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A review by jessiereadsfantasy
Bonded by Thorns by Elizabeth Helen
4.0
I literally could not put this book down. There's something magnetic about it despite its flaws.
If you are familiar with and a fan of the story of Beauty and the Beast, you already know the general makeup of the characters and the storyline. Mix in fae, fated mates, and a villain who is probably the most interesting character in the book, and you have Bonded by Thorns. I do want to say that any story that is a retelling of a well-known story is subject to harsher criticism because if a well-loved and well-known adaptation of the story exists, people will undoubtedly compare the retelling to it. So, I consciously tried to separate the two adaptions in my head, which was difficult.
Our FMC, Rosalina, is very frustrating in that she has these moments where she's extremely confident, and then the next moment, she's docile and meek. From Disney's adaptation of the story, Belle has moments like this as well, so it only seemed fitting for Rosalina to have the same traits since this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Her interactions with Lucas, the Gaston of the book, are super uncomfortable, but they should make you uncomfortable. Lucas treats Rosalina as a prize, is a massive prick, carved his name into her arm, and comes back to town randomly to ask for her hand in marriage. Oh, and he leaves her while fleeing an army of goblins trying to kill them. Needless to say, I don't blame Rosalina for choosing four fae princes over Lucas.
In terms of the princes, they each have their quirks. However, like Rosalina, their inconsistent personalities are a bit confusing because nothing in the book justifies their ups and downs in personality. I know the shift is due to their awakening care and love for Rosalina, but the book doesn't talk about that shift in feeling in much depth. Again, in Disney's adaptation, the Beast was hot and cold with Belle a lot, so it makes sense, but in the movie, the audience gets more insight into the Beast's thoughts than the reader does for Bonded by Thorns.
Overall, my chief complaint, as stated above, was the characters in that they lacked something. I felt as though they could have been flushed out more. I know the princes are harboring secrets, but as the reader, I think we should be made privy to them and then watch Rosalina uncover them. That's just my personal opinion. Overall, the book is good, and I couldn't put it down once the story picked up (a bit of a slow start at the beginning).
3.5/5 stars because I enjoyed the story even though the main character frustrated me, and 3/5 spice because it got pretty spicy with the FM and MM (and fantasized MFM) action.
If you are familiar with and a fan of the story of Beauty and the Beast, you already know the general makeup of the characters and the storyline. Mix in fae, fated mates, and a villain who is probably the most interesting character in the book, and you have Bonded by Thorns. I do want to say that any story that is a retelling of a well-known story is subject to harsher criticism because if a well-loved and well-known adaptation of the story exists, people will undoubtedly compare the retelling to it. So, I consciously tried to separate the two adaptions in my head, which was difficult.
Our FMC, Rosalina, is very frustrating in that she has these moments where she's extremely confident, and then the next moment, she's docile and meek. From Disney's adaptation of the story, Belle has moments like this as well, so it only seemed fitting for Rosalina to have the same traits since this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Her interactions with Lucas, the Gaston of the book, are super uncomfortable, but they should make you uncomfortable. Lucas treats Rosalina as a prize, is a massive prick, carved his name into her arm, and comes back to town randomly to ask for her hand in marriage. Oh, and he leaves her while fleeing an army of goblins trying to kill them. Needless to say, I don't blame Rosalina for choosing four fae princes over Lucas.
In terms of the princes, they each have their quirks. However, like Rosalina, their inconsistent personalities are a bit confusing because nothing in the book justifies their ups and downs in personality. I know the shift is due to their awakening care and love for Rosalina, but the book doesn't talk about that shift in feeling in much depth. Again, in Disney's adaptation, the Beast was hot and cold with Belle a lot, so it makes sense, but in the movie, the audience gets more insight into the Beast's thoughts than the reader does for Bonded by Thorns.
Overall, my chief complaint, as stated above, was the characters in that they lacked something. I felt as though they could have been flushed out more. I know the princes are harboring secrets, but as the reader, I think we should be made privy to them and then watch Rosalina uncover them. That's just my personal opinion. Overall, the book is good, and I couldn't put it down once the story picked up (a bit of a slow start at the beginning).
3.5/5 stars because I enjoyed the story even though the main character frustrated me, and 3/5 spice because it got pretty spicy with the FM and MM (and fantasized MFM) action.