So what to say about this book. I read it in a day! I couldnt put it down that is how good it was for me. Thank you for the ending *chef kisses* I love a good cliff hanger like this.

The flow of the book is easy to fall in to and you just keep reading and reading. The characters keep you guessing, as the moment you think you know who they are and what they are after they 180 on you.

The tag line was ACOTAR meets cruel prince, but this so better the ACOTAR and the twist and turns are better plan out the cruel prince. Just need book 2 right now!

Brie and her sister have lived a tough life and just when they make a plan that could potentially change it for the better her sister is sold to the King of the Unseelie court. Now she must go to one of the most dangerous places in Faerie and rescue her sister.

This is a quest involving magical artifacts with a mix of Cinderella, and Labyrinth. There is plenty of danger, intrigue, ball gowns, and misfit companions. Brie goes into the realm knowing it is dangerous and she doesn’t romanticize it at all. She tries to make the best decisions and sometimes this can lead to a lot of angst. She is not dumb, but sometimes she has her moments.

The two love interests were equally compelling and I’m not convinced of who to be mad with. I read the love triangle with a lot of apprehension. I think Ryan does a great job at making the reader fall a little for both, well at least to a certain point.

The story was not hard to get into at all and before you know it you’re in the heart of the tale. It was a fast read because it was gripping. As for predictability, there are some elements where you can guess what is going to happen but the ending truly was a surprise.

Definitely give this book a try if you like Elise Kova, Holly Black, and Sarah J. Maas.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group (HMH Books for Young Readers) for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

3.5
All I have to say is that I freakin' knew it.

At this point in my life I feel like I've read a billion YA fantasy books. I know their relative formulas, I know their relative character types and plot points. And that's not me saying that they're all the same and that they're all boring--no, that's not the case. So many of them have put their own unique spin on different tropes and old tales that they never cease to engage and entertain me. However, I still can usually guess how things are going to pan out (usually).

This one featured a loose Cinderella re-telling, a kind-of love triangle (which I realize I haven't read one of these in forever), and one of my favorites, unrest between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Brie, a human girl who has hated the faeries basically her entire life, ends up having to enter into a bargain with the King of Unseelie when he buys her sister from her wicked aunt. He needs her to steal three old Unseelie relics from the Seelie Court and will be able to do so by winning the heart of the Seelie prince, Ronan.

Of course along the way she meets a mysterious, broody guy named Finn. He, of course, turns out to be the rightful heir of the Unseelie crown and throne and ends up teaching her how to use her mysterious powers of darkness. Right away I knew Finn was going to be my guy. It doesn't matter that she had liked, maybe even loved Sebastian for a few years--nope, Finn is it. They do get one steamy scene which I obviously loved, I'll say that.

As for the rest, let's just say that Brie finds out a LOT that had been hidden from her and in the end is betrayed pretty badly. The end is quite a nice lil cliffhanger and I will definitely be picking up the next book, especially because I know in my heart of hearts that Finn will be victorious, lol.

Overall pretty good start to a series (which I think I read is a duology). Writing was good though I could tell she hadn't done a ton of fantasy writing before, but that's okay. Story and world building was gripping and I finished this baby in about two days.

</i>Huge thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. &hearts</i>

**Review to be posted on my blog on 7/5/21.**

**3.5 STARS**

I Liked:
*I am a sucker for stories about the Fae so I was intrigued by the premise of this book. This was like a combination of ACOTAR and Cinderella. I love the world building with the Fae world and the history between the humans Fae.

*Brie has a problem – she needs to save her and her skills as a thief is the only want to help her. She gets caught in a power struggle game between the Unseelie and Seelie court and there is deception everywhere. But who can Brie really trust? I honestly didn’t know who to trust either as I read the book.

*I liked the second half of this book way more than the first half. It had much more intrigue, reveals and twists that I wasn’t expecting. Also that part in the blurb that calls this book sexy…yeah well, things do get sexier in the second half!

