3.5 rounded down ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Hodder&Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I’m really keen to read the next book in this series (duology?)

I quite enjoyed the female MC, she looked out for herself and I appreciated that.

The male love interest was a bit on the bland side, but I hope we will see him develop more.

I am also keen to see the world and magic system develop more and become a bit more fully realised.

I rated this book 3.5 stars.

I heard that it had been compared to Serpent & Dove and I’d say that’s a fair comparison - but it’s not quite as good.
Our main character Violet is a Seer who can see peoples past & future. I personally found it difficult to connect with her due to the ‘tough girl with attitude’ persona she had. She came across more annoying than the strong independent woman vibe which I’m assuming it was meant to be.

The romance is what let this book down for me. I’m all for an angsty enemies to lovers but this one wasn’t executed as well as I’d hoped. They’ll be full on hating eachother in one scene, and then the very next scene they’ll be kissing. Then it’s straight back to hating again. It just seems to come out of nowhere & thrown in just to further the plot.

I really loved the politics and magic plot line. It’s not fully fleshed out & almost acts as a subplot to the romance but I could’ve easily read a whole book about the Fairywood and The Horned Beasts. They’re on the cusp of war but you never really get a sense of fear/danger. If we wasn’t reminded of it whenever the king was in a scene you’d easily forget.

The ending really picked up and I devoured the last 50 or so pages. Definitely didn’t see some of those plot twists coming. By the way it’s left I’m looking forward to the next book as I’m hoping it will be more plot focused.

Overall I would recommend this book as long as you’re ok with very angsty romance plot lines.
Thankyou to Goodreads Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping debut! I love a good enemies to lovers trope, and the slow burn of this romance was tantalising throughout. There were certain instances where I felt the magic system could have been better developed, but overall this book has set up very well for a sequel which I can't wait to read!

Violet Made Of Thorns by Gina Chen appeared delectable, but when it came time for the main course, the server dropped my plate before I could enjoy the meal. The book needed more ruthlessness, more scheming, and more stakes to make the story’s dark prophecy hit where it hurts. Unfortunately for me, it missed every shot it took.

Violet holds a powerful position as the kingdom’s seer. Originally found on the streets, Violet is raised in the palace alongside the prince and princess. Chen may be living out her dreams of being a royal through Violet because even the seer’s humble beginnings could not keep her from acting as if she had a crown of her own. Violet views the king as a father figure, and she quickly learns how to navigate royal politics under his tutelage. This includes twisting words and creating fake prophecies to serve the king’s desires. However, the king is falling ill, and it’s time for Prince Cyrus to take the throne. The only problem is, Cyrus hates Violet and wants nothing more than to rid the kingdom of her visions. As Violet fights to stay relevant, dark magic reveals itself and solidifies the terrifying prophecy haunting Cyrus’s every step. Plagued with visions and mysterious voices, Violet must decide her role in the kingdom’s future either as its savior or its destroyer.

Because Violet and the king are buddies, there is a lot of friction between her and Prince Cyrus. All this sets up an interesting premise, but the book doesn’t play out the story between these three very well. It’s a shame we miss out on the politicking between Violet, the king, and Cyrus because their dynamic could have been more interesting had it been more cutthroat. I would have loved to see Violet using her position more for her own ends. It’s talked about in theory, but we never see her utilize it. She lies and twists words, but Violet never displays those dreadful acts that have kept her in a place of power. Additionally, Violet’s unique role as the all-knowing seer gets lost when she becomes the “I’m special” character, and it deflates the revered position that was so central to the story.

In the same vein of underutilizing her role, Violet constantly talks about how ruthless she is, but her actions never back up her claims. This all-talk and no-show situation is one of my biggest pet peeves, and it plagues the YA genre. Violet is prickly, and she’s far from a people person. She is petty, rude, and blunt, but at her worst, Violet lies for the king and verbally spars with the prince. This is not conniving and dangerous material if you ask me. It’s disappointing when a character spends more time trying to convince me how “bad” they are than actually contributing to the plot. It felt like Violet was talking a big game to receive validation, and it sucked the life out of the story. This isn’t a situation where a character is bad at being bad either. Violet believes she is a lot worse than she actually is, and I tried not to cringe when encountering her false declarations.

I was promised a duo as vicious and manipulative as Cardan and Jude in The Cruel Prince, but what I got instead was an odd couple with misplaced emotions and halfhearted actions. Both Violet and Cyrus’s motivations are hard to pin down. Their whims change constantly, and it’s not done purposefully for mysterious vibes either. They simply cannot decide what the hell they want and it can change by the next paragraph. As a result, the plot is choppy and I was exhausted trying to keep up with them both. Be prepared to experience whiplash in the weird dance happening between these two. I love the push and pull between enemies, but I consider their dance to be one that missed every beat. It was about as eloquent as the chicken dance and nowhere near as fun.

I wanted Violet Made Of Thorns to be something much different than what it turned out to be. I had little investment in the story because the characters were so hard to love. Their tiring escapades dragged the plot down, and Violet’s lack of ruthlessness and lackluster power struggle with Cyrus soiled the story for me. Ultimately, I needed Violet to live up to her infamous reputation but was sadly let down too many times.

I had mixed feelings on this book. At first I really wasn't into it. Then, it had a section I quite enjoyed but then it went downhill again. I think for me I wanted to be given enough information to make some more connections and figure some stuff out myself. Or, for when things all happened at the end to have that sense of inevitability like of course this happened this way - how else would it have unfolded? But, mostly as stuff happened I was just like ok, sure I guess.

I'm not sure that I'd be tempted to continue the series but I did read the whole book in a day so I'll see how it ages in my mind.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Violet is a seer for the king, she was a child when she took the position, taking over from the previous seer who had died after foretelling a ominous future and prince Cyrus' bride is the linchpin to it all, she could help save them ... or help condem them. Since then Cyrus has been on the search for a wife, which has become a little more of an urgent search since the Kings health is failing.

Violet may have told a little white lie that Cyrus would find a bride by the time his journey ended and is feeling a little more frantic when he returns home without one.... Violet thinks he should just pick a woman but Cyrus wants to fall in love with someone....

Violet is morally grey and does what she needs to, to get things done and doesn't care if you like her or not. Which made her all the more endearing to me. I love that we have a ginger main character in Cyrus. Its not something i see too much, but its great! Violet and Cyrus argue like cat and dog, she loves to tease and poke at Cyrus, especially about how they first met!

Violet made of thorns is thrilling, tense and highly addictive. A great read. 5*

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of Violet Made of Thorns

Violet a Seer, who can read the threads of the Fates in order to see the future and the past. She’s been put in charge of prophesying Prince Cyrus’ fate. Which in itself is a tough one as she hates Prince Cryus and the feeling is mutual.
As we progress forward it becomes apparent we have a typical enemies to lovers trope on our hands.

The world building is so whimsical and blended the fantasy, fairytale with the sense of realism perfectly.
The storyline was dark and steady paced, it felt like it moved along with enough pacing to create the tension needed.
The characters were all fleshed out well enough to keep the story moving, the main characters were more dimensionally carved out than others but I felt that was due to how heavy they impacted the storyline and I wasn't too fussed about side players.

All in all I really enjoyed this novel and though Violet Made of Thorns was a great debut novel.

I read and enjoyed the first 15% of this book but then I recieved a hardback in a book box so will continue with that at a later date.

The start of a new dark fantasy series, a fairytale with a morally grey MC and a complex plot.
There's magic, there's romance, and there's a compelling plot.
I liked the world building and the characters.
I had high expectations for the next book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Violet Made of Thorns is YA fantasy at it's very finest! 😍

I can not begin to explain what a great time I had reading VMoT! It was so refreshing picking up this read and immediately being sucked into the world Gina Chen has created!

Violet our main character really takes you on a journey 😂 (in the very best way possible!)

If you're looking for a read filled with epic enemies to loves romance, court politics, masquerade balls and beautifully gilded dresses! Not to mention a plot that will keep you at the edge of your seat... Violet is absolutely the book you need to read!

I hope everyone loves this one as much as I did!

