Reviews with content warning for Violence - Bonded by Thorns

Technical / professional writing skills - 3 out of 5
Vibes / enjoyment of the story - 4 out of 5

Oh this story was just the perfect thing I was in the mood to read. In fact, I read the first three books in two days.

I'd recommend this for people who enjoyed Throne of Glass and ACOTAR and are very on board with a lot more smut, more LGBT + racial diversity, and aren't going to be precious about the writing being a bit amateurish in places. ... It's me. I'm the person.

(side note: stories don't have to be A+ level of writing for us to thoroughly enjoy them. The writing level of this series was about what I expected for a debut series by indie authors, and I'd say it's comparable to the first two Throne of Glass Books).

There was enough beauty and mystery and romance all rolled up into this world that it was just really fun to read. I fell in love with the characters one by one (but also I WILL DIE FOR MY NERVOUS BOOK NERD BOY FARREN).

Books 1-3 all came out in 2023, with Book 4 planned for September 2024.
Apparently it will be a 7 book series and as much as I've enjoyed the first three books, I'm a little mad at myself for starting YET ANOTHER series that isn't finished yet! The waiting will be brutal.

Content Warnings

popdrinkm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

pink_dahlila's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

This is a Beauty and the Beast fantasy retelling/reverse harem story. Rosalina finds herself at the Briar while looking for her missing father,

who got himself imprisoned for stealing a rose from the castle, and she trades places with him because she is always taking care of him

.

Something mysterious is happening to the Briar, the four princes, and the staff that reside there. To gain her freedom she makes a deal with the princes to find a way to lift their curse by trying to find their mates.

The description of the castle where the princes live is cool. It’s very magical. Astrid and Marigold were fun side characters, and I loved their friendship with Rosalina.

The guys all had distinct personalities. The story is told mostly from Rosalina’s POV but we do get a few chapters in their POV. We don’t see much from Ezryn so hopefully we see more of him in the next book. This is a slow burn so we are just seeing the beginning of relationships between them. There is MM sexual content.

I felt bad for Rosalina’s life before she got to the Briar. Her father is mostly absent and the town think he’s crazy, which makes her kind of an outcast. She doesn’t have any friends and she has an abusive on/off boyfriend. Rosalina really comes into herself at the Briar. She finds friends and confidence and purpose.

There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end and the book ends in a bit of a cliff hanger. What does the Prince of Thorns have to do with everything? Could Rosalina know the Enchantress?

Overall I enjoyed it and I look forward to book two. Hopefully more questions are answered and we get to see more development of the relationships.

MM

Dayton and Farron have sex

Slight OW/OM drama

none of the MCs have sex with other people after they meet, but there is kissing and flirting

Triggers: toxic/abusive boyfriend

abuse happens in flashbacks

Content Warnings

sbuchanan13's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

isabelleroyall's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

sillih28's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

erkietheturkey's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.25

Content Warnings: Sexual content, toxic relationships, toxic friendships, domestic abuse, mutilation, abandonment, emotional abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, blood, violence, and confinement.

Damn...that was a good read. Major Beauty and the Beast vibes...which I LOVE. The characters were fun, especially the secondary characters, we get action, romance, a mystery...and so much more. I'll definitely be jumping right into book two 🤭

Content Warnings

More...