I absolutely loved These Hollow Vows (team Finn all the way), and when I saw These Twisted Bonds on NetGalley, I requested a review copy immediately, and I squealed when it was approved.

These Twisted Bonds starts out where book one in the duology left off. Brie is caught between Sebastian and Finn, and the future of the fae realm hangs in the balance. The second part has a darker feel to it, which suited the story, and the ending is absolute perfection. It was great to see Brie find her place in the fae realm, and Lexie Ryan managed to neatly tie off the arcs of all the main characters.

I can't wait to hold a physical copy in hand, and the fact that I've pre-ordered two editions speaks volumes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC!

My gosh this book! It was the best conclusion! Whilst I did want a little more fighting, I'm so pleased with the ending. I feel extremely satisfied that everyone got the ending they deserved and I genuinely can't believe it's over. I think this duology has made Lexi an immediate purchase author, and has firmly placed itself in my top 10 books. More please!

An amazing sequel ! Beautifully written cannot wait to read more from this author and so just look at that beautiful cover!!

This had a very different vibe to the first book, These Hollow Vows which I wasn't expecting. I really enjoyed the new atmosphere as it was very reminiscent of other fantasy books that I love. I did however prefer the first book for it's setting and lightheartedness that would not usually be in fantasy, this book was a lot darker and took place in multiple settings, often on journeys and so personally I didn't love it quite as much but I did feel it was a good read.

I love the dynamic between Sebastian, Finn and Brie a lot but I feel the seratonin I got from these three in the first book was completely gone now and so I wasn't as invested in the romance anymore and enjoyed seeing Brie's character development as an individual instead which was a big focus of this book. However, Misha was the best character to ever exist, I am in fact obsessed with him and love him with my whole heart, may we please have a spin off with his story because he's amazing and has so much depth to him.

The pacing was my main issue with this story was the pacing, I feel that the story up to the 75% mark was quite slow moving and long winded but then we got to the last 20% and everything under the sun happened and I felt like I had whiplash. This would have been fine if it also wasn't resolved in such a short amount of time. I wanted so much more from these scenes and I felt they could have had a much bigger impact on me if they had been drawn out a little more like the majority of this book was.

Overall, I still thoroughly recommend this duology, the characters are fun and lovable, the individuality of the first book is great and I would be interested in other series set in this world!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I liked this book even better than the first one.More adventure,more world building,tension,character development and of course more Finn. I throughly enjoyed it .
Thank you

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and I'm incredibly grateful to have received an ARC from NetGalley.

Whilst I would love nothing more than to fangirl, I'm going to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, but there are a few hints at the plot.

The second book on the duology picks up right where the first ended, in the Golden Palace surrounded by darkness. I don't know about you, but I was dying to see how that all played out as Brie comes to terms with the consequences of their actions.

There are a few new characters introduced - one in particular stole my heart - as well as the return of many of the characters you know and love from the first book. With additional lore, that builds upon what we knew (or what we thought we knew...) from book one. It feels like a continuation of the same story, where the question marks left from These Hollow Vows are answered.

I have to mention that the love triangle lives on (admittedly not my favorite trope) but it continues to be well-written, with Brie torn between what's best for the courts, and not the males that reside within them.

So, what did I think? I enjoyed the second book just as much as the first - as illustrated by my 200+ Kindle highlights - and will be purchasing a physical copy when it releases.

You can see the clear character growth as the story progresses and I'm happy with how the final scenes played out. It's a satisfying conclusion to Brie's story.

That said, I am left with a few minor questions and storylines I'd like to see with the side characters, and hope the author revisits this world from a different perspective in the future.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022.

I devoured the first book and became so enthralled on the world that was built upon each page. In that sense this book did not disappoint.

These Twisted Bonds starts where the first book left off and I found myself drawn straight back into the world. The magic system is shown in a more diverse light in this book, capturing how each character uses their powers.

Overall I loved the book, the romance, the action, the world building. All of it.

However I felt that this series could have been split into a triology rather than a Duology. So much happens in the last third of the book that I found myself getting slightly confused as to what was happening. Visiting the underworld, a shadow self, the very quick sudden death of the villain. I would have liked to see all this go into more detail and build the suspense for these pretty big events.

This doesn’t take away my love for the book and I’m looking forward to my hard copy arriving upon release.

"In a different world, in a different life, we'd be together. No kingdoms to rule, no people to save, just you and me..."
*
Picking up exactly where book one ended, we see Brie come to terms with the life altering betrayal she suffered at the hand of one of her princes. As she learns to adapt to her new body and powers, she doesn't allow herself to trust anyone. With the fate of the realm hanging in the balance she soon realises that she still has a role to play, one that could finally bring peace to the Courts. But is she willing to risk it all?
*
"Magic is the possibility of breaking rules. It paves the way for change..."
*
I've been waiting on this sequel for so long! I was lucky enough to get an early ARC of book one back in December 2020 so it's been a long time coming for this one. And it was everything I hoped it would be! I loved where the story went next - it's action packed with a healthy dash of romance to boot. I would say this one leans more towards the New Adult category which I was very much a fan of! I loved how it wove Celtic traditions within the story too, for example the festival of Lughnasadh and Queen Medb (Mab). Whether you're Team Finn or Team Sebastian you're going to have to preorder now for July in order to find out which, if any, Brie chooses! You'll get no hints from me! Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the ARC.
*
"This is a throne of the night, of the misfits and the lost. This is the throne for all those who had to endure the darkness to find the stars..."