Every now and then you read a book where the writing style is fine, the story is fine, the characters are fine and everything is fine, but "it was fine" is all you can say about it. For me Violet Made of Thorns was this type of book. There was nothing wrong with, but it wasn't spectacular either. It was just another YA novel. Nothing excited me and even while reading I never really wanted to know what was going to happen next. It simply didn't grab me and from start to finish I was very uninvested in both the characters and the story.

Okay so it took me a while to finish this but now that I have, I can say this was a good book. This book was dark, enchanting, and woven with beautiful enchanting imagery throughout. The story focuses on Violet, a seer, and Prince Cyrus; whom are doomed by a prophecy. Some elements did confuse me, e.g., the court politics, the witch of nightmares, and the last 20ish% of the book. I did also see someone mention Violet is from Asian heritage, which strangely I do not remember it being alluded to, as the book has a very Western feel to it. Overall, I liked this book, it is your typical YA fairytale retelling fantasy, and I did especially love the love-hate romance with Violet and Cyrus..

Violet Made of Thorns, what an absolute banger. What did I love this book.

Violet is a gifted seer and a liar. She influences people with her twisted prophecies, which aren’t alway true. Cyrus, the prince of Auveny, wants to strip Violet of her role as seer when he get’s crowned king at the end of summer. Violet has to do something about it to be able to keep her place. When the king asks Violet to twist a prophecy about Cyrus a dreaded curse awakens which will either lead to the damnation or salvation of the Kingdom. Violet keeps her secrets about the curse and will have to make choices. Will she safe herself or the prince for whom she starts to have feelings?

I absolutely loved Violets character. She is cunning, cold and has a no-nonsense attitude. Definitely not the perfect character, but that’s what makes her appealing. I’m curious how her character will further expand in the future. I also enjoyed the bickering between Violet and Cyrus. I am looking forward to the last book in this duology. I would definitely recommend this book to the people that like books with an enemy to lovers trope, Beauty and the Beast vibes and romance. I would give this book a 5/5 rating.

I loved this books so very much! Violet was a fascinating main character and loved following her story. The romance between her and Cyrus was so good and I can’t wait to read the sequel to see how their relationship progresses. The magic system was interesting, especially with the Fates and the Gods, and even though she was a seer Violet still believed you could change your destiny and defy the Fates. The writing was easy to follow and captivating. The pacing was good and never felt to slow or too fast.

I cannot wait for the sequel and will be highly anticipating it. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves fantasy novels, and anyone who loves a main character that isn’t a complete goody two shoes!

Unfortunately this book felt a little too all over the place for me!
The romance was so hot and cold it didn't make any sense. There was lots of cryptic messages about what she was capable of but it came to nothing. It didn't really have any plot twists especially because violet had already seen everything that was going to happen

I really liked how I somehow kept rooting for our main
character Violet, even after seeing how self-serving she is.
She doesn't hesitate to lie when she needs to. She doesn't
have noble intentions to save the kingdom. She just wants
to keep herself safe and alive in her tower, saying whatever
lies the King needs her to say. But she's far from docile.

Then there's the male character, Cyprus who I liked and
found annoying in equal measure. He's the disgustingly
optimistic and righteous Prince who truly believes that he
can save the kingdom while his father, the King goes around
hiding his sinister machinations, which perhaps only the girl
he has a crush on is aware of.

The duo relationship will appeal to all Jude-Cardan fans, but
it's also different because even though the equation might
be familiar, Cyprus is more of the "impulsive and blurting
out his feelings" type. And seeing the progression of their
relationship and characters is so entertaining;)

The side characters also added to the enjoyment of the
book. There was Cyrus' twin, Camilla, who's the essential
girl boss and her character is such a contrast against her
brother. But also she's had the same upbringing, and the
way she looks at things is very interesting.
Dante is another character that I was really intrigued by.
He's the character we knownghe least about going in, and
only know what he himself is willing to reveal. I'm looking

forward to exploring more of his character in the sequel.

There were also quite some unexpected twists in the last
100 pages that threw me for a loop, and I was like "oh, I
didn't expect this, but I guess we're doing this."

