The last Seer of Auveny spoke a curse on her deathbed, proclaiming Prince Cyrus’ future bride as the only one who can stop the curse. As the current Seer of Auveny, it is up to Violet to manipulate events to make sure the prince actually chooses a bride before the people grow too restless with their fear. It would be easier if he wasn’t so stubborn and if there wasn’t a mysterious voice whispering of damned futures in her dreams every night. Perhaps if they worked together they could save the kingdom between them, but a lifetime of distrust is difficult to overcome – especially when a pesky thing like lust keeps getting in the way.

I love the premise of this book; it turns the true loves saves the day trope completely on its head with a sarcastic and grittily realistic prophet who is so buried in lies that she treads a fine line between hero and villain. True love will not save the day, but if Violet can spin the tale just right it might avert complete disaster at least. And the rough edges of the truth are nothing that time, and lack of a better answer, can’t buff out.

The magic in Auveny has two sides: the fun and light and whimsical versus the dark and gritty. One moment Violet is telling a bubbly teenager that she Sees her talking with the prince at a ball and the next she is Seeing thorny roses erupting bloodily from a familiar body. Similarly glamours can be frivolous vanity or they can be used to hide untold dangers.

As a main character Violet is perfect. She is right in the middle of all of the action, yet at the same time she lingers on the side-lines. Both seen and unseen, both important and disposable, both manipulator and manipulated. Her character is strategically balanced on a tightrope between bliss and chaos and she walks this fine line from beginning to end. Not once does her character change to suit others or to adapt to the plot. Whenever chaos rears its head, Violet’s pragmatism quickly takes over. Even at the end she is still playing the game of a balancing act. There is no all-in-one solution and no happily-ever-after. This book is messy and it is real and it is brilliant.

"People exhaust me".

This line itself could single-handedly persuade me to rate this book with 5 stars. XD

On a serious note, I have a lot of thoughts so let's start from the beginning, if that makes sense. I dived into the book without reading the blurb and boy! did that work in my favor. I wasn't a fan of the language and the writing but gradually the icy cold tone of the narration started making sense because that's supposed to be a reflection of the female lead's character. Soon, we are introduced to the main love interest who manages to earn my ire quite early. None of the characters are too impressive or exactly heroic but they are all very interesting and convincing. I loved that the heroine is such a cynic and is insistent on only ever using her head, all the while ignoring her heart-- because that's such a breath of fresh air. Oh, by the way, she is a Seer.

Okay, one of the most interesting things I noticed about this book is that it combines tropes from all of our favorite fairy tales, sometimes twisting them, sometimes subverting them and I have read a lot of retellings but never have I ever encountered such a clever combination of all the tropes into one smooth and delicious enemies-to-lovers romance. And when I say all I really mean all-- from girls trapped in towers, cursed-princes-turned-beasts to midnight balls and spiteful witches.

In the midst of all the revelry, there is also an undercurrent of commentary on colonialism, manipulation of public opinion and the nature versus culture debate. The only blatantly visible flaw in the book is the lack of world-building which leaves much to be speculated about the magic system and I had to fill in a lot of gaps by myself, almost in the manner of a willing suspension of disbelief.

All in all, a great leisure read and may be picked up by anyone looking for a quick and fun read.

P.S. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I mean... where do I even begin! I absolutely LOVED this book! I have been so obsessed with the enemies to lovers fantasy genre and haven't found a book that has given me this many goosebumps since The Cruel Prince. I am so happy I got to ARC this book because it has become one of my all time favourites. I can't wait for it to be released so I can add a hardcopy to my bookshelf.

The main protagonist was strong as nails and full of fire. I absolutely adored the way Violet managed to find strength even when she felt so lost in both her duties and her life. She stands by the decisions she makes and doesn't let anyone push her around, not even the spirits.

The enemies to lovers romance is everything I needed and more! Cyrus and Violet's bickering and their ability to get on each other's nerves to a point of desire gave me shivers every time they were together. They are both so equally stubborn it causes rifts between them in almost every meeting, but also drives their want for one another.

