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

The Crown of Oaths and Curses (The Mortal Fates #1)
By J Bree

Publication Date: May 27, 2023
Date Read: March 29, 2024
Genre: Adult – High Fantasy
Source: Loaned via Kindle Unlimited
Format: E-Book
Pages: 663

From Goodreads:
I devoted my life to a king who was not my own.

On the road to ultimate honor and glory, I lost everything.

Now, in a world ravaged by the whims of those who rule, I must turn my back on a lifetime of friendships and loyalties to face my own fate.

The Savage Prince.

Heir to the high-fae throne of the Southern Lands, he is known for his brutality and cold heart. But with the kingdom on the brink of ruin, I have no choice but to seek him out.

The war between the fae and the witches rages, and there’s no end in sight. My destiny is clear—help the prince defeat his enemies before it’s too late.

One small problem.

I am Rookesbane Eveningstar.

The Favored Child returned, a Witch of the Woods.

The greatest enemy of my Fates-blessed mate.

*The Crown of Oaths and Curses is a full-length MF epic fantasy romance with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations. Book 1 of a 3-book series.

J Bree has been on my radar for a number of years but I never picked up anything by her prior to this series. The reason for this is her most popular series is a reverse harem, which is just not my kind of thing. When I heard that she was writing a fated mates high fantasy series, I was SOLD! I couldn’t wait to dive in and try something by her. I am so glad that I did as I absolutely loved this book!

I’ve always been a big fan of high fantasy books with a little romance and Romantasy but over the past few years I feel like I have been losing my love of it. Every fantasy or Romantasy I’ve read over the past year or so has just been okay to me. I 100% believe this is due to my dislike of rushed romance. So when I heard this was the slowest of slow burns, I couldn’t wait. And I have to thank J Bree at this point. This book reminded me of everything I love about fantasy. I am absolutely obsessed with everything about this series. Now, if you’re reading this wondering whether you should read it, I’m going to warn you there is zero spice in this book. I have no doubt there will be some later in the series but as of right now… nothing. Because this is an enemies to lovers… and when I say enemies I mean ENEMIES! They barely speak in the first 60% of the book because they are true enemies who want to kill each other… and I freaking LOVE IT! Due to this in terms of the romance it is very minimal. However, the book does focus heavily on building up our characters.

Let’s start with the star of the book. Rooke is such a phenomenal character. She is the reason I love this book as much as I do. She is sweet and caring and the high fae do not deserve all she does for them. I loved everything about her and she is such a freaking badass. I just adore her. Prince Soren on the other hand… oh Soren you stupid STUPID boy! I totally understand his prejudices. After 1000 years… I GET IT! However, never have I rolled my eyes so much when reading a perspective of a character, as I have when reading his. He is just so so STUPID! This was my one frustration with the book. His prejudices made his thought processes a little repetitive. Almost every chapter he was thinking of how evil Rooke must be, how she is plotting to kill them, how he is waiting for her betrayal or her trap. I’m fine with him thinking these things, I truly am. I mean he has believed all witches to be evil for a thousand years, and that is a tough thing to try and undo in a 600 page book. But, hearing this every other chapter became tiresome. He’s just so very very stupid! It doesn’t matter how much evidence he has of Rooke being on his side, he was just a stubborn idiot, who wouldn’t listen to anyone. However, at the end of the book he did show some semblance of having a couple of brain cells so I’m willing to forgive him in the next book…. after some serious grovelling!

The Crown of Oaths and Curses was a fantastic plot and character focused first book of a series. I truly loved it so, so much and it’s actually got me excited about reading fantasy again. I feel this is going to be one of my favourite series of the year and I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2. I am so glad that it is released early next month so I won’t have to wait long. If you’re looking for a fantastic new fantasy series with enemies to lovers and fated mates, wait no longer. Your next obsession is right here.