with Cade and Bridget.

I already wish I could read the second book, ending the book on that cliffhanger was brutal and I want to know everything that happens!

If you like:
-unique magic
-star crossed lovers
-found family
-witches/fae/blood magic
-epic twist

This book is for you. The spice is minimal and the book reads as new adult for me, nothing too complicated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC for my honest opinion.

Man, did this book have a lot going for it. We’ve got fae, witches, warlocks, and nymphs. The concept was intriguing, and I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I was annoyed just knowing it was going to end on a cliffhanger because I was so engrossed in the story. It was similar to another book I read, but not enough that I disregarded this one. I felt the author integrated modern technology well into this other realm separate from the human world.


Thank you to NetGalley and Owl City Press for the early review. All above opinions are own.

This book takes you through the challenges of life and love. I really enjoyed the book overall. It made me feel as though I was reading a mixture of the fourth wing, The court of thorns and roses, with a new twist. Bridget was trapped in a land that was unfamiliar to her. Bridget was found by a witch from the Gemini coven. Cora was seeking power and was controlling Bridget to attempt to get what she wanted. As Bridget passed into this alternate realm, the curse on humans took all of her memories. Cora entered her into the tournament and Bridget went thinking this was the ultimate way-out. Bridget finding herself being challenged mentally and physically. As Bridget, finds out what is going on she is forced to face a challenging situation. I am excited to find out more in the next book. I had a hard time with the transitions, so I had to go back and read. I would recommend the book to friends and families.

Of Kingdoms and Curses.

What I liked:
I love the premise that humans lose their memories when they cross over to the magical realm. It's used to good effect with the plot, and adds intrigue.

I loved Cade - he is a delicious Cinnamon roll of a MMC, and jumps off the page at you. The found family vibes are great.

What I struggled with:
The tone and lack of spice, made me feel like this was more of a YA book rather than straight romantasy or NA. Although the ages are around 20 years, the dialogue and the characters in the tournament felt more high school age.

I wanted more descriptions and hints about the city - and some explanation about the jumble of present-day and medieval styles, conventions, and items. We get that context and reasoning eventually, but it left me struggling for a sense of place for most of the first half of the book.

The first half also had Bridget making some very dubious choices. I warmed to her during the midway point, but it still felt like everything happened to her, rather than her driving the plot.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty solid YA book. I feel like there's more world building to do, and the next book will help give much needed context.


Thank you so much City Owl Press, NetGalley, and the author, Amy Woodruff, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review. All opinions are my own.

This novel follows Bridget, a human trapped in the Kingdom of Elyria, as she attempts to regain her memory and return back to the human realm. Amidst all of this, there are also questions of blood magic, political and individual motives, and prophecies.

I found this novel a fun and fast-paced read. I loved Woodruff's clever use of "After" to start the novel and represent Bridget's memory loss (especially the use of "Before" after Bridget regains her memory *mind blown). The pacing of the novel was a bit slow to start but by the 50% mark, I was rapidly turning each page. After reading the ending, I have a million questions and I can't wait to see how Woodruff pulls everything together in the next novel.

I would suggest this novel to someone who enjoys fantasy books with a love story that ventures and blends between realms and political plots that have you second guessing characters and their secret end goals til the very last page.

✨I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion✨
I have quite a few opinions about this but I’m not exactly sure how to phrase them. I didn’t necessarily have a bad time reading this, I just sort of felt like it was a bit of a drag. This book talked a whole lot but not a lot actually happened. I mainly felt as though the world building was confusing.
There seemed to have been multiple worlds or lands maybe? That we’re connected but also weren’t and only some people could go between them and some couldn’t? I’m not entirely sure, which could honestly just have been me, I’m not saying it wasn’t. I was just confused.
I read a lot of fantasy romance. I feel the need to say that because books like this are normally my thing! And yes, this was an incredibly beginner fantasy romance, it would be PERFECT if you were just getting started and are worried about being able to follow along.
I was able to guess the twist pretty early on, which I’m not sure was intended or not. You could really tell with how quickly Cade seemed to go to Bridget even when they weren’t supposed to know each other.
I didn’t hate this book, contrary to what this looks like. It wasn’t bad! There were quite a few things that I really enjoyed! I liked Bridget’s (reluctant) friendship with Delphine, I thought they had a lot of chemistry and would have really liked to see that explored a bit more. Finn and Cade also had a great dynamic and I thought Castor was a TON of fun. The characters all had distinct personalities and I thought that was a lot of fun.
Once again, I received this as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.