“Brie would do anything before making a deal with the Fae; death is better than their vicious schemes. But when her sister is taken by the sadistic king of the Unseelie, Brie breaks her own rules and agrees to steal three magical relics from the rival Seelie court in exchange for her sister’s return. Brie’s only way inside is to pose as a potential bride for the Seelie Prince, Ronan – a prince who’s not quite as wicked as she once thought. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of misfits with their own secret agenda. But as Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she finds herself struggling to resist his seductive charm. Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty…and with her heart.”
What is the book about?
Brie has always hated the Fae and vowed to never make a deal with any of them as she knew just how vicious and cruel they are and how they can change and manipulate their words to get you to make a deal that you will never come out of. However, when her younger sister is sold to the king of the Unseelie, the supposedly crueller and more dangerous Fae court, she breaks her own rules and makes a deal with him to steal 3 magical relics from the Seelie court and return them to his court where they belong in exchange for her sister’s freedom. So, in order to get into the rival court, Brie poses as a potential bride for the Seelie Prince, Ronan, and joins a competition to win his heart. Brie believes she will have no problem manipulating the prince and sneaking around his court to find the items, however, it turns out the prince isn’t who she thought he was and he may not be as evil as she had always been led to believe. Determined to not let her feelings get in the way, Brie continues with her mission and allows a band of outcasts and misfits to help her with her newfound powers, powers that a human like her should never have possessed in the first place. But, as Brie spends more time with the Seelie prince and with the group’s leader, Finn, she begins to find herself caught between her feelings for 2 men and also finds herself caught between the 2 Fae courts and now she doesn’t know who to trust…or if she should trust anyone at all.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
I had no idea that this book existed until a few months ago when I asked one of my friends for a list of books she wanted for her birthday so that I could buy her one. When I spotted it on her list, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to find out more about it so I looked it up and read more about it. When I saw what the cover looked like and read the blurb I knew that I had to read it so I happily bought it for my friend and, once I gave it to her for her birthday, I asked to borrow it as soon as she had read it. So, when I went to her house a month or so ago, I was so glad to see her lend me the book, and another that I had also been wanting to read, and I wanted to read it right away. Finally, a couple days ago, I decided it was about time I started to read it because I knew I would eventually have to give it back. When I reread the blurb before starting the book, I was even more interested in reading the book and so excited to find out more about the book. Once I started to read, I initially found the book a little hard to get into, but, after a little while; I found the book quite enjoyable and was soon racing through it, loving the romance and adventure.
Who was your favourite character and why?
Despite how hard I tried to like the characters and pick a favourite or at least one that I disliked a little less, I was completely unable to do this and I cannot reply honestly to this question. So, my answer to this would have to be that I don't have a favourite character. I honestly tried really hard to like Brie, the main character, but she was quite annoying and this whole story where she was constantly feeling guilty and confused about who she was in love with. It was like she had no real personality other than her love life and her sister. However, at the end of the book, I liked the change in her and how she was able to finally see past everything and realise that she could trust no one. She actually chose to use her power and fight against the people who betrayed her. So I hope that I will enjoy her a bit more once I read the second book in the duology. The love interests were also both rather annoying and I hated that they both acted so suspicious and I knew Brie should've never trusted either of them, but she did anyway because she was blinded by their beauty and powers. I hope in the next book I will actually like a few characters and find a favourite character.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book would probably have to be the ending. The main reason was because of the way it left me excited to read the next book and also because of the way that Brie changed. Throughout the book, Brie was never reaching her true potential with her magic, never focusing on anything other than her sister, never thinking on anything other than the love interests and it was rather annoying. However, at the end of the book, Brie realised that the one person she thought would always be there for her and would never betray her had done exactly that and had only ever come into her life to get what every other Fae wanted from her. So, as a result, she changed both physically and emotionally and she was finally ready to reach her true potential and take back what had been taken from her. It looked like she was finally going to stop acting like a lovesick teenage girl and adapt into a strong, independent woman who was ready to use her power to hurt, protect and control. She was no longer afraid and no longer using her hatred for the Fae as an excuse. I can't wait to see what she does in the next book.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, These Hollow Vows was a rather enjoyable book; however there were several things that could have been better. One thing that this author did marvellously was the way the way that the book was so fast-paced and easy to read. The plot was very good and because so much was happening in such a short amount of time I felt like I rushed through the book, reading about so many different things and finishing the book in only a couple of days. There was even a certain part of the book where I just couldn’t put down the book and had to keep reading because I needed answers and was prepared to sacrifice sleep to read and finish the book. Despite how easy the book was to read and the good plot, there were also some things that I disliked about the book and one of those things was how predictable the plot was. I honestly felt like I was watching one of those cringey, romantic Christmas films that all have the most unoriginal and super predictable plot because I saw literally everything coming except for the final plot twist (but I still had some suspicions about it). I don’t mind a book being a little predictable, however this was extremely predictable and I literally saw everything coming and could’ve told you the whole plot before reading the third chapter. I didn’t hate this, but I would have liked more surprises and twists in the story. Another thing that I didn’t really like was the romance. Although the love triangle was alright and I could see both couples working out, there was something so weird about each of the boys and I could tell that something wasn’t quite right (so I saw their betrayal coming from a mile away). They both just acted so suspiciously and they never shared anything with Brie, which got on my nerves because I was so confused and needed answers. Now I know it wasn’t their fault that they didn’t tell Brie anything and kept secrets from her, however I still disliked them and would have preferred a better love interest. Not only that but I would have liked a better main character who was a little less annoying and focused on something other than her feelings. I felt like, even though Brie was trying hard to ignore her feelings, that was all I heard about and I would have liked her to be more of a strong, independent main character, which I hope she will be in the second book of the duology.
Would you recommend this book?
Despite not loving the book, I do think I would recommend it, but you need to have a lot of patience and be ready to cope with a lot of annoying characters and some predictable plot. It is a good book for readers over 16 who enjoy fantasy, romance and adventure.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A rather predictable book full of fantasy, magic and romance.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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