lothioriens 's review for:

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

3.5

dark mysterious tense

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book has a plot that creeps up on you like a knife in the back, incredibly interesting worldbuilding, and compelling, imperfect characters, but suffers from structural weaknesses. Critiques and spoilers ahead:

Gravitas is given to the cutting of threads but it is not always carried through the actions of characters, and plot points are sometimes shallow or not well-woven aspects of the story; it’s not that reveals, such as Thais and the Furies, came out of nowhere so much as I wish my expectations had been set up by the narrative rather than my familiarity with plot structures. I also wish relationships throughout, even the briefest friendships, had a little more depth.

Despite all of this, I love this world and enjoy the character concepts—I know this is meant to be the first of a series, so I’ll keep reading and see what happens!