User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
i hate that i picked this up knowing full well that there would be a love triangle. and i hate that i didnt hate it.
but the love triangle isnt why im rating this so high (even though both guys could get it). its the betrayals.
honestly, with what is given in this first installment, i would consider the three MCs to be good people and they dont really fit the villain role. but they are also totally out for themselves and i love that. yes, they care about each other, but they care about their cause, their kingdom, or their sister so much more. and when it got to the end, i was downright delighted to see such backstabbing, even if the characters had (seemingly) good intentions behind it all. the next book is going to have so much revenge and i cant wait.
this was a very unexpected surprise and a fantastic mood read. it definitely gave me
‘the selection,’ ‘the cruel prince,’ and
‘from blood and ash’ vibes at times. so fantasy and fae lovers should love this one!
โ 4.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
My hatred for the main character and other love interest overpowers my enjoyment of the story๐ถ
Literally from page 50, I've predicted the outcome of this love triangle and I swear to god if it actually ends like that- ๐๐ช๐ช
Once upon a time, a golden faerie princess fell in love with the shadow king, but their kingdoms had battled for hundreds of years and her parents were sworn enemies of the king and his kingdom . . .
In this world, the Fae are viewed as many things. For some, they are loved and worshipped. For others, they are feared and subjected to their slavery. And then there are those humans who carry a deep hatred towards their kind--Abriella (or Brie) is one of these people.
After failing to pay back a long-overdue debt, Abriella's sister, Jas, is sold and taken to the King Mordeus aka the Unseelie King of the Fae Realm. Brie will do anything to get her sister back, making a bargain with the king himself to retrieve 3 ancient artifacts in exchange for her safe
and alive.
All she has to do is take place in a sort of 'competition' between other girls
altho is it even a competition?? in which the Prince chooses who he wants as his queen. Brie must hold the Prince's trust and capture his heart in order to gain access to these artifacts and give them the Unseelie King. Do that and she'll get her sister back.
But of course there are many complications and a rebel group lead by the Unseelie Prince and trying to guard her heart from the two ~seductive~ Princes, etc, etc.
The main character, Abriella, is nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs because she doesn't want to marry the Seelie Fae Prince for some ridiculous notion like love and she's ~speshul~ because she has powers that nobody else in the world has. Fae would straight up say to her
"You're special" and continue repeating it ahahaha *cursed laugh*
Sebastian is a cinnamon roll (but i dont love him) and deserves better than Abriella. And just because he's a cinnamon roll,
I can bet on my life that Abriella is going to end up with the dArK aNd BrOoDiNg prince
i say this like i dont fall for them too half the time I usually like dark and brooding love interests but only if they're secretly soft/a cinnamon roll and respect the MC, but in this case... haha no. Finn is an arrogant, disgusting pig that treats the main character in a condescending way and is such a rude jerk, yet the main character says that she feels like she has a cOnNeCtIoN with him-
I hate Brie bc of how annoying she is, so maybe those two
are perfect for each other. Sebastian deserves someone better๐ฅบ
but he's also really sus sooo... Finn can go die in a hole. Abriella can go with Finn if she loves him so much.
Sebastian isn't really all that great either but he's a thousand times better than Finn. It's always the cinnamon rolls that are never chosen in a love triangle but maybe the author will prove me wrong๐
doubtful This dude here at least is sweet, kind, considerate, soft, and must deal with the MC's stupid decisions and dramatics smh. idk how Sebastian does it. (view spoiler)
[but he's also a deceiving piece of trash so maybe he does deserve to deal with all of this ¯\_(ใ)_/¯ // basically i hate all these characters. (hide spoiler)]I can see how this is compared to
The Cruel Prince but really the only similarity is that just like how Jude was involved in some spying within the court, Abriella is too, but that's about it. Cardan Greenbriar
cannot be compared to either of the love interests. He's leagues away from these fools who call themselves Fae.
Now for where it's like
A Court of Thorns and Roses... I dont see it??? idk maybe my brain's just not working right now but I don't see anything ACOTAR related unless the main character going to the Fae world was supposed to be the similarity...? Or maybe how like Feyre had to go through 3 trials, the MC has to retrieve 3 artifacts??? hmmm idk. I did get some Tamlin vibes from Sebastian which is when I'd despise him, but I can't really think of anything else.
Seriously though, the Fae here are a joke. They don't even feel like Fae honestly like??? They speak and act just like humans and je n'aime pas. They're so lame and there was a certain battle scene at the end that has to be
one of the most ridiculous outcomes of a battle I've ever read in my life.๐ญ๐ค I guess I expected more from the supposed villain ahaha and this is Fae we're talking about-
They're more like humans trying so hard to act like Fae but failing miserably. Maybe if this is your first Fae book then you won't mind them, but I've read too many about them to believe that the ones here were actually written well.
Also I realized that always in Fae related books there has to be a some sort of scene where the MC drinks some faerie wine/fruit and becomes intoxicated/delirious and soon after that is there some sort of intimate scene๐ถ the one here was *chokes* awful.
Oh and the amount of scenes that made me cringe ahahaha๐ but the world isn't bad, it's pretty interesting at the very least. That ending though has to be one of the most abrupt ones I've ever read like wow. Also, I did not expect that plot twist at all. How can I both hate and enjoy a book? trashy fun.
Overall, this wasn't completely bad, I guess. The story itself kept me engaged and I was able to finish this really fast in about a day, but even that wasn't enough for me to like the book bc of its other faults
mainly the characters. I think that if you don't mind the characters then you'll most likely enjoy the book. I probably would've given this a higher rating if Finn didn't exist.
But yes, I'm going to read the next book only to see who she ends up with.
(2.5โญ)Thank you HMH Books for sending me an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review!โโโ ๏ฝฅ ๏ฝก๏พโ: *.โฝ .* :โ๏พ. โโโ
Pre-read Review: "Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses . . ." Say no more—
Me want.
ALSO, WHY IS THAT COVER SO BEAUTIFUL?!?!
Rating: really liked it
Let me start this review by saying that yes, I am a garbage human being and love triangle whore. I love them more than enemies to lovers, the "stuck in a room with only bed," bit and also forced marriages. I will hold up a sign stating as such on a white posterboard next to the guy with the poster saying, "STOP SAYING PIN NUMBER. IT'S REDUNDANT."
When I first heard about this book, I raced to my emails, gathered my stats, and promptly sent a message to the publisher. My grabby hands were shaking, trembling with anticpation. I could not wait for my NetGalley request to go through. I needed the book NOW otherwise I'd proably die. Lucky for me, I got a reply almost right away with the READ NOW widget and I nearly collapsed. It's a good thing my office has carpeting.
So, we have a both with comp titles such as CRUEL PRINCE and ACOTAR and be still my YA heart, those are comp titles you want to sell a book. I will buy anything when I read those two titles in a synopsis. That being said, after I recovered from getting my immediate READ NOW widget, I dropped (literally dropped) my current read (Crave, I will come back to you before the month ends!), gathered my hot cheetos and dove right in.
We open the story with Brie, who is a thief trying to keep her small family afloat. When her debts become too large, her little sis is sold to the fae. Pushing aside her hatred of the fae, Brie gets herself in the faerie court where she discovers: a secret about a long-time friend (and herself), that she suddenly has magic, and that the fae are manupulative creatures, as well as a little bit hot and charming.
Did I say hot and charming? *fans self*
Yea, so Brie finds herself torn between two princes, each with their own agendas. Who can she trust?
You know a story is good when it overrides your prescription sleeping medication. I was up far too late reading this book. But its one of my preferred ways of falling asleep; right in the arms of my fae lovers.
What we have here is a glowing newcomer into the YA world, rivaling Maas and Black themselves. I seriously cannot get over how fantastic this book was. I mean, I kinda knew, but I still wasn't prepared. I want more!
Ok enough ramblings.
THE WORLD-BUILDING: Amazing. I loved the courts and the human world. I got a clear sense of how drastically different they were. The world of the fae is wicked and scary, and Ryan's writing made them leap off the page. The complex, political intrigue and the magic surrounding almost everything was beautiful and deadly.
There's a 100% chance I'm going to buy every special edition of this book. JS
THE STORY:
There are plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing.
There's also princes with pretty eyes and tattoos.
