Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Gifts That Bind Us

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the sequel to O' Donoghue's fantastic YA debut, All Our Hidden Gifts. The gang are practicing their new found powers, but when school starts back, strange things start to happen and old enemies resurface. The stakes are higher than before. Who can they really trust?

They're all dealing with the everyday struggles and pressure that comes with being a teenager and having to decide your future, but that's the least of their problems.

This drama filled book kept me gripped the whole time, it's so much darker than the previous book and I loved it.

Can't wait for the next book.

Content Warnings

audreykerr's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

Content Warnings

spacecadelliot's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue is an epic continuation of All Our Hidden Gifts. In this instalment we’re following Maeve and her friends as they try to accept what just went down and they’re new powers, whilst tackling the expectations of their after school plans. It’s a lot for a group of young witches to take on.

This sequel explored so many different topics that surface for young teens - it’s incredibly relatable. New relationships, tumultuous friendships, fluctuating identity, having to save the world….. The way Caroline writes makes for such a fun, fast read and allows for so many important conversations on gender, sexuality, race, consent and so much more. I can’t even begin to explain how gracefully she melds all of these tough topics together with this ever evolving plot line. There were a couple of conversations between Maeve and Rue that had me stopping and needing a breath because I couldn’t believe we were having such a normal yet raw conversation about exploring your queer identity, pronouns and acceptance. And I haven’t even begun talking about the amount of real world magic! It’s so lovely to see such a genuine representation of witchcraft, divination and spell work - thank you Caroline.

I would like to let you know that if you’re thinking of picking up this sequel, please be aware that it contains scenes discussing self-harm, sexual assault, transphobia, manipulation and more potentially difficult topics that I’m definitely forgetting.

The Gifts That Bind Us is published February 3rd! Please don’t miss out on this drama filled, magical series! I can’t believe I have to wait a whole year for book 3 because that ending revelation has me wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for offering me an e-arc in return for a truthful review

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