Overall I absolutely loved this book. The cover art, the plot, the romance, the EVERYTHING - It was perfect! It gave a great conclusion to the novel while still leaving room to explore more to the story and the romance. This tale is far from over, but I am so grateful the author gave us a proper ending to the book and not just a huge unfinished cliffhanger. Gina is definitely a new up and coming author to keep your eye on! Thank you Gina for the amazing read and I look forward to book 2!

Gina Chen has crafted the perfect twisted fairytale for those who love morally grey characters, romance and schemes.

Violet Made of Thorns is fast paced with a simplistic writing style that made it a quick and highly entertaining read. Whilst this book is described as a dark fantasy, I found that it was often light hearted, with humour scattered throughout.

Violet, our morally gray anti-heroine, was everything I expected her to be. She was selfish and cynical and I loved it! Prince Cyrus, her mortal enemy and love interest, was an amusing character and I enjoyed their enemies to lovers dynamic.

There were also some interesting side characters, specifically Dante and Camilla, who I am very excited to see more of in the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Interesting premise with a lot of promise however I found the plot- which was heavily influenced by a combination of fairy tales and tropes- predictable. I found it hard to emotionally invest with any particular character. Whilst there was enough draw to keep me reading I don't feel any particular desire to pick up the sequel.

"Violet Made of Thorns" is another dark fantasy inspired by fairytales, which seems to be a trend right now, which I approve of because I love dark fantasy inspired by fairytales. Add to that an Asian protagonist and the promise of an enemies-to-lovers kind of romance, and this quickly turned into one of my most anticipated ya reads of this year.

And it is a delightful one! I loved Violet, our morally grey and in many ways unusual protagonist who's been forced into the role of a court seer, which includes telling lies to her people whenever the king asks her to do so. She has the sight, can see the future and has prophetic dreams, though she's still very young and hasn't grown into her power just yet. And then there's also the prince who very much doesn't care for all the lying and scheming. Now, the romance is pretty central to the plot and it isn't actually enemies-to-lovers, because quite frankly, these two have always been in love. But there is a lot of tension, a lot of angst, and it's really quite delicious all around. I do have to say that at times I did wonder if they were actually in love, because Chen chose to focus very much on the sexual tension and aspects of their lust for each other, but in the end it all worked out well.
There are some other recurring characters, though admittedly neither of them is really that fleshed out. Maybe the sequel will focus on them more, because I'm not quite sure if I want the next book to be about Violet and Cyrus once again (as I quite liked where they ended up), so we'll see. The Big Bad of the story works well in this fairytale-esque setting, though they were nothing particularly new and I was hoping for a little more, to be honest.

The same can be said for the world-building. There isn't much to it, and I'll probably forget about the world pretty quickly, but what is there is well done and highly intriguing. Now give me some more actual political intrigue in the next book please please!
The plot is fast-paced, with eerie vibes all around and it's generell well-constructed and thought out.
In conclusion, this is another very imaginative, beautifully written dark fairytale-esque fantasy whose highlight, for me personally, is its protagonist. I'd give this a 3,5, but gladly round up to 4 stars because I had such fun reading it.

The cover of this book is absolutely beautiful. It was one of the things that drew me into the book in the first place and the title of the book is really gripping too.

In this book we meet violet who is a prophet, who influences the court as a seer. Buy not all her divinations are quite as clear cut and as true as she likes to lead you to believe.

Prince Cyrus doesn't like Violet and had plans of stripping her of the titl of seer for the court as soon as he is crowned king.

Then one day the king asks Violet to do a false prophecy for Cyrus and to create a love story for the upcoming kingdom ball. However by doing this violet awakens a dreaded curse about the princes future bride.

This is a really good sci fi fantasy book. It has a lot going for it. The characters are great and the storyline is really engaging and enjoyable.

Violet Made of Thorns is a dark YA fantasy that centres around Violet who is the Seer of the Kingdom, When she gives a false prophecy about the Prince she triggers a curse involving his future bride and more.
I enjoyed the POV of Violet, she was quite a refreshing character in this saturated genre, and generally enjoyed the plot. Found that the pace of the book changed towards the end and some parts felt rushed after the slow build up. Interested to read the conclusion of this duology!