I love princes with pretty eyes and tattoos.
FAMILY TIES:
I loved the emphasis on family. Brie will do anything to get her sister back and I mean ANYTHING. And although her focus may wane at times, she always goes back to her and what she needs to do to get her family back together, safe and sound.
THE ROMANCE:
I feel lots of warm things for Finn.
I mean, come on. He's broody, and frowns a lot and I love that in a man. I care so much about him. I didn't want to because my book boyfriend cart is full. I may just have to throw out Kaz. He wasn't the real interest, if you catch my drift, but I have a feeling he's going to come in strong in book two. That one scene though where she was...and he was...and he had to....OMG
THE PROTAG:
Brie is determined, fearful but courageous. She's everything I love in a heroine. She may be a human in a fae court, but she holds her own.
Ok, let's talk about the ending. HOLY COW COW.
I've read this book way too early and now I'm going to have to wait for book two even longer. It's not fair. Life isn't fair.
Final thoughts:
READ THIS BOOK
If you like fae books and need a change from the usual, this is the one for you. If you like sexy princes, and dark magic and scheming heroines, this is also for you.
BOOKSTAGRAM
Rating: really liked it
i’m in pain. words can’t even describe how much i hate this book. but numbers can: 482616/10
this… thing should be illegal. because this is, dear friends, plagiarism. you know, when they said it’s similar to acotar, they probably forgot to mention that it is actually a carbon copy of acotar. there is no single original thing. not. a. single. one.
welcome to diana’s guide how to recognize shitty books:
1. insufferable main heroine who is speshul and nOt LikE othEr giRLs
we have here a standard main heroine brie, who is speshul maximally by being duller and stupider than all the other girls altogether. she makes one illogical decision after another, she is annoying, hypocritical, but for some incomprehensible reason everyone loves her.
brie has hated fairies all her life, but as soon as she sees one, she immediately thinks:
“this is no simple faerie. he’s stunning.”
and be careful, put a lot of emphasis on the word “STUNNING”!
2. the most powerful dark haired love interest without personality with tantrums and a tragic past, which is his excuse for acting like an idiot all the time
he is tattooed, disgusting and charming like a napkin, but the main heroine falls in love with him anyway. (though it’s an insult to a napkin that has more characteristics)
by the way, he looks like rhysand, because… well, because it’s so described, he just has silver eyes instead of violet.
but if it were:
“the human girl fell in love with the stunning seductive fairy prince within 5 minutes and then they lived happily ever after”,
everyone would probably die of boredom. therefore, the author added a second love interest, which is also a stunning seductive fairy prince, but he has a different hair color, so that a love triangle can be formed.
3. nice and kind second love interest, who hasn’t the slightest chance and who is in the book only to be dumped by the main heroine
he is tattooed and boring too, but still better than the first love interest whose name i forgot, because he’s so annoying that he doesn’t deserve to be remembered.
funny fact is that this character has also white hair and green eyes, which reminds me of another fae prince – do you know rowan whitethorn?
brace yourself for something shocking. this character’s name is ronan. so we have roWan and roNan. the author seriously changed only one letter. *broken laugh*
even the names are non original. but she probably wanted to save this disaster by giving him one another name – sebastian. (a nice name is the best thing about him)
anyway, his image is the same as rowan’s, but his behaviour resembles more of cardan greenbriar in not-cardan day. except for the fact that cardan is better (and i’m saying this as a person who hated him for 2 books).
and because of this combination:
rowan whitethorn + cardan greenbriar,
we should call the second love interest #whitebriar or #greenthorn. you can choose.
4. copy a popular series that everyone knows and then argue that the book is original
let’s look at the similarities with acotar. or rather at the absolute same things with different titles:
7 courts – 7 courts
7 high lords – 7 magicians
3 tasks – 3 artifacts
mate bond – bond
rhysand – the main love interest whose name i forgot
tamlin – ronan / sebastian / whitebriar
there was even a scene with fairy wine and dancing. it has the same ending as acotar. the concept is same. the story is same. everything is same.
i could go on indefinitely, but the point is that if you have read acotar before, you already know everything what happened here.
