The vibe is definitely more young adult than adult fantasy in my opinion, although this is dark, vibrant and complex enough to be comfortably displayed in both sections of a book shop.

I had plenty of empathy for the main character and found her relationship with her aunt difficult to read at times, the oppressiveness was unrelenting. A decent conclusion was reached by the end with enough loose threads to entice me into reading the next book once it's available.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

“Magic Is The First Sin. It Must Be Bound.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
3.75 Stars

Synopsis: Anna has been taught that magic is a sin, and so it must be bound. Her mother died because of magic, and her aunt does not want the same to happen to her. Her aunt teachers her the way of the Binders, the way of bound magic. But, when Anna meets new witches she begins to question whether magic is truly a sin.

CW/TW: abuse/neglect/murder/bullying/ others may be present.

Threadneedle, by Cari Thomas is, undoubtedly, a unique and captivating read – the magic and characters are compelling and interesting, and the plot is full of surprising twists and turns- but it feels quite YA. Now, I love YA, but I went into this expecting it to be Adult fiction, so the significant focus on school took me by surprise. The plot itself is complex and mysterious, gripping you and keeping you reading – it did feel a little tangled at times and a slow in the middle, but overall the secrets and mysteries is enough to keep you reading.

The prose is a strong point of the book, easy to read but maintains a beauty to it. It perfectly captivates the magic in this world, and the different types, is compelling and full of beautiful descriptions, and evokes emotion perfectly. The narrative we get is that of Anna’s, it is a strong narrative that gives us enough insight into Anna and the world but also aids the mystery and suspense pervading the novel. Anna’s closed off lifestyle means we learn things alongside her, and feel amazed when she see new, beautiful forms of magic that exist aside of her knot magic. Not only that, the narrative allows us to see the complexities of magic, of being a witch, particularly with the knot magic used. The combination of the narrative and prose avoids any info-dumps, and let’s us learn about the world in a natural way, through Anna’s lessons and observations of others. The pacing is decent throughout, though it does feel slow in the middle, particularly with the school drama that occurs, and picks up again at the end.

The plot is compelling, with Anna on her way to become a Binder, the mystery of the Faceless Women, the death of Anna’s parents and the introduction of the witches who befriend Anna, each element comes together to create an interesting story of choice, magic and love. Anna and her aunt’s story is very strong, from believing in her aunt and trusting her, to her aunt’s abusive behaviour and finally to her aunt’s desire to have Anna bound – it is all around a strong thread that pulls at the heartstrings, horrifies you, and keeps you engaged. The mystery behind Anna’s parent’s death was also a strong element to the plot, adding decent amounts of horror and mystery to the story and keeping you guessing right up until the end.The death of The Faceless Women was equally compelling, I wish there had been more on this, though since this is the start of a series so it is likely to be a stronger point later on. The school element of the story was, for me, weaker – I liked the friends Anna made, but the plot within the school didn’t interest me as much – perhaps because I was not prepared for this YA element, but part of me feels like the story could have been stronger with a slightly older cast of characters. The plot twists were good though, shocking and surprising throughout and the explosive ending was a fantastic conclusion to the book, leaving us in suspense for the next instalment.

The characters were, for the most part, incredibly strong. Each are clearly defined with their own strong personalities, each with their own flaws, making them realistic. The relationships between the characters were also interesting, messy and real – with conflicts, resolutions and fallouts. Anna is a complex character, conditioned into being invisible, dutiful, bound. Her rebellion is not achieved in a single act, and slowly escalates as it would with any 16 year old- despite my hesitations for the younger cast, they were written well and had the impulsivity and rebellious natures of a teenager which did play out realistically. Effie was another strong character, a force of nature who was compelling from the start and Anna’s stark opposite – flawed and cruel at times but more to her than meets the eye. Rowan and Manda were interesting in their own right, though Rowan was a favourite of mine (as was her mum, an absolute cinnamon roll of a woman and not to be messed with – I loved her as soon as she was introduced). Attis, a mystery of a character was compelling throughout as well, cocky and clever, but not infuriating, he is the kind of character you feel drawn too – even when it feels like they are hiding something. Aunt and Selene; Aunt is cold, cruel and a very strong character – composed, determined and narrow minded – I hated her but her character was extremely well crafted. Selene is the opposite of Aunt, all about love, freedom, and is flaky – always travelling, or with a man, but seems to have a big heart and soft spot for Anna.