*The Princes – oh for Brie to be caught between two handsome fae princes? Lucky girl. Did she choose the right one? I still don’t know!

Random Thoughts:
*I got bored in the middle of the story, because of the love triangle and mistrust – it was a lot of angst and drama. I just didn’t care for the “Cinderella” or The Selection vibe to Prince Ronan finding’s a bride.

*Love triangle (Think Tamlin/Rhysand from ACOTAR). I don’t blame Brie but she kept reminding herself she loved Sebastien. Does she really if she has to keep reminding herself?

Final Thoughts:
I think this will definitely appeal to fans of ACOTAR because it has so many similar themes. I had trouble connecting to Brie but the story does get juicy at the end when some secrets are revealed. Will I be reading the sequel? Most definitely after that wild ending. It will be interesting to see how this story concludes.

As a librarian and a fan of YA fantasy, I really enjoyed 'These Hollow Vows', and I can already see this becoming a huge hit when it's released in July 2021.

'These Hollow Vows' tells the story of Brie, a Fae-hating human, who has to venture into the world of Fae in order to rescue her younger sister, who was sold to the King of the Unseelie court. When offered help by both Prince Ronan, the prince of the Seelie court, and Finn, an outcast of the Unseelie court, Brie has to manipulate her relationships with them whilst working out where her loyalties and trust should lie.

The plot had good pacing, and kept me wanting to read on, even when I should have been asleep! The book begins with 'Cinderella' vibes, although that quickly disappeared. However, the whole book reminded me of 'A Court of Thorns and Roses', with the love triangle trope and good/light versus evil/shadows. I really enjoy these tropes, but I was a bit disappointed in the book's ending, as it was so similar to ACOTAR.

There wasn't much diversity in the book, but the characters were likeable/irritating in varying amounts. It would have been good to see all of the characters fleshed out a bit more, and learn more about the side characters in the sequel (assuming that there will be one).

To summarise, I really liked this book, and am quite sad to think that I now have to wait years for a potential sequel. I have no doubt that this book will be a huge hit with my customers, and can't wait for them to read it.

This is an epic fantasy book that is set in a world of fae and magic!

Initially, I found the whole cinderella-ish aspects of the character Brie to be a little stale and made for somewhat of a slow start. . However, the book quickly moves past this re-telling of sorts and develops its own, and in my opinion more interesting, plot once Brie makes her way to the fae kingdoms and becomes embroiled in their politics and problems. The book does set up a love triangle between the main characters of Brie and the two male characters of Sebastian and Finn, and inevitably both of them are not 100% who they seem to be, but this does not lessen the story, and I enjoyed learning more about each of the fae male's backstories and motivations. I will say that the character twist with one of the fae males really threw me for a loop and of course it comes right at the end of the book as a cliffhanger, so the next installment of the series can not come soon enough in my opinion. I think that Lexi Ryan has done a great job with this first novel and if the sequels are anything like the first, this promises to be an exciting and epic series.

Overall this was a great fantasy story, and I think readers who enjoy books with magic or fae will really enjoy it. I also recommend it for fans of the author Sarah J. Maas who are looking for books that may read similar to her many popular series.

Fae Fiction. When Brie's sister is kidnapped by the Fae, she finds herself in their world -- even though she has hated them her whole life. But she must learn how to navigate their ways, so she can save her sister. Who would have thought that Brie would ever become friends with the Fae -- much less be attracted to them -- but now there are two very handsome possibilities. Little does Brie know that her future was determined long ago. Students of Fae will definitely be attracted to this novel.

I really picked this one up because I saw that fans of ACOTAR would enjoy it. It definitely had the vibes. Human girl ends up in the lands of the fae to save her family, torn between the powerful dark fae and the light fae. She falls for the wrong prince. Turns out she's got power of her own. Yada Yada Yada.

