OH MY.

I knew I'd enjoy this book just from it being sold as "steamy fae romance" and it certainly didn't disappoint...although, we're not talking Sarah J Maas level of steam so it is a bit more of a stepping stone up to New Adult from YA rather than full blown make younger readers aware of the content! Nevertheless, I absolutely loved These Hollow Vows and was kept wanting more every time I paused reading, and by the end I was left desperate for more!

I found this book so easy to get into; the writing is really engaging but not too complex with world and character building; there's just enough information to create a really gripping story and image in your mind. The twists and turns throughout also helped; nothing is as you'd expect it to be and right up to the end I was kept second guessing all my assumptions!

I also liked how real Brie was as a character; the conflict between wanting to save her sister and that sisterly bond and her own needs and wants with her romantic interests made for a really believable character because she isn't perfect. The characters met throughout the story were also a really interesting bunch! Part of me would've liked the book to have a bit more content in terms of being able to explore these characters a bit more, but on the other hand it was so nice to have a really good fantasy that wasn't a daunting size!

I really hope that there is more to come after that ending! I'd love to revisit these characters and know what happens next.

Ryan really pulled me in with this book where I didn't want to come back. The storytelling was immaculately weaved and the seamless and intricacy was an all read one more chapter kind of book. The love triangle is one for those who love the genre and anybody who think they'll like the concept this is the book for you. Overall the book takes a few chapters to get into but once it gets going there's no stopping the fantasy with a side of romance leaving you wanting more till the very last page.

So when I first saw that this book was described as ‘The Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses’ I was straight away like SIGN ME UP!

I regret.

I’m going to start off by mentioning some of the things I liked about this book:

- The ‘Cinderella’ vibes are something I can completely get on board with.
- The premise is interesting, the first few chapters were quite gripping.
- The world building was quite good, it was quite easy to feel immersed in the world.
- The end twist wasn’t something I predicted, it was quite intriguing.

And, well that’s about it unfortunately...

Now for the things I wasn’t overly fond of:

- The love triangle? Those love interests are boring. It’s the only way to describe it. And we all know she loves bash so was it even really a love triangle? Poor Finn never stood a chance.
- Brie. I actually hated her. And that’s not great with her being the main character and all. I honestly couldn’t have cared if she’d lived or died. She just felt fake with all of her interactions.
- The fairy date rape drug scene. Why? Why was this even necessary. I really, really cannot get on board with this.
- And the thing that annoyed me the most, we spent 80% of the book trying to save the sister. She saves the sister. We speak to said sister for not even 2 minutes before she buggers off again? Just no.

I’m giving this a 2 star, I wouldn’t go out of my way to read anything more in this world, but I didn’t hate it.

TRIGGER WARNINGS-
Abandonment
Mention of forced sex
Non-consensual drugging
Kidnap
Blackmail

At the end of the day I am basic. Give me a love triangle, fae or a dark brooding prince and you can have my money.
These Hollow Vows gave me all of the above and overall I’m a very happy customer.

The plot:
Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.
Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.

My thoughts: I was well and truly surprised by some of the plot twists, especially at the end. THV was one of the weirdest reading experiences I’ve had in awhile. At first it seemed basic, very basic. However, as the plot progressed more and more I found it original. Is that even possible in YA fantasy today? While I can see why they call it ACOTAR meets TCP, but it managed to take similar points and make it it’s own. While I was like oh this happened in ACOTAR it never felt like a rip off (aka when every dystopian was a carbon copy of THG). There were a lot of directions I thought it would go in at first which initially put me off. However, as the book progressed a lot of negatives I’d picked up were explained at about 30% so I’m glad I stuck with it.


