Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Violet Made of Thorns

Started this for the book club.
Stayed for the angst and the brooding angry prince.
Fell in love with the sarcastic, self-serving, and iconically hilarious antiheroine.

Representation: Asian main character, lesbian princess, brown bisexual scholar, and the male love interest is red-headed.

Trigger Warnings: self-harm for magic rituals (cuts hand), themes of racism (towards the main character and her friend from the royals), cursing, and gore/violence.

This book literally pulled me out of a reading slump. I appreciated it so much. I love books that have antiheroines. I think I might relate to them a little too much.

I think most of all, I fell in love with the way Violet had to fight for herself and her ability to be vulnerable. Fear of vulnerability and shame are really hard emotions to write well and this author nailed it. Violet was constantly at war with herself about what she wanted and what she equated with survival so she could feel safe.

You watch as she struggles to be enough to emotionally support herself, but she's still whole all on her own. And I think that is a very important and hard distinction to write. I've seen far too many authors write characters that try to balance their hyper-independence by making them completely mold themselves to the male love interest. At the end of the book, Violet was still herself. She was still secure in who she is.

Violet also challenges the idea that we must do what's "right" instead of what's right for ourselves. We've been taught to never bat an eye about a king that makes selfish decisions based on his greed. I think it's time the seers, witches, scholars, and fairies of the world have the ability to do the same without judgement in order to protect themselves from the destruction created by the greedy kings of the world.

There's also the exploration of privilege. Violet acknowledges how Cyrus doesn't have to worry about his reputation or his place in the court. Cyrus pushes her to stand up to his father, but he's completely tone deaf about how that will impact Violet's career. She's doing what she feels she must to protect herself physically and to protect her reputation.

But the quote that got me?
"If the fates control our future, I don't understand to what end...The fates judge us. If we are generous, honest, not too chatty, placable, forgiving, they might twist our threads so we find love and earn our heart's weight in gold...But I don't believe in anything that supposes it knows me better than I know myself."

I'm going to say it again... "I don't believe in anything that supposes it knows me better than I know myself."

The religious trauma inside me was leaping for joy.

I've always been a character development reader. This ticks all of my boxes. All of the characters have arcs and display growth. Some more drastic than others.

AND THE CLIFF HANGER?! OMG I was screaming.

I can't wait to read the next one.

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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.25

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, injury, self harm, body horror, gore, death, death of parent, murder, emotional abuse, racism, sexual content (non-explicit)
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A fast paced, dark fairytale story following an unapologetic, self-serving seer with a penchant for twisting the truth; a just as headstrong and arrogant crown prince she is always butting heads with and a prophecy that ties the two of them and the fate of the kingdom together.

Now none of these two leads are the most likeable of characters and you want to just shake the both of them on various occasions but their banter? *chef’s kiss* This isn’t your usual enemies to lovers pairing, they have more of a hate to “oh no these intense feelings I have for you and the fact that you get me plus are really attractive is messing with my head” going on and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Though the spotlight is very much on Violet - the control and power she has over her own destiny and her role as primary seer of a kingdom hanging in the balance. I was absolutely enraptured by the curse elements in the story and Chen beautifully wove the tensions of the foretold prophecy and political situation together that I just couldn’t put the book down!

The worldbuilding and magic are super fascinating however, they are an already established element of the story and weren’t expanded on as much as I had hoped. Also there were also some great side characters that I can’t help but wish had more page time.

That aside I really enjoyed this one and need the sequel yesterday!
If you like morally grey characters that aren’t always likeable and all the fairytale vibes with a dash of darkness then this book is for you!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars

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kgeogheghan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Witches and magical creatures, prophecy and fate, a morally gray heroine, enemies to lovers - this book ticks a lot of boxes I love!

I thoroughly enjoyed this dark and modern fairtytale, following Violet the seer as she tries to understand the curse that hangs over the kingdoms prince, deciding whether she should do what's best for herself and for her king. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys romantic fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

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utopiastateofmind's review

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Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

I will forever support morally grey heroines. Characters who are realistic about the world we live in. Who aren't particularly concerned with being heroic or noble or self-sacrificial. But ones who are forced to make difficult choices to save the ones they love, the only home they've ever known, or just simple to survive. Violet is just my kind of heroine. She's pragmatic and clever. She knows that to get ahead requires cracking a few eggs. And there my love of Violet Made of Thorns is born.

