A New York Times Best-seller! Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes. Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court … street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she’ll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.
Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie’s only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.
Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.
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This dark paranormal romance will keep you on tenterhooks as Brie, a young mortal, teeters between the two gorgeous (of course) princes of the Seelie and the Unseelie court.
Being a mere human, and not really understanding all that the fae courts represent or mean, Brie stumbles from one crises to the next, unsure of who or what to believe. Throw in her sister being sold to the Shadow King and a curse no one will speak about, and Brie discovers nothing is sacred in the world of the fae.
When Prince Ronan of the Seelie court turns out to be someone she could easily love, she is drawn into the selection process for his new bride as a front for her hunt for her sister. Meeting Finn, the Prince of the Unseelie Court, introduces her to the other side of life in the Fae realm and the suffering those people have had to endure ever since the crown of the Unseelie court was lost.
An enjoyable read, with a wonderful magical system, and great world builidng. Intrigue and romance aplenty. Great characters who are beautifully described and all with redeeming and worrying features so you struggle to know who is good or bad, and whether the evil sits in the light or the shadows.
Can’t wait for book 2 which is due out next summer.
It’s a good thing that Lexi Ryan was born in the modern world because if she had been born in the late 1600s she may have been burned at the stake or hanged as a witch. I mean, it must be witchcraft, right? How else could someone ensorcell me with mere words? This book gripped me with such intensity that I can hardly form words at this point. The need for a sequel rarely burns so brightly within me, but I need the next book in this series like yesterday. Like, I would give up Netflix and iced tea to read the next book RIGHT NOW!
This book has all the things that make my heart go pitter-patter in my chest. This book has the most gloriously brilliant plot. It is full of betrayals and political intrigue. This is the type of story that is plotted out so beautifully that by the end you have so much satisfaction. This book pulls you in so effortlessly that you can’t help but obsess over it. Ryan’s writing style was masterful. The foreshadowing was well done and the flow was so smooth. There is some incredible world-building in this book that brings the reader right into the story.
These characters embedded themselves into the very fibers of my soul. These characters were so multi-faceted and complex. They had such distinct personalities that made them come to life so easily. The three main characters’ creation and construction was a work of art. I love that the reader never truly knows what anyone’s intentions are until the end. It brings the characterization to an interesting level. The reader gets to know these characters as the story goes on with bits and pieces of information and encounters with other characters. So when you reach the end of this book it is almost like going through the five stages of grief because you feel everything from these characters all at once. You feel their kindness, their betrayals, and you try to analyze every single thing they have said and done to reach a final conclusion. It’s quite the rollercoaster ride. Feeling so much for these characters is a monument to Ryan’s craft. I very much enjoyed not only the three main characters but the secondary characters as well. They really added depth and value to the story.
I loved the push and pull of the romance in this book. This book has a love triangle. I know that a lot of people can’t stand love triangles but I’m not one of them. I love them as long as the romantic feelings for both people are justified and as long as it feels organic. If it isn’t realistic then I am not on board with it, but this love triangle was fashioned beautifully. I never once doubted Brie’s feelings for Sebastian or Finn. She even admonishes herself about the way that she was feeling over the two of them. I think that she struggled with her growing feelings for Finn after she had been in love with Sebastian for so long. It was evident that she actually truly cared for both of them by the end. It was very honest and real so I was so on board with it.
Overall, I need more books like this in my life! This book ticked off all the boxes for me. This book has breathed new life into me and recharged my book-loving heart. If you love books about fae, that have ingenious political intrigue and secrets galore, that have a twisty plot that gets under your skin and makes you want more, and that has characters that are dynamic and jump right off the page then this is your next read! This is hands down one of the best books that I have read all year and will be going straight to the top of my favorite reads list. This book hangover is going to be killer.
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Amazing, spellbinding, scheming, heated and powerful, These Hollow Vows quickly drew me in and just never let me go. So full of intrigue and complex twists, you can never be sure just what lies in wait for Brie next. Whilst I had some suspicions, and perhaps even expected a few of the twists, just how they were then woven together, the consequences that resulted from them, left me breathless with awe.
Truths were painstakingly revealed as each layer of the story was slowly peeled away. Not that the pace ever felt slow, every detail held purpose and meaning, foreshadowing allowed us to consider possibilities but each new truth also managed to distract from the next one. There wasn’t a single part of this book that I would change, not one thing. I can not wait for the next book, I do hope the wait isn’t too long, because oh I have to know what Brie will do now, as a woman scorned.
