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sarahsbookstack's review
adventurous
slow-paced
3.25
I think book 1 and this one should be read concurrently because I was a little lost on this book.
Io and Bianca are in most of this book, following a golden thread to a God that they can't find. They come to realize that people are being kidnapped and their world seems to be heading towards the apocalypse.
This was a very wordy book and I felt myself grazing non speaking parts- which there was a lot. I wanted to see even more of Io and Eidi and didn't get that much in this book either. I don't know how their thread, when Io used it to sever the life of one of the Gods, that it was still able to be connecting these two fated lovers.
I guess I'm glad it's a duology because I would be done if it was a whole series.
Io and Bianca are in most of this book, following a golden thread to a God that they can't find. They come to realize that people are being kidnapped and their world seems to be heading towards the apocalypse.
This was a very wordy book and I felt myself grazing non speaking parts- which there was a lot. I wanted to see even more of Io and Eidi and didn't get that much in this book either. I don't know how their thread, when Io used it to sever the life of one of the Gods, that it was still able to be connecting these two fated lovers.
I guess I'm glad it's a duology because I would be done if it was a whole series.
thewhisperingpages's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
befthhh's review
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
5.0
*I received an eARC of this book from Penguin Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!*
I loved the first book in this series and Hatzopoulou did not disappoint with the second! Io and Bianca make such a compelling team, and I loved getting to see them travel to new places in this post apocalyptic fantasy world. The city of Nanzy in particular is described so vividly with the remains of the cauchemar being such a unique focal point.
One of the greatest strengths of Hatzopoulou’s writing is despite her world building being very complex, she is always reminding the reader what she speaks of. I could never remember all the powers of the different otherborns, but there’s always a helpful reminder written in.
I also loved getting to know new characters in this book. The unraveling mystery of the gold thread and the gods Io is chasing kept me interested throughout. I could not have predicted the ending and I will miss these characters and this world.
I loved the first book in this series and Hatzopoulou did not disappoint with the second! Io and Bianca make such a compelling team, and I loved getting to see them travel to new places in this post apocalyptic fantasy world. The city of Nanzy in particular is described so vividly with the remains of the cauchemar being such a unique focal point.
One of the greatest strengths of Hatzopoulou’s writing is despite her world building being very complex, she is always reminding the reader what she speaks of. I could never remember all the powers of the different otherborns, but there’s always a helpful reminder written in.
I also loved getting to know new characters in this book. The unraveling mystery of the gold thread and the gods Io is chasing kept me interested throughout. I could not have predicted the ending and I will miss these characters and this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
pagesofnay's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
drmccoy's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Hearts that cut starts off shortly after Threads that Bind. This sequel is fairly different from the first. There’s more focus on world building and to me it feels a little more like an adventure rather than a sleuth story. I enjoyed this but I think it’s good to expect it coming into the story. I enjoyed how the story wraps up the open ends from the first novel. I love the complexity of human relationships that Kika brings to the story- not just in romantic relationships but in family relationships as well. Definitely a fantasy adventure with some thought-provoking relationship dynamics and world view considerations. I would recommend this duology.
annagwritesandreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book!
4/5
Note: This is the 2nd book in the...whatever this is, so if you haven't read Threads that Bind, there will be major spoilers below. Proceed at you own risk!
General Description: Io has her fate spelled out to her, but she's not sure how that's going to help her when everyone she knows has either betrayed her or she cannot find. She is holding out hope on a golden thread to find the answers about her fate. Joined by the wraith mob queen Bianca, Io must set out to find the true criminal behind everything that brought her beloved city into chaos. Can she do it in time and accept her fate?
The good:
- The world is beautiful, I love the concept and it feels extremely unique.
- The mystery kept me engaged the entire time.
- I love seeing everyone's powers come to life so vividly, it was pretty each to picture everything that was happening in my head while I was reading.
- Io is a very consistent main character and really makes the story accessible.
The loss of a star:
- The pacing was a bit odd; I feel like so much would happen at times, but we'd only move forward bout 3 pages on the story? It threw me off.
- the ending was just extremely lackluster and it really took away from the entire book for me. I'm left feeling a bit confused on what is going to happen next? I'll change my review to 4.5 stars if there is another book coming out but I dont' think it's clear at the time of writing this if there is.
4/5
Note: This is the 2nd book in the...whatever this is, so if you haven't read Threads that Bind, there will be major spoilers below. Proceed at you own risk!
General Description: Io has her fate spelled out to her, but she's not sure how that's going to help her when everyone she knows has either betrayed her or she cannot find. She is holding out hope on a golden thread to find the answers about her fate. Joined by the wraith mob queen Bianca, Io must set out to find the true criminal behind everything that brought her beloved city into chaos. Can she do it in time and accept her fate?
The good:
- The world is beautiful, I love the concept and it feels extremely unique.
- The mystery kept me engaged the entire time.
- I love seeing everyone's powers come to life so vividly, it was pretty each to picture everything that was happening in my head while I was reading.
- Io is a very consistent main character and really makes the story accessible.
The loss of a star:
- The pacing was a bit odd; I feel like so much would happen at times, but we'd only move forward bout 3 pages on the story? It threw me off.
- the ending was just extremely lackluster and it really took away from the entire book for me. I'm left feeling a bit confused on what is going to happen next? I'll change my review to 4.5 stars if there is another book coming out but I dont' think it's clear at the time of writing this if there is.
bibi_reads_writes's review
4.0
Contains spoilers for Threads That Bind
A solid follow up to the first book. I recommend this series to people who enjoy urban fantasy, sci-fi thrillers, apocalyptic settings, and unique magical systems.
Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback. Thank you to the Penguin Group | Razorbill for this opportunity.