The WHOLE time I had this gut feeling that she should stay away from Sebastian. I wish she'd had that feeling. 🤦‍♀️ Keeping someone in the dark isn't love. Using them isn't love. I only hope that she bands with Finn to help overcome the scheming dick.

Also, for a second I thought we had a Cassandra Clare "they might be related" situation on our hands with Brie and the males. Glad that didn't happen.

The twist at the end was definitely not what I expected, and this book left me wanting more. What more can you ask of a first book in a series?

It's a little difficult for me to decide on a rating for this book. Even though I flew through it and enjoyed my experience while reading, there were a few issues I had that stuck out to me and slightly took me out of the story.

As far as I can tell, I believe this author has many previous works, however in the romance contemporary genre as opposed to fantasy. While reading I got the impression that this was perhaps a debut book, and at least for fantasy I believe this is Lexi Ryan's first foray into the genre. But I tend to rate debut's slightly differently because if I see so much promise and potential for the story to grow and continue I tend to overlook some things that can be pet peeves of mine. Which was certainly the case for this book. I could see that this book definitely has a great scope in where it could progress to, so even though it wasn't perfect for me, I'm still looking forward to the next instalments.

This book's premise ticked a LOT of boxes for me. I read primarily fantasy so even though I'd seen many of the aspects included before, they were still some of my favourite elements and tropes so I was still very much looking forward to giving it a go.
I would describe this book as a mix between The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson and A Court of Mist and Fury, (specifically the first third of the book) with fae elements that I enjoyed from Holly Black's works and last but not least, shadow magic. A definite plus in my book.

This is definitely for readers who enjoy a heavy romance plot in their fantasy. I do enjoy fantasy romance however there were a few moments where I wished there was a little more focus on the other characters and wider plot lines.
I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle, partly because just in general they're not my cup of tea, and also because Brie just got on my nerves going back and forth between the two male characters. Because I've read so much YA fantasy it becomes predictable who she'll end up with. So unfortunately, there was no mystery there for me.

Honestly Brie's character traits and some of her decisions/motivations were the only thing that makes me not rate this as five stars. Many times I found myself aggravated and rolling my eyes at her actions. It also made me question how realistic her decisions were in certain situations. Without spoilers I found some of them unbelievable comparing her motivations she set out with to her behaviour from the middle of the book onwards.

I really wish I could have got more from Brie's character, apart from the love triangle and looking for her sister (which she seems to completely forget about at some points) there doesn't seem to be much to her personality. She read like a mix of many other stereotypical YA heroine characters but without her own depth or conviction. On the other hand I'm still glad that she wasn't this absolutely perfect, snow white character. I'm really hoping to see her grow and mature.

I did, however, enjoy the writing. While I usually favour quite flowery, lyrical styles, this was very easy and pleasurable to read through. So easy to digest, it really keeps you turning the pages.

Books about the fae are some of my absolute favourites and I really enjoyed the political element in this book between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. I'm excited to maybe see some more of these underhanded shenanigans continue into the next book.

I would definitely recommend this to older YA readers as there is some sexually explicit content. Also if that's not you're thing, perhaps keep that in mind. However it's not overdone throughout the novel. For fans of Sarah J Maas, Holly Black, Jennifer L Armentrout, and K J Sutton