The book is written entirely from Brie’s point of view, a necessary step so that we learn about the fae world, the Seelie and Unseelie courts along with her. I adored her, along with what was quite a cast of supporting characters. I’m hoping we learn a lot more about some of Finn’s crew in the next book, some of them felt more like convenient pegs to hand a plot twist on, but even that couldn’t manage to lower my rating.
Lexi Blake has been hiding an amazing talent for writing high quality and entertaining fantasy.
I’m just happy that she has finally decided to share it with the world. That final twist, well it certainly explained some things, such as why Sebastian so easily forgave Brie for her deceit. I did think he was particularly unperturbed! . I am already looking forward to re-reading this in preparation for the release of book #2, which won’t be soon enough for me!
First of all, if you loved The Shadow Reader, I think you will love this book. If you love this book, I think you’ll love The Shadow Reader. They both have a human who end up as a pawn in a fae civil war. There’s deceit and untruths, half lies and misleading. It’s great!
These Hollow Vows in unapologetically a love triangle. I mean, just look at the cover. But it’s done very well. I wasn’t super angry at Brie for being attracted to both guys. In the beginning, I was definitely for Bash. She had been friends with him for two years. He’s the “good” guy and clearly (clearly?) loves her, and the good guy almost never gets the girl so I wanted that to happen. But as the story continued, something just felt off to me. There were a lot of secrets, so I kind of just attributed that feeling to those, but at the end, the two years he spent pretending to be her human friend and watching her suffer was just not cool.
Now, Finn. Finn is complicated. I have to admit, because I was leaning toward Bash, I was very resistant to him, but of course I love the angry/brooding guys, and when he refused her in the shower scene, I think my allegiance might have changed. Then that ending scene with him? Man, I just hurt so much for him.
So what’s the plot!? Plot is a human thief has to befriend the faery prince so that she can steal three magical artifacts to save her sister, who is held prisoner by the Seelie king. It was good, yall. So worth the read!
But, um, the next book doesn’t come out until July. Boo! I kind of sort of thought this might be a stand alone when I picked it up, so when I reached the last twenty or so pages, I was like wait a second. This can’t be a standalone! And I was right. Not sure why I thought it was, but I preordered the next book.
These Hollow Vows follows one Brie as she enters the dangerous courts of the Fae in a quest to save her sister from the Unseelie King.
Good Storytelling
When it comes to Fae in fiction, especially young adult fiction, what is a struggle is finding something unique. The market right now is as saturated as vampires were when Twilight was big. So it was great to see another story with Fae compellingly brought to life.
Ryan does an excellent job of bringing the Seelie and the Unseelie courts to life. They were able to incorporate traditional lore uniquely and creatively. They call them the Sun court and the Moon court, the Unseelie throne, the throne of shadows. Ryan has a bright imagination, giving the courts their unique mythology and history to drive the story forward.
Ryan also adds the wild Fae into the mix to subvert the readers’ expectations regarding the Fae. Unseelie are usually thought of as malevolent Fae, while the Seelie are considered the more benevolent ones. While that is true in some cases, in most, as the story progresses, it is not.
Once again, Ryan uses her skill as a writer to develop the Fae into something different, making the story more engaging for the reader. The idea of magic here is that Brie, a human, has fae magic, which gives the reader pause. There is enough intrigue there to keep the reader on their toes.
What is more, is that it is unpredictable. There are aspects of the story that Ryan keeps hidden in her storytelling. When reading it, I thought the story would go in one direction. However, Ryan was able to keep me engaged not only with her unique interpretation of the Fae but in her ability to take the story in another direction in a jaw-dropping way.
Good Characterization
These Hollow Vows is also very good with its characterization. Brie is a great character, and I loved her from the start. The book’s opening has us following her as she breaks into a loan shark’s house, sneaking past his magical barriers to steal his money. While this also gives the reader a great introduction to the world, it also gives the reader a sense of who Brie is as a character.
She lives for her sister, willing to do anything for her sister. The reader can sympathize with her, empathize even with that familial bond. Her sister is not naïve and seems as mature as her sister, but she has a warmer disposition, making her likable. So, the family dynamics are very well done here.
I also enjoyed the journey of Brie. She has many prejudices regarding the Fae, but we see her grow beyond them throughout the novel. As much as she loves being human and wants to remain human, she understands that much of what she knows is based on misinformation. Just like there are good and bad humans, there are also good and bad Fae. It is their actions that define them. So seeing her come to terms with that was well done and executed and played up the dynamics between the characters.