Characters:
Brie - I’ll make a disclaimer here - I rarely like main characters. I don’t know if it’s because we’re in their heads I can’t connect with them. I prefer the side characters and watching them through the eyes of the protagonist. So my thoughts on Brie are those I have of most MCs, she’s okay? However, the one thing that made me want to throw the kindle across the room was the “I don’t wear stupid restrictive dresses” trope coming out in full force. What is it with new YA fantasy that does this. Yes we get it you like pants when all girls normally wear dresses. It’s always put across as a more movement thing but a flowy skirt will give you more movement than tight pants. But of course authors ignore this in an attempt at “look at my different feminist character she wears pants!!!” I’m side eying The Shadows Between Us right now. Luckily this book did not fall into the feminist issues that book had.

Finn - look, gimme a dark broody smirking prince and I’m happy. I liked his character. Personally I think he had more to him than just the dark-forbidden-romance-choice-for-the-main-character. But even if he’s just that the author did a good job of writing it

Sebastian - when I started reading and I thought I knew where this book was going I was very meh about this dude. For every broody darkling character you need standard-blond-American-high-school-jock-character (Mal, Tamlin etc don’t try and deny it you know I’m right). When we progress in the book and certain plot points develop I was pleasantly surprised at the character development and found him interesting

Side characters- there aren’t actually a huge amount that really stand out. For those that were there the main ones that I can remember were Finn’s little rebel group. I must admit though I do have a soft spot for Kane

This isn’t a spoiler as it’s in the description. There are two princes and it’s obvious the first is Finn and then there’s the Prince of the Seelie. WHY YALL IN THE GOODREADS REVIEWS LOVE THIS DUDE I DO NOT KNOW. Like why. After that ending he has your heart?? I fell like when I read ACOTAR was first released and I was the only one in my friend group yelling about Rhys and booing Tamlin (feelings on the first changed later lol).

The negativeish points:
1. When I did the first few chapters I started taking notes on what I didn’t like. As I got further into the book I had to delete them all as all the plot conveniences I’d found frustrating were explained perfectly. So for anyone thinking of DNFing early cause you think you know where it’s going and presume it’s another carbon copy fantasy just stick with it.
2. I will start this by saying this was an ARC provided by NetGalley so I do think this may be the issue with the following. There were a couple scenes that were set up incredibly confusing. I wasn’t sure if we were in a dream, but we’d actually changed settings. As mentioned this is likely an ARC issue as there were some typos and the formatting was a bit skewed.

Positives:
1. I loved the world Lexi Ryan created. I really liked the different creatures and how the society works as a whole.
2. Finn. That is all for point 2.
3. The plot twists and turns.

Final thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. The plot felt different and took me on twists I did not see coming (honestly some of them I’m kicking myself I didn’t see). The world was well fleshed out and I enjoyed reading all the different characters. Overall a really fun reading experience and would recommend. 4.5/5 stars

I got "These hollow vows" by Lexi Ryan of Netgalley. For an honest review.

OH MY GOSH.....

I'm really happy I got this ARC, and I really wanted it. Cause the description sold me and I got what I was promised.

I couldn't put this book away, I had to keep reading. That's how good I think it is and I'm picky.

The book has
- hot fae male
- love triangle
- mystery, secrets and a curse

This book seduced me, made me yell at my kindle "noo don't do it!!!" And it broke me in pieces and now I want revenge. And I really hope there will be a second book, cause that cliffhanger.

I can deffently recoment this book.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

These Hollow Vows sounded like a good read, so hey, I read it.

I was not prepared for how much I would love it 😱! These Hollow Vows is perfect for Sarah J Maas fans and lovers of YA fantasy with a new faerie realm, a choice between the light and the shadow (and plenty of dramaaaaa).

Brie is the sister we all wish we had - she is fierce, fae-hating and protective... anddddd finds herself facing a royal marriage.

The ending had me screaming okay, I need another book and I need it now. I NEED ANSWERS. Lexi, hit me up okay?!

5 stars. These Hollow Vows is your next book hangover and fae obsession - you’re welcome!

Oh, and I am going to say this loudly and clearly: FINN IS MINE. MINE. I will fight you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court. Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm. Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.