I am just so in love with these books! - I fell in love with 'These Hollow Vows' last year and would not stop talking about it, I recommended it to all my friends and it was one of my favourite books of that year, so I was super happy to be able to read the sequel.
Although it didn't end the best way for the character I was rooting for I am still so happy with how this turned out, (although the love interests do get a little bit annoying at times) and I love to see Brie's strength come through, we love a strong female protagonist.
I'm so sad this is only a duology and that this is the end but I'm hoping to see some more faerie books from this author in the future!

After falling in love with These hollow vows last year I was eagerly awaiting the second book with bated breath.I know people always say the sequel is never as good as the first book, and to them I say you have obviously not read These Twisted Bonds. I am seriously in love with this book and how we are gifted with even more character development & backstories. As well as an introduction to some new characters in this world.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton publishers as well as Netgalley for allowing me to review this ARC.
And I would like to thank Lexi Ryan for bringing this work of art into my life.

Seriously this book was just outstanding, and dare I say it is even better than the first one. The story starts off where the first book finished. After Brie finds out about the betrayal all chaos rains down on the kingdom.
Not only does Brie need to come to terms with what her powers mean but she also has to fight with the difficulty she faces in trusting anyone.
The book was full of twists. Much like the first book, the author does not show her hand straight away. We are left to put the pieces together just as the story starts to unravel.
I loved the fact the we get a chance to meet new characters and i have to say Misha is now a firm favourite, this guy needs his own tale, not only is he sassy but he is funny with it. he quickly becomes a fav side character.
I have to admit I did start to feel sorry for Sebastian.
The world building in this book is just a work of art.

I thoroughly enjoyed These Hollow Vows (surprisingly so, considering that love triangles are not my jam but I felt it was so well done), so I couldn't wait to get started on this sequel.

These Twisted Bonds picks up right where we left off, with our heroine Brie reeling from the betrayals at the end of the first book. For having been so excited to read it, I was surprised by how long it took me to get through the first half of this book. From about halfway through I found that the plot picked up and I was able to zoom through it a bit more after the slow start.

Lexi Ryan did a great job with the love triangle aspects again (anyone who can make me enjoy a story with a love triangle front and centre deserves major kudos), and ultimately I was satisfied with everyone's endings.

These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2) by Lexi Ryan
Review by divoratricedilibri2.0 blog

Thank you Netgalley and HodderBooks for this arc! I read the first one on Christmas and I was really excited to the second one! Thank you thank you!

The first book of this duology ended with a big plot twist - predictable - which, however, left Abriella very shaken and with a thousand doors open for what would happen in the following book.
I had enjoyed the first book, although it was nothing super original, I had found it quite entertaining, it had interesting dynamics between the characters and the writing made me want to read, read and understand what was going on.
The book starts right where we left off.
Abriella finds herself in a new world, no longer as a "guest" but as a part of it post the bond with Sebastian, and therefore, on the one hand she has to get used to all of this, and on the other to live with the inner struggle she is experiencing with her conflicting feelings. She doesn't trust anyone, Finn and Sebastian, who, in different ways, have both betrayed her. It is now up to her to decide what to do, not only for herself but also for all the problems of the seelie and unseelie court.
I appreciated the direction that the story has taken, because first of all, even if it may be a bit boring at first, it focuses enough on the protagonist compared to the romance, which she herself puts for this moment in second floor. We love romance of this kind, but angst even more so keep going.
Let's say that this book, being the conclusion, must unravel all the knots of the plot - which as seen and reviewed at the level of intrigue is not bad at all, on the contrary - and from this point of view I cannot say that I was 100% satisfied. Unfortunately I would have preferred a few more chapters at the end, because it all seemed a bit too fast, especially since the beginning is a bit slow!
But all in all I liked it so much and I devoured the second part in one evening. I really liked the dynamism between the characters, the fact that, being in a love triangle, it was developed quite well, taking into account what happened at the end of the first one (if you know you know) and solving everything with something meaningful that not only takes into account everyone, both at the level of characters, feelings and dynamics, but also for what is the world in which we are inserted.
If you are afraid to start this second volume on the basis of the triangle I just tell you: read
good this title :) EHEHEHEHEH
I can't say more, come on. But all in all, if you liked the first one, I think you will like this one too, especially because so many question marks - or some scenes or words that seemed to me to be placed there at random - make sense!

In conclusion:
I liked this book, I had some reservations for the ending but all in all it is super in line.
It is a YA fantasy-romance duology, nothing too original, but fun and that definitely entertains you, which I therefore recommend for those who want to have a relaxing reading but at the same time keep you glued to the pages. If you have read Acotar you will find many similar ones (but this is because I believe that Lexi Ryan is a lover of Maas like me)!
I sincerely hope that the author - who apparently has always written romance up to now - will continue on this genre, because these two books are quite fine!!!

