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thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As the saying goes: every future is earned and no destiny is without blood.
[All quotes are from the ARC, subject to change in the final version]
I enjoyed this one so much, it was utterly bingeable, unexpectedly funny, and I had plenty of fun discussions with my buddy read partner. Most importantly, I didn't ever have that (unfortunately increasingly common) feeling of slight disappointment that tends to accompany reading new releases these days. (The hype power of social media is a beast a half!)
My reading experience here definitely benefitted from having my expectations tempered. 'Violet Made of Thorns' was all over my social media before its release and sounded AMAZING, but a few lukewarm reviews made me go into this with less emotional pre-investment. As you can tell from the last paragraph, this resulted in a Great Time™.
Kings and curses, girls and gods - these are makings of tales. All I did was bleed and ask.
'Violet Made of Thorns' is very atmospheric, heightened by some lovely prose (many a highlight!), and perfect to read in autumn/spooky season. With strange visions, unsettling prophecies and witchiness afoot, the nods to fairy tale elements only elevated the darkly magical and dangerously beautiful (or beautifully dangerous?) vibes. Atmosphere: check...however the setting could have been boosted by the map depicting Auveny' neighbouring countries, rather than just the capital city.
I've always hated how people speak of destiny as if they had no part in it. How they stow their guilt in the stars instead of their hearts, blaming the Fates for their decisions.
The titular Violet is very engaging (as a main character ought to be!), Cyrus was...fine (lol), and some of the side characters stood out as well. Dante (Cyrus and Violet's mutual friend) and Camilla (Cyrus' sister) were particularly striking - Camilla needs more development yet still won me over almost immediately. There is also another who would be a spoiler to name... (Annoyingly, at the time of writing this review, I've actually forgotten who this is, because past me apparently thought that the spoiler warning applied to me too and didn't bother writing down this mystery character's name in my notes...) I hope to see them in Book 2!!
We know right off the bat that this is going to have an enemies-to-lovers plotline, yet I was both surprised and not by the trajectory of the romance. I had a theory that I was really hoping for...but the series isn't over yet! (I am furious at my past self for not writing down this theory in my notes, because by now I've forgotten.) I will say that I did get confused by how Cyrus and another character seemed to be falling and then that thread was just suddenly dropped. (Teenage hormones?)
"Sometimes you hate someone so much, you fall in love."
And maybe if I start a hot enough fire, it'll start shitting ice cubes. "You've had too much to drink, Lady Ziza."
The plot was full of surprises and I loved that while my veteran YA Fantasy experience could predict general points, they didn't unfold the way I expected. I was also impressed with how seamlessly the messages about imperialism and propaganda (that are unfortunately still all too relevant today) were woven into this fantasy world. That said, the story did annoyingly leave some apparently key things unexplained, like the significance of fairies and fayflowers. There also seemed to be this throwaway but essential thing about fairies and hope? I'm hoping these get expanded on in Book 2.
My immediate thought after closing the book was that I NEED Book 2. NOW. What an absolute rollercoaster of a finale...so much was happening that I kept turning the page thinking, 'Surely now it'll be the end/epilogue?'. I loved the fairytale-esque closer - very in keeping with the 'spin' propaganda theme - and I'm really looking forward to the sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC for an honest review.
--------------------------
Initial thoughts:
I can't wait for Book 2. Wow. So much was happening at the end that I kept turning the page thinking, 'Surely now it'll be the end/Epilogue'... I'm glad my expectations were tempered before I went into this, because I ended up enjoying it a lot without feeling let down by inflated hype. Full RTC!
I can't wait for Book 2. Wow. So much was happening at the end that I kept turning the page thinking, 'Surely now it'll be the end/Epilogue'... I'm glad my expectations were tempered before I went into this, because I ended up enjoying it a lot without feeling let down by inflated hype. Full RTC!
Buddy read with Vivian!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Cursing, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Racism
mel_j's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Body horror and Blood
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, and Abandonment
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Violet is a Seer who maybe tells a few lies here and there at the behest of her king. She grew up at the palace alongside the twin Prince Cyrus and Princess Camilla after she saved the prince’s life as a result of one of her visions. The two grew quite antagonistic of each other, always fighting and never backing down, so if you like some enemies to lovers (but also still kind of enemies) vibes you’ll probably enjoy this. Things take a turn as a prophecy seems to be coming true about the Prince and Violet is tasked with convincing the aristocracy that everything is fine and going according to plan, even though her dreams are being invaded by an evil witch planting ideas of killing the prince in her mind.
The author avoids some pitfalls of having a character able to see the future not seeing certain events by disallowing Violet from seeing her own future and most of her sight into others requires hand to hand contact. I also appreciate that the protagonists are not necessarily good people constantly having twists and turns and obstacles thrown in their path- these people kind of suck. They scheme and lie and are selfish to their cores. It really seems like a world where no one can trust anyone but they’re going to have to learn how.