Brie is determined, she’s sassy and she’s brave. Perfection in my eyes! We really get to go on a journey with her and see her make discoveries that flip her world on its head. I never felt bored getting to see more of her story. I was so engaged in it that it seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye!
Sebastian is charismatic, charming, and bashful. But we also see glimpses of him as a manipulator, and cruel. He’s an interesting one, that’s for sure, because we see so many different sides to him. Reading in Brie’s POV means we’re unable to see “behind the scenes” and know his true intentions. But I love that pieces of it shine through. Particularly at the end of the book. Holy moly, I’m impressed.
Dear Finn. Deadly Finn. What a villain you are and yet a pure cinnamon roll. I really liked the Finn moments we got to see because whilst he has his own agenda, I feel we got to see more of what’s underneath than we did with Sebastian. I’m really hoping we get to see more!

Yes, I am trash. Love triangles usually frustrate me but god golly I enjoyed this one. I can tell that Brie drifts more to one than the other, but I rather liked that her feelings seemed genuine for both. It happens! Attraction can be based on a variety of factors and you can be attracted to more than one person at a time. There’s magic, intrigue, adventure and desperation. What more could I want?! THAT ENDING TOO. HOLY SMOKES. I NEED MORE. THE ANGST. THE DRAMA. IT BETTER NOT BE THE END. GIVE ME MOOOOORE!

Overall, These Hollow Vows is definitely a book that’s hitting my favourites list! Wow!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

These Hollow Vows had so many elements I enjoy on paper: fantasy, fae, handsome princes, deals with the fae, strong sibling bond, mystery, plus the reference to The Cruel Prince, and the gorgeous cover!

Unfortunately, it didn't really deliver for me - 2.5 stars.

The plot was interesting and captivating, with a lot of secrets and a lot of mysteries to solve. Sure, most of the things were easy to figure out and I didn't find some plot points believable, but I still enjoyed it, especially the first 20% and then around 50-70%.

I do wish that the blurb wouldn't reveal so much. It's basically a summary of the first quarter of the book! Shorten it, drop the names.

This is just personal preference, but I don't like super-modern language and expressions in this type of fantasy setting. I don't want to read about adrenaline in a world where science has definitely not discovered it, I don't want to read "that's fresh" (said by an immortal fae!), "stranger-danger", "buzzed hair", "passive-aggressive", "hard pass" or "thatta girl". Sorry, this is too contemporary for me. Maybe I'm just showing my age here...

Language aside, my biggest problem was with the characters and their relationships (yes, there's a love triangle).

Abriella (Brie) starts off as a cinderella-type character: orphan, exploited by her evil aunt, working really hard, being very kind to her friend and sister. But she is also a thief out of necessity, stealing from the rich to pay off the evil aunt. I liked her in the first part, but once she reached Faerie, she seemed to lose all sense of agency. She tried to convince herself and the reader that she was doing a lot, but I thought everything just happened to her.

Brie is also not very smart... When it comes to the two love interests, she is completely oblivious, indecisive and inconsistent. One thing will put one guy in a bad light, while the same thing is fine with the other. Not only that, but she constantly reveals the secrets she's uncovered and shouldn't know! Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut!

The narration (1st person) is often very 'stream of consciousness', with Brie detailing her thought process (snort) and explaining her decisions to us, while trying to convince herself.

This could have been saved for me if the relationships were well developed. I just saw a lot of physical attraction and sexual tension, but nothing more. I don't know why these characters were drawn to each other besides "you're so beautiful", "he's so handsome/muscled/broad shouldered", "big hands" and "sea-green/silver eyes". I felt no depth in the relationships.

I would read the sequel now to find out what happens, but I don't think I will still care enough in a year's time, unfortunately.

4.5 stars

These Hollow Vows was not perfect but glued me to the page nonetheless.
All the layers of secrets and deceptions definitely intrigued me, and I really liked how the Author made me change my mind and developing theory after theory just to discard them in the span of a few chapters.

Now I desperately need to know what happens next.