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Whilst the concept of Violet Made of Thorns is so clever and unique, I find myself disappointed that this just didn't quite hit the mark for me. I loved the premise of this world so much. The fact that Violet isn't actively trying to be some heroine in this story, rather, is very much so looking out for herself and protecting pathways that other FMCs would be tearing down is so refreshing, and I wanted to love her immediately. For most of this book, I did appreciate her choices and her journey. I liked seeing her warring between lying to protect herself or a situation from turning on its head and which "side" she felt she needed to ally with. She is morally grey due to her upbringing and what the cost would be for her to lose all the power she's surmounted as the kingdom's Seer, and watching her wander in her darker thoughts, even tempted down those pathways was brilliant. This is something that continues from the first page to the last, and I'm thrilled she didn't suddenly have a change of heart along the way.

This especially made the enemies to lovers trope come to life in this novel. It was executed so well that I found myself truly engaging in any moment spent hating over Prince Cyrus alongside Violet. There was plenty of opportunity for this author to delve more into the falling in love aspects and lessen the enemy stance between Cyrus and Violet, but it held strong to the bitter end, which is one of the reasons I was invested enough to read this as quickly as I did. The fact that going into the sequel this trope still remains has me hopeful. I can understand the correlation to The Cruel Prince with all the hatred, betrayal and lack of trust both main characters possess for the other. This especially is notable in the last quarter of this novel.

The cursed prophecies and how they play out were interesting to me, especially where the curse is left off at the end of this novel. I liked the riddles, and how they could be taken along the way. I also liked that even though I guessed early on how they would play out with Cyrus and Violet, the pathway there was never dull, and her comprehension of the prophecies/her dreams all played a great part in aiding this interest along for me.

However, as much as I loved those elements, a lot of this book was a struggle, namely down to word choices and the overall language that gave Violet and the surrounding characters their voice. I would say the story is told (romance aside) from more of a lower YA/Middle-Grade stance, rather than what the synopsis had me expecting from a dark YA fantasy. As someone in my mid-thirties, who often reads YA, I was surprised by how young this read. It often made it feel clumsy, diminishing the world Chen was attempting to portray by some of the word choices. For one, I hated Cyrus' nickname and all the "ughs" that made Violet feel more like a spoiled youngster than someone who wields a great deal of power with her Sight. I also found moments where the world-building was too stilted, either information was given in a place where it wasn't necessary to what was happening at that time, or not enough was offered to fill the gaps. The last quarter of this book, whilst each moment on its own would be stellar in the way of revelations or culminations, was so fast-paced and put together that there simply wasn't enough time between each moment to grasp onto before the next came barrelling along. Because of this, I dropped the rating to 3.5 stars instead of 4.

I will be reading the sequel, however, as I'm intrigued to see what Chen can accomplish with what has been set up so far.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

4,5 stars!!
This book was beautiful from start to end.
The story began calmly, mainly introducing the protagonist and her cynic way of seeing the world, but it gradually changed, becoming more intricate, as the thorny vines of the title, with more parts of the story that conveyed in the main path, transforming this into a tale of magic, mysteries, lies and manipulation.

But despite the story being so well orchestrated and stuctured, and the plot so catching and interesting, the part I loved the most about this novel, since the beginning, stayed the protagonist.
Violet is a mood, she always seems so fed up, almost unsefferable about the constant inchoerence and falsity of the court, she cannot be anything else but cynic and, because of this, terribly relatable. And also incredibly funny.
She may be all beauty and grace and false niceties with the king and those who pay her for her fortune reading, but her inner monologues are a whole other story, and nothing can't stop her from pissing off Princey or calling him an idiot on a regular basis, even in front of the whole court.
She is now the queen of my existence.

Cyrus, on the other hand, even tho he is too made up of falsities to please the public, is secretly more of a dreamer, who believes in true love, that he has already found it and it is just a matter of time since shewill realise and accept it too. And this will cost him highly, for his whole life, yes, but during this specific summer even more. I honestly can't wait to see if and how his perspective of life will change in the next book after all that has happened.
I was asked to specify that one of the best things about him is his sister Camilla (princess Camilla definitely is NOT the one who asked me to)

Also the dynamic of their relationship... the "I hate you"-"I hate you more"-*instant violent make out*-vibes are immaculate.

I honestly can't find anything that I would have preffered to be done in a different way, maybe something more about the backstory of the Witch or Nadyira? But what we had and knew actually seemed already enough, and in any case we could and definitly hear more about th Witch in the next book, so...
I think this is one of the best things of the book, the story is already so interesting on its own, it has you in its grip, and some scenes are so unexpected that there really isn't room for flaws

Okay, if enemies to lovers is your favourite trope, I highly recommend you pick this book up!! It is the definition of enemies to lovers, and it is exactly what enemies to lovers should be - hating the attraction, hating every minute they spend together but wanting to be together anyway. The main character, Violet, is definitely... not the easiest to like. She is selfish, and lies to get what she wants, and puts herself before anyone else, but boy was she a breath of fresh air. The story is not quite a retelling, but an amalgamation of several different classic fairytales, and I loved that so much. I will say that, however, that the worldbuilding wasn't developed to the best it could be - I found everything surrounding the Fairywood and fairies to be quite vague, and the language didn't seem to know whether it was medieval and formal or modern and casual. There was also the consistent use of a very annoying nickname that grated on me from page 1, and ruined my enjoyment a bit.

the YA fantasy genre is declining in quality.

the romance is pitched as "i can fix her" meets "i can make him worse" and what's not to love abt that? and our main character is an antihero too! so i was supposed to love this book bc doesn't that sound fun at all? i'm always up for fun! i'm an enjoyer of fun things! i was supposed to be very obsessed with the couple. yet i was sorely disappointed with the quality. like is this what the YA fantasy genre is producing..? truly? final answer ??? why was the storytelling so poor. and why was the worldbuilding so lousy. why was the writing so lackluster and inconsistent. where was the impact? i read the words and i felt nothing. i read lines that i know the author thought were bangers, because i could just tell that the author was itching to write them down, but they did not give what was supposed to be given. she was supposed to eat, but she choked and regurgitated instead. the inconsistent writing did not help either. they speak casually most of the time that i questioned whether this was contemporary, but then in dramatic moments they speak poetically. the dissonance was appalling, and i felt nothing while reading. like ok maybe a little chuckle here (more like a singular nose-exhale if i'm being honest) and a little 'ha-ha i see what you're trying to do' moments, but there was nothing remarkable abt literally anything.

but hey, it's not completely terrible! perhaps the only thing i liked abt this is Violet's characterization. she's a liar and she's cynical and she's also a bit mean-spirited. i like her because she doesn't try to be nice at all. but that's all i liked abt the book. the romance was dry, there's not much to say. the promised hate-kissing did not serve.

the rest is abysmal. example, i said the worldbuilding was lousy bc we have dragons, fairies (in tinker bell size), fates, and PISTOLS. yes, pistols! thing is, you can't just mention pistols and then leave it at that. where do they even get the gunpowder? see, i have no fucking idea what the world even looks like here. i have no clear picture of the setting, even the castle descriptions are paltry. i know we have a bridge, some halls, the tower (where our main character lives), the gardens, and..? we just have to fill in the rest apparently.

anyway, i am so disappointed with this. it's one of my most anticipated YA releases. if this is what the genre is producing nowadays, i do not think i will read any more YA fantasy. i'll need to find an alternative genre to read for fun. bc YA fantasy should at least be fun and entertaining even if the rest is bad, but this one just laughable.

OH MY GOSH!! This book was incredible, I devoured it, the ending took me by surprise, I'm DYING for book two, I need it now 😭

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for providing me with an e-ARC in return for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

"I want Prince Charming to fall from grace."

There were some aspects of this book I loved, and some that grated on me, but overall I couldn't put it down and see huge potential for the sequel.

FMC Violet is a total antiheroine, which is very refreshing after reading so much YA with a completely good, never does any wrong, almost too perfect protagonist. She wrestles with decisions she makes, not because they're hard but because they might not benefit her. She lies, she cheats. As Seer, she twists her visions so that prophecies suit what the current king wants. And she has little to no respect for Prince Cyrus, who will one day be her new king.

"Sometimes I want to kiss him and sometimes I want to ruin him, but most of the time, I want those actions to be one and the same."

The enemies-to-lovers trope comes alive in this book in a way I haven't seen since I read The Cruel Prince - I understand the comparison now, it's not the theme of the book, or world setting that's similar, but how well done this trope is. It was fantastic and I enjoyed every interaction Violet and Cyrus had. As the tension and relationship ramps up, it felt natural as someone who almost exclusively adores enemies-to-lovers.

"Just because she's wicked, doesn't mean she's wrong."

The main things I loved:

- great cast of side characters (Camilla and Dante were perfect)
- good evil character, although her motivations were hazy
- enemies-to-lovers done to perfection
- interesting world-setting

The things I didn't love so much:

- sometimes the language used was a bit weirdly modern and casual for the setting and felt jarring (Violet's nickname for Cyrus irritated me from page one)
- the plot was at times moving so fast it was hard to follow
- slightly confusing world-building - needed more information about fairies and the fairywood
- wish we'd had maybe some flashbacks to Violet and Cyrus' childhoods at the palace for some background on their relationship - to add more depth?

Overall, a solid four star read with half a star knocked off for the jarring nickname and slightly confusing world-building/plot. Will definitely be picking up the sequel when it comes out!

5 ⭐️

This was so good! The MC is mostly grey and interested primarily in her own survival, she gave me Katherine from TVD vibes, but she’s also cunning and intelligent. I found the world and all the characters interesting, the plot was a little weak as far as inciting incidents go, but I still enjoyed this a lot. It had fairy tale vibes but it was still gritty and I enjoyed the romance a lot too. I hope there’s a second book in this world/series!

☆☆☆☆½

I loved Violet Made of Thorns so so much, it was one of my more anticipated books to release this year and it did not disappoint. From the characters to the world and plot I loved it all, with the shocking reveals and scenes that left me wanting to through my kindle across the room (which at one point I did) to the angsty heart break scenes and the fairytale (gone wrong as described by the author) vibe it had there wasn’t much I didn’t love about the book. I loved Violet and seeing how she sees the world and her thoughts and struggles and how she deals with the hand she’s been dealt, she definitely made for an interesting main character.
One of my issues with the book was I felt we didn’t see enough of the side characters such as Dante and Camila (and Camila’s cat Catastrophe) like I needed so so so much more of them, my only other issue (which was more of a small nuisance to me) was I felt some of the lines were a little “cringey” but they were rare enough that they weren’t like a massive problem for me to read.
And onto my biggest issue with the book is that I have no one to scream over the book with and I have to wait to talk about it until late July to talk about it AND I have to wait over a year for the sequel no doubt which is super unfair because I need it Now.

What an absolutely fantastic story! Dark, whimsical, and with just the right amount of humor and vitriol, Violet Made Of Thorns is an epic fairy tale that takes all the typical tropes of children's fairy tales and throws them out the window. The book follows Violet, a very morally gray witch who is ambitious and power-hungry, struggling to save her own skin against a prophecy that threats the kingdom with blood and doom. Throw in a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, and you get an unforgettable tale of fickle hypocritical Prince Charmings, cruel and cunning kings, twisted politics of men and gods, and a powerful witch in the midst of all that frenzy.

There are so many things I loved about this book! Let's start with the world-building, cause that's always a strong factor for me whenever I pick up any fantasy. The world-building in Violet Made Of Thorns was spectacular--everything from the stunning descriptions of The Sun Continent, The Palace, and the slums of The Moon District was so beautifully detailed that I couldn't help but feel like I was being carried away to this fantasy, imaginary world.

The magic system was very intriguing as well. The question of fate and destiny, and the role of "gods" is a constant theme in the novel; throughout the whole book, Violet makes the reader question how much of our future is in our own hands, and how much of it is predestined by a higher power.

The characters were also incredibly well-developed. Our main protagonist Violet was unforgettable; I loved her icy cynicism, her snark, and her realistic worldview. Her true opposite is the love interest, Prince Cyrus, who constantly tries to choose kindness over violence but ultimately ends up making decisions that are also cruel and unjust. The supporting characters were adorable too--I loved Dante and how his story arc further explored and expanded on the themes of colonization and xenophobia that are apparent in the Sun Continent. And though I wish Camilla was given a better story than simply being comic relief, I adored every scene where she was present.

At the end of the day though, it's the plot of Violet Made Of Thorns that will keep you turning the pages. At it's heart, it's a romantic fairy tale, but not the kind you would read to children. I loved the parallels to well-known Children's stories like Cinderella, Beauty & The Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Jack And The Bean Stalk that the author incorporated; they were delightful to read and added whimsical magic to the overall story.

The ending was super cleverl! Not quite a cliff-hanger, the novel has an open-ending that perfectly wraps up the first book while stile leaving room for further sequels too.

Dark and enchanting, Violet Made Of Thorns is a delightfully seductive fantasy that will have you mesmirized from page one. I strongly recommend this to everyone!

Violet Made of Thorns is the fantasy debut I’ve been waiting for this year.

Right from the offset this book is different from what I expected. Violet is brash, cunning and independent. The story unwinds very quickly into tales of deceit, forbidden romance, fate and prophecy.

Between the characters you get a sense of a very strong bond. Violet and Cyrus feel for each other yet wouldn’t hesitate to become each other’s ruin and the others like Camilla and Dante for example aren’t lacking on secrets of their own.

This book is absolutely riveting. It had me glued to my kindle wanting more. Gina Chen has done a remarkable job creating this fantasy world full of secrets and unexpected twists.

I can’t wait for the books release, I have already preordered a physical copy and I can tell you now that I’m beyond excited to see what Gina has to offer in the future. This duology is the start of something great.

Ever since I came across this book on netgalley I knew I just HAD to read it. I was lucky enough to be approved to read the arc and let me tell you… best seven hours I’ve ever spent. You won’t regret reading this.

Big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The prose did not really connect with me as there was more telling than showing. However, I really loved the descriptions of Prince Cyprus and of certain aspects of the world-building like the geography and the politics. The world had a potential for more detailed imagery - I would have loved to be able to visualise it more in my head.

I liked the idea of Violet’s character - it is always interesting to read about a protagonist who is morally grey - or simply morally wrong. But on paper, I felt like her character was flat and her personality was forced. It would have been nicer to learn her traits through her actions and opinions of others instead of just her descriptions about herself.

I thought this story, concept and world could have been something special - but unfortunately it didn’t work for me.

I’m a sucker for a pretty book, so the cover of Gina Chen’s debut novel, Violet Made of Thorns, really drew me in but the synopsis had me HOOKED! The contents didn’t disappoint either!

Enemies to lovers. Morally grey anti-heroine. A dark, modern twist on fairytales with nods to Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast (I especially loved the Cinderella reference).

I really appreciated reading a book about a non-white protagonist. A lot of fantasies tend to be centred around white or ‘ethnically ambiguous’ characters which is fine BUT we love diversity!!

Violet was brilliant. Flawed, but brilliant nonetheless, and I think it’s something that made her feel more relatable. She’s a liar and an opportunist whose decisions are heavily influenced by her own interests.. but she’s not a villain and she doesn’t want to hurt others. She’s not perfect and she doesn’t try to be, which is why I love her!

The enemies to lovers trope is STRONG in this one. Here’s what Chen wrote about her two leads:

“Witchy types and princely types never
seem to get along - something something fairytale archetypical rules - and these two are no exception. Separately, they're pretty good at their roles; together, they're a white-horse carriage galloping off a cliff. But their futures are entwined as Seer and king, as well as in divine machinations, and they deal with this very, very badly.”

There’s a fine line between love and hate, and the characters were dancing on this line until the very end.. to the point where I wasn’t sure WHAT the ending would be.

“Sometimes I want to kiss him and sometimes I want to ruin him, but most of the time, I want those actions to be one and the same”

There are SOOOOO many amazing quotes I’d love to share from this book but I don’t want to spoil anything so all I can say is FIVE STARS!!!!!!

This is the first book in a planned duology but it definitely still stands on its own; the future of the characters is left uncertain but in a way that doesn’t leave you hanging.. which will hopefully make the wait for the 2nd book less painful! 🥲