Okay! Wow! I'm screaming!
"These Hollow Vows" is exactly how it is described "The Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses." One day, Brie's sister is sold to the king of the Unseelie court. And despite her hatred of Faeries, she travels to the Faerie realm to try and save her sister. She makes a bargain with the king - if she retrieves three artifacts stolen from his court in the Seelie court, her sister will be returned home safely. To do this, she must keep the trust of the Seelie prince, Prince Ronan. Meanwhile, she runs into an Unseelie fae, Finn, who is trying to help her master her powers that have surfaced in Faerie. And good god, this is not a good enough description for everything that happens, but if I say anymore I fear I will spoil too much of the book. And this book is one you definitely do not want spoiled either.
I was convinced I was over my Fae obsession until I read "These Hollow Vows". Between Finn and Ronan . . . I -. The characters in this book carry so many secrets that I'm speechless. Lexi Ryan really said, "I'm going to ruin your heart and you're just going to have to be okay with that." I'm not okay! I am so incredibly hurt and angry I can hardly contain it. And because of that, I think it is evidently clear that this book was well written. Given it felt like any other book that deals with fae, it still had that charm that keeps bringing me back to books such as this. But it also took that fae charm and crushed my soul.
In terms of characters and character development, it was relatively overwhelming (in a good way). This was especially true at the end of the book. I felt like Brie was a relatable character. She was trying to save her sister the whole time while trying her best to not ruin a friendship she has with one of the characters. She, also, builds friendships. And for someone who went through as much as she did, she's the baddest bitch out there. I am not going to speak about the other characters specifically, however, their development was just troubling and exciting overall, because it moved the plot forward. All I can say is that at the end of the book, one of the characters left me extremely angry. However, was there romance? Yes! Am I a hoe for love triangles? Yes! I hope this tells you enough.
The plot was literally everything! I loved the pacing of this book so much! It had the perfect balance of movement and it deligated enough time to certain interactions. All I can say is that I wish the book was longer and that is solely because I want to hate on a character for longer than the few pages I was given. However, I loved where it started and where it ended, because the change in Brie's character is very evident.
The world-building was extremely intricate. It might take a little while to understand what is being said and done, but if you are familiar with how the Seelie and Unseelie courts work, there should be no problems. Also, if you are just overall familiar with Faerie folklore, the world-building is easy to understand. However, it offered a new vision that was extremely enjoyable to read about!
So, I do want to address that while there was diversity in this book, I would not give it an A-plus. But, overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have not read a book as quickly as this one in a long time and I am unsure that I will be able to wait until 2022 for the next book! I seriously love this book so so much! It gave me the smiles and anger that I needed. It was really easy to read and it was just absolutely perfect!
Full disclaimer: there is sexual content in this book.

FINISHED! Woo hoo! Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this gem.

First let me start by saying that I have never read anything by Lexi Ryan. But I want to read more now for multiple reasons.

Reason #1 - her writing style. I LOVE LOVE LOVE books that flow well and piece together effortlessly.

Aubriella aka Brie is a tough cookie. She has survived on her own pretty much raising her sister for the last 9 years. At the beginning of this story I got a very "Cinderella" vibe with Brie's current situation with her Aunt and cousins. Situations lead her to Faerie and she REALLY comes in to her own here. A couple of things felt very ACOTAR to me which I totally did not mind. I cay say that I am grateful for the lessons Sarah Maas has taught me because [I NEVER EVER EVER trust the seemingly good guy over the bad guy... bad guy all the way for this girl (hide spoiler)]

Reason #2 Her characters. I truly loved every single character in this book. Even the bad characters had depth to them and I wanted to know more. Pretha is in Finn's trusted group, Jalek, Kane, etc... I love them all. I just love a good group of "outcasts" and I wanted to befriend every one of them! The development of each of these relationships was what really got me with this story.

and lastly Reason #3 A good plot with depth. Sure, there were a few things that I saw coming but for the most part, nope. I got blindsided by a few. This DOES end with a pretty sweet cliffhanger so consider yourself warned. I love a good revenge series with a woman scorned and Lexi Ryan delivered on that for me for sure.

I will be purchasing this book for my collection at my library and handing this to all of my fantasy lovers. *HAPPY READING*

These Hollow Vows is an excellent YA Fantasy novel that everyone should be excited for. Readers who loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Folk of the Air, or The Selection series need to add this to their TBR.

This book has it all. From the world building that radiates fantasy and escape, to the characters that are so well-crafted. Ryan takes the Fae to a new level with this outstanding novel.

This book wasn’t my cup of tea and it read more like a blend of A Court of Thorns and Roses mixed with Cinderella. I wasn’t a fan, but I will most definitely read the sequel.

Great fantasy full of hope, heart, curses and betrayal. For those who enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Three Dark Crowns, The Red Queen and Children of Blood and Bone.

I want to preface my ramblings by saying that I stayed up until 2:00am to finish it because I just had to know what happened. I read it all in one day, and I was getting such warm fuzzy feelings at the end and then BAM, the icky brown stuff HIT THE FAN and then the book was over. I then proceeded to go into the kitchen, eat some Reddi Whip straight from the can...and just generally contemplate my existence. My husband woke up and came into the kitchen and I just ranted for a good while about how awesome the book was and what happened and how I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Then I went to bed, spent more time just absorbing what happened, and finally fell asleep. So yeah. I have a book hangover. Haha

The description of this book is quite accurate, and if you love the works of Sarah Maas and Holly Black then you will CERTAINLY enjoy this book!!!

I have read so many YA fantasy books about the Fae--and Holly Black and Sarah Maas are two of my favorite authors--so when I read that this was compared to their works....I was IN. I had to see if it lived up to the hype, and mother of pearl IT DID.

This book. I'm honestly not even sure how to describe it because I am just stunned. There are parts where I would have normally cried but I was just too overwhelmed to even cry. That's how good it is. There were twists and turns and the author is a MASTER at making you love the characters, even if the ones in question are have suspicious motives and you're not 100% sure if you should love them. And you FORGIVE characters for the unforgivable because she genuinely just writes them so darn well that they weasel back into your heart.

There were a couple of moments throughout the book that made me kind of question certain things about one of the characters but NOTHING TO EQUATE TO ME ANTICIPATING THE ENDING.

***WHEN I SAY THIS BOOK HAS A CLIFFHANGER, AND PAINFUL BETRAYAL, BELIEVE ME***

It was such a huge plot twist, and my heart broke along with Brie's. I'm angry with her. And I dang sure hope this is the first book in a series because I NEED resolution. Lexi Ryan, if you read this, please have mercy on our souls and give us more. This book made me feel ALL of the feels, and so skillfully which surprised me because, remember, I was skeptical about it living up to the works it is compared to. It is at LEAST up there along with them in my ranks. And from what I can tell I think this may be the author's first YA book? If so then EXTRA kudos. YA tropes are tricky to do without being tacky but omg Lexi Ryan has managed it.

This book isn't officially released until July of 2021, and I have no idea if there will be a sequel or when it will be released. I don't regret reading this book at all BUT HOW WILL I SURVIVE UNTIL I FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS?!?!?! This book is going to haunt me, in the best of ways. I wish I could give it more stars. Truly, truly, impressive writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

This is not even 5 minutes post finishing and only three words come to mind: WHAT THE HECK?! I am speechless.

The pacing, prose, world building, characterization were all FANTASTIC! I think the magic is a little bit confusing, but knowing that Brie doesn’t know all of her powers and it’s extent makes the lack of knowledge believable. The way Ryan set up this book was incredible, but the journey you go on while reading is truly magical.

Following Brie (Abriella) as she works to take care of her and her sister Jas until Jas is sold when their debts were unable to be paid, Brie must journey to the Fae worlds in order to bring her sister back (and escape a powerful man she stole from). The issue? She’s out into the middle of a fae war she didn’t know existed. To top it off, she finds out her best friend of two years isn’t who he says he is. Sebastian is the prince of one court and everything she’s come to hate. Can he win her over? Can she stop this war?

The way Lexi Ryan sets us this series with this opener is magnificent. It’s gives you enough to understand the world, draw you in and love the characters. Even though Brie can be a little annoying at times, it’s easy to step into her shoes and understand that annoyance. I can’t even describe how easy it was to become attached to these characters. Their arcs are well thought out and show sides to each characters multi dimensional personalities. Plus that ending?! I can’t get over it. This is a MUST READ release, coming next summer!

