Cover Image: These Twisted Bonds

These Twisted Bonds

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Member Reviews

I am a bit conflicted about this book. I loved the world and the magic, but I kept rooting for Abriella to just stick up for herself and stop pining between the two guys. I understand she had an incredibly difficult life and just needed someone to be there for her, and I sympathized with her, but I just wanted her to tell off everyone that did her wrong and stop being so naive.

That being said I absolutely loved the story line and though I had suspected the “plot twist” I still found it exciting. I was a bit nervous that we weren’t going to get a good resolution but it all worked out in the end and I feel that everyone got what they deserved, whether good or bad. An excellent conclusion to the series,

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I loved this book so much. The author did a great job with the pacing of the story. I loved Brie and how her character developed even more in this book than the previous. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and was thrilled with it. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the first book in the duology.

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I love fantasy novels that have both strong romance and political intrigue in their plot. The end of this duology sees Brie making drastic decisions and coming to terms with what she has become. Life has been one lonely road and in this edition she must figure out who is friend or foe. Both stories are long and I still can’t get enough. Brie must go on an epic journey to save the realm and salvage what was left behind from the first book. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen because there’s SO MANY TWISTS. I loved the new characters and I hope that there’s some stories left for more.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of "These Twisted Bonds" by Lexi Ryan.

This book concludes the These Hollow Vows duology by Lexi Ryan. We follow Abriella from where "These Hollow Vows" left off with her becoming a fae after she bonded with Prince Ronan. This book follows Abriella as she sets out to do what is right for the Unseelie Kingdom and how the betrayals of all those around her have affected her. After Brie leaves Prince Ronan behind for his betrayal she begins a journey that she does not know where it will end.

Overall I thought this was a good duology. I knew going into These Hollow Vows it was going to be a love triangle and that has not been resolved until the very end of this book. This was actually okay in these book especially as Brie begins to realize that she doesn't have feelings for both males but instead is realizing what love actually is. The beginning of this story was actually really great as Brie runs from the castle in the Seelie world and eventually makes her way to the Wild Fae court. I enjoyed this part of the story and felt like Brie was making strides in her own personal growth and learning.

What I did not enjoy about this book was how passive Brie was there is a scene where Ronan and Finn are literally fighting over her and while she eventually intercedes it does not change anything and this keeps happening during this story. Brie also does not make many decisions on how to move the story forward herself. I understand that she doesn't have a lot of background on the Fae worlds but it would have been good for her to do some learning rather than having Finn and Ronan make all the decisions for her. Ronan's character switch at the very end of the story was also very frustrating. Up until the very end he is determined to make things right with Brie, even though this is not what she wants. He refuses even though it is only going to make them both miserable but insists that Brie belongs to him. Then at the very end of the story he suddenly switches his story and even the trauma that happened during his capture didn't feel long enough for him to have fully changed his mind.

Overall this felt very YA but was entertaining if a little frustrating at times. 3 stars.

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This book gutted me. How can I possibly read anything that will measure up to this? If you love Sarah J. Maas' or Julie Kagawa's books about the Faerie realm, you'll want to read this POST HASTE.

As per usual when I love a book, I have to admit that it's not perfect. The plot was pretty derivative of other books in the genre (like the authors I mentioned above), which caused the book to center on themes and character development similar to that in those kinds of books as well. But if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I eat. this. stuff. up. So this review may be slightly biased.

The strongest aspects of book two are its character development with Abriella coming more into her independence (as predicted) and the pacing. The first book was paced well, but when I say I couldn't put this book down...Last night I was only 15% into the book (and thoroughly hooked), but despite the need to get up early today, I read until 4am nearly finishing it. The scene work and tension between the characters (not to mention the series-long tension Ryan started in book one), kept me turning those Kindle pages so fast. I'll have to reread this because I'm pretty sure I skim most of that end to speedily figure out what was going to happen.

If you're a lover of Fae fantasy, you'll love this one. Pick it up and fangirl with me.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I did enjoy this conclusion to the duology, though it did feel fairly cliche and like everything was a bit rushed to all wrap up at the end. Brie is a compelling main character and the love triangle element of the plot did feel better in this book (though those faerie soul bonds have got a lot to answer for!). I didn't see the exact twist coming but knew there would be something to make Brie more connected to the faerie world. All in all, an enjoyable duology if you like slightly spicy tales of faerie!

