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The Breaking of Brendalyn Ellingboe
The kingdom of Crim rests along the mountainous human and fae borders, dedicated to defending the human realm from the shapeshifters at all cost. Brendalyn Ellingboe is the perfect image of a soldier. Everything in Bren’s world seems to be under her control, that is until she is bitten by a shapeshifter. The shapeshifter venom rips Bren’s consciousness in two, leaving her trapped in the same body as her new hellacious twin, Shadow.
While the sun shines Bren is in perfect control of her life, but within her lurks a demon. Like a stain upon her soul, Shadow emerges only at night, straining for bloodshed and freedom.
Thankfully the new general of Crim, Novah Vang, has experience with shapeshifter poison. In fact, he has more knowledge about the fae than anyone within Crim’s walls. Bren and Novah dance around the truth like a deadly waltz. Their attraction to one another is just one more flame that has set Bren’s world afire.
Bren must tame Shadow, her personal demon, before she can tackle the dangers that threaten her kingdom. But Shadow is not the only traitor. Beating beneath Bren’s chest blooms another. Her loyalty to Crim versus the man she loves battle as she navigates who within her now murky alliances she can trust.
While the sun shines Bren is in perfect control of her life, but within her lurks a demon. Like a stain upon her soul, Shadow emerges only at night, straining for bloodshed and freedom.
Thankfully the new general of Crim, Novah Vang, has experience with shapeshifter poison. In fact, he has more knowledge about the fae than anyone within Crim’s walls. Bren and Novah dance around the truth like a deadly waltz. Their attraction to one another is just one more flame that has set Bren’s world afire.
Bren must tame Shadow, her personal demon, before she can tackle the dangers that threaten her kingdom. But Shadow is not the only traitor. Beating beneath Bren’s chest blooms another. Her loyalty to Crim versus the man she loves battle as she navigates who within her now murky alliances she can trust.
588 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 27, 2025
Wow wow wow, I absolutely loved this book 💜
I’ve only read a couple of other fantasy books but this one easily topped them all! The characters, the writing, the plot… top tier!
Literally cannot wait for Volume 2!!!!!
I’ve only read a couple of other fantasy books but this one easily topped them all! The characters, the writing, the plot… top tier!
Literally cannot wait for Volume 2!!!!!
October 21, 2025
I was a bit surprised by the length of the book - close to 600 pages. But it just grabs you and pulls you in. And it end on a cliffhanger so you’re going to have to get book 2.
I enjoyed the fast pace of the book but the author did a great job of still developing the characters at the right pace so you got to know them naturally. Just the right mix of drama, intrigue and a splash of romance with a couple of strong female characters.
The author was kind enough to offer me a free copy of this book since I’m reading book 2 as an ARC. There was an option to just read a synopsis but I’m so glad I chose the book.
I enjoyed the fast pace of the book but the author did a great job of still developing the characters at the right pace so you got to know them naturally. Just the right mix of drama, intrigue and a splash of romance with a couple of strong female characters.
The author was kind enough to offer me a free copy of this book since I’m reading book 2 as an ARC. There was an option to just read a synopsis but I’m so glad I chose the book.
March 25, 2026
This has the promise to be a very interesting story, but could greatly benefit from some additional editing. The flow was a bit clunky and was a bit on the nose most of the time, reading more like a middle reader than an adult read. I think it just fell into the classic first book syndrome of being twice the length it needs to be for the story it’s telling.
August 19, 2024
I tore through this book so quickly! It was the perfect balance of action, malicious scheming, forbidden romance, twists and turns that creates the perfect read for me! The characters were beloved (and insufferable, at times!) in a way that drives me into the next chapter every time since I can’t wait to find out how they’re gonna get themselves out of THIS one. The world is a refreshing re-take on a tired and worn out fantasy trope. Just enough familiarity to make it cozy and comforting, but spun in a way to keep things interesting. I loved it and can’t wait for the next!