I usually detest love triangles but somehow this one was different. I usually know right away who I ship the MC with but this book had me spinning even until the very end. I think I’m still recovering from the whiplash this book gave me. I throughly enjoyed every minute of this book and I am dying for the sequel. Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for approving me for this ARC. Wow wow wow I highly recommend this book. I absolutely adored the MC and the love interests were amazing. I personally loved Finn but I’m a total sucker for the bad broody morally grey character. I will say the cliffhanger ending is driving me nuts and cannot wait to see how the story continues.

Team Finn all the way!
Wow, I was really impressed with this novel. At first I wasn't so sure if I was going to like it based off of the first couple of chapters but then I got into it and was definitely a fan! The writing is incredible and the author did a great job at the ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kate Keehan at Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to review this book early!

I devoured this in a day.

This is one of those books that’s so compelling, you cannot put it down. It’s a fun, easy read that will get you out of a reading slump, or recharge you after a hard read in a different genre.

Spoiler warning:
I was on team Finn from the beginning, so the ending has definitely reinforced my decision and shown me I chose right - I found Sebastian cringey and creepy from the moment he’s shown up in Faerie, and I cannot wait to see how the next book turns out!

I would say that I don’t usually like character art on book covers, but I definitely prefer the US cover to the UK one.

As far as I know, this will be FairyLoot’s August book choice, so I cannot wait to have a special edition of it! Loved it, here for it!

Darkness and Betrayal...

Genre: #YA #Fantasy #Romance #LGBT

My rating: 3 / 5

I believe there should be separate genre for the books that have been inspired by Scottish folklore, specifically books that are about Faeries, Seelie and Unseelie courts... Because this book is LITTERALY retelling of the Cruel Prince and ACOTAR. It’s also fairly spicy (I know some of you like “” books).

Welcome to the world of the human girl, who has to go to the Seelie court, in order to take part in Seelie Prince, bride selection (I would hardly call that a selection... Just sleeping around with girls). Her sister has been stolen and now she has to work out, how to find her. She strikes a deal with the Unseelie King. Caught between two courts and hate between them, she has to pick her loyalties carefully. (But our main character isn’t clever enough to work out some obvious things).

I won't be hypocrite here, I didn’t like the story, BUT there was just something about it after 50% that made me read it non-stop until 3am last night. 😀 It’s more of a typical love triangle drama, I was hoping for completely different outcome though, but main character is extremely naïve it clearly couldn’t work out painfully obvious things. Also, author tried to make her a strong, badass heroine, but in my opinion, it failed bad way. Besides, I think my problem was with no believing any of them, especially male characters, there was just nothing special about them. And I could not picture Abriella with neither of those two “hot” And the similarities between Prince Ronan and Tamlin from ACOTAR were annoying me.

I wanted to know more about Finn, I’m sure that he will be the favorite guy for many... I wanted more action from him. But I feel book 2 will be giving readers more.

Topics that made me angry in this book. It was PAINFULLY predictable. There were topics that I believe were not necessary here. Whilst selecting the bride, Queen-mother made huge importance of the fact, that in order to be a good bride, girl had to experience her periods to be fertile, to birth her grandchildren. Well, let’s just ignore the fact that our main character is experienced in sex, and really there should have been worries about other things.

Pardon me, but the way I understood things, there was an incest in this book? Girl slept with her step-brother? No,no,no...

Okay, let's talk about the good things... Magic, it was interesting to read about it. I won’t be writing about it here in detail. The idea is simple, in order to gain something, you have to sacrifice something. In order to get answers to your questions, you have to give something in return.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected from this title, but it had me completely hooked from the beginning. The world-building and characters were so interesting and the way the plot was slowly revealed blew my mind. Throughly enjoyed and I want more of it!

I have a love / hate relationship with YA. I've always found it a little hard to review the ones I didn't enjoy because obviously I'm not the target audience!

However,  I fell in love with These Hollow Vows as it has everything I enjoy most about YA fantasy.

It has been compared to The Cruel Prince and also A Court of Thorns and Roses - so obviously I had to read it. I can see the reason for the comparison, but to be honest THV is a typical YA and I'm sure others will pick out similarities to other books too. It has the predictability of the genre, but its very compelling and certainly one of the best YA books I've read since, well, The Cruel Prince.

