Book Review: Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper J. Drake

 

Book Description

My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess, the kinnaree, and no matter the cost, I will be free.

Peeraphan Rahttana lives her life in Seattle, unaware of the complicated magical world spinning just beyond the shadows and mist…until a violent clash outside her dance rehearsal has her literally whisked off her feet. Her darkly brooding rescuer, vampire Bennett Andrews, claims to represent a secret organization dedicated to locating objects of myth and magic, tucking them safely away where they can do no harm—but he's too late to save Peeraphan from a deadly curse.

Yet Peeraphan isn't what she seems. Wings unbound, she's a Thai bird princess of legend...and while the curse won't kill her outright, it's only a matter of time. Determined, Bennett sweeps Peeraphan deeper into a supernatural world far beyond anything she ever imagined in a desperate bid to find a solution...and an explanation for the powers even she doesn't know how to define.

Her world may have changed overnight, but Peeraphan knows one thing for certain: she can't go back to living as a human anymore. Not when she's felt what it's like to fly with Bennett by her side. She's determined to keep her wings and her freedom…and defy anyone who would try to take them from her again.

What would you save if the world you knew disappeared and you could open your eyes to what exists just beyond?

My Review

Peeraphan (Punch) is a dancer who is not quite human. She can sense when Bennett, who isn't breathing walks into her dance hall while she is practicing. While at practice Punch is shown a red pair of dance shoes that had been donated and she just happens to try them on first, feeling the pull to put them on. Bennett was also there for the shoes but he got there too late, Punch already had the shoes on. The red shoes are a cursed, magical object and he was sent there to retrieve them. They compel the wearer to put them on and dance until they die from exhaustion. 

So Bennett was waiting there now to see if she would die and then he would take the shoes before anyone else could touch them and make sure they were locked away. Once a human puts the shoes on, they almost always killed them. So when the dancers stopped for a break, he fully expected Punch to keep dancing or at the very least to not be able to keep her feet still. So when she sat down and didn't look the least little bit compelled to move, he was shocked to say the least. The fact that Punch kept glancing in his direction and knew he was there when no one should be able to notice him since he was a vampire and was hiding in the shadows, just made her even more of a curiosity. He knew she must be some sort of supernatural but couldn't figure out what. 

When another non-human shows up at her rehearsal that also wants the shoes the danger spikes. Francesco is the other non-human, a vampire who knows Bennett and they fight. Francesco works for another faction but he wants to red shoes for bad purposes, which puts Punch in danger. But she sees that Bennett is hurt pretty bad and helps him get to one of his teammates, Duncan. They take her to an island where his home is and where she'll be safe.

Bennett works for the Darke Consortium and so do his teammates. The Darke Consortium locates and retrieves objects of myth, magical objects and they put them in sanctuaries around the world for safe keeping. In the home they all stay at, there's also a werewolf named Thomas, as well as Duncan and some other supernaturals and they are all part of the Darke Consortium.

Punch is a mythical Kinnaree, a bird person. Her people must be very rare since Bennett being a very old vampire doesn't know anything about them. When they find out what Punch will have to do in order to get the shoes off and where she'll have to go, they need the help of a witch to get there. All the while Punch and Bennett are getting to know one another better and end up getting closer. I liked their romance and how Bennett was wary of getting into a relationship because of his past and not wanting to be hurt again. 

Punch also has two sugar gliders who were absolutely so cute in this book. I love it when animals are a big part of the story. This was definitely a fun read and I loved the secondary characters. I'm looking forward to reading more and getting to know then better. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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