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A review by ateachersguidetoreading
Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
5.0
"Kings and curses, girls and gods— these are the makings of tales..."
*
Violet, the court Seer, is cool and calculating when divining the future but she's not always honest in what she foresees. As she twists truths to allow the King to manipulate the kingdom, his son, Prince Cyrus plots to strip her of her title once he ascends the throne. When the King asks her to falsely predict Cyrus' love story, Violet awakens a dreaded curse. But there's a thin line between love and hate and as Violet and Cyrus give in to temptation they must try to work together to figure out who the real threat is to their kingdom.
*
"You’ll need the whole package to survive: brains, beauty, and backstabbing..."
*
A morally grey and extremely cynical anti-heroine? I was sold on that alone before I knew the plot! I definitely felt the Jude vibes from The Cruel Prince mixed with some Alessandra from The Shadows Between Us. There are various fairytale elements too, like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I find the middle of the book has more of a focus on the two main characters. I really enjoyed this book - I loved Violet's sarcasm and humour as well as her honesty. This is a YA book but there's tension between Violet and Cyrus and some small but of spice. I do feel like the side characters could have been fleshed out a bit more - there's alot of potential there - and I'd have liked some more clarity on the magic system. But I know there is time for that in the next book and I'm looking forward to it. Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for the ARC!
*
We could ruin each other, and we would not hesitate to do so..."
*
Violet, the court Seer, is cool and calculating when divining the future but she's not always honest in what she foresees. As she twists truths to allow the King to manipulate the kingdom, his son, Prince Cyrus plots to strip her of her title once he ascends the throne. When the King asks her to falsely predict Cyrus' love story, Violet awakens a dreaded curse. But there's a thin line between love and hate and as Violet and Cyrus give in to temptation they must try to work together to figure out who the real threat is to their kingdom.
*
"You’ll need the whole package to survive: brains, beauty, and backstabbing..."
*
A morally grey and extremely cynical anti-heroine? I was sold on that alone before I knew the plot! I definitely felt the Jude vibes from The Cruel Prince mixed with some Alessandra from The Shadows Between Us. There are various fairytale elements too, like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I find the middle of the book has more of a focus on the two main characters. I really enjoyed this book - I loved Violet's sarcasm and humour as well as her honesty. This is a YA book but there's tension between Violet and Cyrus and some small but of spice. I do feel like the side characters could have been fleshed out a bit more - there's alot of potential there - and I'd have liked some more clarity on the magic system. But I know there is time for that in the next book and I'm looking forward to it. Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for the ARC!
*
We could ruin each other, and we would not hesitate to do so..."