“What do I say to a prince who kissed me, then told me to get the hell out of his kingdom, then protected me from a beast, before getting engaged overnight?”

This book has very quickly jumped to my top reads of 2022 so far and definitely into some of my favourite fantasy reads ever. I enjoyed the storyline and the plot unfolding, the dark and mysterious vibes are immaculate and the constant underlying tension between Violet and Prince Cyrus was literally frustrating, but in a way that did not deter you away from the book. The overall pacing of the book was good, however, the end felt very quick which I can excuse as the book was beautiful. The overall magic blended in well with the world-building, however, I would have liked to see what other magic was in this world other than fairies and witches.

“He kisses me like nothing else matters, and I kiss him like I believe it”

Although the relationship develops as friends to lovers (kind of), there are very many elements of enemies to lovers as they both voice their dislike to each other frequently. A part of me wants them to just be together and gets frustrated when they push each other away, but the chase and suspense of the relationship also makes it fun and exciting. I wouldn’t personally compare it to Serpent and Dove, other than the witch and royalty elements, The Cruel Prince I sort of understand in terms of romance structure, but I do think it is quite different and shouldn’t be put in the same categories.

“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I matter to you.”

Aside from the romantic relationship, I found Violet’s and Camilla’s relationship fun to read about and wish they were closer and had more time together. Also, she and Dante, although the plot twist was something I felt was a bit predictable for him, wish he had some more character development.

“We could ruin each other, and we would not hesitate to do so”

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the next one. I loved the romance and the characters and hope to see more plot developments in the next book and see how the relationship between Violet and Cyrus turns out.

Thank you NetGallery for the e-arc.

a thrilling new y’a fantasy set to the background of a royal court! perfect for fans of the cruel prince and the selection! i fell in love with the story! especially violet and cyrus they felt so well developed and throughout i was constantly wondering how this was going to resolve. i’m in so much pain that i have to wait for the next book in the series but in the mean time this book should be read! it’s a must for all y’a fantasy readers

Things I liked:
- Violet. She's witty and a badass, just how I like my antiheroines.
- The overall plot was pretty good.
- The writing style was nice. It really fit the fairytale theme of the story.

What I didn't like that much:
- The book was a little forgettable.
- The plot twist was too predictable.

Violet Made of Thorns is a story of schemes, curses and enemies-to-lovers crafted with the atmosphere of a dark fairytale. It’s mysterious and tempting, and undoubtedly will go down a treat with lovers of morally grey characters and begrudgingly hate-to-love-you based romances.

Regrettably, this book didn’t live up to my hopes. The biggest conundrum I had was failing to feel anything of substance for it. There wasn’t a lot of depth to anything - characters, relationships, the politics/fate of the kingdom etc., - beyond the magical world building, to have me wholly invested in its outcome.

The protagonist, Violet, was very up and down. I liked her prickly nature and cynical view of the world. I preferred following Violet’s magic and the story surrounding that than anything to do with her love interest and his kingdom. I wish Violet’s arc had been the sole focus or predominant focus. I was thinking “hell yeah, *buckles up*, I’m so here for this!” when it appeared Violet would be following in the footsteps of The Cruel Prince’s Jude Duarte, by making her own story. But that never happened. She remained cowed in the shadows of the kingdom’s King and Prince.

On the point of Prince Cyrus, Violet’s love interest, he was probably the weakest part of the book. In a nutshell, all I felt was his grumpiness. That is all I got from him. He wasn’t likeable or even charismatic to earn a “I love him but I don’t know why” sentiment like many enemies-to-lovers love interests provoke. The character interactions between Cyrus and Violet… They both said all the right things and behaved in the right way, where the romantic tension and sexual chemistry should be SIZZLING… But there was nothing for me. I felt more chemistry between Violet and Dante (Cyrus’ best friend). I think what went wrong, for me, is the reader is told Violet and Cyrus resent each other, but the reader isn’t necessarily shown this resentment, before they’re obsessed with kissing each other’s faces off. It’s clearer later in the book, why there is hostility, but that lack in earlier foundation took from the build up of the romance.

My favourite part of the book was the world building. This was very, very enjoyable and had an exciting energy to it. It had a very dark fairytale vibe to it, and reminded me of Maleficent, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Hannah F. Whitten’s For The Wolf. There’s a monstrous wolf army, faeries (like the kind in Maleficent) who cast glamours and there’s a rotten infection on the land due to a curse foretold by a Seer. It was so, so, so good, and I can see why it’s being linked to Holly Black’s works from this perspective. It’s just a shame the cast of characters (beyond Violet) weren’t as good and the writing style is on the younger end of YA.

All in all, Violet Made of Thorns is an easily readable, dark YA fantasy debut. The ending sets up the direction of the sequel nicely, which I hope delves deeper and delivers more for the characters and even more magical twists. Time will tell!

Thank you kindly to Hodder & Stoughton for an e-arc in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

The first thing that needs to be said is this books needs a self harm trigger warning. I have not seen one advertised at all, and I worry that a book for young adults with explicit self harm (albeit for a blood sacrifice, but it is explicit) is not being upfront with that.

The second thing is the treatment of Cyrus in terms of the way women essentially attack him is also worrying. It is almost played for laughs when he is physically attacked by women who have some sort of romantic deigns on him. That is not funny, that is assault, and no one acknowledges it at all.

I find this book a bit funny, as it has moments where I think it skews pretty young, like Violet nicknaming the prince "Princey" or her very terrible fantasy curse "toady hell" (even though she later drops an f bomb), or the style of writing and characters like Camilla. But then it has moments like Violet and Cyrus' hatemance (which I did enjoy), or the f bomb, or the explicit self harm that would indicate it being for older teens.

I kept thinking I didn't really love the book, but it kept dragging me back in. I'm going with three stars for now, but I will have to read the next one. If a trigger warning was placed at the beginning, I would probably give it three and a half stars.

[RATE: 4.5/5] This is just honestly SO GOOD I'm actually surprised by how much I loved it and flew through the book??

Like, I knew from the blurp it was a morally grey witch and supposed it'd be a love/hate romance with the cursed prince. But damn it was so well done, from the beginning to the very end of this book they stayed true to themself and it's something that lacks a lot in that kind of plot!!

I loved both characters (Violet and Cyrus). Their personalities stayed the same yet they still changed and had a developement throughout the book - it's something hard to be done and it was done well. I couldn't guess any of the other's next move because of that, because you wish they'd do something but then they'd do the opposite (and it's not a weird move from them). I am still surprised with the whole ending and I actually loved it so much lol

Also loved their love/hate relationship (and we need to call it that way), loved their banter/fight, their funny moments together, the tension between them, too.

The story was really good. I got confused sometimes hence why I'd give it 4.5 stars and not full 5 stars but that's not a big problem. We got everything we wanted from reading the blurp: the divinations, the gods, the curses, and the beasts. I also really liked how magic worked overall in the story, like the glamours and such. There were funny moments and serious and dark ones too, so it just feels satisfying.

I have a problem tho. Book one is not out yet that I already want to read book 2. Big problem ugh.

➴ 3.5✰
⠀
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊.
⠀
As a debut, Violet made of thorns is capable of telling a fairytale story full of political intrigue, betrayal, and romance with elements of enemies to lovers. I liked the author's writing style; she gradually reveals the motivations of each character and becomes a surprise near the end. I liked the concept as well, even if it isn't anything new, and I thought the beginning was a little childish; Violet's main goal, in my opinion, is not very clear, especially the prophecy regarding the curse on Prince Cyrus and how she ends it. ⠀
⠀
However, about halfway through, the nuance shifts and becomes darker, with Violet's backstory as a Seer and prophecies about Prince Cyrus; this was my favorite part of the book. I kept predicting the enemies and interpreting Violet's dreams. The author describes all of the morally gray characters well that I don't trust anyone here, including Violet. ⠀
⠀
She is a female character who, in order to save herself, stabs a prince and does not believe in love. Cyrus appeared reckless and attention seeking at first, which irritated me, and I had time to consider why the author made his character that way, but I also felt that his character development gradually made me adore him.⠀
⠀
The banter between Violet and Cyrus is a selling point. It's a slow-burning romance with a spicy level of🌶🌶 I really wanted to give it a higher rating, but I found some things that were poorly done, and Violet's character evolves so quickly that I wish she could be an anti-hero, however, for those who enjoy fairytales with magic, this is a must-read.⠀

This is pitched for readers who love The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove. I love both of these novels but Violet Made of Thorns is not one of them.

The characters in this were very irritating and childish to read about which the latter caused confusion given the heavy content in the plot. There is a difference between cynical swagger like heroines that you can root for and love and then there's the ones (like Violet) who are just...mean. Classis fantasy and young adult tropes were used but were poorly executed and generic. The world-building fell flat amidst the chaos of the plot. and the narrative that was written was flat. The pacing was too drawn out to capture any attention.

There are those who did really enjoy reading this novel and I would not discourage any one from trying, but for me this was not an enjoyable read. I think the pitching of this story needs to be worked on as it ended up as another story than what is initially described.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me this ARC!

First of all I want to say that I LOVE THIS SO MUCH AND CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!

Every thing I like in a fantasy world/book/story I could find it here. From little fairy, curse, prince charming, witches, beautiful ball, gown, dance and so much more! I can feel the fairy tale feeling in this book. I'm not saying this book is a retelling book but you can find some fairy tale element in this book like from Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.

The world building itself I can say just so so and nothing really special because the author not really focusing to explain the world but I can get the vibes of fantasy world in this book. Like tower for the witch, palace, ball hall, mysterious forest and etc.

The story is so GREAT! From the very beginning we have been introduced to the curse that will be the main theme of this book and how to break it. The events that occur in this book are all very well and intensely explained. Non-stop we will be exposed to conditions that make the situation even more dangerous, especially when the real enemy has begun to appear. Without being given a break, we are immediately invited to jump into the real problem and because this is the first book, don't expect to see a happy ending story here because everything is still hanging and the main conflict is still wide open. I can't wait for the sequel!

And the best part of this book is the characters. I fell in love with Violet and Cyrus! If some reviewers say this is enemies to lovers, I'm sure it's more of a Love & Hate relationship. Violet is a Seer, a fortune teller in the kingdom, a witch. She devoted herself to the King. While Cyrus is a prince. It's impossible for the two of them to be together right? Our main character, Violet, is not an ordinary character who will become a great person but she is a witch who can destroy everything in the kingdom.

At the beginning of the book, they are described as hating each other because they always argue endlessly. There was never a sweet word that emerged from the two. But seeing what Violet thought of Cyrus changed my view too. Violet once saved Cyrus' life and because of that he was brought to the palace. Both hate each other especially Cyrus because he hates the current Violet. But, at other times they can't resist being "seduced" with each other. Their relationship is absolutely amazing! I LOVE THEM even when they want to kill each other but at the same time they want to kiss each other. The tension that exists between the two never stop! I don't want to spoil too much about either of them but I highly recommend reading it because it's SO GOOD!

full review will be coming on my blog near publication date!

3.5/5
Violet Made of Thorns is a really entertaining book with a world full of colors, magic, secrets and a good anti-heroine. I loved Violet, her ability as a Seer and how imperfect she was. The side characters also surprised me. We got the witty seductive friend - Camilla, the smart discreet best friend - Dante, and the charming frustrating Prince - Cyrus.
At the very beginning and for the first half of the book, Violet and Cyrus hated each other and I could feel it. The way they acted around each other and their verbal exchanges convinced me - it was exactly what I’m looking for when I read about an enemies to lovers story. This book was great until the romance became too much for my taste. It’s not like they were head over heels in love but I would have preferred more tension, more restraint. Instead, we’re given kissing scenes and all. It felt too sudden for me as I much prefer slow burn.
I must say it was quite funny at times and the plot was fine, I still need some explanations regarding a few revelations though.
I’m not usually a huge fairy tales vibes fan but Gina Chen did a good job with all the references. I actually hope we will get to see and learn more about the world building in the next installment.
The ending wasn’t my favorite but I’m excited to see where the story will go.

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of Violet Made of Thorns.

I really wanted to love this book, I did. But it just simply wasn't for me.

The writing was very YA, with the characters acting very immature throughout the novel. So I had settled in to believe that this book was aimed for younger teenagers. However, then there were sex scenes and I was super confused as to who this book was marketed to.

In this book's defence, it is marketed as a book for The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove, two books I do not like. So I don't know why I thought I would like this.

I'm sure people will love this book but it's unfortunately just not for me.

5 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.

I absolutely loved this book! This was such an unique read. It was something I haven’t read before, once you read the book the title of the book make sense (which was fun to discover).

I liked how it involves so many things, beasts, witches, magic, royalties. The whole plot was something I didn’t see coming which was so great.

The banter between Cyrus and Violet was chefs kiss, I loved it. The pull and push you’d think that would become irritating but actually that made the book so much better. Violet is also such a great character, like her character development.

I honestly can’t wait for another book!

Thank you Hodder and Syoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

Violet made of thorns was one of my most anticipated books coming out this year and I was looking forward to read this e-arc. This book is described as being perfect for The cruel prince and Serpent and dove fans. While I didn’t enjoy The cruel prince much (don’t hate me for that unpopular opinion), I loved Serpent and dove so I was very curious for Violet made of thorns.

I DNF this book in about 68% of the story, not only got I really annoyed by the characters, but I also found the plot and world building very chaotic and therefore decided to skip the ending and DNF it. There are better books for me to read and enjoy.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This is a dark fairy tale like whose main character, Violet Lune, is a Seer, a prophet, a witch, and works for King Emilius who always requires her to lie in order to influence the royal court however he decides to. She was brought to the castle by Prince Cyrus when she was young after saving him in the Moon District, yet the relationship betwen the two is not good. Indeed, he wants her to leave the magic tower, hence the castle and the kingdom, by the time he becomes king. Furthermore, the Princey was cursed by the previous Seer and he can be saved only by a woman: the King demands Violet to lie about Cyrus' love story and everything starts to get more and more complicated.

I had very high expectations for this book, but I feel it kinda let me down more times than not. I love the book cover and the idea behind the story, but that was not enough for me. I found both Violet and Cyrus very annoying and boring most of the time, especially when quarelling, and I really hated the King, like a looot. I only liked Dante and Camilla, what a shame.
I found the first half of the story very confusing and it didn't make sense to me. The second half, on the contrary, was way better as it was more fast-paced and more interesting overall. Moreover, the plot twist and who the spy was were very predictable honestly, but maybe it was just me. I also appreciated the steamy scenes between Cyrus and Violet that the author gives us.
Hopefully the second book will be even better than this one and it will explain us everything!

My rating: almost 3.5!

I am already ready for a sequel, please tell me what nefarious plans Violet cooks up with Cyrus. Violet Made of Thorns is full of fairytale themes and tropes. Usually that makes a plot relatively predictable, but not so here. Because there are so many pieces of different fairytales, I couldn't determine if one of the tales was the primary plot. I really enjoyed that aspect because I love fairytale-based stories but I also like being kept on my toes.
Violet is a good anti-hero type protagonist without being annoying. Her motives and thought processes are reasonable, even if they are questionable, and she speaks her mind. I enjoyed her snarky commentary. Other characters were great too. Of course there's Cyrus, the most beautiful man in the kingdom with or without a glamour, who we love to hate and hate to love. Camilla is fantastic and brazenly lesbian (though still just a side character). The king is interesting and I wonder if we will get more background on him later, even though I don't actually care about him as a person. 
The plot was engaging and the ending has left me with a few questions, which is a good way to make me read the next one. I'll be honest and shameless, I am looking forward to more Violet/Cyrus content. I want them to be happy and trust each other but I also don't....if you know what I mean. Is their ship name Virus? Cylet? Cyret? Vios? I don't know, just throwing options out there. 
There were small world building details that were nice. I like the mention of a land over the seas, it shows that the world is vast and the viewpoint shown in the book is not universal. The fashion was very cool fantasy fashion mingled with magic–I especially loved the Seer robe. A lot of things Violet would say offhand helped set the scene without being pushy and overbearing, which is something I struggle with in my own writing and also see in lots of other YA books, so it was inspiring to see it done better here. 
Overall, I enjoyed it. I read it in a few hours this morning. If you like fantasy, enemies to lovers, emotionally traumatized protagonists, and magical creatures, you probably want to read this.

4.5 stars

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

I started following the author a few years ago on Twitter because I saw a commissioned artwork on the author's feed. I was so excited when the news came that the rights were boughten.
It has everything that I love in a novel: Enemies to lovers, palace intrigue, a fairytale-inspired world, an antiheroine, and prophecies.
Violet Made of Thorns is a romcom with fairytale worldbuilding that reminded me of Shrek and Ella enchanted. And it was funny! The pacing was slow, so those who like a quicker story might be disappointed. Personally, I liked it, though I would have preferred a little more palace intrigue.
I liked our main characters very much, their relationship was so much fun. The only thing that was confusing was their reason to resent each other. I thought that our main character will be an antiheroine, but Violet was just a girl with logical thoughts, and she saw the world as what it was. She was not ambitious at all.
In contrast, Cyrus was the one with the more questionable intentions. We were told that He would be a good king and that He always keeps the interests of the kingdom in mind. But we never see what he is actually doing to achieve those things.
Overall, Violet Made of Thorns was the perfect summer read, and I can't wait to read the sequel, I know it will be so much fun!

This was an enjoyable dark fantasy read. One of the main things that landed it a 3 star read for me rather than a 4 star was that I just didn’t adore the romance. Violet and Cyrus just weren’t quite believable enough for me, there wasn’t that pizzazz between them.

As individual characters though they are so well written. Violet was selfish, unabashed, uncompromising but also confident, amusing and just very real, and I say very real because my gosh she was hard to like at times.
Cyrus on the other hand was SO STUBBORN, but you couldn’t help but like him as you know he just wants to do the right thing, even when his choices are so very wrong.

The style of writing here is what first drew me in, I really did enjoy the pacing (until the end which felt slightly rushed) and the plot was intriguing enough to keep me reading.

BUT, this book compares itself to The Cruel Prince and I can honestly say to you all that I enjoyed this way more, so nice one Gina!

I think my biggest criticism is that this could have been so much more with multiple points of view. I wanted to see Raya’s thoughts, Dante’s, Cyrus’, sometimes I just needed a break from Violet that could have been filled by one of these characters perfectly.

Overall, an enjoyable fairytale-esque dark fantasy.

I read Violet Made of Thorns because the blurb described it as being "perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove", both of which I liked. It's closer to the latter, but I didn't enjoy it as much as either.

It's biggest selling points are the steamy semi-graphic sex scenes between two characters who spend most of the book insulting each other. Love/hate, flirtatious bickering, followed by passionate sex is not without its appeal, but love/hate relationships are delicate, difficult to craft, and, if not handled carefully, they come across as merely inconsistent and unbelievable. Which is what happened here, in my opinion.

The characters acted a certain way then suddenly seemed to change their mind and become at odds with their previous characterization because... drama? This happens multiple times throughout and it became hard for me to suspend disbelief. I found myself thinking Come on, really?? when the make outs started.

Violet herself gave a lot of lip service to being tough and badass and preferring to "run among wolves than be devoured by them" but I'm not sure exactly what she did here outside of dream and get hot for the prince.

Outside of this, I found the politics and magic plot completely uninteresting. It acts as a backdrop for the romantic angst and never truly feels fleshed out and believable. Tidbits of information pop up-- often in Violet's dreams, as she is a seer --about dying Fairywood and horned beasts, but if we were really supposed to be concerned about what this meant for the fate of the characters and Auveny then the gravity of the situation was never felt by me.

Comparing this to The Cruel Prince is a huge mistake, if you ask me. I recall how deliciously addictive that book was, how well-plotted and impossible to put down, with side characters as unforgettable as the central pair and twists and turns that literally made me gasp out loud... this book had none of that.

”I am a better liar than I am a prophet.”


SUMMARY
Violet, a morally grey Seer to the royal court delivers her divinations with care. The King in her ear, a lie here or there, and a whole cauldron-load of ambiguity. Only, Prince Cyrus, honourable, truth telling, but fatally cursed Prince Cyrus, refuses to believe her lies and hates to participate in less than noble politics. So, when he’s due to ascend the throne, he plans to strip her of her title, and may as well destroy her reputation in the meantime. Whereas, all Violet has to do is nudge his curse in the right direction and she’s won.

Violet Made of Thorns is a fairytale, where the two leading characters can either be each other’s damnation or salvation.

OPINION
Well, I loved this. Violet is exactly the kind of anti heroine that I can’t help but fall for. The right dichotomy of asshole and saviour. The dynamic with Cyrus was written incredibly well, it was easy to see how hate made way for passion.

Violet Made With Thorns is literally a fairytale with swear words and morally grey characters. The multitude of classic fairytale references are both sweet and savage and I fell in love with each one. The ones I primarily noticed were beauty and the beast, rapunzel and Cinderella.

The reason it’s not a five is that soo much was crammed into the book that I feel like many of the aspects of the novel didn’t get explored enough, such as Violet’s abilities, the fairies, the roses in Fairywood and the villain. I would have loved MORE. Even with the set up to a sequel where I know more is coming. But perhaps my mind will change as I don’t need to be a Seer to predict I’ll be picking up the sequel.

RECOMMENDATION
Those who love fantasy, fairytales, morally grey romance and a splash of romance, my crystal ball tells me you will pick this up or something bad will happen to you. (I’ll stop with the divination puns now).

Violet Made of Thorns is a truly captivating story about a morally grey witch, precisely a seer who can see people´s past and future threads when she touches them with her hands. As a little girl, she saved the crown prince and clawed herself into the palace, now living in her own seer´s tower and serving the king, at the same time scheming for her own advantage.

Some may find Violet to be not exactly a pleasant heroine to root for but I could relate to her pretty easily. She´s unapologetically herself… brash, sarcastic, and cunning and I loved her witty and snarky remarks. And Cyrus, oooh, this sometimes absolutely infuriating - at least for Violet - prince charming charmed the hell out of me. I guess I will never learn… always falling for the hot & cold sexy male heroes. The hate-love relationship between them is like the finest wine. Note that I write hate-love like this and not ´hate-to-love´ on purpose because this book takes enemies-to-lovers to a new level as they are both at the same time. There is a lot of sexual tension, angst, and banter. The author, Gina Chen, called this an “I can fix her” versus “I can make him worse” relationship which is absolutely correct. It explains their dynamics so well. The romance is intoxicating in the best way. I´ll be impatiently waiting for another dose now.

Speaking of their dynamic, let´s not forget the fact that Cyrus has to find a wife and Violent does not miss a single opportunity to comment on all the single ladies who are eager to marry a prince and the tabloid flyers such as Gilda´s Gab or Lace´s Things, studying Cyrus´s body to the point of it becoming an anatomy lesson. Honestly, after all the excellent ´hate kissing´ scenes there, who wouldn´t want an anatomy lesson with him, right? This whole marriage hunt brought a bit of a comedy into it and I could not be happier about it. I enjoyed it very much.

The side characters - princess Camilla and the prince´s and now also Violet´s friend Dante got into my heart as well. Camilla, Cyrus’s lesbian twin sister, was so… wow. This girl knows how to party, apparently loves anything sweet, wears lavish dresses, knows how to handle a fight, and calls people out for their… feelings? Dante does that too. I love characters like that. I guess I need a spin-off with her at the center.

The plot was intriguing. I could not wait to find out what´s gonna happen next. I loved how the book included fairytale references and how it works will well know fairytale tropes, turning them upside down to create something totally fun and new. I can honestly say that it was keeping me on my toes because I could never be sure if my theories will come true.

Overall, I fell in love with this fairytale-like cunning heroine & charming prince perfection. It´s got everything I could possibly want to completely fall in love with - great heroine, hot & cold prince, court machinations, magic, witches, secrets, prophecies, a curse, danger, magical wood, fairies, the right amount of action, incredible chemistry between characters, a bit of humor. It kept me hooked from the first page to the very end. I could not put it down and devoured the book in 2 days.

I think that fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove could love it. It has got the angst and court intrigue of the first and well, Violet´s behavior reminded me of Jude and Lou as well - both being sharp-tongued heroines. In my eyes, it totally lives up to the hype. Also, I have a feeling that Violet Made of Thorns may appeal to those who liked These Hollow Vows because it also works with elements such as a masquerade ball, enchantments (enchanted dresses, shoes…), and fairies (but the fairies here are actually small radiant beings with wings and fairy dust) and that mentioned fairytale tropes, but also to those who do not fancy that book because Violet Made of Thorns does its own very refreshing take on these elements.

At last, I can say that the story is quite wrapped up enough at the end - there is not a cliffhanger that could slowly make you go crazy till the sequel comes out. I wonder where it will go from here and I am excited to see what happens to Cyrus and Violet next. I smell some more witchy-cursey troubles and I can´t wait!


Special thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me an electronic reading copy in exchange my honest review.