Things are not at all resolved by the end so I assume there will be a sequel and I will be keeping an eye out for it.
Although I’ve tagged a warning for sexual content, most of that is intense making out and anything beyond that is pretty brief and very much not explicit.
The author avoids some pitfalls of having a character able to see the future not seeing certain events by disallowing Violet from seeing her own future and most of her sight into others requires hand to hand contact. I also appreciate that the protagonists are not necessarily good people constantly having twists and turns and obstacles thrown in their path- these people kind of suck. They scheme and lie and are selfish to their cores. It really seems like a world where no one can trust anyone but they’re going to have to learn how.
Things are not at all resolved by the end so I assume there will be a sequel and I will be keeping an eye out for it.
Although I’ve tagged a warning for sexual content, most of that is intense making out and anything beyond that is pretty brief and very much not explicit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: War, Violence, and Sexual content
scorbunneh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Classism, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Cursing, Sexual content, and Gore
Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Medical content
imds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, War, Chronic illness, Blood, Self harm, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
erica_reads_everything's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This book was cute, but not great. An easy read, it would be best for older teenagers. I think my main complaint is that the author put forth a lot of ideas that were wonderful, but didn’t see them all the way through. It felt like it was too fast, and that she could have explored some of the intricacies of the story in more detail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, Self harm, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, War, Sexual content, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
mandkips's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content and Self harm
Minor: Murder, Emotional abuse, and Racism
natashaleighton_'s review
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
A deliciously addictive and utterly enthralling YA fantasy with one of my absolute favourite tropes—enemies to lovers. It’s about a morally grey seer and witch, a cursed prince and a deadly prophecy that ties the two together. And I have to say—for a book that I was already highly anticipating—I’m utterly shocked by how easily it eclipsed all of my expectations. Gina Chen’s writing style is so refreshing and her morally grey protagonist was absolutely fabulous!
I loved the cynical, prickly and unapologetically cunning Violet who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive—even if it leaves her at loggerheads with the Crown Prince, Cyrus. And although she’s definitely a flawed character I couldn’t help myself from rooting for her—and hoping that she and Cyrus would just give in to all the that delicious sexual tension, curse be damned.
It does have similar vibes to The Cruel Prince or Serpent & Dove with a sprinkling of Briar Rose/ Beauty and The Beast elements that I really enjoyed, but it is a completely original story so don’t expect too many similarities.
The pace was surprisingly fast despite how lush the world and character building was and I honestly think it could’ve been longer if only so I didn’t have to leave Gina Chen’s gorgeously crafted world.
Trust me, if you love your fairytales dark, and dangerously twisted then you’re going to absolutely love this.
I loved the cynical, prickly and unapologetically cunning Violet who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive—even if it leaves her at loggerheads with the Crown Prince, Cyrus. And although she’s definitely a flawed character I couldn’t help myself from rooting for her—and hoping that she and Cyrus would just give in to all the that delicious sexual tension, curse be damned.
It does have similar vibes to The Cruel Prince or Serpent & Dove with a sprinkling of Briar Rose/ Beauty and The Beast elements that I really enjoyed, but it is a completely original story so don’t expect too many similarities.
The pace was surprisingly fast despite how lush the world and character building was and I honestly think it could’ve been longer if only so I didn’t have to leave Gina Chen’s gorgeously crafted world.
Trust me, if you love your fairytales dark, and dangerously twisted then you’re going to absolutely love this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Racism, Body horror, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: War and Violence
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was an interesting new world, definitely great for anyone who loves fairytale or royalty themed fantasy. It definitely gives off The Cruel Prince vibes, so that is a great readalike. The characters aren't necessarily the most likeable, but that's supposed to be the point. They both will do whatever it takes to further their status in society.
The central romance might have been the best thing about this book. There is a lot of court intrigue, but sometimes I had difficulty following it. This might have been becuase I listened to the audiobook, though. The narrator was great, but sometimes I don't pay quite as close attention, so maybe I missed something plotwise.
While I don't think this necessarily needed to be a series, I do understand where the author wants to go with the story. I am kind of interested in seeing what happens next, so I might pick up the next book when it comes out. We'll see!
The central romance might have been the best thing about this book. There is a lot of court intrigue, but sometimes I had difficulty following it. This might have been becuase I listened to the audiobook, though. The narrator was great, but sometimes I don't pay quite as close attention, so maybe I missed something plotwise.
While I don't think this necessarily needed to be a series, I do understand where the author wants to go with the story. I am kind of interested in seeing what happens next, so I might pick up the next book when it comes out. We'll see!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: Emotional abuse
thecatconstellation's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took me a while to get into this, but I really enjoyed the last third and am eager to see what happens next. The love-hate relationship between the two main characters is well done with plenty of tension. The other characters are also interesting enough. Story of fate and what happens when you fight against it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Confinement