❤️ Interesting worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Fast paced and action-packed
❤️ Smooth combination of genres
❤️ Sweet, unproblematic love
❤️ Skillful depiction of internal conflict
❌ Overwhelming magic system
❌ Some confusing phraseology
❌ Surface-level characters and relationships
❌ Rushed ending and loose ends
Trigger Warnings: violence (including guns), blood and injury detail, kidnapping, emotional abuse, panic attacks, assault, non-graphic murder, animal death, classism, genocide, gaslighting and bullying, toxic family relationships, abandonment.
Plot:
Io and Bianca have been following the gods’ golden trail for weeks when they start to think they’re on a wild goose chase. Io is still reeling from her sisters’ betrayal and from her fraying fate thread with Edei. And while political leaders and influential individuals are getting murdered in various cities, random people also start disappearing. Io and Bianca follow the signs all the way to Nanzy, the golden city, and uncover a terrible plot that could destroy humankind.
The first 25% of the book was a little slower than the first installment, but just as riveting. I loved discovering more of the world Hatzopoulou built and exploring Io and Bianca’s relationship. Then, the twists and turns and the action picked up and never stopped. The stakes were much higher and there were interesting new characters and intrigues. However, I still thought the magic system was too complex (I still don’t really understand what norn-born and sabazios-born and aesir-born and kurbantes-born people actually DO) and felt that the ending was rushed. There were so many loose ends I had to look up if it was really a duology, or rather an ongoing series. I’m satisfied with the ending, but I feel it didn’t live up to its full potential.
Characters:
I loved Bianca! And I also loved how Io’s love interest, Edei, was a walking green flag. Their love was so pure and sweet—in a world where red flags and toxic relationships are glamourized, this was very refreshing. However, I feel like the character-to-plot balance leaned way more on the plot side. The only characters we got to know in depth were Io and, perhaps, Bianca and Thais. Even Edei remains surface-level until the end. I also had mixed feelings about the primary relationships. Io/Edei as well as Io/Thais/Ava were discussed so much and remained stagnant for most of the two books, but then both resolutions were rushed in the end. I would have liked to know more about life after the events, about forgiveness and rebuilding of relationships (or the opposite).
Writing:
I enjoyed Hatzopoulou’s sharp and evocative writing style. Her depiction of internal conflicts was particularly on point. However, there were many sentences I had to read a couple of times to fully understand what was going on. In some instances, I simply gave up. This didn’t happen once in the first book, so I’m blaming it on editing and hoping this was fixed in the final version of the book (I read an advance reader copy).
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
A solid follow up to the first book. I recommend this series to people who enjoy urban fantasy, sci-fi thrillers, apocalyptic settings, and unique magical systems.
Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback. Thank you to the Penguin Group | Razorbill for this opportunity.
❤️ Interesting worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Fast paced and action-packed
❤️ Smooth combination of genres
❤️ Sweet, unproblematic love
❤️ Skillful depiction of internal conflict
❌ Overwhelming magic system
❌ Some confusing phraseology
❌ Surface-level characters and relationships
❌ Rushed ending and loose ends
Trigger Warnings: violence (including guns), blood and injury detail, kidnapping, emotional abuse, panic attacks, assault, non-graphic murder, animal death, classism, genocide, gaslighting and bullying, toxic family relationships, abandonment.
Plot:
Io and Bianca have been following the gods’ golden trail for weeks when they start to think they’re on a wild goose chase. Io is still reeling from her sisters’ betrayal and from her fraying fate thread with Edei. And while political leaders and influential individuals are getting murdered in various cities, random people also start disappearing. Io and Bianca follow the signs all the way to Nanzy, the golden city, and uncover a terrible plot that could destroy humankind.
The first 25% of the book was a little slower than the first installment, but just as riveting. I loved discovering more of the world Hatzopoulou built and exploring Io and Bianca’s relationship. Then, the twists and turns and the action picked up and never stopped. The stakes were much higher and there were interesting new characters and intrigues. However, I still thought the magic system was too complex (I still don’t really understand what norn-born and sabazios-born and aesir-born and kurbantes-born people actually DO) and felt that the ending was rushed. There were so many loose ends I had to look up if it was really a duology, or rather an ongoing series. I’m satisfied with the ending, but I feel it didn’t live up to its full potential.
Characters:
I loved Bianca! And I also loved how Io’s love interest, Edei, was a walking green flag. Their love was so pure and sweet—in a world where red flags and toxic relationships are glamourized, this was very refreshing. However, I feel like the character-to-plot balance leaned way more on the plot side. The only characters we got to know in depth were Io and, perhaps, Bianca and Thais. Even Edei remains surface-level until the end. I also had mixed feelings about the primary relationships. Io/Edei as well as Io/Thais/Ava were discussed so much and remained stagnant for most of the two books, but then both resolutions were rushed in the end. I would have liked to know more about life after the events, about forgiveness and rebuilding of relationships (or the opposite).
Writing:
I enjoyed Hatzopoulou’s sharp and evocative writing style. Her depiction of internal conflicts was particularly on point. However, there were many sentences I had to read a couple of times to fully understand what was going on. In some instances, I simply gave up. This didn’t happen once in the first book, so I’m blaming it on editing and hoping this was fixed in the final version of the book (I read an advance reader copy).
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
tasha5492's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nerdybookqueen's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Amazing addition to the story. I really enjoyed exploring this world, I love the magic system, and really love that the tale does not pull from only Greek mythology.
I enjoyed watching Io grow and adapt. While I love good sibling stories, I liked watching her come into her own and seeming to find confidence in herself. I also liked the dynamic between Bianca and Io, Im glad we got so much of them together. And the ending was quite the climax to the tale.
I think the only real feedback I have is I wish there was some form of glossary, both of characters, as there are so many, and of what terms mean, to help me under and keep track of everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death