arc review | these twisted bonds – lexi ryan

These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan

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Series: These Hollow Vows #2
Expected publication: July 19th 2022 by Clarion Books
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fae
Representation: bi SC

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Synopsis:

After Abriella’s sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn’t get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making ­- loving two princes and trusting neither – things are not quite as clear as she once thought.

As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn’t even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don’t lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm – whether she likes it or not. 

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Betrayed by her bonded mate, Abriella ran away while possessing the powers of the Crown of Starlight. Now, Sebastian is left with just the crown but is rejected by the throne because he lacked the power. While saving a camp of innocent Unseelie children, kidnapped by the queen for insidious reasons, the newly turned fae met Misha, a Wild Fae. With nowhere to go, and despite not wanting to trust another fae, Abriella stayed with Misha. As each child slowly falls into the Long Sleep, time is running out for everyone involved. How can one reunite the crown, the power, and the throne without sacrificing anyone? The curse is broken but the world is still crumbling beneath their feet.

I’m not a fan of love triangles but I get why it happened in These Twisted Bonds. Finn and Sebastian are both eyeing the throne, and Abriella is stuck between them. Sebastian’s betrayal cut Abriella deeply, but with the bond, she’s forever connected to his emotions. While trying to save all of the faerie world, interactions with Finn is unavoidable. Making things more complicated, it seems like Abriella’s powers are stronger when Finn is around. As far as love triangles go, the Finn x Abriella x Sebastian entanglement isn’t that bad. Abriella pretty much made her decision and stuck with it. There wasn’t any excessive flip-flop which I appreciated.

With the children continues to fall into the unending sleep and the Court’s gradual death, all Abriella wanted to do is save everyone if it meant that she would have to sacrifice everything–her love, her life. Armed with the noblest of hearts, even those that doubted her started to understand that Abriella isn’t there to do nothing. Furthermore, Abriella finds out some truths behind her powers and why it stuck to her instead of transferring to Sebastian.

Overall, I enjoyed These Twisted Bonds. The duology was wrapped up nicely with this conclusion. The plot was okay and I was hoping that we got more of Abriella using her shadow powers. Honestly, I wanted Abriella to show her darker side, considering that she’s wielding such immense power from the Court of Moon. The darkness within her could be further explored. Lexi Ryan worked with the traditional Seelie/Unseelie Court dispute while putting her own spin regarding her character’s journey into finding out how to resolve the conflict. Still a good duology!

book one of these hollow vows duology

these hollow vows – lexi ryan | arc review

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