The magic was very interesting throughout. The different types, the way it is used, different witches approaches – it was rich, captivating and well written – another strong point in the story. I loved the magic, it was very unique and original from the complex knot magic to the flexibility of Selene’s.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read, with strong characters, interesting magic, and a compelling plot. However, it does feel slow at times and the plot feels a little tangled in the middle. But the twists and turns are shocking and the explosive ending keeps you wanting more.

*I received an eARC via #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thankyou!*

This book was an all-round five-star read. The story was great, the characters were fully developed and believable (as much as fantasy characters can be!), and the prose was beautiful. There was a real sense of ever-changing atmosphere throughout the book, suspense and twists and turns. It was a real joy to read.
I underlined so many quotes in the book, as I met another beautifully turned phrase that made the scene and/or characters come alive.
Our heroine, Anna, is an orphan – raised by her aunt following her mother’s murder by her father. Anna’s mother and aunt had magic – as does Anna – but Aunt sees it as an evil to be hidden and supressed, along with all emotions:
“When she was young, Anna had quickly learnt that there was nothing fairy tale about the Binders’ magic. No magical lamps. No wands or capes. Knots were the only magical language tolerated by the Binders. A knot is concise. It is secure. Above all, it is discreet, Aunt had explained. It can be done out of sight without anyone seeing. It keeps our secrets safe.”
The Binders are a group of paranoid, embittered female witches, somewhat akin to religious fundamentalists who believe in Original Sin, and use it as a means to restrict and imprison the will and activities of females. All Binders have their magic bound – only when they reach the higher levels of their order may they perform magic – but never without pain, to remind them of magic’s evil.
Anna’s life is full of pain, cruelty and darkness. At school she perfects her role as a Nobody to avoid the notice of others – especially the notice of the queen of nastiness:
“Darcey Dulacey front and centre, scanning the rows of pupils before her regally, bone structure pure-bred pedigree, hair bronzed, make-up impeccable, a proprietorial smile and cruel eyes, judging and assessing.”
The one bit of light in Anna’s life, is the occasional visits by her mother’s best friend, Selene:
“Golden hair, blazing yellow coat, red lips: Selene arriving like a comet to their house, radiant against the darkness around her.”
For Anna’s birthday this year, Selene turns up with her daughter, Effie, and Attis. Who or what Attis is, is a mystery:
“His accent was strangely nomadic as if it had collected the interesting parts of other accents on its travels.”
Neither meets with Aunt’s approval:
“‘Witches like them ought to be bound on the spot. That girl should not be allowed to practise magic, so untethered and impulsive, she has no idea of the consequences. She’ll end up like your mother, mark my words.’
Both Effie and Attis are now enrolled at Anna’s school, and Anna’s life takes an abrupt turn. She is introduced to Rowan (rather over-weight and daughter of a witch) and Miranda (with very strict Christian parents) – other misfits like Anna – whom Effie decides will form their coven, learn and practice magic. Darcey describes them as: “The Whore, The Virgin, The beast, The Nobody”
Effie is a force of nature:
“No one quite seemed to know what to make of Effie and the rumours swirling around her had taken the unimaginative turn into the realms of what a whore and slut much, the only category they seemed to have for a girl who scared them.”
“‘I don’t think the men in this school know what to do with you.’ ‘Men can’t handle me because I play by the same rules as them.’
There is a strong whiff of misogyny in this book – perpetuated mainly (but not only) by the females, such as the Binders, Darcey and her acolytes. However, blaming all for the sins of few, did not sit well with me (or Anna):
“‘Does this other man really deserve this punishment?’ ‘He’s a man, Anna. They have done us enough harm across the ages that any harm we do to them now is insignificant.’”
The Binders live in fear of the Hunters, whom they believe will kill all witches, so they must remain hidden and supress their magic. Anna must decide whether to continue to ally herself with Effie and her friends, to become a free magical person, or to become bound. At the start of the book, the choice is very clear to any thinking person – but by the end, so much has happened, so much has changed, that the choice is no longer a foregone conclusion.
Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get you.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, or who revels in wonderful writing and story-telling.

