I am a sucker for anything that says "for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses" on the cover, so I was really excited to read this. Even though elements of it are very reminiscent of other Fae/faerie romance, it's so well written and just unique enough to stand on it's own. Its got vibes but with a Cinderella twist instead of Beauty and the Beast. Some parts were pretty predictable but still loved it all the same.

Abriella (Brie) and her sister Jas survived a terrible fire that killed their father. Their mother left them with their uncle. When their uncle died, their terrible aunt and cousins treated them like servants and say that they owe tremendous amounts of money that they can’t pay. Brie gets most of their money through thievery but it’s never enough. The one bright spot is her super hot neighbor, mage apprentice Sebastian. Before he leaves for training, he tells Brie he has feelings for her. Then she finds out that her aunt has sold her sister to the Unseelie false king Mordeus. Brie makes a deal with Mordeus to retrieve three Unseelie artifacts from the Seelie Court in exchange for her sister. To do this, she must pose as a potential mortal bride for Seelie Prince Ronan. Brie also realizes that she has shadow powers in Faerie. She meets Finn (Prince Finnegan of the Unseelie Court) who is the rightful ruler and agrees to help her control her shadow powers. As she gets to the Seelie Court, she realizes that Seelie Prince Ronan IS Sebastian! From then on, there are a bunch of twists and betrayals which I unfortunately guessed for the most part. There were many different characters and plot points which I thought made the story overly complicated.

Lexi Ryan! Gosh damn it! You are a true author that should be a lot bigger! This book, couldn’t stop reading it. I couldn’t stop loving it and I still think of it now and again. Cruel Prince meets A Court of thorns and roses..... this is how I’m recommending it.

I can’t wait for the second book!!!!! This book needs more hype!!!!

This reminded me a lot of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas! It was super interesting right from the beginning and I loved the characters. There was very few errors in the editing and it is a series I would recommend for fans of Sarah J. Maas and I will definitely be picking up the next book.
My actual rating is 4.25/5 stars

This book was set up to be right up my alley with the magical realms, bachelor, and fae intermingled. Let me just highlight that this is part of a duology! I wish I had know that going into this book, but alas, that's not mentioned anywhere and I had to dig to find that answer as well(sigh). Anyway, this book had a decent story and the premise should have been captivating.
When you hint/compare a book to other incredible series as something similar, not only does it need to have the feel of the other books, but you also need to have the compelling story and writing to keep the reader invested like those you chose to compare yourself to. Plus, you've already given away basically what the next book is going to be about, and it felt like you dragged it out to make this duology rather than just writing one good book. Frustrations for me were the lack of care that the main characters takes throughout the book of trying to figure things out, meanwhile sometimes having the urgency to save her sister and other times not at all. Plus, her weird pull of loving both, yet not really, but then wait, yes it was there... it was beyond annoying(and I'm fine with the love triangles). Her judgment was so skewed throughout the book and so random it didn't really seem to match up, it was as if the author wanted the direction of the book to go that way so that's why we made the main character feel that way. It didn't feel the characters were fleshed out well as actual characters. The lack of character depth along with the story jumping all over the place, made it frustrating to read. As the reader it was hard to follow the curses, the people, the fae history, all of it was just poorly written, and I love getting to know all of that information and hearing all about it, but it was so random and hard to follow. For the sake of spoilers I have not written my vent on the ending...but maybe after the release I will update this review. That all being said, I keep saying that if you're going to compare yourself to other well known/amazing reads you have to deliver on the good writing and impressive characters that those books are known for, otherwise don't mention you're trying to be in their category. Overall a book that should have been a fun and great read, was a frustrating, poorly done first book. It was an ok read if you like fae mixed in with drama and curses. Not a favorite but did finish the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

the book started off extremely strong and i was really having fun but once we got into the plot i kind of got bored? i think it’s because i didn’t like the love triangle, i really enjoy love triangles and i think they can actually make books better, they’re one of my favorite tropes but in this book it didn’t work for me because i didn’t care for either of the love interests.

the “main” love interests was just boring to me, i don’t enjoy friends to lovers so i was just bored but i think of you like that trope you’ll have so much fun with this trope.

the other love interest was just boring to me, there wasn’t really a fun trope i enjoy and i just need interesting tropes for both love interests to enjoy the book.

i did enjoy the plot but considering the point was kinda the love triangle and i was let down by that.. i did enjoy the characters and it was nice to read a book with good sibling relationships. i like that this book had so many parallels to cinderella but like i said, this book just wasn’t for me.