I leave you with this quote on which I still sobbing crying throwing up:
"When you came into my life, you were a bright star in an endlessly dark night."

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the review copy, which was provided to me by Hodder & Stoughton. This fact does not in any way affect my personal opinion of this book. This post contains advertising and the rights for the book belong to the publisher.

Of course, is this only my personal opinion on the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

I am so thankful that I got an ARC of this book because after the cliffhanger of book one I really needed to know how things will continue.
I read this book in one sitting and I can’t wait to have it on my shelf. It’s still a perfect mixture of ACoTaR and Cruel Prince and I liked the character dynamics a lot.
I would say that this book is a bit spicier than book one.
There were some parts that I wished would have gotten a bit more plot time but anyways I still love this series and will still recommend it to my friends.

Conclusion
A really good conclusion to an awesome series! Perfect for fans of ACoTaR and Cruel Prince!

I finished this book in 24 hours! Loved it! Glad this was a duaology, alot of authors go down the trilogy route and end up with too much going on and the sotry getting lost.
This was the right amount of story/plot/ending without going on too long or having the reader bored of filler.

The first book kind of lost me at the start but by the end and this 2nd book it got me. It definitely deserves the 4 stars and it was the first book in a while o was desperate to finish.

These Twisted Bonds is the hugely entertaining follow up to These Hollow vows, the fantasy fae love triangle book you didn't realise you needed in your life.

Ryan picks up the narrative from the end of the last book. Brie is hurt, betrayed and just a bit angry that she's been trapped in a fae body by the man/fae she thought she loved. Finding herself alone in a realm where she can trust no one, Brie meets the new character of Misha (why do the best characters always pop up in the second book?) and finds a new purpose in trying to undo the harm caused by the Seelie Queen, Arya. She discovers her actions have caused huge unrest in the Unseelie court and she needs to find a way to balance the power between the two courts whilst learning how to harness her new powers.

This sequel has everything the first book had and more. The love triangle gets more tangled and confusing. I adore the two rival half brother Princes, both vying for Brie's love and trust. There's more betrayal, confessions and simmering desire. Brie, Finn (I'm a solid team Finn fan here!) and Sebastian all grow and develop in this book with wonderful character arcs.

If you loved the first book, you'll be very happy with this sequel. It gets 4.5 stars from me, it would have a been a solid 5, but I found this book was a bit slow to start. Fans of ACOTAR, The Cruel Prince and FBAA will would really enjoy this duology. Thank you so much to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this fantastic sequel in return for an honest review.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl with blazing red hair who was destined to save a kingdom . .."

After Part 1, I was totally in love with this story. The love triangle, the adrenaline, everything. But part 2? This one is even better! At first, I couldn't decide who I love more - Sebastian or Finn. But after this book, I totally understand why Abriella choose Finn. But I wouldn't be surprises if Sebastian still find his perfect match, why I'm sad this story ends now. It was faszinating, inhaling, absolutely good. I loved it from the first sentence. And most of all the emotions, which gets to the reader so, so good. I could imagine every Szene very good and also the language of Lexi Ryan was totally comforting. For me this storyline is a highlight and I hope, that it will be translated into German! ♥️

I'm so happy that this is a duology as it gives the story space to build and evolve without slowing down at all.

This was a great end to the story and I loved the twists. Every time I thought I had figured something out, something new came into change my mind. I feel like the end leaves us with an option of future books but very satisfied if not.

Fast paced, addictive with a romance to swoon over.

Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading These hollow vows last year, I was very excited to pick up the sequel.

While I mostly enjoyed this book, I unfortunately did not enjoy it as much as the first book.

A few of the characters and their actions felt very similar to the ACOTAR books and therefore made the overall plot feel a little predictable.. The beginning of the book was slow and didn't pick up until the 150 page mark and this made the first half feel like a bit of a chore to get through. The ending kind of felt a little anti-climatic and just missed the mark for me.

Overall this was an ok read but I unfortunately probably wouldn't pick it up again.

I am a sucker for fae books. When I read book 1 of this duology last year, it didn't really become my favourite but it was a well-written fantasy. Lexi Ryan's writing style made it quite easy to read too. Though, I found the world-building a little confusing at times.

In reading These Twisted Bonds , I was once again left feeling a little confused by the world-building, though that confusion was resolved by the time we got to the second half of the story. Once again, the writing style was pretty easy to get and when I was reading the story, I was pretty hooked on it. But I heavily cringed with the use of the word 'male'. It just sounded a tad bit cringy to me and was off-putting (to a minimal degree).

The story might appear slow to a certain extent, but I think because of the writing, it feels as though things are moving quickly. I loved Brie's character in this book a lot more than I did in book 1. Same goes for Finn. But Sebastian...I disliked him. He was overtly possessive and some of the things he said to Brie were not okay. But I quite liked the ending we got for him.

Overall, I think I ended up liking this duology a lot more than I thought I would. It's a fun fae fantasy tale that people might just end up enjoying.