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quillify_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
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
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse and Racism
kgeogheghan's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Murder and Death
lewnie's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Minor: Alcohol, Racism, and Misogyny
elizajaquays's review
- 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
Do you want idiots in love? Pining? HATE FLIRTING? And did I mention they’re clueless? With snarky best friends who call them out on their shit? And he’s a prince and she’s a commoner? Not to mention queer supporting side characters in a world where that is a non-issue? If you said yes to any of that, run, don’t walk to grab this book.
Violet Made of Thorns is a delightful fairy tale mashup that plays around with subverting prophecies only to have it go magnificently terrible at every turn. Violet and Cyrus have so much chemistry together, it’s just the kind of chemistry where you’re never sure if things are going to work out or blow up in your face. (Probably both). And when they start having to work together to save the kingdom? Absolute perfection.
I would give this book a bajillion stars if I could, but since I can’t, I guess 5 will do.
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
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.
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
notteson's review
4.0
VIOLET MADE OF THORNS is the perfect tale if you're looking for a YA fantasy with a little bit of darkness and despair. Violet is the anti-heroine that, despite all her faults (of which there are many), you can't help like her and root for her. She and Prince Cyrus used to be close as children, but have grown distant and hostile as the years have passed. You could say they love to hate each other, and that hate turns into a twisted kind of love. While I'm always down for an enemy-to-lovers trope, this one fell just short of the mark for me. I felt like there was little lead-up (or teasing, if you will--I WANT TO BE TEASED) with regard to their feelings for each other.
In all, I really loved this book. The writing was beautiful and clear. The characters well-developed, flaws and all. The worldbuilding was fantastical, dark, and compelling. And if you're looking for an ending that isn't your typical "happily-ever-after", then this is the right book for you.
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, and Alcohol