Lexi Ryan - These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows 2)

Cannot be put into words

Blurb:
After Abriella's sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn't get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making ­- loving two princes and trusting neither - things are not quite as clear as she once thought.
As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn't even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don't lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm - whether she likes it or not.

How do I start a review when I'm just speechless to have read such a masterpiece?
How do I find words for a perfect book?
Thank you Lexi for this dilogy that went straight into Hall Of Fame of my books. What can I say?
Volume 1 was already epic and volume 2 made this series one of my favorites.
Absolute love for this book and this ending!
I also want to thank you for this ARC. Volume 1 had such a bad ending that I had to know what will happen next.
Thank you for this terrific second part that did not disappoint me at all.

I need more books like this from you dear Lexi! Can I have some more, please!

Absolute reading recommendation!

5+ ⭐️ / 5 ⭐️

“When you came into my life, you were a bright star in an endlessly dark night.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After Abriella's sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn't get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making ­- loving two princes and trusting neither - things are not quite as clear as she once thought. As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn't even know herself anymore? The more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don't lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm - whether she likes it or not.

It’s interesting to see how Brie adapts to her new life as a faerie. And the fact her powers start behaving differently with her change. She did annoy me a little bit at times but I could forgive her for it since she found herself in an impossible situation. She’s been thrust into a world, into a body, that she’s hated for many years and feels - understandably - discombobulated by it. I liked seeing her determination and her sincerity at doing all she could to protect innocents. More so I liked the fact that she didn’t lose her sass and feistiness.
Sebastian annoyed me to no end. His entitlement and belief that he had done so little wrong made me very irate with him. It’s incredible how different he is in the two books - but I prefer this more honest version of him. Not as charismatic or charming, he shows just how desperate he is and can be - and how far he’s willing to go to keep what he wants.
This story definitely further endeared Finn to me massively. I found myself rooting for him as the book progressed and getting excited any time he popped up. Still deadly, still more to him than meets the eye. But he’s incredibly soft and considerate. He’s still a cinnamon roll in my eyes!

I can safely say that Brie ended up with the right one in the end. And what a rollercoaster it was to get there! I loved that we were introduced to new characters - some of who became a favourite for the levity they brought! - who became bigger presences as the story unfolded. The flow was great, something always happening. There were a few time jumps that were rather sudden but I didn’t mind too much, I don’t feel it detracts from the story. The romance was definitely a level up from the first book - as was the pining. I’m also a massive sucker for the single bed trope and I was maddeningly happy to see it included!

Overall, These Twisted Bonds is a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic duology.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on 18th July.

I felt that the second book was way too slow to start with. The internal dialogue was frustrating and it took too long for the MC to step into her power because she was held back by her pity party. The last 150-odd pages carried the book and made me want so much more of that, instead of the slow and unnecessary start. Well love triangles are not my thing, I do acknowledge that there is a place for it, but this book definitely cemented my opinion that it is not something I like from the books I read.

I feel like I just wanted more from this duology - like it just kept missing the mark. It had potential but didn't reach it. The world-building, history, and relationships, just wasn't enough.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

"The shadows bring balance to the sun, the dark balances the light."

THIS IS MY HATE REVIEW OF THESE TWISTED BONDS Y'ALL WAITED FOR🤺

"I'm just a human girl"
"What could you possibly want to discuss with me? I'm no one, but foolish girl"

Starting off strong with bathing🛀 in self pity mc🧍. Annoying af. The amount of times she said she's "just a human girl" pissed me off so much😑

"I never asked for any of this."
"I do know this: you're more powerful than you realize."

I wanted to slap her so hard👊 like girl just stfu🤬, everyone was telling her how ✨special✨ and ✨more powerful✨ and ✨not like other girls✨ she is and she was like no🖐️ no that's not me🥺 I'm just stupid human girl, who got tricked😥 and I don't have this cool ass powers y'all are talking about🥺

"When you came into my life, you were a bright star in an endlessly dark night."

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS GOD-AWFUL LOVE CORNER🤦Pls this sh!t was so irritating, we all knew since the beginning who she'll end up and it was just so enraging🤬, like the guy🧝 manipulated and lied to her gazillion times and she still came running🏃 to him whenever he opened his mouth.

"Magic is the possibility of breaking rules."

This book was so simple yet the history📜 and things happening outside the love corner🙄 plot were so confusing. I didn't know what was happening where🧍, cuz there was no description or anything. Don't get me wrong I don't like 3 pages with descriptions of the paint on the walls, but some basic details of background🏞️ is necessary. In this book there wasn't any description beside mc saying how plain she was and how ugly she looked with short hair 🙄

"Pick a star", he whispered in my ear. "Make a wish."

This felt like ACOTAR fanfic written by 12 year old who just finished A court of mist and fury🌫️ and tried to write something similar, but ended up copying✍️ almost everything. Or when you're copying✍️ ur friend homework for school and u "change" some things so the teacher won't notice.

"Is that what I am to you?" he asks, stepping close. "A mistake?"

Reading this book was mistake. After disappointing first book I should've forget this series existed. The only good in this book was Misha🦅. His back must be hurting from carrying this book. 1,5/5⭐ (0,5 for Misha🦅)

Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of These Twisted Bonds.

As everyone knows I adored These Hollow Vows. I was hyping this book up for months. I have been forcing my friends to read it and constantly talking about it. So I was so, so excited for the sequel and final book in the duology.

I won't say I was disappointed but I do wish that this book was tighter. The pacing was a bit weird as there was a whole lot of filler at the start and then the last 100 pages were jam-packed with so much action. I wish that the last section of the book was the entire novel. It could have been more fleshed out.

I also understand that following the shocking (not shocking if you don't trust blonde men) ending of the first book, I knew that the love triangle would continue. As this series was not a trilogy, I disliked that there was still so much up in the air about who Brie will end up with. We barely got any time with her and her final love interest. I wish the epilogue had have been longer.

Or this romance be brought to the fore quicker.

That being said, I still really loved the book. I love Lexi's writing and I love the characters. I was so intrigued by the plot and just adored the ending. Like I said, I loved the last 100 pages and they were really the saving grace of this book.

I obviously have to address the "this is just a knock-off ACOTAR" comments. I didn't feel that way in the first book, there are plenty of fae-centric love triangle-y books. But there were a lot of parallels in the sequel from the evil priestess to watching a starfall. I know people will say "oh learning to love again with a morally grey dark haired fae" but come on now, that is 90 per cent of books at this point.

I really liked this book and can't wait to see what fantasy novels Lexi has up her sleeve next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this copy. I will review this book as soon as possible.

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Cannot express how excited I was when I was approved for These Twisted Bonds, especially after These Hollow Vows was one of my fave reads of 2021. This is pure perfection and completely worth the wait!!

These Twisted Bonds is the conclusion to the "These Hollow Vows" duology and it's an amazing second instalment. Before we get into the review, this book definitely fits more in the NA genre rather than the YA genre.

This book picks up straight after the events of the first book. We follow how Brie felt after the events of the last book and her actions.

Worldbuilding definitely picked up a bit more in this book and we meet some new characters whom I absolutely adored and were rooting for.

Seb made me so angry in this book, like I wanted to punch him so many times. But Finn... Finn I just wanted to bubble wrap and protect him from harm. He's such a softie and simp in this book, I loved it.

I found the last about 1/4 of the book was rushed but other than that, I loved everything! The ending was what I was hoping for and I literally fist bumped the end. This was such an epic conclusion and ended nicely, I'm not left with wanting more which is nice, since I won't spend the next few months hoping for another book or a spin-off, though if that should happen, I won't be complaining.

I really wish this was an ongoing series rather than a duology!! I need to know more.

The last 40% of this book was full of twists and turns and was jam packed with the need to read and not put it down.

I was so glad at the outcome, I’ve been hoping it turned out that way since the beginning!! Finn is definitely one of my new book boyfriends. The smut was minimal but left you gasping for more / maybe in an adult book it would’ve been!

Highly recommend Lexis duology if you’re a SJM lover and all round Fae world wannabe

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊!⠀
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I was overjoyed when I received the ARC because I enjoyed the first book and the ending piqued my interest. Despite the fact that the previous one was similar to ACOTAR, I expect the author to provide a different plot in the sequel. However, I was disappointed because the plot and characters were identical to those in Maas's book; nothing new. Although I assumed Sebastian, Brie's love interest in the first book, would have a different ending, his and Brie's bond really sold me, but Sebastian is sidelined and rendered ineffective.⠀
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The remainder of the plot is a continuation of the Maas book. Even though the author appears to have made a slight difference by introducing new characters who played a role in Brie's rescue at the start, I don't believe their presence is necessary.⠀
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What irritates me even more is Brie's childish behavior, and her idea of getting out of trouble is to flee. Brie, too, has no idea what she wants; she can't make up her mind and can't make her own decisions, one of which is that she always acts recklessly. Then there are the conflicts between the two courts, as well as a lot of conversations between characters that the author uses as an alternative to disclosing things, which I think is a bit annoying.⠀
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Finn who is the way out of Brie's problems and the chaos between the two courts, will most likely charm you, but I actually think Finn's character is boring and pretentious, lol. But what I liked best was how the author made me conflicted about who Brie would ultimately choose: Finn or Sebastian. ⠀

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

Before jumping on this book, I re-read These Hollow Vows and I’m so glad I did because its sequel, These Twisted Bonds, picks up right where we left off our Brie, running after discovering that Sebastian forced her to drink the Potion of Life and turned her into an immortal fae.

I had so many feelings and thoughts while reading this story. After a while, I was absolutely mad and scared that the story wasn’t going where I wished it would go. I was ready to call it a disaster. We move away from the Seelie and Unseelie Court, while Brie finds herself new allies and a place to rest in the Wild Fae territories. I thought it was too dragging, and I was missing too much a particular Unseelie fae, Finn, who was my favourite since book 1.

After moments of anxiety and re-considering all my life choices, Finn finally re-appeared and the story became everything I wanted it to be and more. This is what a sequel should be like, it perfectly tied up all the loose ends from book one, managing to bring in new intriguing characters and expand this world.

Yes, it still has lots of ACOTAR vibes, and yes, Finn still very much resembles Rhysand, but I still loved how the writer went beyond the bond factor and introduced the new element of tethering, which managed to steer away from the Maas’s world mating bond and bring redemption for a certain character. I can’t say I fully loved Brie in this book as much as in the first one. She sometimes needs to snap out of it, too much self-commiseration and self-doubt, but I still loved how the writer explored Brie’s magic and power.

I am glad the story found a rounded ending and it proves that certain stories should remain a duology, and not be forced into a trilogy. However, I would not be surprised if we end up with a separate story in the same world, I mean, it’s amazing and the side characters are so intriguing (Misha, I’m looking at you) and I am thirsty for more.

I did like this book more than the previous one. I had a lot of things to say for the previous book, and I'm happy to say that a few of them were done better in this one. I had a lot of problems with the main character, the way she handled a lot of situations and all her rash choices. She's not my favorite character ever, and I had a few moments when I had to roll my eyes at her, but she was more bearable this time. Speaking of favorite characters, this book finally gave me one. A new character that steals the spot from the two love interests for half of the book. I would be interested in a spinoff, I swear. The romance and the plot are better balanced, this is definitely an improvement but I still think a few things were handled too fast for my liking, a bit more introspection was needed. And sadly I did guess the plot twist really early and let me tell you, it was frustrating to see that no one was connecting the dots 😂. In the end, it was a good book, and i enjoyed it.

The second in this duology did not disappoint. I loved the world building, relationship development and steamy romance. The biggest problem I have is that I now want more books in this world. I hope the author will continue to write about some of the other characters as I really want more. #thesetwistedbonds #NetGalley

Lexi Ryan me and you are going to have a falling out soon! the first book made me scream WTF so loud my neighbour asked about it the next day. this book OMG was almost thrown across my flat the tension in this book got to me as i just wanted to know the result of the love triangle and what the hell our female MC was going to do.

i love these book as for once the female MC even though is in love with two people doesn't make that her whole personality like some fae fantasy books do. This book is full of twist and turns and ruins you emotionally. i love the fact there was a married platonic couple in this book as that was refreshing to see as 99.9% of the time these books are all about find the MC mate and so i was happy to see that been introduced in this book.

the only issue i found with the book was the ending felt a little rushed but over all this series was great with interesting world building and a flowing storying line which keeps you reading until you are screaming at the last page

I can't tell you how excited I was at getting this ARC Book for These Twisted Bonds By Lexi Ryan. The big finale of this epic duology series.This had everything I wanted non-stop action, two sexy princes, romance, twists and turns, enemy's and of course the awesome fantasy world Lexi has created. I couldn't wait to dive into this phenomenal world and lose myself in one of my favourite series.

"𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚.

Omg where to start, I can't justify in words how brilliant and magical this book was, I lost myself in this world and didn't want it to come out of. The book starts from where we were left in These Hollows Vows, where Prince Ronan betrays Abriella and yes I was heartbroken and seriously so annoyed with him for doing that to her. So now poor Abriella and wow god my heart breaks for her, she now has two princes after her. With Ronan not breaking the bond between him and Brie, determined to win her back and the other being Prince Finnian who also has feelings for Brie. But Abriella's trust has been broken and she struggles to trust anyone anymore, and I do not blame one bit. Abriella seriously wow girl she grows so much into herself in this book, she is a totally fierce, badass and passionate young lady. Even though she has the court of the moon on her shoulders, she fights on and I love that strength she has, to do whatever she can to save it. With the two kingdoms going against each other, and Queen Ayra causing trouble and ordering her son Prince Ronan what she wants. Brie struggles with her feelings between the two princes and where her heart truly belongs. What side she is going to choose before war destroys the court of the moon, the longer she leaves the more fae are being destroyed.

"𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨, 𝘼𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖."
"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚," 𝙄 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧. "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝.

I’m so upset to say goodbye to this extraordinary world, the twist and turns revealed was amazing and I loved having the Finnian gang back with Pretha, Kane, Jerek and the fun these guys bring. We even get to know more about characters that were mentioned in These Hollow Vows but didn't really know much about, but we do in this one and he's a really cool character. I deffo had my favourite prince but I won't say, Im sure your agree when you have ready this book. I did have my sobbing moments, there truly are so beautiful and touching scenes and makes your heart melt.Stunning perfect ending for this Ya fantasy series Lexi couldn't have asked for more, and I can't wait for future books.

The thrilling conclusion to Lexi Ryan’s deliciously fae YA fantasy picks up right where These Hollow Vows left off, leading us straight into the heart of the action. I do recommend rereading book one (or at least the end of book 1 as a refresher before starting this as the action is pretty non-stop in the first few chapters and many characters make an appearance or are mentioned that could get confusing if you’ve not read it in a while.

Brie is still reeling from the betrayal of the two Fae she trusted most, but with a war brewing between the courts and her heart still torn between the princes, her life just got even more complicated. As, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don’t lie and Brie has a role to play in saving this magical realm—whether she likes it or not.

I did really enjoy this, and appreciated that it picks up immediately after the ending of These Hollow Vows but the pacing did feel a little off in the first half of the book (feeling a little too fast and then too slow), fortunately pacing did manage to pick up a consistent pace in the second half and I ended up throughly loving the action and character arcs we are treated to.

I loved the development we see in Brie who’s trying to come to terms with her new life and her new shadowy powers. She does mature a lot throughout and her courage is amazing as was her emotional journey which I found really satisfying to witness.

The love triangle dynamic is still going strong in the first half but the romance does quickly shift as Brie closes in on her HEA. I was initially conflicted on which prince I loved more in These Hollow Vows as Sebastian and Finn were both incredibly swoon-worthy but I did end up loving one specific prince more in These Twisted Bond,thanks in part to the incredible depth Lexi Ryan’s imbues-the smouldering glances, the emotionally complex backstory (and his adorable, cinnamon roll adoration of Brie.)

Ryan also delves into the betrayal that Brie faced in the first book and I loved that we get treated to some pretty intense, thorough conversations about it and put those actions into to perspective. It was also nice to see a female protagonist hold her love interests accountable for their actions, and get them to understand why those actions were hurtful/wrong— I absolutely LOVED that!

I also absolutely loved some of the new and supporting characters introduced— particularly Misha (Pretha’s brother) who I’d love to see in a spinoff series in the future. I did sense a little flirtation at the end between a couple of the supporting characters and would love to see more of from them

Overall, it’s an enjoyably action-packed conclusion with a twist I honestly didn’t see coming. So, if you enjoyed These Hollow Vows I definitely recommend checking this out.

Also, a huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I really, really wanted to love this book, but the second book in this duology really missed the mark for me.

I definitely should have re read the first book, or there should have been a summary of what happened in book one right at the start of this one, as sometimes I find it really hard to remember what happened, and that's on me, but that did play a big part in affecting my enjoyment. My review of These Hollow Vows said I had so many theories as to where this book was going to go, and I could not remember a single one.

I enjoyed all the characters so much less in this book, I especially found Sebastian to be whiney (I mean I get it, but it doesn't mean it's not offputting), which was frustrating as I really loved the characters in the first book. The ending of this book was far too rushed, with too much happening in the space of 50 pages.

I can absolutely see why people love this series, and will like this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

**Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the eArc to review**

I've read a lot of fantasy and was hoping that this would give me that sort of guilty pleasure quick read - but it didn't hit the mark for me unfortunately.

I find that the main disappointment for most reviewers is that this isn't ACOTAR even though ACOTAR is far from the first book to ever touch on fae fantasy. If that's what you want, this book is not for you. Let's also not act like Maas is the pinnacle of good writing.

I really struggled with knowing what reader this was aimed for - it had some sexual content despite feeling targeted towards more of a YA audience, and when they mentioned that Brie wasn't even 18 yet it felt very strange as I had assumed they were all at least in their twenties.

I felt that this did not need to be a duology - there was not enough meat to the plot to justify this second book. There was a lot of travelling, then a kidnapping/invasion/attack, then back to travelling - over again until I had to double check that I hadn't accidentally gone back a few chapters. The narrative felt very repetitive and felt like the author was just trying to draw out the book with some internal monologues.

Thank you to Netgalley an the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I must admit that I was a bit worried when I started this book as I am not a fan of love triangles. I was team Finn in book one and I wanted to see them happy together.
This book opens up to a new territory and the plot was interesting. We met really cool new characters and follow our three main ones.
Sebastian…oh he really annoyed me in this book. But his arc was quite good and was surprised with his final choices.
Finn…well…he is perfection! If you loved him in the first book you will adore him in this one.
Brie…I have a bit of a struggle with her. She is so selfless and always put others before here…I wanted to scream at her with certain decisions she made but overall she is a goof MC.

Overall, the writing was good and easy to follow. The plot and characters keep your interest up and wanting to know how everything will resolve, the pacing of the book was perfect for the story but some points were a bit repetitive.The chemistry between the characters was one of the things I really liked in the first book and in this one is chef's kiss to the point that I wanted more scenes.
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*** Warning! This is the sequel to These Hollow Vows review may contain spoilers! ***

These Twisted bonds was pretty much what I expected it to be although with a few more twists and turns. It’s a fast-paced and fun fantasy read, just as its prequel. However, I would’ve wished a little more character depth or something like it. I feel like there was potential for more, both regarding several characters and the plot itself, but it didn’t really carry out all the way. At least that’s how I felt.

So, it’s a good read, perfect if you want young adult fast-paced fantasy romance,a nice conclusion to this duology but it unfortunately lacks the “ something more” necessary to get 5 stars from me.

*** Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! ***