April 5, 2025
I won this book in a giveaway and I'm glad I did!
I had a lot of fun reading this book! It has a lot of clever ideas and is set in an interesting world. I like a lot of the characters as well.
There are some things that I would like to critique about the book, however:
I would consider this a long book. As, because of that, it takes a while to really get the story started. To me, nothing really got moving until about a hundred or so pages into the book, so you have to stick with it for a little bit before the story really kicks off. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the time spent reading it, because I did! Though a lot of it felt as though it was wordsy for the sake of adding words to make a longer story, I didn't feel as though it was time wasted. I genuinely enjoyed the story and the process.
I wish that the changing from Bren to Shadow was done a little differently. To me, aesthetically, I wish there was something more akin to a page divide or a special symbol, such as a centered tilde or something, to change from the point of view from Bren to Shadow, and then vice versa. I don't think it would benefit from a new chapter being the divide, but something other than starting a new paragraph would have been more to my personal taste.
Speaking of Shadow, I'm not really sure if her existence really adds much to the story. I think it's an interesting approach, but a part of me believes that the main point of the story really wouldn't have changed much if it were about Bren learning to cope with new powers after being bitten by a shapeshifter and gaining them instead. I suppose a lot of the bits where Shadow appeared felt a bit empty to me as a result. I do think her addition is an interesting approach to the situation, however. I wish the merge with Shadow happened FAR sooner in the story. I think it definitely could have added more to both her character and Bren's, and showed that Bren needs to trust others more. I've come to the conclusion that Shadow is supposed to be a metaphor for something, but I'm not really sure what, to be honest.
I wish we saw more of Bren's father so that it felt more impactful to the reader when he died.
I wasn't really a fan of Bren and Novah as a pairing. I didn't feel that they had chemistry at all aside from the parts where they're acting as a couple. To me, they felt more like friends than anything else through almost the entirety of the book. Their feelings, to me, felt forced throughout the story. The term "convenient pairing" is a mantra that kept playing in my mind. I did enjoy Bren's friendship with Alder though! I feel as though I don't see much friendship between a man and a woman without there seeming to HAVE to be something more than friendship there. I found that often, when I see any delving deep into the relationship, it ends up being a romance. Thus, seeing them stay as friends (despite having feelings for each other) was really nice and I enjoyed that a lot.
I'm not sure why Rhenli is there. I wish more was done with her that gave relevance to the story. A lot of the time she seemed to be there just for the sake of being there. Her brother is forgettable. The friendship between he and Bren is just kind of hand waved there.
I'm not sure what relevance Bren had in being the captain of the royal guard. It doesn't seem to add anything to the story. I don't think anything aside from Lira's promotion would have changed if Bren was just set as a normal soldier.
Bren's reluctance to trust others or even to just tell anyone anything can get really tedious at times. Alden says he trusts her and everything, but she doesn't seem to do anything to have EARNED that trust considering she hides so much information from him throughout the entire book. I wish there were times where she actually tried to tell him something, but she seems to always back out of those situations before they even arise. It's always "I can't tell him" and never seems to be "now isn't the right time" or something similar.
Like I said earlier though, there were a lot of clever ideas thrown into the book! One that stuck out to me a lot, actually, was Shadow filling her ears with mud so that she couldn't be controlled by Novah's brother's magic. It's not an approach that I would have thought of, if I'm honest, and I really enjoyed that.
I REALLY liked the idea of Alder being the real heir to the Cereluna throne. I considered it a possibility early on in the book, and I was REALLY wishing that it was the outcome of the story, because I thought it would be a really interesting twist, and I'm SO glad it was the case! I really enjoy not having the main character being the character of prophecy, so many kudos for that.