5. add another popular series so that no one knows that the whole story is a mix of famous books
i don’t see similarities with the cruel prince (which is surprising), but instead of that there is the selection vibes. fairy seductive prince has to choose between several girls. they are all dull and interesting as a piece of bread, but we all know whom he chooses. the dullest and the least interesting one.
if i should compare these 2 series:
maxon – whitebriar (ronan)
aspen – the other one
the selection – the selection
a king of illea’s personality is same as personality of a king of the unseelie court
by the way, nor is the unseelie court created by this author. this place already existed in the series “forgotten realms”.
6. bad writing style with italics on every page and repeating each sentence because killing my brain cells seems like a good idea
i don’t want to go into detail as i usually do, so i’ll cut it short into this: endless internal dialogues about the same thing, the mc talking to herself, repeating the same sentence over and over again. i’m tired and sick of it.
this is not “it’s me, not the book” situation. because it is this BOOK’S fault. and i don’t get how it can have an average 4,07. for what, plagiarism?
so here is the conclusion. it’s terrible. absolutely, totally terrible and in addition, it caused me brain damage. rest in peace, my brain cells.
Rating: really liked it
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DNF @ 22%Hi my name is Nenia and I am fae trash. When I heard about this book and that the blurb was being compared to THE CRUEL PRINCE, I may have screamed. I was even willing to ignore the part of the blurb that also compared it to A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. Now that I've read the book and tried to, however, I would have to say that the only thing it has in common with either is, uh, faeries.
I buddy-read this with the wonderful Casey, so make sure you check out her review. Normally I DNF books that don't grab me by the 15% mark, but I pushed a little farther for the sake of science. Structurally, there's nothing wrong with the writing in the book, but the storyline was very bland and derivative and the heroine was very much a raging not-like-other-girls Mary Sue.
I just couldn't get into this one at all and I feel bad about that but eh. At least I've scratched another book off the ol' bucket list.
1 to 1.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
ok well i didn’t really have high expectations going into this book but damn i had a lot of fun reading it. is it anything fresh and new ? no but it had some of my favorite tropes in it which made it enjoyable to read.
it’s pitched as acotar meets the cruel prince and i did get the TCP vibes in the beginning with a mix of The Selection. ngl i hate The Selection with a burning passion but i was relived to see that this book didn’t fall into whatever tf that series was.
anyway, i got TCP vibes but i was like ok then where tf is my Jude Duarte? i was given a Feyre, which is when the acotar vibes came in, along with the love triangle. However this love triangle is written very well and the way shit ended? omfg you’re telling me i have to wait a year for book 2? and i’ll probably be denied an ARC for book 2 like i was with this? lmaoo ok jk, that was kinda bitter
anyway…the love interests. love how they were written and i’m excited to see where things turn out in book 2. when this book was pitched as acotar, i thought i’d get another Rhysand ๐คฎ but thankfully i didn’t. โค๏ธ
this book was slow at times and took me a while to finish because i honestly wasn’t really that invested in the story and the characters but with the way shit ended? omfg give me book 2 now !! tf ?
Rating: really liked it
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Gorgeous cover
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Scheming and betrayals
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Lies and manipulation
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Pace
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Plot
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World-building
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๐ Characters
๐ Romance
Second read: I enjoyed it more the second time around because there are things that annoyed me the first time I read it because they just felt
so convenient, but knowing the endgame and the reason why things happened the way they did allowed me to enjoy this book more while reading it. The “blind trust” Ronan showed toward Brie also makes more sense now, so overall I did like this book more than I did the first time, so I am bumping this to 4 stars instead of 3.5 stars.
“In this world, the only power we have is in our autonomy. Don’t let anyone back you into a corner. Don’t let your desperation make decisions for you.”
Brie's mother abandoned her and her sister 9 years ago, and since then, Brie and Jas have been living with their horrible aunt and cousins. They are stuck in a magical contract that forces them to be their aunt's servants, and it keeps getting worse as time passes and they can't get enough money to pay their debt to their evil aunt. When Jas is sold to the Unseelie court to erase their debt, Brie has no choice but to go to Faerie, even though she despises faes. Brie soon learns that some faes might not be as bad as she thought, but she will also learn that they can be as cruel and ruthless as she thought they were in their never-ending scheming to get more power.