This is not the sort of book I usually read. I'm not interested in fantasy or magic. I think I must have got it by mistake but once I started reading I was hooked. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it. It's a long book but didn't feel long at all. Apparently there's a sequel planned. I can't wait.

Threadneedle is an ARC that I still can't believe I got a chance to read early. This debut fantasy with paranormal elements exceeded all my expectations and delivered a stunningly magical story. We follow Anna, who is preparing to have her magic bound by her aunt and the powerful group she belongs to. As she turns sixteen, she begins to unravel more and more secrets about her family and through a group of new friends discovers the real power behind her magic.

We'll start off with the writing which, of course, was so good! Cari Thomas has such a way with words and creating such vivid descriptions that it's so easy to just get completely lost in this story. This is a chunky book at 576 pages and yet the pacing didn't feel slow, the author knew just when to speed things up and when to slow it down but still keep the narrative moving. I also had instances where I forgot this was YA cause the writing is mature and sophisticated yet still easy to read. I think the only instance where I felt slightly confused was the very end as a lot was happening at once and I did have to slow down a bit to take it all in.

Throughout reading this book it definitely gave off major 'The Craft' vibes but did it in a way that it still felt fresh and engaging. I love magic and witches and fairytales, three things this book does so well. The plot was a really interesting take on YA witchy books with the ever looming binding hanging over everything. There's a lot packed in but it also connects together easily, all the puzzle pieces just fit. The overall conflict was good and the ending sets it up nicely for the sequel. There is some general teenage drama in here too but it does link into the plot well.

Anna is our main character and she's very easy to like. Having just turned sixteen she's about to face having her magic binded but struggles with wanting to learn more about her magic and her family whilst going against her aunt, the only family she's ever known. Anna felt very real, her decisions we understandable and her actions felt like those of a teenager discovering what freedom and life tastes like. She develops a friendship with three other witches at her school and together they form their own coven, this was one of my favourite parts of the book as it's where the main bulk of magic is done and explained through them. They also just had a great relationship, Rowan being my ultimate favourite character. She grew up in a magical family, is somewhat of the comic relief and struggles with her weight and school bullies.

There are some romantic elements in here too but nothing felt insta-lovey. The relationship between Anna and Attis is so cute and develops really nicely throughout the book. I may be a little in love with Attis myself, he's so charming and a bit of a loveable rogue!

The worldbuilding might be my favourite part though. It's set in London but Thomas inserts magic into all these different places so that all of these magical, hidden locations throughout the city are uncovered. My favourite place was the magical antique shop that had everything from photographs that emitted the emotions that were felt when it was taken to a candle that smells like your favourite memory; tidbits like that really make me love a story even more. There's just something about combining our world with a magical one that I love especially when it's done as well as it is here.

This was a fantastic series opener, I feel like the magic touched upon here is just the beginning and there's a hundred directions it could go. The magic is pretty complex and there's so many different types that I hope the author continues to explore it in future books. If you couldn't tell, I really loved this book. If you like witches, coming of age stories and endless magic then I think you will too. I can't wait for the sequel (very sad that it's probably not going to be for a while) and I've already pre-ordered a physical copy for myself! Already a favourite of the year!

I think I didn't pay quite enough attention to the marketing, but I didn't realise quite how ya the novel would be. It's modern day witches at high school, set in London, among relatively posh kids. I struggle with magic school books so I'm really not the audience but it was well written and put together with interesting magic. I would not recommend it to my friends who read adult SFF but I might recommend it to the few teens I know who read books of that flavour as it has a lot to offer that age group. In that sense, it is actually refreshing to read ya which feels, for once, targeted at actual ya readers instead of ya written for adults on the sly.

Wow I hadn't expected YA with this one but it didn't matter once I got into the world of her Aunt and the wonderful witch and her daughter ..and the Binfer ethos .. who visit and release her .. the description of emergence as from a cocoon into magic is done beautifully. Fast moving if complex at times ..

Frankly, I'm finding it slow going. I've managed about 1/4 of the book over the past 3 weeks and I would usually finish it in 3 days. It doesn't help that it's a PDF file with enormous white space, no flow and no ToC; I find book-length PDFs very hard to read as I have to read them on-screen (they don't go on my eReader).

