When I finished These Hollow Vows at the end of last year I was left reeling and was desperate to read the sequel. I was so excited when I received an ARC but the more I read, the more disappointed I became.

I'll start off by saying that I really wish I had read the first book before diving into this one. It picks up right where the previous book left off with no other explanations, and when characters enter the picture again they aren't given a proper introduction. It made things confusing and hard to get into at first. Then the pacing in this book is all over the place. The beginning is so slow, and slogged down even further by explanations that are repeated over and over. I got so bored of Misha constantly mentioning that Brie was being fought after by two different fae Princes. Okay, we get it, there's a love triangle! And then when the action does pick up in the last quarter, it picks up too much and it's almost like a speed run to the end!

At the end of THV we had a Brie who seemed to be embracing her power at last, she was powerful and in control and out for revenge. The Brie in These Twisted Bonds is lost, she doesn't know what she wants and all she can focus on is her heartache and the fact she's just a Normal Girl -- even when she is consistently faced with everyone telling her she isn't.

Overall this one just didn't hit the mark for me. I would still recommend the series as a whole because I adored the first one and it is nice to see everything tied up and see who Brie gets with in the end.

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Abriella ended up with the right fae in this book (those who have read this already will see what I did there). I got through this one in 3 hours because a) I’m a speed reader, but b) i just needed to know what on earth was going to happen all the time while reading it. Especially after the tethering was revealed. I can’t say more for fear of spoiling this for anyone, but if you liked the first book you’re going to LOVE this book. It was the perfect ending, in my opinion. If I could give this 1000 starts I would.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an e-arc of this, I can’t wait to reread it when it’s released.

I was super excited to read 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘝𝘰𝘸𝘴 thinking I couldn’t go wrong and to be fair to it, it was a really good read if a little predictable. I liked Abriella and the band of fae misfits that she aligns with. Those were some of the best parts of the book. I didn’t like Ronan. Major Tamlin vibes and was not here for it. Apart from that tho the first book was pretty good.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 HOWEVER was REALLY GOOD. Much better in fact. I was much more invested in the second book and found the characters much more drawn out and developed. The story picked up an awful lot too, with super high stakes and a love story to die for. We love a bit of tension and you totally get that here. The world really expands which adds a lot of depth to some of the characters and to the story.

The only thing I will say is that a lot happened in a very short space of time at the end which is a shame because I feel like we could have had a third book from all that occurred. But hey ho. Was really good anyway. Might even re-read at some point :)

"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳."

What an epic conclusion to this story. I absolutely loved this one and found it a satisfying end to the duology. Brie is now bonded with Sebastian and has become Fae. Her feelings are conflicted and she feels betrayed. She flees the castle and Sebastian trying to make sense of everything and ends up hiding in the Wild Fae lands. This book was definitely a story of self discovery and strength which I really enjoyed. The romance side of the plot I also enjoyed, I don't usually like love triangles but this was done particularly well. The world building and magic systems worked well for me and I enjoyed the writing style a lot. Overall I really enjoyed this one!

My head is spinning and I feel like I'm falling down a rabbit hole. How is it possible for a book to be this good?! I loved These Hollow Vows and was anticipating the release of These Twisted Bonds until Netgalley and the publisher came to the rescue and gifted me the eARC. Endless thank you!

I was gripped from the first page; returning to this world and facing challenges alongside Abriella was thrilling! This magical realm and its throne politics, danger to the courts and brooding romance was everything I wanted in the sequel. The only thing that is wrong with this book is that it's over. I'm not ready for it to end. While I wasn't reading this book, it was literally all I was thinking about. My thoughts kept wandering back to Finn and Bash and the Shadow throne.

So much happened near the ending that I was left speechless. All the secrets and sacrifices, bonds and broken hearts had me flipping through the pages. I loved it! I think I have to reread These Hollow Vows again because I'm not ready to leave this world yet. Highly recommend! You need this book on your TBR. Pre-order, add to cart, one click, but you have to read it.

I loved the first book and devoured it in the space of a day. Picking up a sequel to a book like that can put a lot of pressure, but I just loved this sequel, it really does the first book justice and might even surpass it on the stakes scale.

We pick up right after the first book ends and it's non stop from there. I loved seeing Bries characters development and the same of the characters around her, old and new.

Amazing story, great conclusion, this will not disappoint.

In These Twisted Bonds we pick straight up where the first book left off and follow Abriella as she navigates life and a civil war between the seelie and unseelie courts in Faerie. Whilst the book was a little slow to start, once it got going I couldn't put it down, and I adored the slowburn romance in this one.

These Hollow Vows was one of my favourite reads of 2021 so I was extremely happy to have the chance to read These Twisted Bonds.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the chance to read These Twisted Bonds.

I really enjoyed this sequel, it doesnt really suffer from second book syndrome which is great. From the start there is action, as it begins exactly where the first one left off. It reminds you off the main events of the first book in a good way, there is no information dump. The problem progresses well, we slowly learn what is happening now as the main character does. For me it was the perfect speed. Magic was used a bit more in this book but i still would have liked more, her learning how to use magic would have been fun or even explaining how the magic system works would have improved this. I really liked the friendships that developed in this book, Misha was just amazing. The twist was rather predictable, i guessed as soon as that thing was mentioned. My biggest problem with this book and it was the same with the first is that its a lot like acotar. The way the romances went, the way she turned fae after dying and more are the same things that happened in acotar. However i did enjoy reading this and i guess if you’re intimidated by acotar you could read this instead.

Thank you NetGalley and The publishers for allowing me to read the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

These twisted bonds picks up right where These Hollow Vows ends.
It was well written, with more adventure,. The world building and character development is fantastic. I really enjoyed it.

I was so exited for this read! This was one of my most anticipated sequel of 2022 and it did not disappoint! Even though some parts of the plot were very predictable it still managed to surprise me at times. I wish it would have been longer. My only regret is that we didn’t get to see Finn and Brie being bonded. The epilogue ends just before which was a bit disappointing.
I loved the story and this universe and would love to read this author again.

Some wishes do come true! I literally wrote how I wished I could read the sequel and thanks to @netgalley I did.
These Twisted Bonds was exactly the conclusion I hoped it would be, especially because I love happy endings. LOVE LOVE EM !
Here's what else I loved, Brie's transition from damsel in distress to saving herself (GIRLPOWER!!!), her progressive confidence in herself and her abilities and how she finally made up her mind about who and what she wants in her life. I'm happy how Finn also stopped fighting the inevitable and Sebastian came through in the end. I mean ALL the makings of a perfect fairytale ending or beginning....
I was somewhat disappointed however with a few things, firstly Sebastian: in the first book he was built up somewhat as a villain, and I guess I hoped he'd be more two faced and less the super loving Prince. It was so much harder to hate him especially when he went and did the right thing in the end. Also, I felt that his character progression was not clearly described and so when he finally let Brie go, it felt really abrupt.
His mother, the so called ruthless queen and yet we barely got much glimpses into her. She was definitely built up as a villain but she didn't come on as strong as I'd though she would.
secondly, Finn went lover boy too quickly. In the beginning, he was all like "for my people, for my kingdom" and up until the very middle of this book he was spouting the same thing and then all of a sudden it's about giving his life up for Brie even though they kept saying he was the ruler the kingdom needed. It was super confusing to be honest and it just didn't feel right when I was reading. I may not be expressing it well, but I just got this unsettling feeling while reading the final chapters of this book, like something was wrong.
I think maybe I felt the ending was a bit rushed and that there was more story to be explored. Like enough story for a third book.
Overall, despite a few disappointing things, I truly enjoyed reading this book and I hope all those fairytale lovers like me out there get a chance to read and enjoy this story as much as I did .
Thanks again to @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for this book. Everything I've written is entirely my own.
#Netgalley#TheseTwistedBonds

This book was the perfect conclusion to a fantastic duology! It was fast paced and has me on the edge of my seat! I loved that Abriella really grows in this book and finds her true purpose! The ending had me in tears it was so perfect! Also, I love Finn so much.

“𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲. 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 - 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺 - 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀”

Title: These Twitsted Bonds
Author: Lexi Ryan
Publication: 07/2022
Page count: 496
Overall thoughts: The perfect end to a beautiful duology! Wow, I loved every, single minute of this book.

After reading These Hollow Vows I was desperate to find out what happened next to Abriella… will she forgive Bash? … will she reunite with Finn? Oh this book delivered on all of my wishes and more.

This book follows a distraught Brie, running away from her bonded fae, Bash. We are introduced to a new character, Misha, who becomes one of my absolute favourites in this series - he is sarcastic, funny and loves winding everyone up.. however he needs Brie’s help .. the Kingdom is in peril and she is the answer to save their people.

Brie must work against the clock to save this kingdom, however her heart is caught in a crossfire and she finds herself stuck between the two fae men who betrayed her most.

What will she do?

Can the kingdom be saved?

Will she forgive Bash … or will she end up in the arms of Finn.

This book was truly everything and more that I could ask for! I loved Abriella’s character development, she was independent, bad ass and the twists completely took me by surprise!

I got major Damon & Stefan vibes when it came to her struggle between Finn and Bash - I LOVED this triangle! Lexi absolutely nailed the tension between these characters.

