***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley****

Two Princes, One Crown, and the girl they both need to fulfill their destinies.
Brie is thrust headfirst into the world of the Fae, a group of people she is determined to hate, in order to save the one person she loves most, her sister. This book follows Brie's journey as she tries to save her sister while fighting the feelings for two very different "Males" who both want.... her Heart? or something much more sinister?

I loved reading this book and it is perfect for anyone who is searching for a book to cure their ACOTAR itch. It has much of the same vibes while also being awesome and surprising in it's own ways.
Would definitely read more from this author and am already looking forward to book two!

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has left me feeling so disappointed. The premise was off the charts yet the main character was someone that I just couldn't connect well with. It felt a bit too much like she had not much depth to her. Not being able to connect with any of the side characters because all of them felt like they were just surface level too led me to add this title to my DNF shelf. I might try to pick this title up again sometime but for now I just don't have the energy for this book.

I was drawn in by the comparison to A Court of Thorn and Roses and was not disappointed, this book had a rich faerie world and a strong female lead, with some romance thrown in. Brie is living a life devoid of fortune and she would be grateful for a world in which she didn't have to work everyday to keep both her and her sister alive. She is dragged into the faerie world when her sister is taken and her only concern is bringing her back to safety, though this goal puts her in the path of a rivalry between light and dark, the Seelie and Unseelie fae. Brie is caught up in a love triangle with the princes of light and dark. They each have ulterior motives and she has her own as she tries to use every opportunity she can to save her sister. The story wasn't predictable and there was a twist toward the end that really made me excited for the next book in the series.
*received and ARC for a review

This book caught me and wouldn’t let me go until I was finished. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat the whole book. I found myself pulling for Finn but also Sebastian. It was hard! The characters were lovable. I can not wait until the next book in this series!!!

Wow! I loved this book.
When I started reading it, I wondered why it hadn't been marketed as a Cinderella retelling- because that's surely what it was. But as I got further into the story, I completely forgot about that comparison.
Brie is working her hiney off in order to pay rent to her aunt, when her aunt sells Brie's sister to the Unseelie King. Brie travels to Faery to save her sister and stumbles right into a decades old struggle between the Seelie and Unseelie Court. I loved Brie and I loved this book.
If you enjoyed books like The Cruel Prince and SJM books, you'll love this.
I'll definitely be looking for the sequel!
Thanks to Netgalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

These Hollow Vows is a breath of fresh air in the YA fae romance genre. It has a lot of what readers expect to see from fae novels (a steamy love triangle, court politics and deceit, hidden agendas and betrayal), wrapped in a simple but engaging story.

I've seen this compared to ACOTAR and, while there are shared elements between the books, ACOTAR is an epic fae fantasy that swallows you whole and consumes your every thought until you finish the series. These Hollow Vows is much lighter, less intense and reminds me of the classic YA fantasy I read as a teenager. It isn't going to deliver extensive world building and character development like ACOTAR, but it does deliver a great story.

NetGalley is once again coming through with the good shit! I hadn't actually heard of These Hollow Vows before NetGalley suggested it to me, which is weird because based on the description, this is exactly the kind of book I would read. Luckily, NetGalley did suggest it to me, because that means I got to read it early and tell everybody why they should read it once it's released! Here is the list of reasons: IT IS SO GOOD. List concluded. I stayed up until 2 AM on a school night because I couldn't put this book down. And the next day I was far more miserable than normal while trying to do my homework because all I wanted to do was keep reading this book. The characters are amazing. You've got Brie--the badass, takes-no-prisoners, will-do-anything-for-her-sister, mysterious-backstory main character. You've got love interest number one, Prince Ronan, who is shiny and golden and perfect and oh-so-sweet that I got a cavity. And you've got love interest number two, Finn, who's dark, brooding, has a tragic back story, and I just want to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from the world. Lurking in the background are the unsettling characters of Queen Arya of the Seelie and King Mordeus of the Unseelie, the grubby-handed Bakken the goblin, and band of misfits that just scream "found family!" The plot is the grab-me-by-my-throat, I'm-pretty-sure-I-was-just-holding-my-breath, holy-shit-I-can't-breathe, drag-you-along kind of good. There's intrigue! Secrets! Betrayal! Even more secrets! Another betrayal! Magic! Plot twists! My only complaint is that parts of the plot were predictable--but! Lexi Ryan added these other twists that made me question whether what I thought was coming was actually coming, and then they did, and I felt both vindicated and shocked. I really, really, really liked this book. I'm going to be buying this for myself, and you need to be buying it too.

A mix of ACOTAR and shadow hunters, with a hint of the Selection thrown in. Can’t put it down! The characters are devastatingly handsome, there’s so much plot to unravel and the magic all around keeps the intrigue high.

~ received ARC from NetGalley ~
4/5

oh my GOD. Let me just say, it perfectly fits how it says, "From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes" and I have never been more upset that 1) this book doesn't actually come out for a few more months and 2) THE CLIFF HANGER.

4/5 because some of it felt WAY too obvious (and honestly, the fact that the author literally just writes smutty romance books and was like oh hey here's a YA novel) with the fantasy tropes and all that jazz BUT Brie is a beautiful, strong heroine.

Also 4/5 because the whole time I was reading it, I was basically like "okay yup this is basically Jude and Feyre mixed into one character" BUT did I still love and devour this book? Yes. Am I waiting for the sequel? Yes. Did this fit the weird fantasy hole I had after ACOTAR, The Cruel Prince, and FBAA? Yes.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley

3.85 stars

The premise of this book had me so excited, I love any opportunity for a traditional faerie tale with all the drama, intrigue and court betrayal! When first beginning These Hollow Vows, I will admit my hesitation was great. Lexi Ryan seemed to be drawing on all various folklore tropes, from Cinderella to Grimm. It was hard to get a clear picture of how this book would shape out to be, but I’m glad I hung on until the end.

For an author’s seemingly first attempt at the YA/New Adult fantasy genre, she did well. Fans can respect the effort, with hopes that by the second book many of the shadowy dead ends will be resolved. And that brings me to the biggest issue I had with this book. There were so many secrets, so much court intrigue, so much in fact that as a reader, I was so sucked in there wasn’t even a choice of not finishing. The tale has been told before: seelie vs. Unseelie, human girl sucked into the web, no escape. But it was the who is betraying who that I absolutely could not get enough of.

I would have liked to see so many of the secrets resolved in this book, and I can only hope that fans will receive all of our answers by the second. I am very glad this is only a duology. I do recommend reading this book, with the caveat that the tale has been told before, but the drama I assure you, is fresh.

I really cant decide if I liked this book.
In so many ways it was great, but I feel like thats because it piggy backed on the ideas of other books. It definitely is a mash up of "Cruel Prince" and "Court of Thornes and Roses". I felt like some scenes were almost the same as those novels.

Overall it was a fun read and I was invested in the characters. I would read book 2. I just hope to have more original content or that the author will bring something new to the table.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

I'm still reeling from the way this novel ended. I can usually guess a twist ending, but this one surprised me in the best way!

I will say that it took me a while to get into this book. There were a few typos, and the writing could use some polish. I also wish I could have seen more action from Prince Ronan, but after reading the ending, I know what that was not the case.

Overall, the ending was worth any flaws in the writing as the character arcs were well done, and Abriella grew into exactly the kind of heroine I want to follow into the sequel.

I really enjoyed reading this book!
If you are a fan of Cassandra Clare, Holly Black or Sarah J. Maas then you will love this utterly romantic and thrilling faerie tale.
I really loved how the author crafted the story from the female leads perspective and that even you, as the reader, could not decide between who to trust and who to despise.
Let's be honest, everyone dreams of finding someone who appears like Sebastian, but we always find ourselves attracted to the bad boy/girl and Finn ticks those boxes.
I really loved how the workings of royal politics were weaved into the romance and that the ending really leaves you yearning for more. I really hope there is a sequel and we can further explore the independence of the female lead as well as some of the more complex emotions of the male characters and how they have interacted in the past..

This one is gonna be a bestseller, no doubt. An enemies-to-lovers tale that keeps you guessing to the very end, THESE HOLLOW VOWS moves at a clip. This was a one-night read for me--once I started, I couldn't stop. While the romance is compelling by itself, the overall plot was what kept me turning pages. The wait for book two is an agonizing thing. A must read for fans of Holly Black.

If you want to become immersed in a world dominated by the rivalry between the Seelie and Unseelie court, where a human girl with no alliances must navigate the dangerous bargain she made with a dark king and love interests from both sides then this book is for you. This is an entertaining and fun read that delivers everything expected in a fantasy involving fae courts and a human protagonist, who abhors their kind.

Brie hates the fae because they took away her mother and left her and her sister to defend themselves on the streets. Having no options, Brie thieves to pay down her debt and dreams of a day when she and her sister can finally be free. However, this all changes when her sister, Jasalyn, is sold to the King of the Unseelie court. Brie against her better judgment delves into the world of the fae to get her backs and ends up agreeing to steal three magical relics for the Unseelie King.

As a result, Brie enters into the Seelie court as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, but she does not anticipate falling for him. She also doesn't expect the arrival of the exiled Prince of the Unseelie Court, who offers to help Brie steal the relics for his own mysterious reasons. Torn between two courts and their Princes, Brie must figure out who she can trust to outwit the bargain and save her sister from the clutches of the Unseelie King.

"These Hollow Vows" provides a plot full of intriguing court drama and hidden agendas, but it does not offer a lot in its worldbuilding. It does not deviate too far from familiar fae concepts and folklore by focusing on the well-known Seelie and Unseelie courts, which are represented in a typical fashion. The book truly thrives on its fast-paced plot, where the protagonist must discover the true intentions of the courts and her love interests. It focuses on the development of the relationship between the characters only to further the plot. Therefore, it is a perfectly enjoyable novel that does not involve complicated worldbuilding and delivers a satisfying, but simple narrative, as well as, character development.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness!! Lexi Ryan blew my socks off with These Hollow Vows!!
To be honest, I had not heard of Lexi Ryan, but now she's definitely on my radar! Ryan weaves this roller coaster ride of a tale so seamlessly, and I quickly fell in love with Brie, Sebastian and Finn. My best friend used to always say "the tangled webs we weave" and that is most definitely true about this faerie tale. Overall, I was extremely pleased with this novel and am waiting on the sequel even though this book hasn't even released yet! That's a great book in my opinion!!
The language and mature situations are more geared toward high school and new adult and not my middle school students, but I have a few kids who love this kind of high fantasy and maybe I'll recommend it to them.

If you like books about Fae and Seelie courts, filled with a ton of romantic angst which leave you torn about who the main character should be with, then you will love These Hollow Vows. It has all that and so much more. It's an exciting and seductive page turner that keeps you hooked.

Having all the elements of a steamy romance, a love triangle and political powers, "These Hollow Vows" brings a hard punch to the young adult romance collection.

TWs: Grief, abandonment, kidnapping, blood, being attacked, drugged drinks (similar to roofies), dubious consent

I had such high hopes for These Hollow Vows, as soon as I saw the comps and read the description for it, I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, I think I might have gone into it expecting too much, since The Folk of the Air series is one of my all time favorites. I guess I had been hoping for another methodical and ruthless lead like Jude, and Brie just couldn't hold up to her.

These Hollow Vows follows Brie, a human girl who is essentially an indentured servant, working for her cruel aunt and cousins (which low-key held the whole Cinderella vibe, and I'm not sure if it was supposed to be some sort of loose retelling or what tbh) with her younger sister, Jas. After they miss paying rent yet again, Jas gets sold into slavery (??? For all the talk of fearing fae there wasn't really a solid threat of what happened to people sold off) and Brie decides to venture into Faerie to rescue her sister. As it turns out, the evil Underlie King has taken Jas, and will only let her go if Brie uses her thriving skills to steal back artifacts the Seelie Queen stole from him. She agrees, and then ends up in a really questionable love triangle, swooning over both of her love interests and forgetting about her sister.

Okay, so maybe the last part started to get a bit snarky, but honestly, that's what most of this book was. Ryan had to get her readers to have attachment to both Bash and Fin somehow, and ended up having Brie spend most of her time swooning or bantering with them to the point where she wouldn't bring up her sister for multiple chapters. Her sister, aka her best friend and only family in the world. I would literally do anything for my sister, and to have Brie keep insisting she was the same way only to have her give braincells just shut down when she saw a hot guy really rubbed me the wrong way and made it impossible for me to take her seriously. Because of that, I never really connected with her the way I prefer to with main characters, and honestly, I preferred all of the other characters besides Bash over her.

I feel like if Ryan had simply focused on the actual plot of the story, instead of trying to force in a love triangle, that I would have been able to enjoy this book a lot more. So much of it is just about Finn and Bash that detracts from what could have been an exciting plot with crime, political intrigue and Faerie magic. Or if Ryan had left Jas out and just had Brie caught up between Bash and Finn in a love triangle without the thieving to save her sister aspect. And this is coming from someone who LOVES a good romance, especially in fantasy. It also brings me to my next point which is that this definitely is one of those ~Horny Fantasy YAs~ actually written for adults, like ACOTAR, Serpent and Dove, etc. I have nothing against horny fantasy novels, but the fact that the sex scenes were more explicit than some of the adult romance novels I've read is just... not okay to stick in a YA section without warning teens who may not want to read it.

I feel like I really bashed (heh, get it?) this book, so I feel like I should mention the parts of it I enjoyed. It was super readable, I got pulled along by wanting to see what would happen next, even if I wasn't interested in the love triangle. There was a nice amount of fae lore that didn't end up feeling info dumpy, and while it was dark, the world (both human and fae) was interesting. I really liked the humor some of the side characters brought too, particularly Kane and Jalek, and wished that they and Pretha had gotten more page time.

These Hollow Vows didn't hold up to my expectations, with a frustrating main character and a messy plot, but it had it's entertainment value in it's world and humorous moments. While it didn't really work for me, I could definitely see fans of ACOTAR and Serpent and Dove enjoying it, and with it's ending, I'm willing to try the sequel when it's available.