<i>I received this ARC thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I have to admit, the first book was a very nice, fast paced guilty pleasure. Not the most brilliant, never seen before plot, but obviously an entertaining one.

Here? With every next page I kinda suffered more n more, coming to a point where last hundred pages felt like walking up mount everest in flip-flops. I want to keep this review completely spoiler free, so even ones that didn't read first book could hear my word, so I won't be talking much about the actual plot. Rather write down, what just felt wrong for me:

--Pacing - as I've mentioned, book one of this duology felt fun-fast paced, so you wouldn't even notice any flaws, as you'd be more focused to slurp down the story all at once. Here, the pacing was weird to say the least. Sometimes we saw MC do nothing for good part of the book, than it was action packed, than it again slowed down, and the actual ending and <i>final confrontation</i> felt like written down in minutes just to fit the book within 500 pages. I don't want to judge this just on the fact, that I couldn't read it as fast as it's not the point, but I hope you can understand what I'm trying to name in my statement above. It was just... strange.

--being YA - I know we all count first ACOTAR trilogy as YA even thou we shouldn't as much, glad it was later rebranded, but here I wouldn't call it just "sexy" for marketing purposes. It felt simply as too much description as for YA book. I don't want to sound like an old lady, as I'm 22 yo myself, but sometimes it's just so wrong for Abriella to focus on... getting closer with the <i>males</i> rather than keeping her mind on her aims. With first book plot seemed to be mostly centered around the actual story (and solving Abriella's problems that brought her to Fae realm). These twisted bonds was more like a tasteless competition of who's better at... you know what.

--cliché threads and solutions - I wouldn't say that I'm too old now for some ways the usual YA fantasy are written, but I could summarise this book as A Court of Mist and Fury combined with A Crown of gilded bones and you'd literally know everything about this book. I wasn't within ones comparing These hollow vows to other YA books, as the story felt refreshing then, but it sadly took a wrong turn in the sequel and made it just another YA fantasy series with same ending as all the others.

I may've sounded boring, constantly comparing this installment to the first one, but that's exactly what hurts me the most. That somehow story that I've really enjoyed at first could turn out to something so... unnecessary. I'm glad it wasn't stretched out to a trilogy, as it wouldn't be the righ solution to fix the pacing, it should rather be edited more efficiently, to gain more screentime for stuff that was rushed, and less suffering for the reader with the parts that felt simply boring.

Having my hopes high, and being met with such a disappointment, even if I did have fun at some parts I'm sorry to say that I can't give this conclusion any more than a 3 star rating. I do want to read more from Lexi Ryan in the future, so all I can do is keep fingers crossed that she'll make better choices with whatever will come.

I was so happy to receive an arc of this book and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. It is well written with a compelling plot and well developed characters, all wrapped up in excellent world building. Full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery I felt like I could be on the pages with the characters and honestly I wish I had been. I found some elements of the plot to be predictable, but I didnt care I was invested and I was loving it.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an E-Arc.
So I sort of have a love hate relationship with these books. I am not a fan of love triangles but really enjoyed book 1 and I also really disliked Brie as well. Now, These Twisted Bonds picks up straight after the end of book 1. I really don't like a big gap in time between books! Unfortunately for me, Brie continues to annoy me for the majority of this book. She does have some redeeming qualities though, she is very selfless and is always thinking of others. We meet a new character who I really like and I enjoyed the relationship between them and Brie. Sebastian really bugged me in this book to, but then there was that weird part of me that liked the "possessive, I found you first you're mine" trait that he has. Finn, is just perfection though, that male is everything, there is no comparison!!!!!
The story kept me wanting more, I liked the plot and all the little pieces falling into place, there was plenty going on to keep me turning those page and I really liked the ending!
Overall, even though I wasn't a massive fan of the main character I still really enjoyed these books.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 🌶️

Ah, it's so good to be back in this world. These Twisted Bonds wasn't as dark as I was hoping for but damn was it a good time.

Hollow Vows and Twisted Bonds - I get it now.

We join Brie, Finn and Bash as they deal with the aftermath of book one - everyone is going through it. There are new characters I found delightful, some dark magic at play, sweet one liners I can't handle and reveals that tie everything together.

I will say that there were a few small parts that felt rushed but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book and getting in my feels over these characters.

H I G H L I G H T S:
⚔️ Finn.
⚔️ Shadow magic. Dark, creepy and cool Shadow magic.
⚔️ Brie continuing to be her annoying, selfless and badass self.
⚔️ Witty banter, sad reveals and heartwarming moments.
⚔️ Finn.
⚔️ New charming and mischievous characters + reuniting with our misfit crew.
⚔️ Swoon worthy romance and a little added spice.
⚔️ Finn.

If you had a good time with These Hollow Vows, you're in for a treat. Easily a new fave duology I'll definitely revisit.