Overall, I highly recommend this series! A very easy, binge-worthy fantasy with an amazing storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of These Twisted Bonds

These Twisted Bonds picks up right where These Hollow Vows finished.
There was more of adventure and the faerie world in this novel and it felt like it explained more creating an understanding of the courts better, which led to a better understanding of the characters motives. The characters seemed more developed too.
I would say the pacing was somewhat slow for the first half and then picked up towards the end. Though it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. The author has created a world that I enjoyed. It was a fitting ending to the duology.

This is a great conclusion to These Hollow Vows. Lexi Ryan really encompassed all your typical fantasy tropes within this duology, which makes it perfect escapism.

You see more of the faerie world in this book and more adventure, it was interesting to see the dynamics between everyone. It was good to have some gaps of information explained within this book to understand the courts better and understand the motives of certain characters.

It was nice to see the character development of characters within this story and really owning their actions and consequences.

Its good to see new characters introduced that helped to keep the plot interesting and moving forward. I do wish the ending was spread out a few pages longer but overall really enjoyable fantasy read.

Really satisfying ending to the series in which you hope everyone can heal from the revelations. Would recommend the duology to anyone looking for a love triangle based fae fantasy read.

THIS BOOK WAS JUST INCREDIBLE. Ever since the jaw dropping ending to These Hollow Vows, I couldn't wait to find out what happens with Brie, Finn and Bash. I was not let down.

Lexi Ryan has completed created a world that I was addicted to, characters who you just can't help fall in love with and struggle along with their dilemmas. AND THE DRAMA! This book brings new plot twists, new adventures and seeing more of our favourite characters. I really enjoyed reading more of the history of the Courts and understanding why things were the way they were.

and the romance!! Oh this got steamier than the previous books and I was all here for it.

I loved being back in the Faerie world and reading more of Brie's story. I'm sad it's done but I really like the way it all came together.

I really enjoyed the second part of this duology as I felt it continued very well and wrapped up some storylines from the first book.

I love that this book managed to take the ending of the last book and how I felt about the characters and change my mind throughout the story so that I felt so many different things for each of the characters

Misha is the best character hands down!

If I was going to critique this book I feel as though so the ending was slightly rushed and and I would have like to have seen a slightly different ending but I can't elaborate without spoilers

This book is everything I wanted from the first book and more!

I really enjoyed These Hollow Vows (despite the fact that I am not a big fan of love triangles) but I felt like I just wanted a little bit more from it. Maybe it was because Brie spent the whole book with the wrong guy or just the pacing of the story but it took me a hot minute to get through it. However, These Twisted Bonds blew me away from the first page.

Brie really came into herself as a character in this book and I could not bring myself to put it down until I finished it. The story, the pacing, the characters, hell even the stress of the love triangle was pure perfection and Lexi Ryan rounded this duology of nicely (Although, I wouldn't say no to another book set in this world - there are still things I want to know about!). And all of this on top of the dreamy perfection that is Finn!

Definitely worth a read and a must buy if you enjoyed the first book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC - I loved everything second of this one.

The sequel to These Hollow Vows picks up right where the first left off, literally the next scene; but aside from the good continuity, this is a pretty different book from the first installment in the duology.
For starters, it falls much more squarely into the fantasy romance genre, with the love triangle that started in the first much more pronounced here and at the very center of the court politics the book revolves around; as part of that, you’ll also find that this book includes some sex scenes that, while flowing naturally in the story and relationship development, are a bit more detailed that we are used to seeing in YA, and perhaps warrant this being categorized as NA — or at least we can admit that it heavily coasts the line.
That said, this book is also more exciting and better paced, and features good character development that makes even someone as on the fence about Brie as I was, warm up to her.

A good sequel, and one I’m glad to have read!

Oh boy, I loved almost everything about this!
This picked up right where book one ended, and thanks to this ARC I got to read both books back-to-back without needing to wait for months for the sequel.
These Twisted Bonds had way darker vibes than the first one, but I didn't mind that one bit! I'm not ready to say goodbye to this world and these characters, and I'm quite sad this is just a duology because I wouldn't mind an extra book (or two) to be honest!
I'm glad we got to know Mischa in this book because he ended up being one of my favorite characters ever!

The one complaint that I had was that I think the pacing was a little off sometimes. The first 75% of the book were quite slow (and focused more on the romance) compared to the last quarter, where so many things were happening in quick succession that it actually left me reeling sometimes. I could've done with a longer epilogue and some extra chapters to see the endgame couple and their happily-ever-after. Oh well, not complaining because at least my favorite got the girl in the end!