If you love morally gray characters and being in their heads than this book is perfect for you! I think I realized that while reading this book, that morally gray characters are not my favorite especially if I have to be in their head. I think I struggled with this book being in First POV and I would prefer if it had been in third. This is my personal preference and I think that many people would very much enjoy being in Violet's head, but I struggled to empathize with her sometimes and mostly just wanted to yell at her throughout the book and tell her she is wrong and to stop being so frustrating.

That being said there were soooooooo many amazing aspects of this book. The world building was magical and it truly felt like being immersed in a fairytale. Gina Chen writes amazing romance scenes. I loved when our two protagonists came together. It was full of steam and hate, loathing and longing. I think the build up to these moments could have used some more tension and secret moments instead of just suddenly happening, but when they did happen it was glorious. I'm quite intrigued to see where the rest of the series goes. Based on the ending of this book there are so many possible threads for the characters to take and I'm eager to see how they navigate this new era in their kingdom.

Violet, the kingdom's Seer, has developed a fantastic talent for prophesying, but whether those prophecies are true or not is a different story. She knows that words are powerful, and fully intends to use that to her own advantage. However, when the kingdom is threatened by beasts and a spreading curse, and, worst of all, her heart is threatened by the possibility of love, she must quickly decide who to trust and choose her words very carefully. The future of the kingdom and all those she cares about depends on it.

Knowing that Violet was a morally gray antiheroine from the beginning, I was a bit skeptical of liking her character. However, I found her to be such a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre for most of the book. She is sassy, strong, and takes advantage of every situation to try to take care of herself. Pair that with fairytale lore, a dash of enemies to lovers/a love-hate relationship, and some interesting magic, and you have an exciting story! I thought the magic system was a little different (yet familiar) in this one, and I loved that Gina Chen often played around with the concept of prophecy and destiny. The love-hate relationship was addicting because it was so hard to separate the true feelings from the lies - and this was reflected in how Violet and Cyrus felt about each other too. My only complaint is that I wanted more! I wanted more of Dante's story, more of Violet and Cyrus' relationship, and more worldbuilding. With that ending, I'm hoping for another book to answer a lot of these questions.

If you are a fan of fairytales and YA fantasy, definitely check this one out! Pub date is today!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#VioletMadeOfThorns:⁣
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“All the tale needs is the villain, and the line between revered and reviled is as thin as an accusation.”⁣
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Thank you so much @delacorte for my free copy! This book y’all. The prose, the audio, the morally gray characters, the anti-hero, all of it was such a treat in Violet Made of Thorns. ⁣
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Violet is sharp tongued and witty, I couldn’t help but cheer for her. Forget the kingdom, same the Violet! Give me all the morally gray characters to root for. Her internal struggle with the voices really had me feeling for her. She didn’t know what to believe, who was telling the truth, and basically said, “I’m gonna do me” and listen to my brain and not my heart. I enjoyed it. ⁣
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This audio was amazing! Emily Woo Zeller, wow. The sarcasm was dripping in her tone, cautious in the right moments. Yet, her performance never overpowered the masterful prose from Chen. They were a perfect compliment to each other to make it such an enjoyable audiobook. Usually in any kind of fantasy audiobook, I am going to need some kind of world building guide because I’ll get confused. I was on track the entire time and enjoyed the story without having to leave rewind. ⁣
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This book has a dash of your favorite fairytales and is rolled into one amazing story. It’s almost 400 pages, but I swear it read like a 200-250. I clung to the words, the story. I enjoyed the story. I wish we could have gone deeper into the characters and backstories, but there’s only so much a gal can ask for. Thank you so much @delacorte again for the gifted audiobook! Violet Made of Thorns is out today!

I absolutely loved this book; it literally kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. The characters were aggravatingly lovable - imperfect and well written. I like the comparison to TCP, but I would argue that we aren’t as privy to the politics and court intrigue. This is definitely a solid YA fantasy and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

Violet is a girl who has found her way out of the streets and into the palace as the royal seer. One vision years ago allowed her to save a life and in doing so changed hers. For the better she could not say for now she is at the whims of a king who at times only wants her visions to align with his. Soon she will be working for a prince whose life she saved, but who seems only to filled with content for her. Struggling to find her own power and path Violet is surprised when the voices of "the fates" speak to her and tell her that she needs to kill the prince by the end of the summer or it will be her own life that is lost. Can Violet find her way around an ancient curse placed on the prince years ago, and find a way to gain her own freedom and power? Do the voices truly hold the secret to finding this freedom? What is the best route for Violet, or even the kingdom is all truly lost or will lust be everyone's downfall?
This book is the perfect blend of fairytales that we all know and love. Unlike other fairytales there is no one fairytale that you can point and state that this is a retelling or twist to that tale. It is so lovely to have such a strong heroine who truly fights the pull between doing what she thinks is right and following the expectations of others. Violet always is looking at a situation from two sides and truly knows the power of words and how one sentence needs to cover so many outcomes. Cyrus is an interesting prince. The perfect blend of hopeless romantic, sassy, and aloofness. Overall he is not your typical prince, but I feel like that makes him a bit easier get behind. I do love a handsome fairytale prince, but sometime it is nice to have a more realistic prince one who is not always the perfect charmer. This is a book I am going to enjoy recommending to patrons this year.
Thank you so much Random House Children's and Netgalley for allowing me to read this fun title ahead of publication.

Thank you so much Random House Children's and MTMC Tours for sending me an eARC via Netgalley to read and review!

"I am a better liar than I am a prophet. I don't believe there's reason to our destinies. I don't believe the world is just. I believe in wolves - and con men and crown men who wear wickedness as if it were a talent. Who don't ask for judgment before devouring what's theirs. They know the future is no better than a role of rigged dice, so they may as well do the rigging."

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to get into it since I've been in a reading slump, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it even more if I was just a little more out of it. I will warn you, there is a little bit of info-dumping at the beginning! But I promise, if you push through, it will be worth it!

First of all, the FMC is literally Kaz Brekker as a female. She is both clever and morally gray, as well as opportunistic and a liar. In other words, I LOVED her. Not only did she surprise me several times, but her character was written so well that I thought I WAS her in the story. I always pictured her and her tower with dark academia in mind. If that doesn't convince you to read this book, please continue!

Secondly, the worldbuilding is pretty good! I mean, the individual regions of the world have their own cultures - beliefs, clothing, magic, social hierarchy, leadership, and even what they trade! It's crazy how detailed Chen made this, without info-dumping a bunch.

Thirdly, the POV is super unique! We've all read about the Chosen One trope, where the prophesied savior/destroyer goes on a quest and saves/destroys. Most YA books are told from the POV of said Chosen One. Not this book though! Violet Made of Thorns is told from the POV of Violet who is actually the Seer (prophet)!

Fourthly, the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat. If I could have binged-read this book, I would have. There are several of subtle nods to classic fairytales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty & the Beast, etc.). There were several twists I didn't see coming (and they all hit you, one after another). Betrayals, lies, secrets . . . so many good qualities in this book. Not gonna lie, it got dark at the end with the whole beast situation (reminded me of Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston), but it was such a great addition to the story.

Finally, the romance between Violet and Cyrus was so good. Childhood friends to enemies to lovers? I mean, it's like These Violent Delights all over again, but in dark fantasy form. I'm going to steal this little bit of review from another reviewer: "Gina Chen was right when she called this the “I can fix her” x “I can ruin him” dynamic because IT IS and it works so well between them." Like academic rivals, but on steroids.

I can't wait to see what happens to Violet and Cyrus after that ending, so please, Gina Chen, I beg of you, don't make me wait long (*bursts into tears*).

"He told me that a lie is a tool, just as much as honesty is. Both are about choosing what words to say. Both can have consequences."

"I shouldn't kiss him back. Our entanglement wasn't inevitable in the way of the stars, but in the way you can only toss so many lit matches at a powder keg before one catches - and I should have stopped tossing matches."

Violet Made of Thorns is a beautifully written fairytale that feels original with nods to many classic fairytales throughout. It's surprising this is only Gina Chen's debut with everything it has to offer - compelling characters, a well-developed swoon-worthy forbidden romance, political intrigue, and dark magic. The world-building is wonderful with an original, creative magic system. The story follows Violet, a seer who once saved crown prince Cyrus's life with her visions and was brought to court to provide divinations for the King who uses them to get what he wants among his own kingdom and neighboring kingdoms. When Cyrus becomes king, he plans to get rid of Violet's role for he wants to rule an honest kingdom. However, when the King asks Violet to falsely prophesize Cyrus's future wife, she ends up cursing him. Will his future love destroy the kingdom or save it? Are we bound to our fates?

If you enjoy original YA fantasies, this is the perfect book to check out. Readers will be thrilled from start to finish. Highly recommended!

VIOLET MADE OF THORNS • Gina Chen • Pub Date: July 26, 2022 • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: Violet is a seer, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased (and not always true) divinations. She has managed to make quite a live for herself through her abilities and willingness to lie, but everything changes when Violet is asked to falsely prophesy Prince Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball. A dreaded curse is awakened, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet also faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.

This book is a fantasy debut involving a romance sub-plot and an anti-heroine. Our anti-heroine MC (Violet) may be marketed as "unlikeable," but I think she's more appropriately labeled "morally grey" and I was HERE for it. Violet is out for herself, and she is not ashamed of that. The trend of having younger female heroines who aren't caught up in being sweet and likable really works for me, especially in this story. I'll also add that Violet is way less obnoxious than similar fantasy female MCs (aka Lou from the "Serpent and Dove" series). The banter between Violet and Prince Cyrus was also fun; this book is definitely great for fans of an enemies-to-lovers troupe.

While I loved the idea behind this book, I do think that the book itself fell victim to a lack of focus on worldbuilding and plot, and instead spent too many pages selling an under-developed romance. There is a lack of emotional impact and tension, which really detracted from this primarily character-driven book. I was also left wanting more "cut-throat" politics.

Ultimately, I think this debut was a good tee-up for what may be a solid series. I will absolutely be picking up the next book in the series once it comes out!

When I saw this book was for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove, I was sold!

Violet has been the kingdom’s Seer since she was 11, after she was plucked from the streets as an orphan. Violet and Prince Cyrus have a tumultuous history and are known throughout the kingdom for their verbal spars.

Violet may be a Seer, but she’s a liar as she twists her prophecies to suit the king. As the prince nears his time to take the throne-and a bride-he and Violet must find a way to break his curse: he will either be the kingdom’s damnation or salvation.

Full of political intrigue, forbidden love, and dark magic, Violet Made of Thorns weaves a tale of an antiheroine who must choose between following her heart or her prophesied destiny.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Genre: YA fantasy
Format: ebook
Length: 368 pages

📌Release Date: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really love the concept of this book and I'm a sucker for a retelling. However, I feel like this book suffered from having too much going on and also issues with pacing. I also am not a fan of a book ending on a cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers but I think the romance could have been more developed. I did enjoy Violet as a main character, I loved that most of the characters were flawed.

Overall
I have been DESPERATE for a new cozy fantasy series. Don’t get me wrong, a high fantasy series that is 8 books long and saturated with romance, drama, court intrigue, and plot twists left and right is absolutely amazing. But it does get mentally exhausting after a while. This, however, is perfect! This is the low entry fantasy that you need to finish out your summer. It’s fun, there’s hate to lovers, snarky banter, prophecies broken and prophecies fulfilled, court politics. Basically anything that you need for the perfect end of summer read is in here. This earned a 6.3/10 or 3/5 stars on my rating systems and it was absolutely amazing. Go read it!

✔️ What I Loved
🥀 A brand new fairy tale that nods to its predecessors and branches off onto it’s own quest! I love the little easter eggs of well known fairy tales like Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast and yet this book didn’t retell them, instead it created a whole new tale that I would tell my own daughter when she’s a little older.

🥀 Violet and Cyrus are UTTERLY ridiculous. I’m pretty sure I screamed at my phone to just kiss already but I also kind of had second lead syndrome for Dante because he is definitely my fictional type.

🥀 The whole Witch of Nightmares just made me picture the black witch from Wandaverse so she is now the eternal fancast

🥀 Toady Hell

🥀 So I HATE the fact that Cyrus’ kingdom has basically made fairies dependent on ambrosia and keep them as slaves – but also i’m weirdly fascinated by the fact that they were able to cultivate it and turn it into an actual trade? There’s just so much about this world that I’m curious about and I need to know more.

🥀 Gina Chen’s writing style is absolutely GORGEOUS! Like, it is actually incredibily lush for a book that is under 400 pages and I need to ask that the next book is like 800 pages so 1) i can stay in the world longer and 2) I don’t have to stop reading her amazing prose for a hot minute.

✖️What Missed the Mark
🥀 This is 100% a me thing, but I wanted more from this book. I feel like the world-building was a little lacking and I was really curious about the court politics and how magic worked both with the fairies and the seer’s. And by the end I still didn’t really have answers to those things which made me sad. But there’s hope in the next book!

🥀 So, this is primarily a story about Violet and Cyrus, which is fine. But they didn’t exist alone in this story and I feel like the other characters were just kind of stand-ins who came by at convienent plot points with witty comments at the expense of the main two. So I would have liked to see them fleshed out just a bit more.

🥀 WTF DANTE

Too right! Violet definitely is a thorny problem!

The challenge? Violet is the Court seer. A situation that’s taken her out of hardship to a life that she’s determined to maintain. So when the king asks her to channel her prophecies skewed to his political advantage she does. After all, what will honesty do but highlight her precariously held position! Made all the more so because she didn’t receive the training she needed from the previous seer.
But then there’s Cyrus, the prince. She’s keenly aware of him, but he? Of course Violet’s angry with the perfect prince and herself, so she’s only too keen to agree to give a false about Cyrus meeting his true love at an upcoming ball. And of course this releases a curse that will make or break the kingdom. (I feel like I’m teetering around the edges of a mishmash of fractured fairytale themes—Sleeping Beauty and the wicked fairy godmother, Cinderella and the ball including the glass slipper and Prince Charming , and a dark Briar Rose.
I enjoyed Violet’s conundrum and fears about who she really is, how she should behave, and how to preserve what she’s gained to maintain her security.
Couple that with Violet’s emotional blindness, her active rejection of Cyrus and we have a fascinating YA fantasy with a rocky relationship gilding the lily.

A Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

A low-action, high-tension YA fantasy with protagonist that tries her best <i>not</i> to be the heroine. As high-and-mighty as she pretends to be, Violet's got teeth and isn't afraid to dig them into our Prince Charming. There's not much combat nor overt magic, but there's enough political intrigue that kept me pushing through the slow parts.

There are many recognizable tropes from the genre. The book starts dull and cliched until it's not. Chen brings enough newness to the table to keep this interesting by the midpoint, especially near the whiplash of a third act.

There is some irritation that is owed to the fact that I'm aged out of the targeted demographic. Much of the romance builds on the youthful idea that antagonism equals attraction, though Chen does her best to keep it a moral conundrum as opposed to the wishy-washy tendencies of a pubescent girl. Violet is the gritty, tired and capable teenager I used to want to be, and I can respect it.

The pre-teen me would have eaten this up with a side of jam and butter. 3.75/5

Violet Made of Thorns is an original fairytale that isn’t afraid to show the dark currents running underneath the magic. It’s whimsical, beautiful, evocative, and seductive, full of courtly scheming, terrifying prophecies, and a protagonist that would burn the world down if she could. I can’t wait to follow Gina Chen’s career because she has the potential to become one of my all-time favorite authors!

“As much as you loathe it, I’m the only one you don’t have to pretend with”

Violet Lune is the Seer, tasked by the king with reading the people’s threads, predicting the
kingdom's future, and lying to keep her job. It’s been seven years since her predecessor died, leaving
behind a harrowing prophecy about the kingdom's doom which will be brought about by Prince Cyrus,
unless he finds a bride. Now, Violet does everything she can to set the king, the court, and the kingdom at
ease, which often puts her at odds with the prince. With the king growing more and more feeble, and
Cyrus’ ascension to king looming, Violet begins dreaming of a magical beast and the kingdom’s ruin.
Though Violet may lie and bend the truth, the death and destruction she begins dreaming about is very
real, and it's rapidly approaching. As she tries to untangle the future and help the prince break his curse,
Violet realizes that the tension between the two of them may be more than just resentment. Their fates are
tied in the worst way, and the kingdom is doomed unless she makes an awful choice, her life or the
prince’s.

Violet is unlike most main characters in the YA fantasy genre. She’s prickly, sarcastic, clever,
prideful and ultimately, very human. She doesn’t much care about anyone else and works mainly to help
herself. I loved seeing these characteristics in a female character because often it’s the male characters
that get to be brash and rude but loveable. As readers watch Violet interact with the perfect Prince Cyrus, we see that while he is attempting to make her more honorable, she is attempting to make him much
worse. Gina Chen explores Violet’s moral ambiguity skillfully and creates a character that escapes the fairytale stereotype female characters often fall into. This dark fantasy is a page turner that was tailor-made for anyone in search of a fairytale unlike any other.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in
exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to
change upon final publication.)

Defiant, Charmed, and Vicious

Gina Chen came out swinging with this debut. I am here to happily take any other punches from here on out. As someone who enjoys fairytales being retold, nothing makes me happier than when a retelling is not only done with details but when a retelling is able to make quips about any and all fairytales! I am a HUGE fan of retellings loaded with “Easter eggs”. There were plenty of those in here that made my heart happy and dancing! This is a retelling most reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Again, there are plenty of other fairytales that were hinted at in the book but these three were the most touched on.

Our MC is Violet, a Seer who was born to the streets (though her family life is very hazy and hints at being built upon in the future installments of the series). After dreaming of the child Prince's untimely demise, Violet- a child herself at the time- saves Prince Cyrus. After her use of the sight to save the prince's life, she then was then whisked away to the castle to live under the Kings rule as his own personal Seer. Though, we all know children are easily influenced. So did the king. He raised her but also formed her for his use. Learned and adapted to lie for the King and her own form of self protection, Violet is given to us as a morally grey heroine.

You guys, Gina Chen opens the book with a disclaimer on our heroine. I quote-
“This book is a fairy tale for those who choose head over heart every time...We often discuss representation in strictly positive terms, citing characters who are role models who try to make the right choices, but being human also means being wonderfully, terribly flawed.”
I loved her adding this aspect in before we get into the grit of the book. It wonderfully sets the tone and honestly made me way more eager to dive into the book! Violet was a terribly flawed MC. She reminded me of myself in some ways. Ways in which had me cringing at times. Like Chen mentioned, most MCs tend to always have their moral compass, unfailing to sacrifice themselves for the best of all; unflinching to make the right call. Violets compass is always aware of what actions may do to her. She’s number one and is always looking out for herself- as most honestly would. I love her flaws and her brutal honesty. She frustrated me, made me laugh, made me cringe…she made me feel and fully engage with this book.

Cyrus is the dazzling prince. Charming, bright and cursed with destiny. The entire kingdom rests on his shoulders. Heavy from that weight he is torn from duty and heart. That being said, he’s also got his own spunk which I adore in a love interest. I like the grumpy/sunshine trope but said sunshine has to have enough attitude to compete with the grump in my opinion. They have to know how to play the game and melt the heart. Cyrus is perfectly balanced in all those ways! Violet and his banter was plenty of entertainment and tensed heat to keep me enthralled.

I was fully enchanted in this book, finishing this book in just two days (between work and responsibilities). I never wanted to put it down and am only upset that it is finished and I now have to wait a year or more for a sequel. Gina Chen impressed me with such a wonderful debut. Big things are in her future and I'm excited to see her bloom as an author. With fantasy, enemies to lovers, and morally grey characters hot right now she is sure to break into the YA genre with ease. Like I said, she came out swinging and is fully equipped to come out champion. This is sure to be a new favorite series for us all!

This is a solid 4/5 star read. I loved it! This book releases this week so prep the wallets and hit the stores. You’re going to want to pick this one up, trust me! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

When a palace seer tries to nudge fate by inventing a prophecy, she becomes embroiled in a dark curse and inconveniently but irrevocably drawn to the infuriating prince at its heart.

Deep, dark, and immersive, VIOLET MADE OF THORNS had me devouring its pages as ravenously as the characters fed on one another. Although tastes of well-known fairytales call attention to the storytelling theme, Chen creates a wholly new fairytale, not directly a twist of any individual story. Her characters are addictive, her steamy romance writing as compelling as any master of that genre, and her world-building a perfect blend of well-worn high fantasy tropes and a new, exciting magic system. I cannot praise this book highly enough. If you read high fantasy (whether you are a young adult or not) don't miss this exceptional debut!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House CHildren’s for this earc

This book was so much fun! It’s a perfect spooky fairytale, with enemies to lovers and you definitely do not want to miss this.

First, I don’t know if it was just me, but the whole time I was reading this book, I saw all the scenes in super bright colors. Due to fairy magic in this world, all the upper class is supposed to look more than perfect, but in my head they look like they are too bright. Imagine Alice in Wolderland bright and honestly, I loved that the writing made me see it so clearly.

Both Violet and Cyrus are written more like villains than heroes and that’s the way you want them. Their relationship is secret and forbidden and a little twisted but with just enough heart to make you fall in love with them. The whole book, I was not sure if they would hurt each other or marry. We get both thing by the end of the story and I have absolutely no idea what’s coming next.

I am very curious to see if the Fates are real or if everything Violet saw was just what the Witch wanted her to see. I also can’t wait to see how evil we will see Violet in the next book. I hope that Cyrus will be cured or maybe killed. I am still not sure how I feel about him.

Definitely pick this book up as soon as it’s out!

Violet Made of Thorns is a darkly enchanting fantasy debut by Gina Chen. It has everything you want from a classic fairytale. Violet Made of Thorns is a great first book to a series that has set the story nicely for the next books!

I don't know how many times I've written blogposts about disappointing YA fantasy debut novels. Well, this is not going to be one of those. I absolutely loved Violet Made of Thorns. I've been trying to parse out why exactly this particular book "clicked" where so many others failed. I must says it is the heroine. So many authors are focused on the plot and then try to "jam" the characters' behavior to work with the preconceived scenario. Well, in this book the main character is utterly authentic and everything about the story is unpredictable. Yes, Violet is a Seer who can see people's past as well as the future, but she also struggles to interpret her visions and is not sure how to act and what to do with the information she gets.

I would also say the behavior of characters in this novel is very human and thus relatable. They lie, betray, make mistakes, act on impulse, pursue their selfish agendas, doubt themselves - Violet's actions and motives made sense to me. I am getting a bit sick of publishers describing characters as "morally grey". In this particular novel, I would describe Violet as just very human and honest with herself. Yes, she is cynical and jaded, but given her position in life, where she came from and who she serves, it is not a surprise. It is actually very logical.

Anyway, my final point on this book is that it is a fairy tale retelling of sorts. You do not need to know which one. Just go into it blind. If you like fairy tales, forbidden romance and dark magic, do not pass this one by. It is surprisingly fresh, well-written and unpredictable. 5 out of 5 stars from me.