I was so hyped for book 2 and I really enjoyed the sequel but man did it remind me how much I hated Sebastian! I loved These hollow vows and I loved reading These twisted bonds but I didn’t like how our mc kept going back to the worst guy
Out of the two! Which is so petty but get a backbone girl! But I can’t thank netgally and the publisher enough for the chance to read this title early!

A wonderl end to the series, I loved this book just the right amount of suspense, romance and intrigue. A great love triangle and and unexpected twists.

Received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review so here we go 💕

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️

This sequel picks up right after Brie wakes up to find out she is now her worst nightmare - a fae; and that the prince she thought she was in love with had betrayed her! But her mistrust of everyone cannot get in the way of saving the courts and restaure the balance to the fae realm. After all, prophecies don’t lie!

Although the beginning was a little bit of more of the same, the rhythm quickly changes to a fast paced, intriguing and captivating pace with one or two plot twist on the mix and a heartwarming ending!

One of the things that captivated my attention the most - if you don’t count all the interaction between the characters -, was the in dept history and legends of the fae realm that we haven’t had the opportunity to read about until now. I never pay much attention to the details on maps because I find it hard to actually visualise it while reading a book but Lexi was just magnificent on it! Every little detail about the legends and the creation of the what we know now to be the fae realm is so well written that you can clearly visualise the map in your head as this rich world is being created!

Team Bash or Team Finn? I don’t dislike neither, I think that at the end of the line they both wanted the same but had different ways of achieving it. I’m glad that because Brie has a bond with Bash you can actually see more of his true intentions and feelings and he’s actually a good guy. And Finn is too! They do truthfully want the best for the realm and the unseelie court. At some point I wanted Brie to end up with none of them, and some of my own theories were proved regarding Brie and Finn; but it’s Bash last sacrifice for Brie that makes me like him more. Don’t worry, they’re all safe in the end!

I really enjoyed this conclusion to These Hollow Vows, it was one of my most anticipated books of 2022 and I cannot wait to see what Lexi will bring us next! Hopefully with very charming Faes in it…!

Review to be posted on my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf) early April 🥰

"Don't lose sight of that darkness in you. Let it serve the light."

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.

I can't even put words on how good this second and final book was. I liked the first book, These Hollow Vows but let me tell you that These Twisted Bonds is the better half! This book broke me and built me again and now I am left feeling empty because I miss these characters so much.

The plot really took a turn in this book and is way more complex and interesting. Everything is so intense you just can't put the book down I swear. It's like A Court of Thorns and Roses meets From Blood and Ash it's their child but not like a pale copy of these two masterpieces but like the strong beautiful child that is so well written you could forget the parents.

The characters are also so well more developed in this second book. I love how complex they are. You basically love them all (apart from a few exceptions) because of how morally gray they are. It's more complicated than just good or bad. Lexi has done an amazing job at writing very human characters in this very Fae world.

The romance is definitely a main thing in this book which obviously made me very VERY happy. It's one of the best romance out there once again it reminds me of Feysand and Poppycas but a very extremely well written form. I feel like I have to compare them because you can find a lot of similarities but it"s one of those rare books that have similarities without being cringy or so badly written it makes you pray for Feysand and Poppycas souls.

The only thing that kept me from ratting it 5 stars is that I find the ending (the last 30 pages) too short. I think it should have been 50 pages more to fully develop the last very important scenes and to make it seem more hard to achieve.

This book is an amazing conclusion to an amazing duology and as I've said, I'll miss them so much.

I received an eARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

I must admit that I jumped and screamed when I saw that I had gotten approval to get the arc of “These twisted bonds”. And of cause I started to read the book right away. And ohh my, there are some predictable things in the book, just like in book one. But the way to get to the points I can not foresee. Lexy Ryan has spelled bound me to keep reading this book.

I really liked this book, but when I hit 80%, then I knew it would be rushed, and a bit cut off. And it was so, I was missing some more description of some things, but also Bries necklace somewhat didn’t exist through the book, was never in the way, and that made it weird. And the ending was a little too much sugar coated and too smooth. But I still loved the book, though not as much as book one.
But if you love “A court of thorns and roses” then you will love this series too. Cause it’s very inspired by “A court of thorns and roses”

But even though it had some misses, and could be better, then I still enjoyed the book very much and therefor my rating.

These Twisted Bonds picks up straight where These Hollow Vows left off. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

I got everything I wanted from this duology handed straight to me and I couldn’t be any happier. Bries character development allows us see a contrast between her conflicting emotions and that it’s okay. She can still grieve a loss but be a badass.

Let’s not even get me started on Finn because he is the cherry on top! I really enjoy Lexi’s style of writing and it has a way that grips you from start to finish so you don’t want to put it down.

3⭐️ A good conclusion to the duology but not the 5 Star read I hoped it would be.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a DRC in exchange for an honest review!

Some Spoilers!!!

I LOVED These Hollow Vows- it was a solid 4 Stars from me and I was hoping that this would be equally as good, if not better. It's taken me a while to decide on what to rate These Twisted Bonds because while there were some parts of it that had 5 star potential and others that were 4 star there were also parts where it just fell flat and didn't live up to my expectations at all... there were some parts that were more in 2 star territory which made it really hard to rate over all and made me sad because I so badly wanted to love this book as much as the first.