I found myself requesting this book because it was compared to two of my favorite series. I enjoyed it, but it did feel different from those series in the development of the relationships. I enjoyed Brie and her quest to save her sister, but I felt like she should have made a few different choices and really thought about trust. The last 25% of the story moved quickly and the end did leave me wanting to read the next book. I would definitely recommend to some of my older students due to some of the content. Overall, if you like a good fairy based love triangle full of intrigue and mystery and deception, this book is for you! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start this review by saying that yes, I am a garbage human being and love triangle whore. I love them more than enemies to lovers, the "stuck in a room with only bed," bit and also forced marriages. I will hold up a sign stating as such on a white posterboard next to the guy with the poster saying, "STOP SAYING PIN NUMBER. IT'S REDUNDANT."

When I first heard about this book, I raced to my emails, gathered my stats, and promptly sent a message to the publisher. My grabby hands were shaking, trembling with anticpation. I could not wait for my NetGalley request to go through. I needed the book NOW otherwise I'd proably die. Lucky for me, I got a reply almost right away with the READ NOW widget and I nearly collapsed. It's a good thing my office has carpeting.

So, we have a both with comp titles such as CRUEL PRINCE and ACOTAR and be still my YA heart, those are comp titles you want to sell a book. I will buy anything when I read those two titles in a synopsis. That being said, after I recovered from getting my immediate READ NOW widget, i dropped (literally dropped) my current read (Crave, I will come back to you before the month ends!), gathered my hot cheetos and dove right in.

We open the story with Brie, who is a thief trying to keep her small family afloat. When her debts become too large, her little sis is sold to the fae. Pushing aside her hatred of the fae, Brie gets herself in the faerie court where she discovers: a secret about a long-time friend (and herself), that she suddenly has magic, and that the fae are manupulative creatures, as well as a little bit hot and charming.

Did I say hot and charming? *fans self*

Yea, so Brie finds herself torn between two princes, each with their own agendas. Who can she trust?

You know a story is good when it overrides your prescription sleeping medication. I was up far too late reading this book. But its one of my preferred ways of falling asleep; right in the arms of my fae lovers.

What we have here is a glowing newcomer into the YA world, rvialing Maas and Black themselves. I seriously cannot get over how fantastic this book was. I mean, I kinda knew, but I still wasn't prepared. I want more!

Ok enough ramblings.

THE WORLD-BUILDING: Amazing. I loved the courts and the human world. I got a clear sense of how drastically different they were. The world of the fae is wicked and scary, and Ryan's writing made them leap off the page. The complex, plotical intruqe and the magic surrounding almost everything was beautful and deadly.

There's a 100% chance I'm going to buy every special edition of this book. JS

THE STORY:

There are plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing.
There's also princes with pretty eyes and tattoos.

I love princes with pretty eyes and tattoos.

FAMILY TIES:
I loved the emphasis on family. Brie will do anythign to get her sister back and I mean ANYTHING. And although her focus may wane at times, she always goes back to her and what she needs to do to get her family back together, safe and sound.

THE ROMANCE:
I feel lots of warm things for Finn.
I mean, come on. He's broody, and frowns a lot and I love that in a man. I care so much about him. I didn't want to because my book boyfriend cart is full. I may just have to throw out Kaz. He wasn't the real interest, if oyu catch my drift, but I have a feeling he's going to come in strong in book two. That one scene though where she was...and he was...and he had to....OMG

THE PROTAG:
Brie is determined, fearful but courageous. She's everything I love in a heroine. She may be a human in a fae court, but she holds her own.

Ok, let's talk about the ending. HOLY COW COW.
I've read this book way too early and now I'm going to have to wait for book two even longer. It's not fair. Life isn't fair.

Final thoughts:
READ THIS BOOK
if you like fae books and need a change from the usual, this is the one for you. If you like sexy princes, and dark magic and scheming heroines, this is also for you.

This book was so interesting! I flew through it because I just could not get enough of it. Lexi Ryan is an author I will be remembering so I can read more by her. Great book!