Near the end, the reader also sees Brie shine as she uses her cleverness to achieve the impossible. She is intelligent and clever, and seeing her wrestle with her morals and hypocrisy makes the reader connect to her. This connects to her familial bond with her sister and, again, makes her a character the reader can easily connect to.
Final Thoughts
These Hollow Vows is an excellent start to a new series. I am personally so excited to see how this plays out. Moreover, while I am thankful the author does not dive into the love-triangle trope, its hint does raise the tension that is sure to bleed into the next novel. Finally, let me just say that the ending was jaw-dropping, and I most certainly did not see that coming.
This fantasy YA is FULL of gasps of surprise! Lexi keeps the pages turning and the twists coming – totally recommend this one. Check out my interview with Lexi on DAY DRINKING WITH AUTHORS
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• •
: These Hollow Vows
: These Hollow Vows #1
: Lexi Ryan
: 5/5
Wow this story really surprised me! I wasn’t expecting much of it but it blew my mind. I was so obsessed with this story and the world that I did not want to stop reading; I loved it! The pacing was really good and the writing as well. And again I was so surprised I loved it this much since I had zero expectations and I don’t like love triangles. I think it was done in a way I kind of can deal with it (actually enjoyed it) and as long as in the end she chooses the guy I’m rooting for or no guy at all (and no I won’t be telling you), I’ll be happy. How about that lol. All or nothing. I think Brie is a strong and fun character, I loved her growth. The side characters are amazing as well. There were a lot of twists and turns and this book is full of betrayals… some I saw coming, others I didn’t… it definitely made the story even better. So yeah, I am recommending you to read this book even if you are not a fan of love triangles (like me). I can’t wait to read the next book.
A lot of my reviews are also available with photo at my Bookstagram: @justmyfantasyworld
For my full review: https://www.bookishwayfarer.com/blog/review-these-hollow-vows-by-lexi-ryan
What a captivating book! I was so entranced by These Hollow Vows that I devoured all of its 400 pages in a single day, staying up into the wee hours of the night to finish it. You might ask what makes this book worth the sacrifice of sleep — well, it’s a combination of things. It has a fast-paced & engrossing plot, a fantastical setting, & a well-crafted love triangle. All in all, it’s a great read, & if you enjoy YA fantasy, you should add it to you tbr.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
What a fantastic start to a new YA fantasy series. There was a lot happening here so I wont spoil it. But If you enjoy YA fantasy, then I highly recommend this one. If you enjoy love triangles like me, then I recommend this one even more.
Brie, the main character, takes some getting use to. I had a hard time getting to like her but she does grow on you and you start to understand why she is the way she is. Other than that I loved everything about this book. I can’t wait to see where this story goes!
Thank you netgalley for my copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
All I can say is WOW!!! I wanted to get my hands on this book SOOO badly and when I finally did… I was not disappointed!! I love, love LOVED every minute in this world with these characters!
I watched the page progression like a hawk, willing things to slowwww down… all the while smitten with the perfectly set tempo. The writing was solid. The premise was unique and the plot was captivating with some romance, court intrigue, constant wondering what the motivations were behind each character’s actions and a twist or two. The characters were rich, morally gray (just like I like them) and yummily textured. Together it all meshed beautifully. I have zero complaints. One of the biggest twists was easily sussed out early(ish) on but that did nothing to detract from the story when it came time for the big reveal. I was rooting for a certain prince right out of the gate and even though I might have lost faith in him, his intentions and/or his true feelings for our unapologetically kick ass MC, Abriella for the briefest of spells… I was extremely happy when all of the tea was spilled and everyone’s dirty laundry was aired in the thrilling conclusion.
Overall:
This highly anticipated read was everything I expected and more with great writing, excellent character development and rich background building. You will definitely not be sorry if you choose to give it some of your precious time and emotional investment. It had a bit of A Court Of Thorns And Roses vibe working for it which, in my opinion, is a pretty big compliment. Because there was a bit of sexytime, it’s not fully suitable for the younger end of YA even though it’s just a smidgen of the overall plot.
It left off on a rather heated, emotional cliffy which has me salivating for the second, and final book in this duology. Man oh man, only a handful of times has a year’s wait felt so daunting! I can’t recommend this read highly enough… it is Fae/human awesomeness!
~ Enjoy
4.5 Stars
This is one of those unique stories that I will never forget. If I had to describe the plot of this book with one word, it would definitely be BETRAYAL. However, another plot detail that I think is worth mentioning is the love triangle and how well the author handled it. I have never seen a love triangle quite like this one. Also, I would like to point out that the world-building was amazingly done and that all the characters were complex and interesting. I absolutely adored Brie as the main character, but to be honest, I liked Fin more than Sebastian as a love interest. In any case, I truly hope that she ends up with someone worthy of her by the next book, even if it is not any of them. Needless to say that I highly recommend this book.
ACOTAR vibes with a CINDERELLA twist – that’s how another reviewer described it and I am 100% for this description.
Abriella has worked for years to find a way out of the contract that has enslaved her and her sister since her mother disappeared 7 years ago. She is an accomplished thief, able to easily blend into shadows, but it just isn’t enough to pay off the debt that seems to grow daily. When her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay off the debt, she’ll do anything to get her back, including making a deal with the unscrupulous king. The King gives her a task – infiltrate the Seelie Court and steal three objects, and she will see her sister again.
Thus begins a journey in which Brie learns secrets about a long time friend, about herself, and about the two courts being pitted against each other. Before long, Brie finds herself firmly in the middle between two princes, one a prince of light, and one a prince of shadows. With a band of Unseelie misfits as her guide, she sets out to find out about the secrets everyone keeps so close to their vest. Her mother used to tell Brie and her sister fairytales of the faerie world, but Brie finds they might not be fairytales at all. Abriella may just be the only hope for the Shadow court, the person who could join the two kingdoms once and for all, but first, caught between the two dangerous courts and their secretive princes, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty, and who to trust with her heart. Sebastian and Finn both have a need for the specific help Brie can provide their kingdoms, but do they both have her best interest at heart?
Lexi Ryan has long been known as a USA Today Best Selling Contemporary Romance author. This is her first foray into the fantasy genre, and I am completely here for it. This cover is everything! Absolutely stunning! The love triangle is filled with all the angst that Ryan has long been known for, and she delivers it well in this book. This is book 1 of a duology, and it leaves the reader on an epic cliffhanger that will have them clamoring to get their hands on book 2. The reader will not be disappointed.
**special thanks to the publishers and edelweiss for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
These Hollow Vows is YA fantasy that starts a series with the same name. It’s set in a world that is mostly early industrial, but with magic and indoors plumbing. Existing along it is the world of the fae that is accessed through portals.
Brie and her younger sister live Cinderella-like life (before the prince) in their aunt’s house after their mother abandoned them to live with her fae lover on the other side of the portal. They have a magical contract with their aunt that gets worse every time they fail to pay for their upkeep, which Brie provides by stealing from the rich. And then the aunt tires of the game and sells the sister to the king of the unseelie court.
Determined to save her sister, Brie heads to the fairyland and ends up striking a bargain with the king: she has to steal three impossible objects from the seelie court to get her sister back. Since she’s a good thief, she thinks she can manage it. But it’s easier said than done.
This was great YA fantasy. Like in (almost) all of them, there are two handsome men that Brie is interested in who seem to know more about her than they let on (not my favourite trope). As the story progresses, each of the men is revealed to be more than she believed, in good and bad, and she has to constantly adjust her view of them and her role in the story. Since she can’t talk about her deal with the king, she constantly ends up betraying either or both of them.
I liked Brie for the most part. She was resourceful and determined to save her sister. She had magic of her own that she only learns about when she arrives to the fairyland, and she makes the most of it. She wasn’t a teenager of contemporary YA fantasy, but matured by her hardships, which I especially liked. She was an adult and behaved like one. Except when she clung to her princes, hoping that they would save her, which happened too often to my tastes.
The princes, Ronan and Finn, were good YA heroes, charismatic and mysterious, but apart from their looks, I don’t see why Brie was so taken with either of them. Other side characters were few and they weren’t very memorable.
The book progressed in a good pace. The twists and turns were signalled well in advance, so none of them came as a surprise, which made this a pleasant read. And, like so often in YA fantasy, the book ended with the ultimate revelation and betrayal, which promises interesting times in the next book. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It’s quite weird. A part of me is done with the Fae hype. It seems every new book is just much more of the same and I feel like I already read the good ones. However, when I saw this book I got curious and wanted to give these Fae another chance. Mostly because I have a weak spot for princes and also because the plot sounded different from the other books I read. I was really looking forward to start the Netgalley arc I got from the publisher this morning.