Violet Made of Thorns asks us about control. About the intersection of fate and agency. Of ways in which we don't fall for pretty lies or ambitious dreams. How rebellion requires us to be able to sacrifice and how, sometimes, we cannot afford to lose our homes and livelihood and family. Violet feels monstrous. She sees herself as the monstrous one. The scapegoat who's merely hanging on by a thread. And as she sees these possible futures playing out, it's merely cemented how we can get an image of the future and still not understand it.

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lewnie's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Violet is a witch who uses her powers of prophecy for her own gain. Once an orphan living on the street, Violet now lives on the palace grounds in the famed Seer’s Tower. A trusted confidant of the King, she often manipulates her prophecies for the good of the royal family. The only problem is Cyrus, the Crown Prince. He knows Violet too well and isn’t going to go along with her schemes willingly. When she falsifies a prophecy about Cyrus’ potential bride, she unknowingly sets into motion a deadly curse. As the volatile feelings between Violet and Cyrus begin to look less like hate and more like love, Violet must make a decision that will either save or curse the kingdom– and herself.

The good: While not a direct fairytale retelling, there are many aspects of well-known fairytales sprinkled throughout that readers will enjoy discovering.

I think the standout here is really Violet. She is everything that so many readers will enjoy in a protagonist. She is unapologetically out for herself and once you begin to learn more about her past, it makes sense. Violet has no desire to change, for anyone, and she is confident in herself and her decisions. Often, this kind of characterization of female characters comes off as overly abrasive or without reason. However Violet is easy to sympathize with and her strong will stands up to the vicious court politics that Chen has created.

The bad: I struggle with my feelings about Cyrus as a character. I think he is a good foil to Violet’s ruthlessness, however his fault is that he seems to believe this is an act for Violet. Chen has created a strong-willed character in Violet though, and she easily expresses that she is only ever acting like herself. The romance budding between them by the end of the book does make me a little uneasy as I don’t think that they seem like a good fit at this point. I do think that Cyrus has a ways to go in terms of character development though, and we could see this change later in the series.

I also wish the world-building was a little stronger. I am still not sure I understand the complicated politics between the different countries. I understand this is heavier on the romance and the personal relationships, so I think we lose a little of that overarching geographical exploration. I am hoping that this will be explored more in the following book. I also understand that this is a debut and for a first book, I am really enjoying the development of the world and characters as a whole.

Overall: This is a well-crafted fantasy with a fantastic, morally gray protagonist. The stakes are high and the mystery unfolding around Violet will keep readers entertained throughout. The romance between Violet and Cyrus is fiery, though perhaps a little more entertaining when they fully believe they hate each other. Overall, this is a great addition for anyone who enjoys high-stakes romantic fantasy.

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bookstarbri's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.5

A lot of YA fantasy lately is being called "enemies-to-lovers" with "morally gray characters" and "high stakes" and a lot of the times, those are sort of accurate but not really true descriptors. Gina Chen gives us all three in their true, classic form. THANK GOODNESS.

Our MC is Violet and she is incredible. Anytime I see a book comped with The Cruel Prince, I get nervous because The Cruel Prince is one of my favorite books and has one of my favorite MCs. But I think that comp is perfect for this. The fairies in Violet Made of Thorns are a bit different and not center stage, but they do play a part in this story and I wouldn't be surprised if they had a larger role in the sequel(s). The plot of this story is very open-ended at the conclusion of this, so it leads a lot of guessing as to what will happen in book 2, but I was really happy with its ending!

The characters are great. Violet and Cyrus were really the most developed of all of them, but I was fine with that since I think they were the crux of this story and their dynamic was INCREDIBLE. Their song and dance and back and forth were just great. The sheer disgust they felt for even feeling anything positive towards each other was IMMACULATE. I love them hating each other and loving each other and the up and down of their relationship. It's spectacularly done and the third act of this story was insane with the two of them and SOOO GOOD. I also just love Cyrus on his own. I think he really cares about his kingdom and Violet. He reminds me of a certain fae prince in that he's totally dumb and stupidly in love with this girl who kinda sorta wants to kill him sometimes. SO PERFECT.