I really like the addition of Elora as a character. I think she adds a lot to the story as a character that you know you can trust, but aren't fully sure that you should be able to, even after seeing she's betrayed her mother. She could double cross Crim in the end, of course, so I'm interested in seeing where her character is taken in the future. I would like to see more of her and Alder together so that we can see how their relationship pans out, because I'd like to see more chemistry between the two of them.
I hope Rathfa makes more of an appearance later on. I think she could definitely add interesting elements in the future because of her position.
I would love to see more that could be done with the tree!
I really like the style it's written in! It does give off "fanfiction writer" vibes at points, but I'm definitely not one to judge there. It's not a style that particularly bothers me at all. I do find Kuch's style to be easy to read, and you get far into the story without realizing just how much you've read. She did keep me hooked throughout the story. Usually, by the time I get 80%ish of the way through a book, I'm ready for it to end so I can start a new story, but I didn't find myself wanting to finish this one nearly as much. I suppose the writing helped my impatience a bit lol
Overall, I do think that I would love to read the next book in the series. I think the story could take some interesting turns, and I'm genuinely curious about where it's going to go. I'm really looking forward to seeing more!
I had a lot of fun reading this book! It has a lot of clever ideas and is set in an interesting world. I like a lot of the characters as well.
There are some things that I would like to critique about the book, however:
I would consider this a long book. As, because of that, it takes a while to really get the story started. To me, nothing really got moving until about a hundred or so pages into the book, so you have to stick with it for a little bit before the story really kicks off. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the time spent reading it, because I did! Though a lot of it felt as though it was wordsy for the sake of adding words to make a longer story, I didn't feel as though it was time wasted. I genuinely enjoyed the story and the process.
I wish that the changing from Bren to Shadow was done a little differently. To me, aesthetically, I wish there was something more akin to a page divide or a special symbol, such as a centered tilde or something, to change from the point of view from Bren to Shadow, and then vice versa. I don't think it would benefit from a new chapter being the divide, but something other than starting a new paragraph would have been more to my personal taste.
Speaking of Shadow, I'm not really sure if her existence really adds much to the story. I think it's an interesting approach, but a part of me believes that the main point of the story really wouldn't have changed much if it were about Bren learning to cope with new powers after being bitten by a shapeshifter and gaining them instead. I suppose a lot of the bits where Shadow appeared felt a bit empty to me as a result. I do think her addition is an interesting approach to the situation, however. I wish the merge with Shadow happened FAR sooner in the story. I think it definitely could have added more to both her character and Bren's, and showed that Bren needs to trust others more. I've come to the conclusion that Shadow is supposed to be a metaphor for something, but I'm not really sure what, to be honest.
I wish we saw more of Bren's father so that it felt more impactful to the reader when he died.
I wasn't really a fan of Bren and Novah as a pairing. I didn't feel that they had chemistry at all aside from the parts where they're acting as a couple. To me, they felt more like friends than anything else through almost the entirety of the book. Their feelings, to me, felt forced throughout the story. The term "convenient pairing" is a mantra that kept playing in my mind. I did enjoy Bren's friendship with Alder though! I feel as though I don't see much friendship between a man and a woman without there seeming to HAVE to be something more than friendship there. I found that often, when I see any delving deep into the relationship, it ends up being a romance. Thus, seeing them stay as friends (despite having feelings for each other) was really nice and I enjoyed that a lot.
I'm not sure why Rhenli is there. I wish more was done with her that gave relevance to the story. A lot of the time she seemed to be there just for the sake of being there. Her brother is forgettable. The friendship between he and Bren is just kind of hand waved there.
I'm not sure what relevance Bren had in being the captain of the royal guard. It doesn't seem to add anything to the story. I don't think anything aside from Lira's promotion would have changed if Bren was just set as a normal soldier.
Bren's reluctance to trust others or even to just tell anyone anything can get really tedious at times. Alden says he trusts her and everything, but she doesn't seem to do anything to have EARNED that trust considering she hides so much information from him throughout the entire book. I wish there were times where she actually tried to tell him something, but she seems to always back out of those situations before they even arise. It's always "I can't tell him" and never seems to be "now isn't the right time" or something similar.