It started off well, immediately picking up where the first book left off and I was excited to see Brie's powers develop and how she would feel and act following Bash's betrayal. I wanted to see her come into her own and be a complete badass which for a while she did but then as the book went on I slowly started to feel more and more disappointed and frustrated with her. Bash was insufferable and I wanted to punch him- some of the things he said made my blood boil . One quote in particular: 'You're mine, Abriella. I found you first' was uncomfortable to read, made even worse by the fact that Brie didn't react at all! I expected her to be furious and retaliate or at least show some kind of anger towards him for it but that was the end of the chapter and the next chapter started a while later so the narrative just moved on and it wasn't addressed. It ended up feeling like at times, Brie was also insufferable and whiny and not the badass I thought she was going to be or that the ending of the first book set her up to be.

The plot had some good ideas, some which I had a feeling were going to happen or that worked well and I enjoyed but there were others that just felt completely random or shoe horned in (there was one place in particular that Brie and Finn had to visit that I found so random and sudden but I won't say any more than that). There ended up being a lot going on and so it felt very rushed and under developed and some things felt anticlimactic. I'm not sure if making it a trilogy would have helped explore things a bit further or if there just needed to be less going on. To some extent the ending was a satisfying conclusion in terms of what actually happened but the execution again felt like it was rushed and sudden.

One thing I did really enjoy was Misha's character- he was a lot of fun and I really liked the dynamic between him and Brie although I wanted this to be explored further- at one point she calls him her best friend which I didn't feel like it had enough development to justify this but I would have loved to see more of their friendship or more of Misha full stop.

Overall this was an enjoyable read that I read in one sitting and didn't feel like it was a chore to do so but there were just things that left me feeling unfulfilled or like they could have been better. In the context of the first book I did feel like this concluded things and gave me the ending that I wanted but it was just not as satisfying as I hoped.

5⭐️

I found These Twisted Bonds to be just as addictive a read as These Hollow Vows! I liked that Brie came into herself and her powers more, the romance was swoony even though the spice was mild and the plot was interesting.

I found the beginning a little slow and I struggled to get back into the world after the initial action-packed chapters. I really enjoyed the addition of a few new characters (side note: I need a Misha spin-off 👀) and I felt that all the characters had the arc they deserved.

I did predict pretty much everything that happened so there weren’t really any twists for me, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. I do wish that some of the final climax chapters with the enemy Queen were elongated as it did feel like it was wrapped up pretty neatly – even though I could tell that the plot was leading in that direction. I do feel like the plot maybe had more intricacies and mystery in the first book, but I still thought it was good.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I hope that this isn’t the last we see of some of these characters!

I had mixed feelings about the first book, and was hoping this book would answer a lot of questions, but I really do not think that was the case. My main problem, with the first book, was the writing. Whilst the writing was fractionally better in this book, I still struggled.

The first maybe, ten chapters, felt like there had been an improvement and the book would be more tolerable, but then the second the two fae princes came back into the story, the writing was stifled and dumbed down, and the main character Brie, reflected the writing. The first book ended with the promise of Brie growing into her powers and seeking revenge for all of the manipulation she was put through, but then the story falls flat, and goes back to the love triangle.

I was hoping there would be character development, and better world building, but that also wasn't provided. Sebastian was insufferable and whiny, and had a major complex. To quote him 'you belong to me, I found you first' was his response to the main character begging him to break their bond and leave her alone, after manipulating her multiple times. I just got major bad vibes from him the entire duology, and I don't know how any one could possibly like him. Finn, had some minor improvements, I still didn't care for the love triangle but at least he stopped being so broody and manipulative. The only character I cared for and mildly cheered for, was Misha, the newest prince, and that was purely for his witty personality.

The writing once again, bounced between target audiences, because the writing was quite childish and then when something slightly intense happened, there was a lot of swearing, which seemed misplaced in the story.

Despite there being a lot of things missing, I liked the idea of the book. There were some moments that I enjoyed, and even found myself pretty happy with the ending and the way it wrapped up. The epilogue was also cute, and it was nice to see Brie's sister spontaneously come back too.

Overall, I feel It was rushed, and for a long time, nothing happened, except for Brie making dumb choices (again) and crying over the fae princes that are in love with her (again.) A lot of questions were unanswered or literally answered with "I don't know" which left the story feeling messy and unplanned. If there was more world building, and a clearer plot with magic that made sense, I probably would have really liked this duology.

BE AWARE CAN HAVE SPOILERS!



4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

Where to start? This started off sooooo good, absolutely loved it, than the ending? I just can’t. The whole thing was about how to defeat the queen, and all we got was that? NAH! I still liked the rest of the book though.

As for the characters Bas literally annoyed me, being so selfish. But Finn on the other hand? Yeah absolutely loved him, his character was so great. Also loved how Brie’s character developed.