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Hiraya #1
The Mortal Curse
Peace requires sacrifice.
Twelve times, she’s lived—each as a different person with a different life.
Twelve times, she’s died—each by the same blade of the same man.
In her thirteenth lifetime, something changes.
For the thirteenth time, Urduja faces the Valurian general who haunts her nightmares—the man by whose blade she will fall.
But this time…he doesn’t kill her.
Instead, the ruthless general chooses mercy.
But is it mercy when she’s ripped from her family and homeland? Is it mercy when the general forces her to become his nation’s greatest warrior—and their greatest weapon—when she struggles to understand her place amongst his people and to align herself with a god she does not know?
Facing an uncertain future, Urduja must uncover the truth behind the Valurian general’s mercy, the curse that ties them together, and the secrets of her own past lives.
If she fails, war will come for everything and everyone she’s ever loved.
The Mortal Curse is a pre-colonial Filipino x Medieval European inspired epic fantasy. It is perfect for readers craving a strong female lead in a high fantasy setting with a romantic subplot. The Mortal Curse features magic, adventure, and a powerful princess carving her own destiny.
Twelve times, she’s lived—each as a different person with a different life.
Twelve times, she’s died—each by the same blade of the same man.
In her thirteenth lifetime, something changes.
For the thirteenth time, Urduja faces the Valurian general who haunts her nightmares—the man by whose blade she will fall.
But this time…he doesn’t kill her.
Instead, the ruthless general chooses mercy.
But is it mercy when she’s ripped from her family and homeland? Is it mercy when the general forces her to become his nation’s greatest warrior—and their greatest weapon—when she struggles to understand her place amongst his people and to align herself with a god she does not know?
Facing an uncertain future, Urduja must uncover the truth behind the Valurian general’s mercy, the curse that ties them together, and the secrets of her own past lives.
If she fails, war will come for everything and everyone she’s ever loved.
The Mortal Curse is a pre-colonial Filipino x Medieval European inspired epic fantasy. It is perfect for readers craving a strong female lead in a high fantasy setting with a romantic subplot. The Mortal Curse features magic, adventure, and a powerful princess carving her own destiny.
560 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 22, 2026
Its brave for any author to start a series with a 600 plus page book. Considering this author is new to me, I was nervous starting it, but it was worth the chance! I adore Urduja! She's everything a FMC should be. She has her flaws of course but she grows as the book develops. I love love love the being reborn plotline as one of my favorite animes has this plotline. Its so good and scratches the right part of my brain. Besides Urduja being a great character, the world building is flawless. Its extensive without being overwhelming. Its extremely detailed which helped my imagination visualize the details. Its truly an amazing book with a great hook. And that cliffhanger? Lord have mercy. Book 2 will be a rollercoaster!!!
June 15, 2026
She is cursed to fight the immortal warrior each life. Will this be the final round? Read about it in The Mortal Curse.
Urduja is a princess and heir to her father’s throne. But she has always known her fate is to face the Immortal General as she has done in her past twelve lives. Yet this time her opponent shows mercy and takes her prisoner. Instead of living as a princess, she is indentured and forced to fight for her enemy.
Living in a strange land with her identity and culture slowly being stripped away, Urduja must learn the secrets of the Immortal General and her past lives to make sense of her present and direct her future.
This debut was really amazing. Written as a story of culture clashes and loss of identity, this focuses on a pre-colonial Filipino society meeting a medieval European society. It draws from the mythology and history of both cultures, creating a really rich, vibrant world.
The racism and sexism is overt at times, but is frequently present as micro aggressions. Watching Urduja struggle to survive in an increasingly hostile environment was difficult to read at times. She had to acknowledge that not everyone she encountered was actively against her, but also that the culture was inherently against her.
The story shows a growing relationship between Urduja and the general, but there is no overt romance between them in this book, especially as Urduja is mourning the loss of her betrothed. There is plenty of discussion of sex and the different views each culture has about it, but there is no open door spice in this story.
Clearly there are a number of sensitive topics in this books, including racism and sexism, slavery, death of loved ones and corporal punishment. It is the first book in the series and I am eagerly awaiting the next one.
This book was a really amazing read and I have no hesitations recommending it to fantasy fans who want to go beyond the usual westernized fantasy experience.
Urduja is a princess and heir to her father’s throne. But she has always known her fate is to face the Immortal General as she has done in her past twelve lives. Yet this time her opponent shows mercy and takes her prisoner. Instead of living as a princess, she is indentured and forced to fight for her enemy.
Living in a strange land with her identity and culture slowly being stripped away, Urduja must learn the secrets of the Immortal General and her past lives to make sense of her present and direct her future.
This debut was really amazing. Written as a story of culture clashes and loss of identity, this focuses on a pre-colonial Filipino society meeting a medieval European society. It draws from the mythology and history of both cultures, creating a really rich, vibrant world.