The premise of the book sounded interesting, but from what I've read so far, it's coming across as a misery memoir, with Anna being in what comes across as an abusive family situation. The school scenes are remarkably American in style for a school set in the UK (I'm reminded of that Sky paranormal school drama [Hex] from about 10 years ago).

So, all in all, not what I was expecting, and I doubt I shall finish it as it's too depressing and I find the characters uninteresting and unsympathetic. For somebody who's supposed to be reckless, Anna is coming across as repressed, and why on earth hasn't she reported her abusive aunt to social services?

Threadneedle just didn't quite click for me. The writing Is very well done but story overall seems to be aimed at a younger audience than I was expecting. I read a lot of YA so that wasn't a problem but it may have impacted the way that I came into the novel. I found the pacing rather slow and struggled to get to grips with the characters. I'm sure Threadneedle will be a favourite for many people but it just didn't quite wow me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. Magic is the first sin. It must be bound. Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly. It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of. Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it?

Anna is an interesting character in the sense that she prefers being in the shadows but also craves some attention in the way we all do. Living with her strict, magic fearing aunt, she struggles day to day with the punishments of getting little things wrong. When Effie and Attis turns up, she finds that she can be living life in a totally different way and explores amazing things for the first time - shopping, freedoms, friends! I did struggle to connect to Anna all the time throughout the book and I don’t think I can pinpoint precisely why, just that her character fell a little flat occasionally.

I felt like the story was very confusing in the beginning. It was as if the scene was being set in the past and then there were suddenly reminders of modern times - like the mentioning of dishwashers and sixth form. The general sixth form vibe felt a little off too. Yes, there’s gossip and there are bullies but being young adults, we tend to be a little more mature. The bullies and “villains” felt a little too childish considering what their ages are meant to be. This could, of course, be an inaccurate opinion but I only left sixth form a few years ago and didn’t experience behaviour like that - or witness it! After that ending, I think I would like to read the next book to see what happens with particular characters, but I wouldn’t be upset if I didn’t.

Overall, Threadneedle is an interesting book about witches that has you both scared of and wishing you had magic!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an advanced copy of this book. The review will be live on my blog on release day.

It was with some trepidation that I started this book I had read the overview and thought it sounded different but I have a love/hate relationship with with fantasy and more so when they are young adult but my goodness this book was absolutely amazing and I really did love it. The writing was spot on and as this story was set in the present day it felt very real with lots of teenage angst and bitchiness going on and wrapped up in a tale of teenage witchcraft and spell casting.
This read has such a lot going for it and I was totally hooked and what’s more this is book one of the series and I can’t wait to read the next instalment all praise to Cari Thomas for writing such a delectable story and please write quick as I really do want to know more from Anna and the rest of the characters that made this a real joy of a read. So at last a fantasy series that I loved and really can recommend it was just brilliant.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, Harper Voyager for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book follows the journey of a teen witch as she decides on pathways in her life.
Complex and characterful, alongside some cracking ideas, this story explores the nature of love and trust.
At no point do you as the reader know if our protagonists are making good or bad choices.
Alongside the very self centred and personal world or a 16 year old at school ( vicious) their is an overarching story of good and bad with a mysterious who dunnit.
I was absolutely gripped by the story and literally read it till 0200 to finish it.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Recommended

I found Threadneedle to be such a wonderful, magical story. I thought all the characters were well developed and so believable. The magic running through out felt so close, taking it's history and inspiration from actual witch practices. The plot was full of twists and turns, and I was rooting for Anna throughout.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!

This is definitely not the sort of book I would normally read, but I was gripped from the start.It’s probably most suited to young adults but it’s so well written and imaginative that I enjoyed it immensely ,even though it’s a long time since I was that age.It deals with the things that affect most young people,the difference being that the main characters are witches!
It’s the first in a series and I will look forward to finding out what happens next to Effie ,Anna and Attis.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Having experienced this dark magical first instalment, I am intrigued to read what the sequels hold.
This reads very much as a coming of age novel; Anna is preparing to submit to her aunt's desires to have her magic 'bound' when a strange event and the reappearance of an old family friend throw her future into doubt. Caught between her aunt's polemic against her magical abilities and the delicious freedom she experiences with her new friendship group, Anna feels herself torn. She becomes more questioning about her own past and about the wider magical world. I rejoiced as she fought back against the bullies at her school, but horrified at the way that she is so badly let down by the adults in her life, even though they faced their own difficulties. I found myself absorbed as I read about the personal struggles that Anna experiences which are connected to a much bigger conflict in the magical world.
Roll on book 2, I will be queuing up for my copy.
My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of Threadneedle.

