These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows Book 2)

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I always crave the feeling of reading a book and being physically unable to stop. These Twisted Bonds gave me that feeling. I don’t understand how I could be so special. I’m not even pretty enough, I’m just a human who fell in love with two males and I am nothing. I wish I could sacrifice myself to save people from the agony of being near me.” I loved the progression of the romance and the healthy bond between the two characters who are meant to be together. It’s so rewarding to see characters overcome past hurts, open up to each other, and learn to love so fully. I am definitely team Finn. I love him, he reminds me so much of Rhys. But the book let me with a major cliffhanger I don't Know if I will be able to wait for the second book! I hope we will se more Finn and Brie in this book. Can someone ask the author if she can speed up the release date? I really really don’t! And that’s what’s ultimately depressing about all this. I WAITED for this book, I CRAVED this book, I GOT THE NETGALLEY ARC REJECTED BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT ‘OH HEY, LET’S MAKE THIS GIRL MISERABLE, BUT REALLY, WE’RE SAVING HER LIFE AND THE REVIEWING RATIO- so yes, this book and I have a long, traitorous journey that lasted weeks and painful days when I had to singe the words ‘female’ and ‘male’ from my poor, dead retinas.

In a different world, in a different life, we’d be together. No kingdoms to rule, no people to save, just you and me and a simple life loving each other.” Finn is perfect book boyfriend material and Bash goes though such a journey, I’m not a usual fan of a love triangle as they always take too long to resolve but in this case, as a duology and due to the fact that the situations surrounding the 3 characters lend to a great story, I found it really enjoyable. I want to highlight the traveling element of this book as it’s one of my favourite tropes, it helps gain a good understanding of the world, which is really rich and well thought out. Moving from place to place and building an understanding of the world and it’s magic system was really key to the plot. I particularly love the creatures of the world. Team Bash or Team Finn? I don’t dislike neither, I think that at the end of the line they both wanted the same but had different ways of achieving it. I’m glad that because Brie has a bond with Bash you can actually see more of his true intentions and feelings and he’s actually a good guy. And Finn is too! They do truthfully want the best for the realm and the unseelie court. At some point I wanted Brie to end up with none of them, and some of my own theories were proved regarding Brie and Finn; but it’s Bash last sacrifice for Brie that makes me like him more. Don’t worry, they’re all safe in the end! Despite being so betrayed by both of them, Brie didn’t give up. She has become stronger as a result, she has grown with her tasks and has made her own decisions. Nevertheless, she also listens to other opinions. She didn’t just forgive both Finn and Bash and the two had to fight for her favor. The whole plot was designed so exciting that you could rarely predict anything. But it wasn’t just the main characters that had room to grow, the secondary characters didn’t miss out either and developed very well.I’m not even angry at this point, I’m just giving up. I gave my best efforts to THINK about the things I felt for this in a positive light, but apparently, that light is from Hades and he’s a devilish idiot who doesn’t like to share. Okay, I will say that I’m not normally the biggest fan of love triangles, but I was hopelessly obsessed with this one. Just when I thought I had chosen a side, something happened that made me wonder if the person I had chosen was the right one, and let me tell you, I couldn’t have been more happier then i am now with the outcome.

O sea... es que yo necesitaba saber que iba a pasar con Sebastián, Brie y con Fynn. La verdad es que odio los triángulos amorosos, y en este libro temo decir que no fue la excepción. Odio que las personas sufran por amor, me choca, y como hay un triángulo amoroso, uno va a sufrir. The chemistry and spice in this book is a bit too hot to be YA. The first book had a couple of fun make out scenes, but this one is definitely more detailed. I was pleasantly surprised, so I thought I'd mention it. Sorry but if you are a seasoned Romance/Fantasy reader this was like the most MILD love triangle I have ever read about in my entire life. Like TWILIGHT (yes I went there) was more will they, wont they - who is she gonna choose? - than this. So please goodness gracious to not stress yourself out, just enjoy the ride. In a different world, in a different life, we'd be together," I whisper. "No kingdoms to rule, no people to save, just you and me and a simple life loving each other." I found the plot twist to be rather predictable due to the heavy foreshadowing throughout, however this does not take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.I was kinda vibing with the book in the first half ngl, even tho it reminded me of from blood and ash where poppy and cas are just traveling and lounging for 3/4 of the book which is quite telling 👀 that one was at least better, and there was plot actually. This book was a million times better than the first one and completely redemeed and surpassed any expectations I had, in fact I loved it so much I finished it in bare hours.

In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world. To this time of the day, I am confused and since I read just to read and not to really catalog anything or even understand, I don’t really care. If so, do walk in, take a seat right by my catatonic self and enjoy! Again, this is NOT towards the author, but I have a lot of things to say about one of my most expected releases that went WOOOOSH to a battlefield and lost. I found myself extremely invested in the romance, which is no surprise considering I loved it in book one. I'm not a fan of love triangles but somehow Lexi Ryan made it work and I actually found myself enjoying this book more because of it. I think I knew who Brie would end up with from the very beginning and I was not disappointed!

I know everyone that’s read These Hollow Vows has a preference to which prince they want Brie to be with so I’m not saying anything about either of them on here, sorry!! 😅😅 Aren’t you, like, hundreds of years old? Why are you acting like a spoiled child who doesn’t want to share his toys?”

so a great conclusion - everything ends perfectly and i honestly have no complaints. if you are looking for a fun fantasy series, this duology is where its at. This book, while still very good, did not quite hit all the marks I’d wished for. Maybe I had high expectations, maybe I didn’t give myself enough time to process the first book, I don’t know. Still, I very much enjoyed the further unfolding of secrets, the romance, and learning more about this world. This. Book. I loved These Hollow Vows and it ended up as one of my favourite books of 2021, and I had high expectations for the sequel. Those expectations were more than met by These Twisted Bonds.

Another noteworthy aspect of this book is its world expansion. It builds upon the world introduced in These Hollow Vows, traveling beyond the bounds of the Seelie Court and Unseelie palace. We journey to the faraway reaches of the Unseelie Court, as well as visit the Wild Fae Lands, which hitherto have only been referenced in conversation. We also delve more into the history of the Faerie realm, including how and why the two courts formed. Granted, the world building is not the most intricate that I have come across, but not every fantasy needs to be Tolkienesque in its descriptions. But you did. You took the potion, and in doing so, you salvaged one beautiful thing in a world full of ugliness. I, for one, will never be sorry for that."