Like I said earlier though, there were a lot of clever ideas thrown into the book! One that stuck out to me a lot, actually, was Shadow filling her ears with mud so that she couldn't be controlled by Novah's brother's magic. It's not an approach that I would have thought of, if I'm honest, and I really enjoyed that.
I REALLY liked the idea of Alder being the real heir to the Cereluna throne. I considered it a possibility early on in the book, and I was REALLY wishing that it was the outcome of the story, because I thought it would be a really interesting twist, and I'm SO glad it was the case! I really enjoy not having the main character being the character of prophecy, so many kudos for that.
I really like the addition of Elora as a character. I think she adds a lot to the story as a character that you know you can trust, but aren't fully sure that you should be able to, even after seeing she's betrayed her mother. She could double cross Crim in the end, of course, so I'm interested in seeing where her character is taken in the future. I would like to see more of her and Alder together so that we can see how their relationship pans out, because I'd like to see more chemistry between the two of them.
I hope Rathfa makes more of an appearance later on. I think she could definitely add interesting elements in the future because of her position.
I would love to see more that could be done with the tree!
I really like the style it's written in! It does give off "fanfiction writer" vibes at points, but I'm definitely not one to judge there. It's not a style that particularly bothers me at all. I do find Kuch's style to be easy to read, and you get far into the story without realizing just how much you've read. She did keep me hooked throughout the story. Usually, by the time I get 80%ish of the way through a book, I'm ready for it to end so I can start a new story, but I didn't find myself wanting to finish this one nearly as much. I suppose the writing helped my impatience a bit lol
Overall, I do think that I would love to read the next book in the series. I think the story could take some interesting turns, and I'm genuinely curious about where it's going to go. I'm really looking forward to seeing more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2025
I did not know anout this book until I was invited to do an ARC. Then I was tossed in to her world. I love spicy, but this was a great break and the book kept my attention. I thought I had it all figured out and was ready to wrap it it up when the book slapped me.
That was a great ending
That was a great ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2026
Book review TLDR: worth a buy.
-Gift review: Middle-schoolers and up. Anybody liking the vampire, dark fairy, and the villain is misunderstood type vibes.
-Trigger warnings: some gore, hypnosis/possession, broken families, and loss of loved ones.
-Theme: castles, dragons, shapeshifters, intrigue, backstabbing, battle, and badass warriors saving their little world from ignorance, duplicity, and sad lonely bad boys who want a chance at being a good boy.
The editing team did a good job.
I have notes:
Using the soft cover book sold at grand rapids Comic-Con.
AND with the understanding that I am not a professional, have a 3rd world american education, and wrote kneejerk comments in the margins as I read...these are the only notes I have that are leaning toward the negative. These made me stop and reread or go; wait wait wait once more again.
I give these to you in the hopes that future printings are a smoother read.
Over 500 pages / less than a dozen real edit notes = 1 edit in 110 pages.
Editing score: 99.9%. well done.
1) page 31. line 20. Punctuation or sentence cadence/structure. Him left?
2) page47. spacing.
3) page 144. line 25. sentence structure or punctuation. Left how?
4) page 372. line 25.5 What is this new thing?
5) page 374. line 22. sudden injection of southern bell phrasing? Ever so I do declare.
6) page 377. line 1. implicative possessive. [follow him, (he was) her strange...?]
7) page 390. line 19. metaphor vs. symbolism.
8) page 458. line 23. heard vs. felt. Ears of mud.
9) page 473. line 13. Spacing. this line only. possibly not fixable. word count software?
10) page 500. line 29. on betting on. idk maybe phrasing maybe idk?
11) page 500. line 31. bright patch OR red? [of]?
12) page 569. line 3.5. ahhh again. but just two in the whole book?
13) page 603. line 23. safe as castles.