This story also just gave me all the angsty feelings I was
craving. I was so invested in everything that was happening.
There are some things that happen are just outright funny,
and this one character that's just so over-the-top, and yet I
can't seem to stop reading. Sometimes when you see Cyrus
and Violet squabbling, you're like "what are you, five?
The magic system is a bit up in the air. Violet can look into
people's lives (future and past) by touching their hands, but
the limits of her magic are undefined. And there's not many
hard and fast rules to it. But there are limitations.
As for the fae, they're not exactly fae but "fairies", like little
flying Tinker Bells you use as slaves for their magic.

When it comes to world-building, Gina Chen does a good
job of it. It's still not as much as I would've wanted, but
personally it wasn't a highlight either. So I think I didn't care
for it too much to want more of it anyway.
But again, something to keep in mind if you like your fantasy
with elaborate worlds.

There are a lot of mixed reviews for this book, and I do agree
with some of the points raised, but as it is with every reader,
reading tastes are subjective and we look for different
things in stories.

rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

thank you to Hodderscape UK for sending me an e-arc of violet made of thorns to review! it was truly an enjoyable read:)

violet made of thorns was one of the most fun books I’ve read in a while! the writing isn’t perfect or particularly sophisticated, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for something a bit more challenging, but if you just want to be entertained it’s perfect. I especially loved that there was an actually morally grey female protagonist. in most books I’ve read, the authors refuse to write female main characters as anything but sweet, innocent and brave to a self-destructive point. but I feel like the trope is really tired and I’m sick of being told constantly that the only way to be a well-liked girl is to be perfect, especially when people eat it up when morally grey male love interests are literally murderous and horrible to everyone. violet made of thorns completely flipped that trope, so that the main character is the one you’re left questioning, while still rooting for her and her love interest is the annoyingly brave and perfect one. overall, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it, especially if you’re looking for a change to the tired tropes that keep being written into ya fantasy books.

Violet is the Seer of a cursed kingdom, whose prophecies often come with a rather twisted version of the truth, thanks to the pressures of the expansion-hungry king. Her manipulative prophecies don't go down well with Prince Cyrus, a cursed prince who needs to find a bride in a hurry. But when Violet's dreams take on a darker tone, filled with monsters, roses and Cyrus himself, her loyalty to the king comes into conflict with her feelings for Cyrus, and her sense of self-preservation.

This is an enemies to lovers fantasy romance which kept me guessing throughout. I loved the romance in this and the characters were so much fun to read. Violet in particular was really complex, and I was never sure whether she was the hero of the novel, or about to become its villain (you'll have to read the novel to find out which - although it wouldn't surprise me if the answer isn't definitive until the end of the series!)

"There is always a price for defying destiny."

A fairy tale full of the twisting thorns and fate and courtly intrigue, with a morally questionable heroine and the type of romance that turns rivals into lovers and blurs the line between hate and love.

A definite must-read if you enjoy flawed and at times unlikeable characters, who are wholly unapologetic for being who they are and are, in many ways, all the more honest for it.

"Once, a girl saved a prince who was meant to die."

Meet Violet, a scrappy street kid and now a revered Seer in the employ of the king, a young woman who is selfish and proud, disdainful of the very society she has clawed her way to the top of. With a touch of her hand against yours, she can read your past and see your future.

Whether what she tells you is true, though, is another matter entirely, for Violet spins lies as easily as divinations.

But what is a Seer compared to the power of the Fates themselves? While she and the prince flirt with danger, the Fairywoods are withering beneath a creeping rot, strange, horned beasts are roaming the lands, and Prince Cyrus must choose a bride by summer’s end to save the kingdom.

Violet must make a choice, too, as it becomes more and more clear that perhaps it is she who holds the fate of the kingdom within her hands, not the prince. And is the shadow that whispers to her in her dreams an ally, or an enemy?

"The land will bloom red with blood and roses and war. The prince – his heart will be damnation or salvation."

I adored everything from the plot to the characters. This is a great debut for Gina Chen and I can’t wait to put my hands on the sequel!