The racism and sexism is overt at times, but is frequently present as micro aggressions. Watching Urduja struggle to survive in an increasingly hostile environment was difficult to read at times. She had to acknowledge that not everyone she encountered was actively against her, but also that the culture was inherently against her.
The story shows a growing relationship between Urduja and the general, but there is no overt romance between them in this book, especially as Urduja is mourning the loss of her betrothed. There is plenty of discussion of sex and the different views each culture has about it, but there is no open door spice in this story.
Clearly there are a number of sensitive topics in this books, including racism and sexism, slavery, death of loved ones and corporal punishment. It is the first book in the series and I am eagerly awaiting the next one.
This book was a really amazing read and I have no hesitations recommending it to fantasy fans who want to go beyond the usual westernized fantasy experience.
June 18, 2026
Is the second book out yet???
The Mortal Curse is the first book in the Hiraya series and introduces our FMC, Urduja. It follows her journey and struggles as she follows an unexpected path taking her to lands vastly different than her own.
This book had me hooked from the beginning. Yes, I'm the target audience. There are elements that seem to be inspired by other fantasy series, but a lot of the Kaylukarin stuff has historical references. Wasn't a fan of letter-writing format in some sections, but I have to admit that some of them were necessary and provided more insight. The character art is a nice addition and reminds me of museum art in the PH depicting historical figures.
I love the world-building, especially around Urduja's hometown which resembles pre-colonial Philippines. My favorite part is the incorporation of Filipino Mythology as the main fantasy element. What surprised me was how the author gave a whole backstory to mananaggal, which gave me a newfound appreciation for them.
The introduction of supporting characters and villains had me even more invested. I absolutely adore Kormic and find Gambri intriguing, and would love to see more of them in the sequel(s).
The Mortal Curse is the first book in the Hiraya series and introduces our FMC, Urduja. It follows her journey and struggles as she follows an unexpected path taking her to lands vastly different than her own.
This book had me hooked from the beginning. Yes, I'm the target audience. There are elements that seem to be inspired by other fantasy series, but a lot of the Kaylukarin stuff has historical references. Wasn't a fan of letter-writing format in some sections, but I have to admit that some of them were necessary and provided more insight. The character art is a nice addition and reminds me of museum art in the PH depicting historical figures.
I love the world-building, especially around Urduja's hometown which resembles pre-colonial Philippines. My favorite part is the incorporation of Filipino Mythology as the main fantasy element. What surprised me was how the author gave a whole backstory to mananaggal, which gave me a newfound appreciation for them.
The introduction of supporting characters and villains had me even more invested. I absolutely adore Kormic and find Gambri intriguing, and would love to see more of them in the sequel(s).
June 18, 2026
The premise interested me because, hello Filipino, but it took me longer than I would like to finish the book. The first few chapters felt draggy to me but eventually picked up later on. I love recognizing the nods to my culture and the twists given to them. I was both saddened and angered by the injustices laid upon the Kaylukari. There was an undercurrent of romantic tension that has you wanting for more. The only thing I disliked was that this is the FIRST book and the next one won't come out til next year :(
July 20, 2026
📚BOOK REVIEW📚
⚔️The Mortal Curse⚔️
✍️Irene Adlaw ✍️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such an interesting story for me! A Filipino story that taught me a lot about their lore and culture. I loved learning, while also having a story of two warriors destined to fight each other to the death in each of their lives.
The Mortal Curse has an underlining romance that has me wanting more, because the tension is off the charts, but that is not the main point of the story.
This is the perfect novel for anyone interested in Filipino culture, warriors, and a fight that spans centuries.
⚔️The Mortal Curse⚔️
✍️Irene Adlaw ✍️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such an interesting story for me! A Filipino story that taught me a lot about their lore and culture. I loved learning, while also having a story of two warriors destined to fight each other to the death in each of their lives.
The Mortal Curse has an underlining romance that has me wanting more, because the tension is off the charts, but that is not the main point of the story.
This is the perfect novel for anyone interested in Filipino culture, warriors, and a fight that spans centuries.
August 9, 2026
First time reading a book centered in pre-colonial Philippine setting. I love the fact that it this is Fantasy, but in Filipino setting? That really hooked me in.
The world building, the pace of the story is good for me. It made me want to read more books with Filipino myths and historical stuff. Urduja will be my favorite. Will always be. She really went alive in my head because of the details mentioned in the book. I enjoyed reading book 1 and very very excited for the next one!
The world building, the pace of the story is good for me. It made me want to read more books with Filipino myths and historical stuff. Urduja will be my favorite. Will always be. She really went alive in my head because of the details mentioned in the book. I enjoyed reading book 1 and very very excited for the next one!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews