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.

All I can say is oh no, This book doesn’t officially come out for another SEVEN MONTHS? And I’m already clamoring for a sequel.

This book absolutely devoured my Sunday evening. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. A Fae Selection full of deceit, betrayal, and a love triangle? Boy oh boy give it all to me. Looking back on it, I felt like I really should have expected the ending, but I absolutely did not. It’s such a twist, almost obvious twist, that it was just so unexpected and mind blowing and honestly? I screamed.

This is my very first 5 star read of 2021 and honestly going to be the book I recommend over and over and over again to all of my friends both on the internet and in real life.

Brie is such a great character. I feel like she’s so strong but yet so human. She’s not a great fighter, she’s not an assassin, she’s not brute force strong. But she’s sneaky, she’s clever, and she’s loyal. Where every betrayal and trauma could send her off the deep end, she perseveres.

And tbh if one more person hurts my baby, I’m gonna riot.

I read that HMH bought the rights in a two-book deal, and I hope to all that is good that that is true because I need more and I need more like tomorrow.

This review will have a small spoiler.

This book was unexpected in many ways. Here is what I liked about the book - I liked the setting, the palace, and the premise. I like the don't know who to trust love triangle, even if we secretly do. I liked all of the side characters. And I really like her powers, what she can do, and that she already had them.

Here is what I didn't like - the secrets. Every character seems to know everything about Brie, her past, scar, and powers, yet nobody tells her anything. This goes on for so long that I struggled to finish the book. It isn't until 77% into the book that we learn anything at all, and it is that they physically cannot tell her. After that, she finally calls someone who isn't cursed, and then from there, we get like 10 versions of the truth before the very end comes.

After the first half, it really picks up and I couldn't put this book down. I needed to know what the heck was going on, which is probably why I was getting so annoyed. It was hard to get over my confusion, but something about it made me really want to keep reading. I look forward to reading the next in the series and hope it has fewer secrets and a little more action. I do think this book will be very loved in our library, so I look forward to seeing what our community thinks.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!

Firstly, I think the comparison to ACOTAR in this book's pitch was bang on. On the nose! No really, it's literally the same story. I could list all the similarities between the two but.. I really liked this book and I don't think that's necessary. It was formulaic and unimaginative at times but it was so so much fun and gripping and sexy and I don't think I needed it to be anything else. Do I wish it was slightly more unique? Yes and I'm slightly miffed at the missed opportunity to expand upon an already narrow sub-genre. HOWEVER. I believe this book did everything it promised to do very well, and that is my main takeaway from reading this novel.

It twisted and turned throughout like a suspense thriller which I was not expecting and loved. The sub-plots and character motivations were woven together so beautifully that by the end there was just no way I was not going to exclaim in disbelief, no matter how many twists I called in the first half of the book.

The dialogue was sharp and delicious; I soaked up every once of it. The characters were... getting there. While I loved what they had to say, I just wanted more. More nuance, more distinction between them, their motivations and stakes. I'm positive that the characters will be explored more in the sequel (oh please let there be a sequel), and this book will serve as a great foundation.

I did have a slight qualm with the pacing. It actually took me three months to finish this book. Well, it took me three months to get to read the first half, and then about 4 hours to read the latter. The beginning was slow, tedious and even repetitive at times. Brie wasn't that engaging of a character on her own, so it took waiting until the whole gang was together for the pace and intrigue to pick up. But when it did, I was completely hooked. I just wish it had jumped straight in, and didn't waste time on characters and sub-plots that weren't going to be relevant in 200 pages time.

In conclusion, if you enjoyed ACOTAR, pick this up, you'll love it. As for the comparison to The Cruel Prince, I saw no similarities apart from the references to the Fae and their devious antics (don't drink the wine, just..don't).

Thank you ever so much to the publisher for this e-arc!

The writing was very good but something about the story and the characters just didn’t draw me in! But I think others will connect to it. Plus the Fae aspect is awesome!

2/5 Stars

I tried to get into this book multiple times, but in the end I DNFed (Did Not Finish) the book around 20% of the way through. I think the idea was cool, even though it did feel like something I've read before, I just could not connect with the writing or the main character.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

I couldn't stop reading this book! It was a bit confusing at first but then I just had to find out what happens. I'm not 100% on the ending as there are just so many twists and I hate cliffhangers in general but I really enjoyed the characters and world building that went into the book. Reminded me a bit of A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Throne of Glass, just not as refined as them.

I will be eagerly awaiting the next one.

"When you were reading, you were somewhere else. You were someone else..."
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This is how I felt reading this book! I disappeared into Faerie with Brie and I was part of her adventures, alongside the gorgeous Sebastian and the ever seductive Finn. This truly did give me ACOTAR and Cruel Prince vibes whilst also remaining very unique in its own right, especially with its magic system, plot twists and romance. Brie, our fiery main character, is no damsel in distress and she isn't afraid to let her sassiness shine through - the perfect blend of Feyre and Jude. There's not one hot fae male but two 😳 good luck choosing...
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“Pick a star, make a wish..."
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These Hollow Vows is an action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes. Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty...and with her heart.
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"May you always have a star to wish on and a reason to believe..."
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I was drawn to this book by the title and then I read the plot summary and I just couldn't stop thinking about it, even before the stunning cover reveal, I felt an urgent need to read this book! I'm so glad I got an ARC and the only complaint I have is that I now have to wait even longer for book 2 🙈 I've loved this book so much that I've even pre-ordered because I need that beauty on display on my shelf... Especially Finn 😍
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Make sure to pre-order your copy now for release on 20th July - I just know this book is going to blow up!
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“You know too much and not enough...”
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I want to thank Edelweiss, NetGalley and HMH for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s no secret I am a huge Sarah J. Maas fan and will read just about anything that is compared to her work. In this case, it was a very appropriate comparison. Similar characters, similar love triangle, similar setting, similar premise…but hey, I’m all for it. It was angsty, but not too much so. Even though it gives me anxiety, I like when characters have to navigate impossible choices in creative ways. Oh and also love steamy love triangles, even though those also give me anxiety….So needless to say, even though this book is not perfect, I am the perfect audience for it. I hope there is more to come.

This book is a good start for a series. Although there are some plot holes and undeveloped characters, I enjoyed it as a fluffy read.