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Threads That Bind
by Kika Hatzopoulou
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.