14) page 606. 13.5 personal preference. These things have become a side character.
At this point give them a bit of art and pizzazz! Maybe an antlered owl with wide-wide wings?
Odds and ends:
-My friend [Bechdel tested] this book and had a hard time finding a part that she liked.
All her favorite characters kept talking about stupid boys, the boy's plans, where the boys are, and what the boys are feeling.
"Can't we just have a girl's night for the girls? Just one mission without mention of them!!?" Bechdel said, while looking at the shapeshifting sneak thief, trusted royal guard, champion of the fighting arena that banned herself after almost accidently murdering someone 3x her size, witch healer stepmother queen, and a wealthy princess politician.
-page 52-53. ending on line 8. My notes: "is this witch wanting a snitch? ew. red flag!"
what a great way to allow politicians their natural discourse and using it to create a trigger warning in normal readers.
-p.235 line 8 vs p63 line1
Love this. please keep it. The call back to the same theme tore into my brain in such a good "I've seen this before" way. 10/10. no notes.
-page 262. last line. I'd switch the hawk and bear. either way was a great fight scene. just something about moving on the same level as the land fighters not being aware... but aware of the dive bomber... it pulled me out of the fight logistically just a bit.
-Duke Tarbold deserves to die. In this life and the next. No need to explain. The True Villain.
-page 551. line 1. Word 6. Yeeesssss AND!!! get some! You. Are. About. to smell what the Shadow bren cooking! perfect word choice. 10/10.
Thank you for a good book, good setting, good characters, and the beginning of a good series.
This was a great book to read after "Willful, Wise, And Wicked."
You have forged at least two good novels.
I can't wait to read the next.
-Gift review: Middle-schoolers and up. Anybody liking the vampire, dark fairy, and the villain is misunderstood type vibes.
-Trigger warnings: some gore, hypnosis/possession, broken families, and loss of loved ones.
-Theme: castles, dragons, shapeshifters, intrigue, backstabbing, battle, and badass warriors saving their little world from ignorance, duplicity, and sad lonely bad boys who want a chance at being a good boy.
The editing team did a good job.
I have notes:
Using the soft cover book sold at grand rapids Comic-Con.
AND with the understanding that I am not a professional, have a 3rd world american education, and wrote kneejerk comments in the margins as I read...these are the only notes I have that are leaning toward the negative. These made me stop and reread or go; wait wait wait once more again.
I give these to you in the hopes that future printings are a smoother read.
Over 500 pages / less than a dozen real edit notes = 1 edit in 110 pages.
Editing score: 99.9%. well done.
1) page 31. line 20. Punctuation or sentence cadence/structure. Him left?
2) page47. spacing.
3) page 144. line 25. sentence structure or punctuation. Left how?
4) page 372. line 25.5 What is this new thing?
5) page 374. line 22. sudden injection of southern bell phrasing? Ever so I do declare.
6) page 377. line 1. implicative possessive. [follow him, (he was) her strange...?]
7) page 390. line 19. metaphor vs. symbolism.
8) page 458. line 23. heard vs. felt. Ears of mud.
9) page 473. line 13. Spacing. this line only. possibly not fixable. word count software?
10) page 500. line 29. on betting on. idk maybe phrasing maybe idk?
11) page 500. line 31. bright patch OR red? [of]?
12) page 569. line 3.5. ahhh again. but just two in the whole book?
13) page 603. line 23. safe as castles.
14) page 606. 13.5 personal preference. These things have become a side character.
At this point give them a bit of art and pizzazz! Maybe an antlered owl with wide-wide wings?
Odds and ends:
-My friend [Bechdel tested] this book and had a hard time finding a part that she liked.
All her favorite characters kept talking about stupid boys, the boy's plans, where the boys are, and what the boys are feeling.
"Can't we just have a girl's night for the girls? Just one mission without mention of them!!?" Bechdel said, while looking at the shapeshifting sneak thief, trusted royal guard, champion of the fighting arena that banned herself after almost accidently murdering someone 3x her size, witch healer stepmother queen, and a wealthy princess politician.
-page 52-53. ending on line 8. My notes: "is this witch wanting a snitch? ew. red flag!"
what a great way to allow politicians their natural discourse and using it to create a trigger warning in normal readers.
-p.235 line 8 vs p63 line1
Love this. please keep it. The call back to the same theme tore into my brain in such a good "I've seen this before" way. 10/10. no notes.
-page 262. last line. I'd switch the hawk and bear. either way was a great fight scene. just something about moving on the same level as the land fighters not being aware... but aware of the dive bomber... it pulled me out of the fight logistically just a bit.
-Duke Tarbold deserves to die. In this life and the next. No need to explain. The True Villain.
-page 551. line 1. Word 6. Yeeesssss AND!!! get some! You. Are. About. to smell what the Shadow bren cooking! perfect word choice. 10/10.
Thank you for a good book, good setting, good characters, and the beginning of a good series.
This was a great book to read after "Willful, Wise, And Wicked."
You have forged at least two good novels.
I can't wait to read the next.
December 17, 2025
The storyline is all about Bren Ellingboe, a fiercely capable captain of the royal guard in the kingdom of Crim — a place which is regularly threatened by dangerous shapeshifters from the forest beyond.
As political tensions rise, you can expect no. of twists and turns , and an ancient magic begins to stir, Bren finds it difficult to balance her duty and obsession.
Overall, rather than just narrating, the story lets readers sit with discomfort. You can feel Bren’s frustration. You question the motives. You can sense that something ancient and dangerous is going to wake up — and that the cost will be personal.
Is vengeance strength… or self-destruction wearing armor?
As political tensions rise, you can expect no. of twists and turns , and an ancient magic begins to stir, Bren finds it difficult to balance her duty and obsession.
Overall, rather than just narrating, the story lets readers sit with discomfort. You can feel Bren’s frustration. You question the motives. You can sense that something ancient and dangerous is going to wake up — and that the cost will be personal.
May 17, 2025
New favorite Fantasy Series!
My daughter and I really loved this book! It captured our attention and we were hooked. We could not put it down! the writing was incredible and each page left us wondering and wanting to know! Perfect for teen read and up! Love that the romance is subtle and tenious. Some Fantasy books are ruined by too much and less story. Aly captures readers with intriguing story line and complex characters. Brendalyn is the heroine that cares for and protects others as she figures herself out. Can't wait for the next book!
My daughter and I really loved this book! It captured our attention and we were hooked. We could not put it down! the writing was incredible and each page left us wondering and wanting to know! Perfect for teen read and up! Love that the romance is subtle and tenious. Some Fantasy books are ruined by too much and less story. Aly captures readers with intriguing story line and complex characters. Brendalyn is the heroine that cares for and protects others as she figures herself out. Can't wait for the next book!
September 10, 2024
Can’t wait for book 2!
This was an excellent introduction to the world that Aly Kuch is building! I can’t wait for the second book to see how the magic and adventure continue to unfold. A fantastic addition to the fantasy genre and I am excited to have another series to follow.
This was an excellent introduction to the world that Aly Kuch is building! I can’t wait for the second book to see how the magic and adventure continue to unfold. A fantastic addition to the fantasy genre and I am excited to have another series to follow.
May 22, 2026
I'm so glad I took the chance and bought this book from you at Comicon GR! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this has been a whirlwind of an adventure, for sure! There was never a dull moment! Thank you, Aly, for allowing us all into the marvelous world you created! I can't wait to start book 2!
July 27, 2025
wow! I absolutely LOVED this book. The author did an amazing job with unexpected twists and storytelling. I am SO GLAD I have this on my kindle!
September 1, 2025
I am so 👏🏻 impressed 👏🏻 !!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews