Io Ora is a descendant from the gods of the Fates. Living amongst mortals, Io is able to see the threads of people around her, from the things that are important to them,, connections they have with others, and their life force itself. As the youngest of three siblings, she also has the power to cut a thread when needed. Due to her ability to see these shining bright threads, Io makes her living by sleuthing for people who need answers, either in their relationships or worried parents. On one of her cases, she comes across an almost impossible murder, with the murderers life thread cut and being used as a weapon, Io finds herself suddenly thrust into the midst of the most notorious and dangerous Rossi mob of Alante, to help solve this new mystery. And if that's not enough, she's partnered up with Edei Rhyna, the mysterious boy who just so happens to be her fate-thread. Forced together to help solve this murder and protect the citizens of Alante, Io has to decide once and for all whether to cut or embrace the thread that binds them together.

Io is the youngest daughter descended from the Fates, she has the power to pull up 'the Quilt' and see other people's threads, and cut them when necessary, but only by risking one of her own in the process. She's fierce, strong-minded and so so witty. She's so authentic and real, it's hard not to love her and her tenacity to overcome every fear and anxiety she faces. Being teamed up with Edei her destined fate brings about some new challenges and hard truths for Io, after holding on to the thread for years, and never quite being able to work up the courage enough to finally cut the tie binding them together. I loved seeing her standing up for herself more, and fighting for what's right instead of what's easy. As the story progresses you can see her shedding her old timid and non-confrontational self, to becoming this formidable young woman who not only stands up for herself in the face of some truly powerful and intimidating people, but also working through her suffocating anxieties and panic, it was beautifully empowering to witness. Io fights for what's right in a world corrupt with power, and intent on keeping other borns in line.

Edei and Io bounce off each other so well, but are such complete opposites, their banter is delightful and so entertaining. Edei is second in command to notorious mob boss Bianca Rossi, he's calm and collected in the face of every danger, and is endearingly charming, an sweet natured cinnamon roll with a highly dangerous job. Whereas Io walks the world with a more cautious and sceptical attitude, preferring to work alone, she's had to find her own way in life, always trailing in her sister Thais's footsteps. Io covets her independence and hides her anxieties and fears under a mask of sarcasm and agitation. I absolutely adored Edei and Io's relationship, seeing them interact with each other was so beautiful, their banter is giddying and compelling. They are just so radiant when they're in each other's company, they truly shine and it was just so wholesome to see that with all they've faced.

Ava was another character that really stood out to me, I adored her. She's the second born daughter and a drawer, meaning she can weaken or shorten a person's thread at will. She's chaotic, light-hearted and playful. Ava is just so entertaining, she's like a whirlwind, you never quite know what she'll say or do next. However, as the middle child, she's often stuck between Thais and Io's bickering, forever trying to keep the peace between them all, she's observant and shrewd, and always knows more than what she lets on, but she's just a sweet angel who loves to sing, dance and make-up games to bring some levity to any situation.

Threads That Bind is just a super imaginative, intriguing and refreshingly unique story, that merges a thrilling murder mystery with Greek Mythology (and I'm a sucker for Greek Mythology). It's packed full of twists and turns that are so well done it adds even more intensity to the stakes already set out. The characters are so tangible and realistic, they're strong, and complex but stick to their convictions which was really refreshing to see. The interactions between them flow so well, and you get absolutely lost and immersed in the world and the story. Overall it's just beautifully and vividly written, with an intricately built world, rich with Greek Mythology lore, mystery, and beautifully real and heart-warming relationships. Breath-takingly immersive and stunningly crafted, and that ending?!?!? I'm going to sit and pretend I'm patiently awaiting the sequel....

This book is an amazing mix of classical myths of the gods of many cultures, all wrapped up together in a post-apocalyptic setting where having inherited god-like powers is both a boon and curse.

The story follows Io, the youngest of three Sisters who were descended from the Greek Fates, who can see the threads of people and cut them when their time comes. She is a young private detective who is pulled into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse that leads from her home in the Silts and leads up to the higher and wealthy hills of the upper class.

This book has a good pace to it, plus it doesn't just dump all the relevant information in one go. You do not feel lost or left out, you are pulled into the world and find yourself living the fast-paced mystery. Can Io solve it before everything goes to hell? You will just need to read to find out.

Hatzopoulou has done a fantastic job with this book. The world building was so interesting and gripped me from the start. I love anything with Greek myths involved and I loved the characters and how the progressed. I am super excited for the next one!

Threads That Binds by Kika Hatzopoulou

#Greekmythology #Mystery #YoungAdult #fiction #THREADSTHATBIND #THREADSTHATBINDREADALONG
@KIKAHATZOPOULOU @HouseofYA @TandemCollectiveuk @TandemCollective

A big thank you to Tandem and Peguin for this copy of the threads are bind by Kika Hatzopoulou.


Day 1 : I am so excited to take part in this read along what a way to start your birthday right with a new book.

Day 1 Question :
If could see the threads of fate like lo I think I would be love it but I also think it would have a massive demand in ones self. I would also be extremely nervous about when these threads got cut especially depending on the meaning of them.

How about you what would you like to see?


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Reveiw

I really enjoy this book and the writing flowed really well.
Io is a fantastic lead and I found her character very intriguing especially been a moria and seeing these threads of fate.
The World-Building is fantastic and I could picturing everything in my head. The mystery also had me on my toes as I needed to know who or what was doing this . I found learning about these linkages to be quite fascinating. Lifelines are fragile and prone to breaking at any time. They are dead once snapped. They have a greater probability of dying as it becomes thinner. The healthier the glow, the brighter it is.Watch Io, the youngest of the three Fates-born sisters, as she looks into a string of murders that keep happening right outside her door.The mystery steadily reveals itself, full of surprising plot turns and novel notions that leave you in disbelief as the route you thought you were being led in suddenly shifts. This narrative had me entertained the entire time. All the characters had me intruiged and I wanted to get to know them more.

E-0

Secrets Biancia a keres born
Made wraiths
Biancia knows Io seen her dreams throughout the Quilt
Graphicy details scene
Rosa
Biancia Fall
Revelation now Edie don't have a gf

Never read anything like it. What a cool premise. Everyone has a thread leading to everything and everyone they love.

Loved the characters grappling with fate and what the right thing to do is. Morally grey MC with lots of guilt. I thought this was a stand-alone but after finishing it, I presume it isn’t and I can’t wait to read the next one.

I got a little confused right at the end but that’s on me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was fully prepared for another Greek mythology retelling with a fantasy slant here, but Hatzopoulou has done something much more interesting. Her world building is impressive and I really enjoyed the particular slants on the mythology and the magical system she creates. While I did see the twist at the end coming somewhat, it was well done and I'd definitely like to read the rest of the series.

A young girl with magical gifts finds herself mixed up with organised crime and a murder investigation.

Io is one of three sisters who is descended from the Fates, and lives in the city of Alante, a confusing and crime-ridden world in which other-born people with these magical gifts are treated as second class citizens. Io's gift means she can see threads, silver life lines connecting people together and she can manipulate and 'cut' these ties as needs be. Her eldest sister has disappeared, and she finds herself employed by the local mob to investigate a series of brutal murders. What makes things more complicated is she teamed up with Edei, who works for the mob and who Io has known for years is linked to her by a love thread which suggests they may be each other's romantic destiny. They delve deep into the criminal underworld of Alante, encountering shady characters and magical factions to try and understand a wider conspiracy that has led to this series of murders of young women, which now seems to involve both the tyrannical mob boss Bianca who has employed them, and also her sister Thaisis,, who returns after two years now as the fiancee of the rich and powerful political candidate Saint-Yves.

The hugely creative, elaborate world-building & convoluted crime plot are very much for the perseverant reader here, the world created is so interesting and multi-faceted but at times maybe a bit overwritten and hard to keep up with and comprehend. The characters are excellent and the murky crime plot avoids cliches and usual tropes, wih the genre of the book hard to classify - seemingly part fantasy, sci-fi, crime noir, mafia thriller and romance. The potential love story here is probably the least interesting thing going on and the flashbacks to another era, which is the main focus of the skulduggery going on can feel frustrating for the reader at times, but overall this is a really good read, and set for a follow up.

I’ve had my eyes on Threads that Bind for a few months now after hearing about its premise, and I’m so happy I have now read it.

The world and magic system that Hatzopoulou has come up with are incredibly fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about both. The characters were also very interesting and although it sometimes felt a bit disjointed for some, all in all, I really liked most of them.

The ending definitely grabbed my attention and I’m really excited for the sequel, to see what awaits Io. I do have some expectations for this next instalment considering the information we were handed in the last 30 pages of Threads that Bind so I really hope they will be met.

This fantasy had a lot going for it, a brilliant world, interesting history and great characters.

I did struggle with the info dump at the beginning which did bring this novel down in my opinion but still really enjoyable and I loved the interaction between characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of 'Threads That Bind' by Kika Hatzopoulou.

'Threads That Bind' is a fascinating book rooted in beautiful writing by Hatzopoulou. I will be honest, I probably need to read it a couple more times to fully remember and get the gist of the story but it was a beautiful tale. Politics, Greek Myths and multiple more different parts of this story just MAKE this story perfect. But this isn't a standalone so I'm excited to see where it goes.

This was one of my fastest reads. The beginning was really easy to get into. The World-Building was perfect. I enjoyed picturing everything in my head. The mystery had me HOOKED.

Learning about these threads were so interesting to me. Threads are life-lines and can snap at any moment. Once snapped they're dead. The thinner it gets the more of a chance they'll die. The brighter the glow, the healthier.

Threads can be attached to others, to places, to objects, to ideas. Average thread count was 15. What happens when they start finding people with only one thread...only thought to be impossible so how can this be?

Our main character lo has two other sisters who are known as Descendants of Fates. lo had the power to cut these threads. You have the two most important threads; the life thread... and then the fate thread. Edei is on the other side of her fate thread but he is with someone else. What happens when they start working together? What happens when she doesn't want to cut her own fate thread?

Biggest Plot Twist at the end!!!

I honestly don't know how I didn't realise this was going to be a series until I reached the end, but I'm honestly so glad there's more to come!

This book had such an interesting magic system: decendents of mythological deities and the ability to use their powers linked through their heritage! I found this such a refreshing and fascinating way to play with not only Greek myths, but there were Egyptian ones thrown in here too, all weaved together to create such a unique urban fantasy world.

Following Io, the youngest of the three Fates-born sisters, as she investigates a series of Murders appearing on her doorstep.

It sounds like there are a lot of genres at play within this book, and there are, but the author has so delicately written this novel so that nothing about it feels overwhelming. Each aspect of this world, its magic system, is described in stages, as and when you need to know about it, stopping it from being info-dumped on you all at once. The mystery slowly unfolds, with lots of plot twists and new theories that you are left shocked as the path you felt you were being carried towards rapidly changes direction. I loved how intriguing this story was, never leaving me bored and also not feeling like it was trying too hard to hold your attention!

Threads That Binds is a must read for anyone that loves mythologies told in a unique and fascinating way, supernatural mysteries that keep you on the edge of your seat and characters that constantly keep you surprised and interested by what they will do next!

A fun story with some interesting concepts. I like how it mixed Greek mythology with the modern world. Having people descended from figures in myths is hardly new, but this had a fun twist on it. It's got plenty of action though a good bit of the plot is predictable. I'd read from the author again.

THREADS THAT BIND is a great debut, full of twisted and deadly magic in a world where no one can be trusted.

The book reminded me a bit of superhero novel, albeit one where the superheroes are mistrusted by the public. It's set a city with a dirty, seedy underbelly of poverty and gangs, with a glittering rich part way off that held the power but no understanding of the lives of people. Then there are the various godly descendants with their powers who have to fend for their own. It's a really fun mix.

The world is a post-apocalyptic earth. A collapse has happened, leading to flooded cities and people with godly powers. I love how it's the less well known on the Greek gods used here, the ones who came in groups. It's a really fun detail that creates tight-knit groups - three fates, nine muses. There's a lot of Greek mythology-inspired books out there but this one feels so different!

It's also an urban fantasy, set entirely within one city. I really enjoyed getting to know different parts of it. I loved the way the water plays a part in the world, the flooded cities and the night tides. There are some very pretty passages about it too.

The story is a murder mystery - find out why these people are dying and how their murderers are being created. It's sneaky and twisty and I loved how it ended - the reveal was so satisfying!

I think this is a duology - at any rate, I am excited for the second book to discover how it resolves after the action-packed ending.

This book had the most unique worldbuilding I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time, and it had me hooked right from the start. Drawing inspiration from both classical mythology and post-apocalyptic sci-fi, its imaginative magic system and perfectly neo-noir vibes were the highlight of the story for me. Although there were one or two natural lulls, the pacing mostly remained at a breakneck speed, constantly making the reader second guess their suspects and sometimes even the protagonist herself. One thing I didn’t love was the soulmates trope, but I knew what I was getting into and resolved to give it a try anyway. And after wading through Io’s initial insta-love, I actually ended up massively warming up to the romantic subplot by the end. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read, and I’m definitely intrigued about the direction the series will be taking from here.

“she watches silver like a sign
she weeps silver like a
mourning song
she holds silver like a blade
she cuts the thread
and the world ends”

This was an interesting concept building on Greek mythology in a world where fantasy meets the realism of gangs and fighting rings, with the main character having to solve a murder mystery. Atlante is a broken city with its citizens split into those that are trying their best to survive in the slums and the elite that live on the Hill, far above the tides that envelope the lower city daily. Other-born are tracked for being born with powers that they receive from the Gods that they descended from. Io, the youngest of the Ora sisters is a cutter – the moira-born who are descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself.
Io works as a detective but is drawn into solving a series of murders committed by women who have had their life-threads cut, and in doing so has to work closely with Edei with whom she shares a soulmate thread with. Io is torn between wanting to cut the thread and savouring the closeness with Edei but doesn’t want to rob him of his choice since he is unaware of the bond between them.
This was an interesting tale that took some time to get into, particularly with the explanation of what had caused the floods and why the tides were so high in Atlante. However, once you got into the story, you are drawn into why the women were being manipulated into committing these murders and the story is so well written that you don’t see the jaw-dropping twists coming.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Io and Edei, as well as the intricacy of the Io sisters emotions in relation to each other and that cliffhanger demands that I pick up the sequel as soon as it releases.

Threads That Bind offers the reader a unique concept. Drawing from Greek mythology, Kika Hatzopoulou has created an imaginative world where there exists a community of people called the 'other-born' who inherit their gifts from the Gods they are associated with. Io, our protagonist, is descended from the Fates and has the ability to see the threads that connect people, places and objects. It's quite a fascinating and intriguing skill that quickly hooks the reader. In this story, she is investigating stranger murders committed by women with their life threads severed. Io dives into the investigation, which leads her into the criminal underground where she will encounter the complexities of politics, love, family and friendship.

The book explores many topics: discrimination against other-born, the ties that bind families together, and even the concept of fate and its link with love. Whilst set in a fantasy world, there are themes that are directly applicable to day-to-day life, which ensures that it remains relatable. It's fairly evenly paced, focusing on world building for what looks like it could be a riveting series, whilst also driving the plot forward when it needs to accelerate. There are some good twists and turns that keep the reader hooked.

All in all, Threads That Bind successfully weaves (pun intended) a part-fantasy, part-crime mystery together and Hatzopoulou should be applauded for this. It's the kind of opening book in a series that ensures the reader is desperate for more. I therefore I eagerly await the next installment.

4.5 🌟

Oooooh this was good!!! Incredible, detailed world building. A really unique concept. Great storytelling. The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me was because it felt a little slow right at the start. Everything else was perfection! Can’t wait to read the next instalment!!!

I really enjoyed this book! It is a tried and tested formula; but that didn’t in anyway affect my enjoyment of the story or the characters.

I was entranced by the concept of the book, which didn’t disappoint, but ended up really enjoying the characters of the story; especially Edei and Rosa. I already cannot wait for the next installment to find out what happens!

Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be posted on Goodreads, StoryGraph and Amazon

I absolutely loved this book. I was immediately hooked on the plot, and loved the Greek myth that had been intricately woven into this story. I cannot wait to read more by the author.