I read this entire book in one sitting. It was almost impossible to stop and to put the book down. It’s hard to pinpoint what makes this book so addictive. It’s for sure partly the writing style. It flows so incredibly nicely and it reads so incredibly quick and easy and yet it fits the characters and the world they’re living in. I think it’s also so addictive because it’s basically a romance, but with Fae. Yes, there is a little more to the plot, but the romance is the most important element.
Objectively I think it’s easy to say that if you start this book thinking it’s a fantasy you’re gonna be disappointed. Our heroine is spending most of her time within castles and safe houses, which means we see not too much of the world and have to rely on information told instead of shown. And although there is some political conflict, some curse and a throne to fight over, our main character doesn’t realize that she’s playing a part in that war.
And because of the nature of the story both princes are witholding a lot of information, which means that even by the end of the book it doesn’t really feel like I know them that well. However, for some reason I really liked the tension between both princess and our heroine. I did like the constant push and pull. I did enjoy the he loves and he hates me. And I most of all did enjoy the not knowing who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. Or if there even are good guys and bad guys.
I most certainly want more!
Thank you HMH Books for Young Readers Publishing for the eARC through Edelweiss!
*4.7 stars, rounded up*
“Where do you think legends begin, if not from truth?”
So in These Hollow Vows, we meet stubborn redhead Abrielle Kincaid (Brie), our main character, in the human realm. She steals from the rich to help keep her and her sister Jas afloat after their mother fled the mortal realm to be with a noble fae and their uncle died. They have a contract with their aunt to work to pay off their debt to her, but the costs are catching up to them. Long story short, the aunt sells Jas to the Unseelie King Mordeus, and thus starts our adventure into faerie. Brie will do anything to help rescue her sister, going so far as to make a deal with said Unseelie King to collect and deliver three magical objects to him: a mirror, a book, and a crown. However, all three of these relics are in the Seelie court.
Brie needs to get access to the Seelie Court, and the only way to do that is to participate in the competition for Prince Ronan’s hand. Despite her opinions on fae, Brie slowly accepts and falls in love with Prince Ronan. He promises to help save Brie’s sister, but Brie’s deal with the Unseelie King prevents her from telling him that she’s taking care of it. She accepts help from her fairy godmother and a group much like the Inner Circle from A Court of Mist and Fury to help her learn to use a special skill she acquired when she came to faerie. Finn, said group’s leader, happens to be VERY Rhysand-like with the same charm. She internally struggles with her feelings for Finn and Ronan (a shocker, I know. What would a YA book be without a good old love triangle?)
Brie isn’t quite sure who she can trust and feels guilty throughout the novel about her secrets. Even more so, who she loves is brought into question.
I don’t think there are any content warnings I can give for this book. There’s mild intimate scenes and some cursing, but nothing I think that needs to be warned about.
I REALLY enjoyed this book. I do see where some people might dislike it, because it’s VERY similar to the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and the main character isn’t always likeable. However, there were many other redeemable parts of this book that made me love it.
For starters, the world building was fantastic. The fae AND human worlds had very distinguished rules, mythical creatures (fae only), locations, types of faeries, and magical relics. The magic system was kind of developed, but I think it could’ve been taken a step further if there were LIMITATIONS to each fae’s magic (like where they only had control of a certain element).
Secondly, the characters. I pretty much matched each of the core characters to a character from A Court of Thorns and Roses. The plot is COMPLETELY different BUT the characters were similar. Let me list the matches:
– Brie = Feyre (obvi)
– Finn = Rhysand
– Lark = Elain
– Kane = Azriel
– Tynan = Cassian
– Pretha = Mor
– Ronan = Tamlin
– King Mordeus = King of Hybern
– Queen Arya = Amarantha
Brie wasn’t as strong as Feyre, in my opinion, but they acted similarly. When I first started reading THV, Brie kind of seemed . . . conceited and she still was at the end of the book. Her opinions about fae had changed for sure, BUT her anger boiled over at the end. I didn’t see much change in her as a character sadly. Brie was slow on the uptake (you’ll see what I mean when you read These Hollow Vows, which you NEED to read), BUT she is reasonable and does what NEEDS to be done, or rather, what she WANTS to be done (which is finding and saving her sister). I can appreciate that about her – a woman with a goal and determination to do whatever it takes to reach that goal.