Threadneedle is a contemporary novel set in a magical London. From what I've seen online, it looks like this is the start of a series. It doesn't seem to be advertised as such, but I would say this is a YA novel. Supernatural/Fantasy in genre.

It starts with the bodies of 6 women being found hanging from Big Ben. This catches the attention of protagonist Anna, a teenage self-confessed 'Nobody'. Anna's parents died in a bizarre murder-suicide when she was a baby, and she has since lived with her cruel, controlling Aunt. Her Aunt is a binder, literally binds, or closes off the magic of others. Anna knows that magic runs in her family but thinks she hasn't inherited it, and feels like a bit of a failure. Her life at school is a misery because she doesn't have any friends, and she's bullied by the more popular girls, and she spends her life trying not to be noticed and stay in the background. Enter: cousin Effie! Anna's life is turned upside down. Effie, Anna and some unbeknownst until now magical school-mates form a coven, where they delve further into the supernatural underground, solving some of the problems and questions in the story, whereas I feel like other themes will be explored in the subsequent novels.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters for the main part, and I feel that the author was really able to explore Anna's feeling of loneliness and confusion through the book, as well as really bringing across the cruelty of the 'mean girls' and her Aunt. I liked the fairy-tale aspect, from those written and retold to the almost Cinderella-like vibes of her life with her aunt. I don't really have anything negative to say as such, perhaps only that I probably would have preferred to have known that it was more Young Adult than an adult novel as such. I also maybe found some parts of the novel overly descriptive but that's because my brain goes at 100 miles an hour! An example of this would be the sights and sounds in the nightclub, although I appreciate that some people enjoy this level of description.

An enjoyable read. The author gives an imaginative spin on the mythology of witchery. Although there were at times echoes of Harry Potter, overall this was a unique spin on the school of magic idea. I am assuming there will be a sequel because it left many ends untied.

I requested this book to read as I loved the cover and the sypnosis. However for me the book didn't live up to it. I found the first part quite longwinded, at about 30÷ it became more interesting. It will appeal to YA readers interested in
Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own

I found this book totally enthralling. It follows the struggle the main character, Anna has in understanding herself and her family history. She is a teenage witch who has been bought up by an aunt to repress her magic. The aunt wishes her to be bound by the age of 16 years. It follows Anna as she begins to fund out about herself, through the angst of teenage woes and emotions set against her abilities as a witch. She has no friends at school and is strictly controlled by her aunt, until Effie comes into her life. Effie, a witch is rebellious and quickly identifies Anna and two others at school as witches. These two are also not accepted by their school mates. Effie leads them through a journey exploring magic and its powers. The story moves quickly and kept be engaged throughout. The ending was in a way unexpected and leads me to believe that there will be a sequel.
I can recomend this book to young adults and even, like myself older adults.

This book was not at all what I expected but I loved it. I initially thought it was an adult fantasy in the vein of JONATHAN STRANGE but it’s actually much more of a YA fantasy. I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. Rather, the main character is sixteen years old and a lot of the action takes place at a private girls school.

For me, it was like a combination of THE CRAFT and CHARMED. There’s a teen-witch coven, revenge against the mean girls, and romantic angst. Its expansive exploration of witchcraft and lore was wonderful and the author has woven a world of magic that is unlike anything I’ve read before. The reader can feel the magic building in the book and there’s a sense of anticipation about when the snapping point will come and what consequences it will bring.

Alongside this is the darker tale of the main character, Anna, who has suffered (and is still suffering) an abusive childhood and the coercive control of her aunt. She has been taught that magic is a sin and something to be hidden away. Unlearning years of insidious messages takes time and I appreciated how the author treated this subject with respect and nuance.

The final few chapters are absolutely gripping, leading to an epic magical showdown and the revelation of secrets that have been long buried. Engaging, wildly inventive, and addictive, THREADNEEDLE is sure to be one of the most talked-about books of the year.