The beginning of the book is not bad, but many things happened that just felt
so convenient. I would say this though: push through and continue reading. It all seems very convenient, but there is an explanation for most of it, it just comes a little later in the book. The last part is also definitely better and promises a second book full of scheming and revenge.
Personally, I don’t hope. Not ever. Hope is addictive, and you start relying on it. In a world this cruel, I won’t be caught needing a crutch.
The characters are good, but not extraordinary. Brie is an okay main character, she did get on my nerves at times, especially in the first half of the book, but she was not so bad in the end (except when she decided to be dumb and to trust the fae that professed his undying love for her without any question... ๐). She is also quite clueless, she does not know a thing about faes and Faerie, and she keeps asking questions, but only receives a few breadcrumbs answers, to the point where it was a little frustrating. She just believed everything that was said to her and had strong opinions about the rulers and their politics, even though she'd been there for a few days/weeks only, and had been fed pieces of information from only two sources, both of who were likely to lie to gain her trust or to protect her. Also, she just tells the little sensible or secret information she knows to other faes, making them wonder how she knows that, since she is supposed to spend her days in the palace, and who she’s been in contact with… Let’s just say that while Brie is a good thief, she is definitely not the finest spy there is…
Mordeus stole the throne from his brother many years ago and waits for the day when his nephew—Prince Finnian, son of King Oberon and rightful heir to the Throne of Shadows—emerges from exile to claim his crown. His subjects wait too. Some have pledged loyalty to the king and will fight to keep him in power. Others believe that the Unseelie Court is dying because of Mordeus’s trickery and that it won’t recover until the rightful heir is on the throne with Oberon’s crown.”
The plot had a lot of potential, and I really loved the whole scheming part when we couldn't be sure about Finn's or Ronan's true intentions, and we didn't know who to trust until the very end, but overall the story could have been better. The world-building is basic, but there are evil creatures such as banshees, sluarghs, and barghests, and also some magic, so I actually don’t really have any complaint about it. It is face-paced, but until the last fourth of the book, I felt that nothing really important happens and there was no big revelation keeping me really hooked.
You know as well as I do that there are no good faeries. Just degrees of evil and cruel.
I tried to like Ronan, and I did for a while, but somehow I always remained suspicious of him, I kept having this nagging at the back of my mind, and I was overanalyzing everything that he said or did. Also, the whole emotional manipulation situation where Ronan’s best friend justified Ronan’s shitty behavior by saying that he did it because he was mad because of something Brie did?! Get the fuck away from me before I slap you in the face, I was
so pissed, and I was hoping so bad that Brie wouldn’t fall for it! So, while I kept on guessing Ronan’s true intentions or feelings all throughout the book, and I couldn’t say if he was one of the “good guys” or the “bad guys”, I still didn’t like him as a love interest, and I hope that Brie stays faaaaaaaaaaar from him and his pretty lies.
When Finn stands, his gaze locks on the hand I pulled away from him.
“Abriella, every star in that sky shines for you.”
Finn is my favorite character in this book, and I am team Finn all the way, even though it seems as if he’s a “bad guy” at the end of the book. I want to believe that he is not and that Brie will end up with him. I really hope we will see more of him in the next book, and everybody knows that the brooding, mysterious, dark guy who is supposed to be the “evil guy” ends up being the good choice most of the time (#Rhysand). I actually can
One strength of this book though is how it kept me guessing at Finn's and Ronan's true motives. I couldn't decide who was trustworthy and who was being sneaky, although all my hopes were set on Finn since he's so much more interesting than boring prince Ronan.
The romance in this book was only okay, and it even felt a little bit immature at times. I just didn’t feel the real heat, chemistry, or sexual tension between Brie and Ronan, even when things got more intense and Brie wanted their relationship to move to the next step, I didn’t feel anything real between them. But then again, part of the awkwardness ends up being justified later in the book so it does make sense, but it was still weird to read. There was also a kind of possible love triangle between Brie, Ronan, and Finn, but it was clear from the very beginning who Brie loved, and who she wanted to choose, so there was no real competition between love interests, even when it was hinted that Brie might be developing feelings for the second potential love interest. Besides that, her attraction to Ronan seemed a little shallow to me. I get that she'd known him for two years and that he’s been the steady friend she’s been relying on, and I understand how that creates a strong bond, but even if she mostly talks about how gorgeous he is, and how she gets butterflies in her stomach when she looks at him, I didn’t really feel their deep emotional connection.
