Breath of Mist, Book 1

By: Leona Welch

Narrated by: Jacci Prior, Christian J. Gilliland

He thought he captured an ordinary girl… but her mind is sharper than his claws.

In a world barely held together by a fragile treaty, Ariana lives under the oppressive shadow of her monstrous father—until Erik, a relentless conjuror determined to break the treaty, invades her lands, and takes her captive. Erik’s invasion shatters the life Ariana has known, thrusting her into a precarious battle where survival hinges on earning her enemy’s trust—which means avoid being seen as a threat.

But Erik never expected to become captivated by the woman who boldly holds his gaze and refuses to tremble in the face of death. And even as Ariana finds herself reluctantly drawn to him in turn, she comes to realize that her freedom will not be given to her. It will need to be taken.

Will Ariana's cunning and resolve be enough to save herself and her people, or will her dreams and heart be consumed by the very man who threatens her world?

©2025 Yelena Lugin (P)2026 Yelena Lugin

Addicting

This hooked me from the start. It was addicting and fast paced. There were two chapter transitions that felt a bit jumpy but otherwise the story is well designed and the world building incredible. The ending was gut wrenching. Can’t wait to read book 2.

Love the narrators. You guys did a fantastic job! I absolutely love when the book is more of a production rather than done by only the lead whose POV is being told.

Strength beneath the surface

Breath of Mist by Leona Welch was such an immersive read. The world feels rich without being hard to follow, and the magic and political tension keep the story moving in a really engaging way. I really loved how Ariana presents herself as unassuming while secretly holding so much strength beneath the surface. Watching her carefully hide her abilities and then step into her power was incredibly satisfying. Also the slow-burn dynamic adds just the right amount of tension (definitely team Erik, hoping Leona Welch doesn’t make me regret that). It had me fully invested by the end, and that final stretch definitely left me ready to pick up book two right away.

Such an impressive read

Breath of Mist
(Breath of Mist #1)
By Leona Welch
Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Paranormal, Banter

⭐️ Ranking: 4.5
🤓 Do I own the book? No
🎧📖 How I read it: Audio (thank you to the author for my copy)
🌶 Level: 2
📚 Would read again? Yes

Umm hello?? Excuse me?? This book was SO GOOD.

I am genuinely blown away that this is an indie debut. The writing is strong, the pacing is tight, and it held my attention the entire time. This is such a solid first book in a series and I’m already so invested.

The story follows Ariana, who is taken captive by Erik, a powerful conjuror trying to break a fragile treaty between their worlds. What unfolds is a tension-filled, slow-building dynamic where Ariana has to rely on her intelligence and restraint to survive, while Erik slowly realizes she’s far from ordinary. There’s power struggles, shifting trust, and that constant push and pull between rivals that keeps you locked in.

The tension? So well done. I was fully locked into their dynamic.

The only thing keeping this from being a full five stars for me is that I do think it could have been trimmed just slightly. There’s a bit of repetition in descriptions, like certain physical traits or details being mentioned multiple times, that pulled me out here and there. It’s minor, but noticeable.

That said, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed this. The storytelling, the character work, and the pacing overall were so strong, especially for a debut.

This is such an impressive start to a series, and I cannot wait to see where it goes next.

Awesome listen!!

I did the immersive read with audible & kindle.

This was a great book. I was instantly hooked first chapter in. I devoured it. The world building wasn’t difficult to follow and not overwhelming.

This story follows Ariana and Erik. Ariana’s character is strong and kind, she doesn’t have to prove that she belongs. She just earns everyone’s respect because of her kindness. Erik… 🥵🥵 he definitely made my book boyfriend list. This is a slow burn, and I’m eating it up. As much as I liked the main characters, the side characters made it even better. There were two side characters that really shined. Kole and Iver those two are my favorites. Poor Kole gets teased so much and everyone loves giving him a hard time and he’s so serious which makes it better. 😆 Don’t get me started on Iver. Iver’s personality is absolutely my favorite. He’s a whole vibe all his own. I could write an essay about him 😆

That cliff hanger!!! Aaahhh! I wasn’t ready for the book to be over so I’m jumping into book 2 immediately!!! I have to know what happens next.




The author: I discovered Leona on TikTok. Not only does she talk about her books, she talks about books that she has read as well. I actually like that about her.

Audio book info

Narration type: Duet, my favorite kind!

Narrators: Jacci Prior & Christian J. Gilliland

Review on narrators: The narrators did a great job. They spoke clearly and there wasn’t any background noise. They both made each character stand out and I felt they brought out the characters personalities. I could tell who was talking. They are a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as well.

This Audio Had Me FERAL

This audio was so incredibly good. The narrator’s and just overall experience was fantastic! Such a great debut book and the writing was beautiful. I really appreciated that the world building was very palatable and eased you in. Our FMC Ariana was kind, but certainly a fierce and calculating FMC which I love. The romance was such a slowwww burn and truly I can’t wait to watch it really burn up! I can’t wait to find out what happens in this war of the lands and ahem another morally grey daddy!? YES!