“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.”
What is the book about?
After years of being treated like a slave by her aunt and then having her sister sold to the fae, Abriella didn’t think it was possible for her life to get any worse. But, only a day after bonding to man she loves, she finds herself betrayed by everyone who she ever cared about. She was once sure about where her life was leading and where her heart was, however now she is caught in a web of lies of her own making and she finds herself loving two princes and not trusting either. Torn between her mind and her heart, Brie makes it her mission to help the innocent Unseelie that have been mistreated by the cruel Seelie queen. But, on this path, she finds herself back where she started, in a palace unable to choose a price while war rages between the Court of the Sun and the Court of the Moon. Not only that but after her transformation she no longer knows herself as she has become the thing she once hated. No matter how hard she tries to deny it, Brie has a part to play in Faerie and it is not just about passing the power she holds to one of the princes who can take the Throne of Shadows.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
When I finished reading These Hollow Vows, I knew I had to read the second book in the duology, These Twisted Bonds. This wasn’t because These Hollow Vows had been so incredible that I really wanted to continue, instead it had been because of how ridiculously entertaining the first book had been and how I wanted to find out what Brie would do next to get herself out of the situation she was in. Before I started the book, I had been hopeful that Brie would have some good character development and would stop being so dramatic, feeling so sorry for herself and thinking constantly about her relationship problems. However, when I started to read I realised that that wasn’t going to happen and soon saw that Sebastian’s betrayal would be at the forefront of her mind throughout the book. Once I started the book, I found it easy to get into and did think that the author’s writing was quite good, which meant I was able to slip into the world of Faerie easily. I knew I would enjoy the book, but I had still been rather worried that it would be worse than These Hollow Vows. Luckily it wasn’t and all my initial thoughts had been correct.
Who was your favourite character and why?
This time I can definitely claim that I have a favourite character, though unsurprisingly it is a completely new character that I had not met until reading this book. Although Misha, king of the Wild Fae and Pretha’s brother, had been mentioned in These Hollow Vows, I hadn’t gotten the pleasure of an introduction until I started These Twisted Bonds. When I first met him I didn’t know that I would choose him as my favourite because I didn’t even know who he was and didn’t find that out until the second time Abriella encountered him. Once he started to speak and tell Brie things that I had wanted to say to her from the moment I met her, I knew that this man was going to be the one who would make reading this book so much more enjoyable than the previous book. I loved when he told Brie that she needed to stop feeling sorry for herself and grow up because no one who ends up in a difficult situation chooses that so she isn’t special and doesn’t deserve to mope. These words and his charismatic, joking personality were enough for me to immediately like him and as I learnt more about him and he was involved in more of the book I got to truly get to know him and make a thought through decision when choosing him as my favourite.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
I honestly didn’t know how to answer this question, but if I really had to pick a favourite part I would have to say that I liked the ending of the book. This wasn’t just because I liked that Brie ended up with the person that she most wanted and that she was finally freed from the one she had once loved, it was mainly because I liked how she finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She had always felt like a misfit and that she didn’t belong and when she became Fae she began to think that there would never be a place that she could feel happy and call home as she could never go back to the human world and be with her sister and she didn’t think she could ever belong in the Fae world. However, at the end of the book her life completely changed and she finally found a place where she could not only feel happy but where she could do what she had always hoped to do: she found a place where she could make a difference and help people less fortunate than her.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, These Twisted Bonds was a rather enjoyable book and I found that there was a lot that I actually liked about the book (however there were some things I would have liked to change). One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the plot. Although I may have found the book too fixated on the romance, before I started reading the very first book I had been drawn to this duology because of the interesting plot that was not so different from the fantasy books I have always loved. This book in particular had exactly what I had been expecting: a 17 year old girl determined to save the world from being destroyed by an evil, powerful leader. It was so fun to read and the romance did add elements that I had never experienced in as much detail. Despite how enjoyable the plot was, there were several things that I would have liked more if they had been different. One of them was the character, who I thought were not the best and needed to have more of a personality. Particularly Brie, whose personality seemed to just be her love for her sister and the fact that she held the power of the Throne of Shadows. There were a few characters that I liked more, however I needed more. However, despite this and a few other things, I did enjoy reading These Twisted Bonds, and now that I look back at both books in the series I feel I may have been a bit harsh as I now know that the author of these books tends to write romance novels but chose to give fantasy a try.
Which is your favourite book in the These Hollow Vows series? (1 or 2)
My favourite book of this duology would definitely have to be the second book, These Twisted Bonds. Although I did like reading These Hollow Vows, These Twisted Bonds just had a lot more things that I enjoyed, which meant I found it was the better book. One of those things was better characters (AKA Misha). After reading These Hollow Vows I decided that I didn’t have a favourite character because none of them had had any particularly interesting or nice characteristics. To be honest I had disliked the characters more than I had initially anticipated, specifically Abriella, Sebastian and Finn because of how suspicious the boys acted and how dumb Brie had been in believing them. However, These Twisted Bonds was different because it had Misha, the most charismatic, funny and charming character of the bunch. He was such a flirt and so entertaining and his ability to read minds only highlighted these characteristics more. He made the whole book better and I just wish there had been more characters I could’ve enjoyed. Another thing I enjoyed more about These Twisted Bonds was the fact that I felt like the book was actually leading somewhere. I know that with These Hollow Vows Brie had been doing what she did in order to save her sister; however it felt like all the information about her possessing the crown had no wider purpose. In contrast, when reading These Twisted Bonds I finally learnt how it was possible for a mere human to possess a Fae crown and the magic that it possessed. This made the whole book more interesting and I also felt like there was finally a reason for the whole situation because Brie was needed to save the whole Unseelie court from destruction.
Would you recommend this book?
I think I would recommend this book, specifically for those who like romance, fantasy and adventure books. I think it is best for readers over the age of 16, as there are some slightly more explicit scenes.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A magic filled romance between 2 princes trying to claim the same throne and the true heir.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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