A word of fairies based very loosely on the Cinderella fairytale, in so much as it took elements of the storyline and wove it into a different story (eg, in this book, our heroine's mother abandoned them to live in Faerie with her lover).
While the writing is engaging and the pace of the plot fast, there are so many eye-rolling instances that it failed to consistently hold my attention.
Don't even get me started on the unnecessary love-triangle, which basically killed it for me.

If you enjoy paranormal/fantasy, especially fairies and magic, then this is well-worth a visit.

I loved this. I started reading this because of the blurb mentioning Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses. While I saw some parallels, I still loved the differences. I liked that there was a storyline including the sister, and that it didn’t just fall to the wayside like it could have. It was an important part of the story, which was nice to see. I also liked that Brie was pulled between the two courts, and she never truly wanted to be a part of either, she was just trying to survive any way she could. This is a great read for anyone that is a fan of ACOTAR of course, or anyone that loves fantasy, and a fun sort of love triangle! I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley, thank you to them. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Brie would rather starve to death than seek help from the Fae. When her beloved younger sister is sold to the Unseelie king, Brie sees no other option than to enter the realm of the Fae and save her sister. Desperate, she makes a dangerous deal with the Unseelie king to steal three magical items from the Seelie court. Her plan involves acting as a contender for Seelie Prince Ronan's human bride, as well as accepting help from a band of Unseelie misfits seeking a coup for their court. Torn between two courts, and two handsome Fae, Brie must decide who she can trust with her mission and her heart.

Are fae novels back in? For the longest time I would've thought the answer was "no," but all it took was a comparison to THE CRUEL PRINCE and A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, and I knew I had to read this. Personally, I would have to say that THESE HOLLOW VOWS is more similar to the latter, as this is first and foremost a romance. 3 stars.

Admittedly, I struggled with getting into the book at first. Brie is a strong female character whose biggest flaw is getting in her own way, which makes her story both interesting and frustrating in equal measure. The cast of characters is small, but there are several gems--Finn and his group, for example--that could really make this story even better.

Just a reminder, this is a love triangle. So if that's not your cup of tea, you might be disappointed with the way Brie's feelings sway back and forth between the two men she's attracted to. I can see the romance becoming more important to the storyline in subsequent novels. And for those that are wondering, it is not as in-depth and descriptive as Maas's ACOTAR, but it has the same sexual tension.

In the end, a three-star rating for me means that I liked the book. I just didn't love it. It could be the love triangle, or it could be the struggle I had initially getting into the story. Either way, I could see myself reading the sequel in the future.

Posted to Goodreads on 4/15/2021.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection on preorder and will recommend it to students.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I am super grateful as this was such an enjoyable read!

I haven't read a really good YA fantasy book in a while. As an avid reader of this genre I needed a break recently as many of the books seem to be so similar that it's like consistently reading the same thing over and over again. While These Hollow Vows certainly has a lot of the same themes (fairies, fairy bonds, traveling between worlds, fairy powers, etc.) the level of intrigue and twists in this book kept me hooked.

Brie certainly finds herself in a pickle between two fairies when her sister is taken. She's now in debt to a king, has no idea how to complete the quest he sends her on, and relies on those around her to assist in getting her sister back. The reader gets to experience her constant waffling between worry for her sister and guilt for leading the prince on, thinking she's in love with one male while experiencing her attraction for another, and not knowing who she can actually trust. Is everyone betraying her in some way? Is anyone who they say they are?

I stayed up late reading this book and found it hard to put down. Thank you so much to Lexi Ryan for restoring my love for YA fantasies. This one did not disappoint. Now how long do we have to wait for book 2???

"Tell me what you need, beautiful thief."

Brie is a young woman who finds herself in the faerie realm she has always hated. In order to save her sister, Jas, she must complete three tasks for the Unseelie King. She is torn between the Seelie Prince, Ronan Sebastian, whom she has known for the last two years and thought was human and the dark, brooding Unseelie Prince, Finn. While this book has a love triangle, it is one of the best written ones that I have read. While Brie has feelings for both princes, she is trying to determine who she can trust and which prince is actually "evil" throughout the book. Each time you think you have it figured out who is the right prince for her, new information is uncovered. The book ends on a cliffhanger that has left me desperate for the next book. So desperate, I would give a goblin a lock of my own hair. This is the perfect book for fans of Holly Black's The Cruel Prince and Sarah J. Mass' s A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

5/10

These Hollow Vows follows Abriella Kincaid as she negotiates the world of Faerie in an attempt to save her younger sister. The story begins with a loose Cinderella influence, though this quickly dissipates.

I enjoyed certain elements of this book; it set a good pace and the latter half of the story came together nicely. Fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses would probably enjoy this, although certain parts feel like a direct imitation.

I found much of the plot very predictable, and started to get frustrated by Abriella's convenient ignorance and/or stupidity. I didn't enjoy feeling ten steps ahead of the protagonist. Her constant comparing of herself to other women from chapter one was exhausting and unnecessary.

I didn't particularly care about any of the characters in this book. There were no strong characterisations, and Finn in particular seemed very inconsistent. Ryan relies heavily on didactic and obvious explanations of what kind of person her characters are rather than revealing it through their behaviour. Abriella's thoughts and 'realisations' are often very abrupt but slipped in as though they have been in the back of her mind for a while - this we do not see.

In terms of the ending, I found it unbelievable that Abriella would suddenly change her mind about the bonding ceremony. Again, her convenient obliviousness and naivete was deeply frustrating.

There is very little that is original in this book, and its characters are not particularly vivid or memorable. A fine enough read, but I found myself rolling my eyes more often than eagerly turning the page.

The disappointment for this knows no bounds. I at least still like the cover.

If you know me, I enjoy love triangles. The blurb promised so much, especially a love triangle and I was sold. The thing is, it just didn’t work for me. Nothing in the book did. It was a struggle just to get through it and at times I found myself skimming. That’s how low my attention for this was.

Right off the bat I knew that the writing style wasn’t going to work for me. I have a hard time with first person point-of-view and it makes it harder when I am just not connecting with the character.

Abriella or Brie is the girl everyone has been looking for. She isn’t as grand looking as her sister but that red hair makes her stand out. To be honest, I’m kind of over the “I’m not as good-looking as my sibling” especially when you are in a love triangle. It just doesn’t work for me. She also has done a lot of thieving in her life. It’s also where the book starts off. Even though she has a lot going on as the plot progresses, she still just felt average to me and could be annoying at times.

The other characters were also just meh and I never connected to any of them either.

*Spoilers , Spoilers!*
When it came to the love interests, I didn’t care for them. When Sebastian was introduced he was a friend to her for a few years but there isn’t any chemistry besides her pining for him and then as they are both leaving to go their separate ways because “circumstances” he kisses her. It happens not very far into the book so I can’t feel anything for them like I should. Obviously farther into the book there is more between them but their first bit together just kind of set me off from it.

When it came to her thieving, she literally steals a whole bunch of money from one person, gets cut and leaves blood, but also gives most of the money to a friend who has a contract under him because she needed a loan for money. How does that seem like a good idea? Wouldn’t he wonder where all this money came from if they didn’t have it in the first place?

There were plot twists but also they never surprised me. Surprise, surprise, Sebastian is actually the fae prince. I’m honestly kind of over “the prince in hiding” thing. I have read a few books like that recently and none have worked for me.

*End of Spoilers*
There aspects that remind me of Cinderella and the only thing that would remotely remind me of Acotar is the fact there are fae and the ending. Other than that, I don’t see it and think Acotar is a much better book (and I also don’t like it that much).

Overall, I didn’t like it. This could be an unpopular opinion. I am sure others will like it more than me and it could just be the case of “it’s me, not you.” 🤷‍♀️

I really loved the world building and all the fae elements in this novel. However, I found it really difficult to care for any of the characters and thought Brie was a bit annoying at times. I also did not like the love triangle aspect of the book.

Wow this book. I have to say I was hesitant to read this because I am not a fan of love triangles at all but my friend highly recommended this book (she also is not a fan of love triangles) so I decided if she enjoyed it that much why not give it a try. I’m so glad I listened to her. I love this story even though at times it frustrated me! I can’t wait for the next book already and I hope we don’t have to wait to long for the next one to come out! Because I’m dying to know what happens next!

This story follows Abriella, a thief who is trying to pay off the debt of herself and her sister Jas. After her sister is taken, she must work with both the Seelie and Unseelie courts to try and free her. In the midst of all this, she must deal with her feelings for two people that she wasn’t expecting, and can’t seem to reconcile.

That was super vague, but this is such a complicated book I would be writing for days! It was really good! I can definitely see the references to A Court of Thorns and Roses, and many other YA titles, and I loved it! The plot has lots of twists and turns, and just when you thought you knew what was coming, bam! Something else comes up! I have never read this author before, but I like her style and can’t wait to read what comes next.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The next great YA fantasy series starts with These Hollow Vows by, Lexi Ryan. I could not put the book down once I started and I am already counting down the days until the next book comes out.

I was prepared straight off to not like certain elements of this book before even reading it but wanted to give it a go because who can resist "Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses"? I HATE love triangles and court intrigue but by the end of it I was so hooked that I had forgotten all of my principles and am now desperate for book two.

It's face paced...maybe even a little too fast paced at first as I struggled to keep up in the first few chapters but the world building and twisty story soon had me just enjoying the ride and Poirot-ing my way through all of the shocking reveals, including that cliffhanger!

Thankyou Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for
providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a ARC.

I did not love this book. I did not hate it either. The fact that I finished it after DNFing so many others this past year proves that.

The story follows Brie, a human thief whose mother abandoned her and her younger sister to live a life of pain and sorry with their Uncle and his horrible family. The two have spent the past nine years trying to scrap up the money to pay off the debt they owe Madame V and her two horrible daughters. Brie finally comes up with a plan to escape to the land of Seelie Court, but before she and her sister can make out of the human world, their aunt sells Jas to the Unseelie king, leaving Brie no choice but to continue with her plan alone and enter the land of the Fae to save her sister. Once there she encounters two Fae princes. One with a familiar face and the son of the Sun Queen, and one an distractingly beautiful outcast seeking to regain his thrown with Brie's help. But nothing is as it seems in the land of faerie, and Brie must use her thief's intuition to outwit the Fae and save her sister.

Okay, this was pitched as a book for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I see the similarities, but, as a Mass super fan, These Hollow Vows did not live up to that comparison. The characters fell pretty flat for me. There was enough intrique and detail in the setting and conflicts to keep me going but the writing seemed all over the place. Scenes felt disjointed and parts felt rushed while others felt strung out. True to YA form, I guessed most of what happened with a couple exceptions. There were times where the characters choices felt really off, though some were later revealed to be nefarious, explaining my confusion. I didn't particularly like either love interest and didn't see or feel any sexual tension between either of them and Brie. There were multiple points in the book where I knew what was happening when Brie didn't and was so frustrated with her I wanted to give up and toss her away. I mean, how can a thief with so much promise not see something right in front of her face? The attempt at a toned down Mass sex scene also had me gritting my teeth. I ended up skipping most of it. But the worst part was having to read about flared nostrils over and over and over. I don't know about you, but I have never seen a man's nostrils flare with arousal. Or am I just doing something wrong?

Overall, I enjoyed the book for what it was: a trashy Fae romance novel. I had issues with the writing and the character's choices but ended up enjoying a reason to end my day laughing and not thinking. Not sure yet if I will read the second, but I'm not opposed.