However, I’m not happy we didn’t get to see more of the two love interests in this book or Finn’s circle in this book. I am a hopeless romantic and LOVE love triangles, but this one fell a little flat for me since there didn’t seem much fight between the three characters in it. AND the characters just fell a little flat for me ’cause nothing really happened with them. Though I do love some faerie wine, if you know what I mean (or you’ll see what I mean lol).
Thirdly, the scenes and extra tidbits. There were a LOT of easter eggs and references to other famous stories if you pay close enough attention. Some examples include references to Cinderella, Narnia, Harry Potter, classic fae stories, and Beauty & the Beast. Watch for what I mean and message me if you catch any of these.
Each scene played a key role in building up to the climax plus they twisted the trust and hope more and more for Brie. I honestly love seeing characters struggle because it makes the story more believable. I NEED a main character to struggle, both internally and externally, which Lexi Ryan delivered. Every chapter, as the old saying goes, made the snot thicker and thicker, or in this case, the plot.
Although, that ending made up for all of the tiny mistakes I had with this book. It was a HUGE twister and one I honestly didn’t see coming. I’m shell shocked. It wasn’t . . . cruel exactly, but it wasn’t a kind ending either. I feel excited to see what Brie does next. I am looking forward to the sequel VERY much, like . . . I need my hands on it now.
I’d recommend this for fans of:
– ACOTAR
– Throne of Glass
– The Selection
– Narnia by C.S. Lewis
– The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa
– Retellings
– Literally ANYTHING with fae in it
If I had paid more attention to the blurb, I would have not picked this up. I just don’t do love triangles. At all. 10/10, it’s a complete turn off for me when I pick up any book and it doesn’t matter what genre but nonetheless here we’re back here again with a review for another book that has been inspired by the overhyped, ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’. When will this madness stop?
Never.
Anywho… Was I able to surpass that dreadful bermuda triangle (that’s almost in every human/fae fantasy romance book)? No. Was the writing style, plot, and characters able to savage this read for me? Minus the writing style, again no.
Abriella acted and wanted to be considered a badass but she obviously failed, the heroine was waaaay too indecisive for my taste, and oblivious to the manipulation surrounding her. The ‘epic’ love triangle and the constant back and forth between Finn and Sebastian had me rolling my eyes. I couldn’t deal.
The only positives were the fairly decent world-building, writing and the stunning cover. Everything else—flat characters, boring and overused plot I have seen time and time again, and closely ACOTAR (along with TFOTA and The Selection per book friend) resemblance that was appalling to read will prevent me from picking this series up again in the future.
Be that as it may, I can see Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black fans being drawn to this. Hopefully their reading experience is much more than delightful than mines.
** 4.5 stars **
Fans of S. Maas and H. Black are going to love this book.
While it may seem like the typical fae/human-love trope, it’s anything but. It’s so much more. This tests what it means to love someone within the bonds of family and friends too. It’s a journey of one girl’s growth as she makes her way to free her sister, dealing with her prejudices, preconceived notions about the world around her, and how her ignorances could be used against her. The world of Fae is not filled with golden sunshine like the stories, but shows that where there is light there is the possibility of shadows as she soon learns.
Brie must learn to become one with these shadows if she will ever hopes to save the sister that was taken from her and sold into slavery, into the ‘evil’ hands of the Unseelie court. She will do whatever it takes to save her. But first she must decide whether she will harden her heart for the lies, betrayal, and intrigue that she will have to endure in order to succeed or continue to believe in hope and the possibility of love.
Friends to enemies, enemies to lovers, Brie must navigate this new world of Fae and her new powers. Will she rely on the dark prince and his band of misfits to help her out or will the light of the golden prince be too tempting to resist? Either way this author will have you guessing and wavering as to how it will end up all the way until the very explosive end. I really hope there will be another book because I’m hooked
** Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this ARC. These are my opinions and are freely given **
Have I just read the best YA fantasy book of 2021? Yes.
I devoured Brie’s story and her delicious love triangle. Have I picked a male I love more? Nope. I adored Bash and Finn equally. Both were beautifully intriguing.
Ryan has created a magical universe worthy of Sarah J. Maas. Honestly, this might’ve just surpassed ACOTAR. I cannot wait to see where the author brings her characters next and have no doubt it’ll be a superb place.
Where do I sign up for book 2?
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for my review copy.
PS: Everyone has BIG hands. Even the bad guy. LOL.