In the first chapter I also had a Six of Crows vibe, however that was fleeting and I feel like the opening chapters had more of a Cinderella feel.

The main plot is overshadowed by the love triangle, but I didn't enjoy it any the less. I'm a sucker for romance heavy stories at the moment and the angsty young torturous love in this hits the spot.

The swift scene changes were something else I liked too... I hate the faff with transition scenes and nonsequential fillers. THV cuts to the chase each time and its easy to flip through the pages as the story moves along very quickly.

There was limited world building as its very character driven so I would love to see more of Faerie in the next installment.

I feel like all the characters are morally grey, they will stop at nothing to get what they want and their actions and manipulations entwine right up to the climax - long after the reader suspects what's going on. I was still surprised at the slight twist at the end and I should have known right along with Brie.

I couldn’t put this book down and wanted to savour it at the same time. After reading the final page I *need* the next book ASAP!

Although YA, this does have some older themes. Considering the target age audience - I would hope there are trigger/content warnings for the published book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stroughton for the E-arc for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. From the very first page it had my attention and the story was brilliant. Abriella (Brie) was a fantastic female character and her strength and love for her sister never wavered throughout the story. The wonderful descriptions brought the world of the Fae to life and I loved all the characters.

When Brie’s sister is sold to the King of the Unseelie she must steal three magical relics from the Seelie Court to get her back. This is not as easy as she thinks and with her task comes betrayal of the man she loves.

The plot is well paced throughout the story and the characters well formed. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming but I loved it. I loved everything about the story and if you’ve read and enjoyed ACOTAR you’ll definitely enjoy reading Abriella’s story and the two magical princes that may or may not steal her heart.

I can’t wait for a book 2 in this story to see what Abriella is going to do next and if it had of been available I would have dived straight into it even though it was after 1am when I finished this book.

These Hollow Vows is a fast paced story with lots of tropes readers will enjoy, the storytelling reminded me a lot of The Cruel Prince. The world building was great and the author did a fantastic job creating those scenes of opulence in Faerie. With so many twists and turns, especially with the love interests I have no doubt this book will be a massive success and I personally can't wait to read the sequel after the dramatic ending!

3.5 Stars.

Brie has only ever known a life of hardships and suffering. She, and her sister Jas, were taken in by their aunt, after their mother abandoned them for the wealth and splendour available in the fae kingdoms. Now they spend their days slaving away for an aunt they are forever indebted to. Their only possible future freedom lies exactly where their mother escaped to, but Brie's hatred for and distrust of the faeries would see her scrubbing floors for the rest of her life instead. That is, until Jas is taken by the Unseelie King and the only way for Brie to save her is to step over into the lands she swore she never would.

I usually prefer my fantasy stories to contain nothing but the lightest smatterings of romance, but somehow when the fae become involved I cannot contain my desire for all the love and lust to appear. I totally blame Miss Sarah J. Maas for this! If you like this author then Lexi Ryan's just as whimsical and heart-rending creation will definitely also appeal.

Protagonist, Brie, had two potential suitors vying for her attentions but this did not detract from the political intrigue, interesting magic system, and warring factions that also contended for page space along side these possible romances. I became just as invested in all these facets and am so glad that it remained a thrilling fantasy story alongside also being a beautifully passionate one.

Buckle in your seatbelts ladies and gents, this book is a wild ride.

I literally devoured this - so much so I tried to read slower so the book would last longer. I was really invested in both the characters and the story and I really think Lexi Ryan has such a talent.

The love triangle: usually I hate them as they are so hard to do right but this was done well and although from the start I had my favourite (Finn), I could see it from both angles.
The development between the characters was good. I really liked our side characters too and the witty remarks they would make.
The premise took something that had been done and made it original and I liked how the fae met the selection in this book.
The ending honestly left me reeling and if book two doesn’t appear in my hands soon I might just die.

I would 100% recommend for fantasy and romance readers. I ADORED this.

<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</I>