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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I ended up liking this a lot more than I thought I would! I'm a little burnt out on YA fantasy/romance/mythology stuff, so this was a pleasant surprise.
One of the things that this book does well, is what *good* YA dystopian fiction does, in that it explores big ideas, moral gray areas, and social criticism in a fast-paced story with interesting world-building. The book is a bit like X-Men, except the people with powers are descended from gods of different world traditions. We find them post-cataclysm, in a world that has somewhat recovered, but which has parallels to what we might imagine when our world is suffering more acutely from climate crisis. Refugees and xenophobia abound, especially for the powered; gangs rule the slums; there is a distinct disjoint between the haves and have-nots; and those with power jockey and manipulate for more.
I appreciate at there are no villains, or rather everyone is a villain, because everyone is, in some way operating from a place of choosing the lesser of two evils while still attempting to uphold their values, and/or lashing out due to their pain and trauma.
As usual in YA fantasy books these days, I could do without the romance, but I did appreciate that one of the points of tension in the book was that neither character knew if they *wanted* a fated relationship, because they value the idea that people have choices that shape the future, rather than merely destiny. This is even more interesting because the main character is literally descended from one of the Fates, and she can her sisters can manipulate people's lives.
The writing in this book is solid; the plot is twisty; and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
One of the things that this book does well, is what *good* YA dystopian fiction does, in that it explores big ideas, moral gray areas, and social criticism in a fast-paced story with interesting world-building. The book is a bit like X-Men, except the people with powers are descended from gods of different world traditions. We find them post-cataclysm, in a world that has somewhat recovered, but which has parallels to what we might imagine when our world is suffering more acutely from climate crisis. Refugees and xenophobia abound, especially for the powered; gangs rule the slums; there is a distinct disjoint between the haves and have-nots; and those with power jockey and manipulate for more.
I appreciate at there are no villains, or rather everyone is a villain, because everyone is, in some way operating from a place of choosing the lesser of two evils while still attempting to uphold their values, and/or lashing out due to their pain and trauma.
As usual in YA fantasy books these days, I could do without the romance, but I did appreciate that one of the points of tension in the book was that neither character knew if they *wanted* a fated relationship, because they value the idea that people have choices that shape the future, rather than merely destiny. This is even more interesting because the main character is literally descended from one of the Fates, and she can her sisters can manipulate people's lives.
The writing in this book is solid; the plot is twisty; and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Slavery
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
This book was slow to get me into it, but quickly took me by surprise in the story and the themes. It jumps from twist to twist, especially at the end of the book. The focus on the Greek gods and their descendants, as well as sibling relationships, made for an interesting read.
The characters have surprises and each layer revealed makes me love them more. I am very excited to read the next book, and hope to see it soon.
The characters have surprises and each layer revealed makes me love them more. I am very excited to read the next book, and hope to see it soon.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
There are a lot of elements to Threads That Bind that recommend it and I want to stress those before moaning about my strong dislike for its romance plot. First of all: great idea. I love a creative take on Greek mythology (and mythology in general) and though I don’t quite get the greater world, the whole descendants-thing is super interesting. I also like where the plot is going, and the entire book was very engrossing and entertaining. Truly, a breeze to get through.
Except the love story continuously left a bad taste in my mouth. This book, in particular, should have been about the relationship between the sisters, not about romance (just imagine the ending if the sisterly love had been at the centre of this volume). It should have been them getting to know each other and maybe developing a crush - not completely falling in love over the span of 5 days… And then there’s the constant fawning and kitsch, that I just struggle to compartmentalise in my brain. It’s all so stupid.
Anyway, I’m not going to seek out the second book but if it dropped in my lap I‘d probably read it to learn more about the mythology and world and stuff - all he while hoping that the romance is less prominent.
Except the love story continuously left a bad taste in my mouth. This book, in particular, should have been about the relationship between the sisters, not about romance (just imagine the ending if the sisterly love had been at the centre of this volume). It should have been them getting to know each other and maybe developing a crush - not completely falling in love over the span of 5 days… And then there’s the constant fawning and kitsch, that I just struggle to compartmentalise in my brain. It’s all so stupid.
Anyway, I’m not going to seek out the second book but if it dropped in my lap I‘d probably read it to learn more about the mythology and world and stuff - all he while hoping that the romance is less prominent.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced