Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen, 368 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2022. $19.
Language: R (39 swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Violet (18yo) is the Seer for the Sun Capital, trying to help the kingdom avoid the curse prophesied by the last Seer’s dying breath. Prince Cyrus (19yo) was supposed to be key in helping support Violet’s prophecies – and lies – by bringing back a bride from his tour of the kingdoms. But he didn’t, and Violet still has to figure out a way to keep the king and the kingdom safe so that Violet can keep her easy life in her tower.
Violet is not a typical heroine, just as Chen intended. Not only does Violet live in the gray area, she leans more towards black than white – anything goes when it comes to self-preservation. Carnal desires of selfishness, wrath, and lust are unabashedly key to who Violet is. While I admire Chen’s desire to write a personality different from a typical main character, I found it hard to connect with Violet because I wouldn’t have made her choices. Overall, the book is well-written and I really enjoyed the ending, but I don’t want to watch Violet and Cyrus continue to make poor choices, so I will not be seeking out the next book.
Violet describes her skin at one point during the book as “blushed yellow,” Dante has “clay-brown” skin, and Raya has “brown” skin. Chen does not describe the skin color of Prince Cyrus or the rest of the royal family. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, partial nudity, innuendo, menstruation, and digital and oral sex. The violence rating is for mention of suicide, blood, battle scenes, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I have not been able to stop thinking about Violet and Cyrus since I've finished this book and I'm not mad about it at all. The dynamic is flawless, the banter and tension is so much fun to read. I am a bit confused by the overall magic of the story but it's something that could be fleshed out more in the sequel. All in all, I cannot wait for the sequel!!

Violet Made of Thorns is the story of Violet, a royal Seer who has a penchant for bending the truth. The King asks Violet to lie to prevent a disastrous prophecy, further poisoning the already hostile relationship between Violet and Cyrus, the crown prince.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. First of all, Violet is everything I’ve ever wanted in a main character and more. She’s not a typical strong heroine; in fact, Violet is every shade of morally gray. She’s not totally friendly, rarely honest, typically selfish, and often impulsive. Violet will forever stand out as one of my favorite heroines.

Cyrus, the crown prince and Violet’s main love interest, was equal parts infuriating and swoon-worthy. Their relationship was maddening, but it presented a very important question: can you have love without trust? I found myself wanting to jump into the book and shake the life out of Violet and Cyrus. The side characters were full of life as well; Dante and Camilla both felt like they could be main characters in their own right.

The only thing I disliked about Violet Made of Thorns was that it had to end. However, there are enough unanswered questions that I hope Gina Chen is working on a sequel! Regardless, I’ll happily devour whatever Gina Chen writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book is best to go blind into. Even though you might want to know it's about a Seer, falling in love with a cursed prince. Also, there is apparently, (though more like I really hope so) a planned book 2.

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen is YA fantasy novel that follows the dreamy life of Violet and her many prophecies and lies. As Seer of the kingdom, Violet is tasked with dealing with the fates and their many twisted prophecies. Including one about the Prince, and the terrible curse placed on him. Everything goes awry when the curse befalls the kingdom and nearly drives it to ruin. And Violet and her visions are the only ones that can save it.

The characters were adorable and relatable. I found Cyrus was my favorite, with his cleverness and banter. Though Violet was a close second. But the plot moved a little too slow for my liking. Even though I did much appreciate the many call backs to classic fairy tales.

If Ella Enchanted had a morally grey main character and a prince with more bite you’d get Violet Made of Thorns.

Violet is the most relatable character I’ve read about in a long time. She says exactly what she thinks, has no problem lying, but at the end of the day just wants to secure her place in the world. She’ll do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. Throw in some doomsday prophecies, a masked ball, and an enemies to lovers/childhood friends to lovers romance and you’ve the got the perfect recipe for a thrilling and unique fantasy novel.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who grew up loving fairytale retellings like Ella Enchanted, The Goose Girl, and Spindle’s End, but relates more to the morally grey MCs found in The Shadows Between Us, A Shadow in the Ember, and The Cruel Prince.

Note: This book is the first in a planned series. While it ends with some uncertainty about the future, the initial storylines do wrap up nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

In this book, we follow Violet who is a Seer and works for the King of her country. Like most typical Seers, she can see parts of the future, but she can also see someone’s memories (and future) if she touches them. She’s been at the palace for seven years after saving the prince, Cyrus—which we later learn was not a great thing because it messed up the future as Cyrus was supposed to die.

There’s a prophecy that basically states that Cyrus has to get married (eventually); otherwise there will be war. So everyone has been trying to find him a match, but because Cyrus is a hopeless romantic, he’s being picky.

The real issue appears when Violet starts to have more dreams of a future of an endless war. She’s also getting haunted by a mysterious being in her dreams, saying that either Cyrus or her will die at the end of summer. So she’s trying to figure out why this is all happening and if she can prevent it.

Overall, if you enjoy a book with fairy tale (not so much a retelling) and fairies vibes, this one is for you. Violet is certainly brash at times, but she isn’t super annoying. She had her own goals in mind and can be self serving, but she isn’t unlikeable. There’s also a hate-to-love romance, which I always love.

I would say that the only reason why I didn’t give this a five star rating is because it didn’t do anything new. It has a lot of tropes and it was all done the same way. Not to say that this book was poorly written or anything. I’m hoping that the next book(s) will be better and more exciting.

Would I recommend this book? Sure!

Violet Made of Thorns is a fantasy that reads like a fairytale about a morally gray witch and a cursed prince.

Violet has her rough edges, but you can’t help but root for her even as she’s making questionable decisions. Cyrus, or “Prince Charming”, is also a flawed character. The side characters were also great but were not as developed as the two main characters.

The enemies-to-lovers relationship between the two characters is there, but it doesn’t take over the entire plot leaving room for courtly drama.

With court politics, cursed magical forest, and romance, there was never a dull moment in this book. Violet Made of Thorns is a great first book to a series!

Fairytale readers be ready, this book is for you, but with a dark edge to it, you can help but be excited and want more, more, more!!

I really liked this book. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it throughout. I read it rather quickly.

Violet is a Seer, which is rare, and she serves the king. She saved the prince's life when they were children and the king took her in after that. She is loyal to the king because he saved her from her life on the streets. So when the king encourages her to elaborate on her visions (in other words, lie), she agrees to it.

The prince, Cyrus, is under a curse, and his choice of wife is extremely important but he can't seem to decide on who he will marry. There's more going on with the curse and marriage and other politics, but I don't want to give away any spoilers.

I really loved the interaction between Violet and Cyrus. Their intense seeming hatred of one another hints that they care far more for each other than either might want to admit. (The opposite of love isn't really hate but indifference.)

This was such a fun and adventurous fairytale like story and I liked it so much! The banter between the main characters was so much fun to read, their romance was adorable and I really liked it. I'm very excited for the sequel!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Delacorte Press (Random House Children's) for providing me with an early copy of this e-book to read and give an honest review.
FANTASY! I love me some fantasy. It makes my bookish heart happy. And this book truly made my bookish heart happy!
The plot:
Hello fairytale. But not a retelling! I like how this one borrows from different fairytales to create something new and different. Witch/Seer with a prophecy that everyone hopes will not come to pass. Witch/Seer who does not see as much as people are lead to believe. Witch/Seer who often times does not want to see what will come to pass. Fast paced, fun, and twists ensue!
The characters:
Violet, the witch, the Seer. I enjoyed her character. She's raw. She's honest. She's no bones about it not worried what others think of her. She also has a closed heart. She doesn't see things right in front of her. She pushes people away. Such is the life of a Seer who everyone is hoping will give them the prophecy they want. She's truly flawed and I really enjoyed that about her
The prince: Cyrus. Cocky, yes. Annoying, for sure. Charming, absolutely. Typical prince who needs to make a show in public, but not as tough as his daddy would like to see.
The king: he's, well, he's a king. Kind one moment, ruthless the next I never got a true feel on him. He's manipulative and tries his hardest to use Violet to his advantage.
Dante: well, I'll leave it up to you to decide. I liked him and then I didn't. His twist was a bit unexpected, but then made sense. I feel like he'll be redeemed in the future, though.
Camilla: she might be my favorite of all. Cyrus' twin, who is unabashedly herself and doesn't give one iota about what others think. She's fierce and refreshing. Plus, she makes for an awesome side kick to Violet!
The love interest:
I saw it coming. But I did love the push/pull, love/hate that went on with it. There was nothing surprising about it happening. But it was fun to watch and the steamy scenes were done well.
The ending:
A true twist I didn't really see coming. I thought it would take a different turn, to be honest. But I also know it's a series, so perhaps in the future it will turn out differently. I will say the ending reminded me a bit of Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass. There are definitely elements of that series in this story.
I'm impressed with the writing and how the plot and characters are built out in this book. Especially coming from an author who has no background in writing.
Overall this was a fast paced, quick fantasy read. I have not read the books it was compared to so I can't tell you if the comparison is true or not. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes this series.

A story filled with twists and turns that will leave you gasping and wanting more!

What. did I. just read?!?! This book- Wow- I can't even form a coherent sentence right now! This book is the literal definition of emotional damage! I started reading this book at 4 in the morning and finished at 8 in the morning that's how engrossed in the story I was! By the time I finished it, the sun had risen and oh my gods, what a book!!!! Violet is EVERYTHING I adore this girl so much! I love her personality cause I feel like this character is ME! I know I say that for most books I've read but that's how I feel! This girl has been through so much so over time she hardened herself to protect herself from feeling that way and that hit me so much! Now let's talk about the ending cause that DESTROYED me, especially since who knows when book 2 comes out! Ok so the ending was so surprising, the last few chapters of the book had me sitting up from my bed because I could not believe what I was reading like Violet really did that!?!
Anyway so check this book out if you want to read a book with angst on July 26, 2022!

Thank You, Turn the Page Tours, the publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC!

3.5 - 4ish Stars

I admit I only requested this ARC for it's beautiful cover but recently it's been hyped up on a few discords I frequent, so I'm glad I was approved lol! This review will contain spoilers so please be aware!

Violet Made of Thorns is a fairytale lover's dream. Loads of magic, fairies, beasts, witches, seers and a prince of course. I loved the world building, I thought it was a pretty unique way of using the magical elements of fantasy. Pacing was great, I didn't put it down once from 10% to about 78% I was so engaged. I had a love/hate relationship with the antihero, Violet. At times I was rooting for her and the way she cared about herself and how she was a survivor but also at times I was like "omg open your heart a teeny tiny bit woman!"

At first I really loved the love/hate relationship between Violet and Cyrus. It gave off Cruel Prince vibes abound. But towards the end there I was disappointed that they never really give in to just being in love with each other. It's still a battle even in the very last chapter. I'm not sure if there is a sequel planned but this could be the reason why the author chooses to continue their relationship in that love/hate stage still. But if there is a sequel I hope that they can resolve rather quickly because it's starting to get old how much they tear each other apart (and not in a good spicy way lol).

I did not see the betrayal with Dante coming at all, I thought for sure it might have ended up in a love triangle type setting with what Violet was thinking at the ball sitting with Dante. I'm not even sure if he's alive after jumping out that window? How do you survive a backwards jump out of a window from what I assume is a high floor since it's the King's chamber? Interesting. Something again I would like answered in the sequel if there is one.

I'd definitely recommend this to Cruel Prince fans though I don't believe it will live up to that hype (that level of hype is insane) but it definitely gave off the same love/hate vibes for a while. Also, Beauty and the Beast fans would like this too.

Thank you so much to Random House Children's & Delacorte Press for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

#bookreview Violet Made of Thorns (Violet Made of Thorns #1) by Gina Chen

Holy shit, guys, this book is so good. I love it so much. The relationship/friendship between the prince and the seer gave me Merthur vibes and I loved it. The whole book had me reminded of how much I loved fantasy when it’s done right and this book was so so done right. It’s got fairy tale vibes and fantasy and forbidden love and a cynical main gal that I freaking LOVE. Violet is fierce and she’s made sure she can survive in this kingdom no matter what and there is no flowery thoughts in her brain. She sees it like it is and doesn’t take your bullshit.

Okay and that ending. THAT ENDING. I’m not spoiling a damn thing, but holy shit. This will be a book on my bookshelf to read and reread as soon as it’s released later this month. You want this book. I promise you if you enjoy fantasy and/or fairy tales, you want this book.

I was provided an eARC of this book from the publisher (Delacorte Press) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

#bookstagram

Violet Made of Thorns is a YA novel featuring a young woman who is a Seer in her land of Auveny. Getting introduced into a new "world" can be overwhelming sometimes, but I think the author does a good job of making the world building concise and clear. Although we still have more to learn about Violet's past in future books, following her on her journey where weird things start happening is exciting. I got a mixture of Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast vibes here, with more magic and villainous things going on. I kept on rooting for Violet and Cyrus cause I love a good friends-enemies-lovers romance, I can't help it. I look forward to the next book in the series, especially after the slight cliffhanger at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early reading ARC!

A Violet made of thorns indeed! Our protagonist Violet is sharp, prickly, and dangerous. She's also impossible not to root for! Having made a place for herself in the cutthroat royal court out of prophecy and lies, she know must fight for that place in order to survive politics, corruption, and betrayal.

Biting,complex, and completely addictive, Chen has woven a tale that'll easily be a highlight of my 2022 reading.

You'll follow Violet, a kingdoms seer, as she navigates the complicated and complex politics of court life .
Violet is the morally grey heroine we all deserve. She's headstrong,alarmingly pragmatic, and a master of self preservation. It's thrilling to see a character so complex in their actions and not just in talk. I find it a plague of YA writing that we're often told more than shown when a female character toe the line of right and wrong. That's not the case here. Every questionable decision Violet makes is played out on page. Readers will watch with jaw dropping awe as the consequences of Violets actions come to fruition.

Romance,politics,Fae,witchcraft, there's a ton of story packed into these pages but once the plot really takes hold I dare you to set this one down. I'll be anxiously waiting on the sequel and picking up anything Chen pens in the future.

Pitched as "darkly enchanting" and "I can fix her meets I can make him worse" and so I was really looking forward to this. Gina's tweets about fairytales and Asian anti-heroines only made more eager to read this. So I'm definitely sad about how it turned out to be.

Of course, I liked Violet. She doesn't try to be nice at any time, driven by the need to keep her position in the world. Even if it meant being manipulative. She's clever and centered to herself and I liked reading through her POV. The writing is captivating too, honestly the reason why I read this book so quickly. And if I have to name another positive, the beginning is quite hooking, the set up for the prophecy and Violet & Cyrus's hate to love arc had me sold.

What fails in most of recent YA fantasy books is the lack of focus on worldbuilding and plot and instead badly selling the romance to me. I'm sorry but if you want me to like Violet and Cyrus's relationship, you have to give me the emotional impact. We're told they have a history of being friends and then growing apart, but don't tell me about it, show it to me through their actions! The transition from their mutual dislike for each other to suddenly desiring each other isn't smooth. If there's no tension, then I'm not invested. Besides, there's this great concept of Seers speaking prophecies, beasts that threaten the land and something about fairies and witches, which I wanted more of. We're only introduced to these things through Violet's Sight and in the rushed ending. I expected more depth to the world and the relations between the kingdoms involved.

Another thing this book promised me is "cutthroat court politics." If you know me, you will know I'm a sucker for some good court politics (eg: The Lady or the Lion, A Song Of Wraiths and Ruin or The Red Palace) but there's nothing of the sort here, apart from influencing the people about the prophecies according to the circumstance.

While I don't have much good things to say about this book as I personally like fleshed out characters *and* worldbuilding, I do think it has great potential (especially for the sequel) and YA fantasy fans might definitely like this better than me!

Ok, I’m going to say it. I get the comparison, and I agree that fans of The Cruel Prince will enjoy this book. But, it’s also totally different to The Cruel Prince, and even BETTER than The Cruel Prince. (And, I need to clarify, that this is coming from someone who gave 5 stars to every book from The Folk of the Air trilogy. I loved The Cruel Prince. I just loved Violet Made of Thorns even more!)

The story is full of unexpected twists and turns, cool magic, classic fairytale vibes, hate to love romance, and morally gray characters… I guess? I say I guess, because the author takes the morally gray aspect as far as she can (trust me), to the point that I’m asking… am I really rooting for these hateful, spiteful, deceitful, terrible people? And the answer is… I am! I loved to hate BOTH of the main characters at some points, and I just simply adored them at other moments. I had a love-hate relationship with them that I relished. It was delicious.

And on top of it, the ending was brilliant.

So yeah, highly recommended! This is not one to miss! 5/5 stars

*I will have a fun review up on my Instagram account (@tarot_and_libros) by release date!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pub Date: July 26, 2022

This book was a really solid setup for a series. I found this book interesting, exciting, and a tad bit suspenseful in a way. I loved the fairytale aspect of the book, and I think the elements are all there - a prophecy between a prince and a witch, magic, and a kingdom in danger. I really liked the characters, and I thought the plot was overall very well done. It was a really solid read!

I think what I personally liked most was how unlikeable the characters are at times! Their decisions made me scratch my head in confusion, but it all came together in the end. Really well done!