The other characters were fine, but it was clear they were meant to be true side characters. However, I do hope we get more Camila in book 2 as I really loved her! She added a lot of comedic relief in this book that I appreciated. Dante was another side character who I enjoyed, but for a much different reason. His character is partially why this book wasn't quite a 5-star read for me. He is a really interesting character to me and almost elusive for a good portion of the book, but when the 3rd act came around and the plot was reaching its climax and we got more revelations about Dante, I wanted those important revelations and moments drawn out more. Everything surrounding his character in the last few chapters were so rushed and I was left confused on exactly what his role was and how he fit with everything. I don't mind a little ambiguity for the sake of anticipation for book 2, but I was left wondering what all these revelations meant for him and how his actions played a part in the greater plot. This also applies to our villain character! I wanted to get a bit more of a seamless transition on their revelation as well.

Those were my only remaining question and I'm all for adjusting ratings for 1st books in a series as the series continues, so I'll see if I change my mind on the .5 when I read book 2. Overall though, this was such a cool book and I'm REALLY excited for it as I think it'll be a really great series. I already can't wait to dig in to the sequel! The story is incredible, the world building is seamless and interesting, and I am in agony until this sequel

Thanks SO MUCH to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

3.75

I received an ARC of this book, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings: Death, self-harm, blood, gore, murder, racism, child abuse, violence, and some sexual scenes.

After reading the summary of this book, on Netgalley, I knew I wanted to dive in. I’m a sucker for fantasy novels that follow someone who’s labeled morally gray.

We meet Violet, the Kingdom seer, who works closely with the King to ensure peace and prosperity for their land. Everyone trusts her divination except for the crown Prince who’s determined to prevent her from continuing as Seer once he’s crowned King.

Since Violet was brought to the castle, when they were children, Prince Cyrus and her have fought loudly, and openly, for all to witness. Both stubborn they refuse to see eye to eye or find common ground. So when the King instructs Violet to grow close to Cyrus to ensure he believes her divination of meeting his true love, Violet’s at a bit of a loss.

I was fully invested, from the very start, and ended up reading this book in one day, practically in one sitting. The beginning and middle were strong and had me invested in Violet, her powers, and her potential friendship with Cyrus. I did find myself struggling to stay immersed the closer we got to the end though. The development of a tentative trust between Violet and Cyrus was shown throughout the book but the ending had it feeling a bit rushed, like one minute there was trust then immediately none, and then back to trust. I wish a little more time would have been spent on the ending for the back and forth to make more sense to me. This could honestly just be a me issue but I just felt like it didn’t line up with what all we’d learned previously.

The way the story ended has me hopeful that there will be another book. If this is a standalone I’d be sad, as I felt it didn’t tie up everything it should have. On either Goodreads or Storygraph, I saw something saying it was book one in an untitled duology so I’m hopeful that we’ll get another book.

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poppywarphan's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

Well shit. Now I have to wait until 2023 for the sequel. This cover! 😌👌 Violet made of thorns is a great and very entertaining debut. As a major fan of morally grey characters, enemies to lovers and dark fantasy this book was perfect for me. People who hate and kiss each other? 😈 Yes please.

Cyrus, a cursed prince who's kingdom's fate relies on him choosing a bride, wants to marry for love. He has been stalling for too long so the king, with the help of his seer, sets him up with a noblewoman. But the seer–Violet– has dreams and visions. The prince's bride is not who she seems to be. Together they work to unravel the secrets to prevent something terrible from happening.

The burning question: Is Violet made of thorns similar to The cruel prince? Not really in my opinion, other than the enchantments and intense love/hate relationship between Cyrus and Violet. I'd say it's a bit more romance focused.

The story is inspired by multiple fairytales. I noticed subtle references to Cinderella, Beauty and the beast and Sleeping Beauty.

I loved Violet for being brutally honest and an unapologetic liar at the same time. Cyrus is a pretentious ass lol. He and Violent were always bickering at the beginning. Later they start to get along better. Sometimes. He wants to have her gone but Violent, well... She's determined to keep her position as the kingdom's seer. Then we have Dante, Cyrus' best friend and confidant,who was also a favorite. He's the neutral middle ground between them. And lastly Camilla, Cyrus' twin sister, a supportive sapphic queen. 😏

The pacing was moderate from the beginning the 2nd half however was packed with twists.

What I was missing were the ✨fantasy names✨ (at least for the main characters) . The names were flowery (and modern?) It felt weird. Then again roses, vines, thorns were significant to the story so maybe it was going for that kind of vibe?

Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the author's website:

Content Warnings:
one instance of parent harming child physically, themes of emotional manipulation fantasy-typical levels of violence, including death and body horror
self-harm in a ritual/magical context
some instances of casual racism

Other Notes:
non-explicit sexual content, does not fade to black

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