One thing that I loved about the romance though is how Brie remained mostly level-headed, and kept her goals and beliefs in mind (besides the times when all she could think about were her conflicted feelings, and until she decided to be stupid and to give up everything for her
true love ๐). She didn’t decide to spend a happy ever after in faerie with Ronan just because she loved him and he asked her to stay with him. She was struggling because she knew that she wouldn’t be happy with life in Faerie as a princess and because she never wanted to even go to Faerie or be in contact with faes, and I liked that about her. I would have been disappointed if she just decided to go with it and agree to marry Ronan after spending a few days with him, forgetting all about what
she wanted in life. She did end up being a little stupid, but it could have been worse.
Overall, this book is not so bad, but it is a little cliché and flat at times. Still, with that ending (which was quite abrupt honestly), I can't help but want to read the next book, especially since I expect more drama, angst, and scheming in the next book and those are my weaknesses. I am also hoping for more Finn in the next book and the conclusion of the book gives me hope that the next one is going to be much better.
โI am not a pretty thing to be manipulated. I am darkness, and the power rushing through my veins is stronger than ever… with the darkness swirling about the room and my shadows becoming one with it, I feel more alive than I ever have.โ
Fanarts by Morlevart and M.E. Morgan
Follow me on Instagram ๐
Rating: really liked it
This was an incredible twisty-turny story. The romantic plot lines gave me life. This was exactly what I needed.
Rating: really liked it
I just knew I was going to love this book!! I should have known I jinxed it by thinking that or whatever!
Effing love triangle. Same ole ya crap. I’m tired of these kinds of books. I mean I enjoyed it at first and then it went downhill for me. There are only a couple of books with a love triangle that I’ve felt I could deal with but not in this book. And there wasn’t enough world building. I don’t know. And naturally this is a beautiful Fairyloot edition with sprayed edges, beautiful artwork under the dust jacket and an embossed cover, but alas, in the trade in box it goes. There are plenty of people that like this book (which is great) so it can go to a good home ๐
Mel ๐ค๐ถ๐บ๐พ
Rating: really liked it
The word
HOLLOW in the title alone should have already been a clue. I'm not even going to say anything for this book.
2 STARSTwitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |
Rating: really liked it
'My people used to believe the faeries were our guardians. Before they split the sky and opened the portals, the fae visited at twilight in their spirit forms—just a shadow or an outline in the trees that looked like something living.'
Accurate rating: 2.5 starsI'm a proud, shameless faerie literature snob—
and this was NOT a faerie book. Oh, sure, there were magical beings called faeries with the pointed ears . . . but they weren't
real fae.
Faeries are . . . - not liars in the literal sense but bend the truth like nothing else
- capricious and vicious and wild . . . with a few exceptions, obviously
- immortal, vain, snobby, easily offended . . .
I could go on and on because, yes, I'm passionate about the fae. And yet, most of the time, the few root elements of their mythology IS ALWAYS IGNORED/ERASED and idk why but that just always irks me. So, for this to say that it's for those who loved The Cruel Prince it is
NOTHING like that beautiful ode to faerie lore. Nor is it even like A Court of Thorns and Roses . . . which at least stays truer to fae lore (
but not really) than this.
I WANTED TO LOVE THIS BOOK, OKAY?? firstly, just LOOK at that cover eyy it's gorgeous. But that's about the only good thing about this.
'Nothing in Faerie is coincidence.'
This book flip-flops and lazes about worse than some of the most gratuitous fanfics which AT LEAST you know what you're getting into with those. It didn't really pick an arc to stick to, and the few that it tried to stay on top of . . . were pitiful. The characters were flat and half-realized, the "love triangle" was stupid and neither choice was honestly that great (
but yes I have a preference duhhh), and the finale?? I . . . I can't.
But will I read the sequel?? Probably. Because, sure, this book is trashy and dumb but I'm invested because there's just not enough faerie books so I'm left grabbing at anything.
I received a digital ARC from HMH Books for Young Readers via Edelweiss & NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Quotes in the review and reading updates were taken from an uncorrected ARC copy.
Rating: really liked it
Love triangles give me hives ๐โ
Rating: really liked it
3-3.5 STARSThis is truly a case of "me, not the book" if there ever was one. The synopsis really won me over because it sounds like a cross between A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Cruel Prince, two series I'm fond of. This comparison isn't *wrong*, but maybe slightly misleading? These Hollow Vows has solid writing, but where I feel it differs is that this book is definitely geared toward the younger side of the YA spectrum, meaning readers of the two above mentioned books, like myself, might be expecting something a little more steamy and dark. Again, nothing wrong with that, and would definitely recommend to those looking for something a little lighter with a bomb dot com love triangle. 10/10 would give this author another try!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
I was very excited to read this book, and although it was very addicting and I couldn't put it down, there were still quite a few things I didn't love about it.
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THE QUICK PACE was amazing and I've always said I'm a plot person so it's no surprise that I couldn't put this down!
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THE PREMISE WAS INTERESTING enough, although at times I felt like it tried to do too much. There was supposed to be this big competition to win the Prince's heart, but we never met
any of the other girls and it didn't really feel like a competition because there was I never questioned if Brie was going to win or not
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NONE OF THE CHARACTERS were that great. Honestly, they all kind of sucked. Brie was a special snowflake who could never stay angry at anyone, Sebastian was hella sus the entire time, and Finn just didn't get enough page time for me to have an opinion. If I had to pick, I would probably ship Brie and Finn though because I have a feeling Finn is going to get a big redemption arc where he turns into a nice guy (I like this type of love interest arc, so I won't complain!)
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THE ROMANCE WAS OKAY but it mostly revolved around Brie and Sebastian and as I said previously, I just could not get over how sus Sebastian was acting. So that really ruined me
feeling much for their relationship. I would classify this as low heat for romance standards and medium-high heat for YA standards.
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EVERYTHING WAS SO PREDICTABLE. I was not surprised by much in this story. But for some reason, I still could not put it down idk haha ๐ The only thing I didn't see coming was what she chose to do with her bond at the end, and honestly, I was pretty disappointed with this decision ๐
Okay, so I know it seems like I might not have liked this book very much, but I promise I still really enjoyed it! I think the fact that I was able to predict all the twists
and was still able to enjoy it really says a lot. It reminded me of Fortuna Sworn, so if you enjoyed this I definitely suggest you check that one out too
Steam Scale: ๐ฅ๐ฅ/5
Swoon Scale: โค๏ธ/5
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Ended up changing my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars ๐ฃ
Rating: really liked it
“In this world, the only power we have is our autonomy. Don’t let anyone back you into a corner. Don’t let your desperation make decisions for you.”I really liked this book! This was an intriguing and spellbinding romantic fantasy about love, betrayal, power and learning how to control your power. Brie is a thief who knows not to make deals with faeries, but when her sister is taken by the king of the Unseelie Court she will do whatever it takes to save her sister. Brie makes a deal with the Unseelie King, if she finds three magical items from the Seelie Court then he will release her sister. To get access to the Seelie Court Brie poses as a bride for Prince Ronan. Finn, the Unseelie Prince and his friends help her control her new found powers. Brie must decide whether to trust Finn or Ronan and who will keep her heart.
This book is told from Brie's perspective. I was intrigued by the world from the beginning. The world building is interesting, although the concepts and creatures aren't new. The plot was interesting and the pacing was great. I really liked Brie, she is stubborn, brave, strong and will do anything to protect the people she loves, but she was naive and clueless at times. I liked Brie's character development, she grew as a person and I liked the journey she went on to find out who she is. I'm not a huge fan of Sebastian, I was suspicious of him throughout the book, but there were times when I could tell he cared for Brie. I love Finn, he is handsome, charming, mysterious and sweet to the people he cares about. The chemistry and sexual tension between Brie and Sebastian was lacking. I didn't really feel their connection. I did feel a connection between Brie and Finn and the tension between them was so good. I hope we see more of Finn in the next book. The ending was good, but it was a bit predictable. I can't wait to read the next book!
