Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

20 reviews

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-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? No

3.5

• Descendants of lost gods
• Mythology elements 
• Fated mates
• A prophecy 
• Mystery
• Sister dynamics
• Non-binary & queer side characters 

The I guess you’d call it “magic system” is cool, there are “other-born” people who are descendants of the Greek Fates (gods) who have special powers. Io and her sisters are Moira-born, descendants of Moirae the goddess of Fate, and can see/manipulate threads that tie every person to the things/people/places they love.

I found the world building beyond the descriptions of the other-born powers to be a little confusing or incomplete. I didn’t really get a sense for time period and there was no map or great description of the city this story takes place in. There were other cities or countries(?) that were mentioned, but it was had to understand how they all related in the larger world. And as there are some political things going on, it would’ve been helpful to understand that context. I think that’s the main struggle I had with this book.

It’s not necessarily slow to start, but I didn’t really get fully engaged in the story until the second half. It did have a strong ending and I will likely listen to the sequel.

I did do combination audio and physical. The audio was fine - nothing spectacular but not bad.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

Animal cruelty/death: there is an animal fighting ring of some world specific character called chimerini. It’s about 1-2 pages and I just skipped over it

ska1224's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

love this book sm the world building. the characters. the narration in the audiobook is some of the best i've heard. lov this sm

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Classism, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Medical content, and Drug use

Minor: Abortion and Deadnaming

manaledi's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-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

4.0

I quite liked this. It was a good twist in being Greek inspired without including any of the traditional pantheon and rather focusing on the fates and the muses and such. The magic was interesting, the post-apocalyptic setting was interesting and the book did a good job addressing the questions of fate and how much we let ourselves be guided by a fate versus free will. I appreciate books with a class divide where we don't just get everyone rich giving out alms but rather a truer look at making ends meet and gang territorial control. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Gun violence, Gore, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

lbelow's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

5.0

An excellent book. Rich in magic and a plot full of twists in a world it feels like you can live and breathe. I can't wait for the next book! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, and Police brutality

Minor: Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Genocide, and Alcohol

kwthor's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Police brutality

kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Classism, Gun violence, Cursing, Grief, Racism, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Police brutality, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail

rightwhrleftme's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Racism, and Bullying

camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

“Threads that Bind” was a mythology-based mystery that delivered on the “Percy Jackson for an Older Audience” vibes that “Lore” was supposed to. 

This is Kika Hatzopoulou’s debut novel and I am really blown away. Typically, debut novels are a little clunky—whether in the dialogue, the plot, world building, or some combination—and I try to overlook it because, hey, it’s a debut novel. It’s the author’s first time publishing something and they’re still honing their skills or maybe  had a lackluster team. That was not the case with “Threads that Bind.” It was immaculate and executed so well. 

Dialogue was sharp and realistic, the magic system was unique and compelling, the world building was sensational, I can keep going but I’ll stop there. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Classism, Death, Abandonment, Grief, Blood, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Genocide

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.25

Writing: 4.25⭐️/5 

The writing shone in certain sections. I particularly loved the way Hatzopoulou described and wrote about the threads. I also thought she commanded good control of her language while describing action and combat, leaving the actions clear. A few sections of the novel fell victim to a bit of a rushed feeling, but most of it was paced well with good control. 

Characters: 4.25⭐️/5

I really loved Io. She maintained her strength without paying to the conventions of the “strong badass female protagonist.” I liked that she fought against her sister’s description and prescriptions of her and paved her own path. And, I really loved her reaction to her fate string. I loved how she kept her secret to herself and how both characters eventually gave into the determination of the string. Honestly, the characters were just deeply written and still fun to read about.

Plot: 4.25⭐️/5 

Ah, a world in which fates are reborn and the threads that bind us remain visible to some. I loved it deeply, especially as it wove into a mystery novel, with Io and Edei investigating together in a world where magic and myths come to life. I think the end was a bit rushed, and the cliffhanger did feel a bit sudden, a bit forced, but overall, it was lots of fun to read.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of young adult fantasy
• Readers looking for a fantasy read with mystery vibes
• Readers looking for a solid book in a fantasy world
• Fans of Greek mythology reimaginings

Content Warnings? 

• Death, murder, genocide, war, blood, gore, grief, gaslighting, emotional abuse, animal cruelty, violence, injury, injury detail, death of parent, confinement, transphobia, 

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5

Would read the next one.

Final Rating: 4.25⭐️/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Gore, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Child death

belava's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Genocide

Minor: Death of parent