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I had the pleasure of reading an ARC copy! Thank you Clarion 🥰

Just to preface with- I adored and fell in love with These Hollow Vows. Honestly my favorite read of 2021. It had everything I needed. The drama, the romance, the action. ALL of it was just an explosion of amazing.

Now I was dying to get my hands on this book after the cliffhanger in book 1. Crossed some fingers and got lucky 😅

So let's get into it.

You won't be disappointed that's for sure.

100% more steam. ✅️

Brie badassery ✅️

It was just so nicely done. I was actually afraid the duet would end and I'd be left feeling unsatisfied with the ending. But I was content, and I'm hoping there will be more books in this universe.

I don't want to say more because it'll spoil all the fun before the book comes out. So if you liked THV definitely buy it. If you felt disappointed by the end of THV, definitely buy this one. I guarantee you whatever held back your feelings for it originally isn't worth not knowing what happens! It's a Rollercoaster ride.

Recommend it to EVERYONE. READ IT YESTERDAY. I can't wait any longer!

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Is it possible to have so much to say but be absolutely speechless at the same time????

After finishing These Hollow Vows in October I have been obsessively waiting to see where this story would lead, I won’t lie I had super high expectations going into this and holy actual hell it was a million times better than I could’ve ever hoped it would be.

I felt allll the feelings while reading this. Anger, sadness, happiness, hope.

Also can we just applaud the mount of tension???? Typically I’m not a fan of so many interruptions but even though every time I thought shit was about to go down and I was on the edge of my seat only to get cold water splashed on me I ate it UP. (And this can be said about more than just the spicy scenes to be honest)

Congratulations to Lexi Ryan for the tears she collected from me from this scene: “In a different world, in a different life, we’d be together,” I whisper. “No kingdoms to rule, no people to save, just you and me and a simple life loving each other.” “But we’re in this world. In this life.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and it feels like goodbye. “So I’ll have to save that for my dreams.”

This one HURT.

This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions and I’m such a sucker for a good redemption arc so thank you for that as well 😉

A beautiful ending for a beautiful duology 💗

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Lexi Ryan is the new name to watch in YA fantasy. Fans of ACOTAR will rejoice in a new world and new characters to root for!

Brie has lost everything by gaining immortality as a Fae. Against her will and her wishes, Sebastian has proven time and again he is not to be trusted.

But is Finn any different?

Having nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Abriella flees into the night and winds up in the last faerie kingdom she ever planned to visit.

Chaos ensues, and one thing is for certain: duty above self. No matter the personal cost.

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The perfect sequel. I am so sad this world is over and praying to all the fae queens that we get stories on some of our side characters. What a beautiful way to wrap this story up. I loved the world building, the characters, the plot, and all the badassery. This author did such a great job reeling you in and making you keep turning pages. This is a must read!

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Lovely end to the series. I love how far the MC came and how she made decisions independently. 4/5 done very well

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I need this third book ASAP. I love this world, the characters, and the magic system. I love the pacing of this & the plot twists that make me audibly gasp. Ryan's writing is fantastic and I can't wait for the next installment.

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Okay, I really enjoyed this. It was a bit of a slow start and took me time to push myself. Once it picked up though, I was hooked.

Brie did annoy me at certain parts, her thought process and how she handled certain situations were, at times, extremely frustrating to me. But she grew on me little by little as the story progressed.

But I absolutely loved Finn! That male is perfection.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you are a fan of SJM's A Court of Thorns and Roses then these books are for you.

I want to thank the author and Netgalley for this advanced copy of the book! Truly, thank you!

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Ooooh! The second in a duology, these twisted bonds was so exciting.

I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler free as POSSIBLE. But we will start with the tension. The excitement from the last book just amps up. There’s a lot of relationship tension, and it’s 🌶 spicy 🌶 (which I should say, is more than the first book. I wasn’t expecting it, and it took me by surprise. Two scenes with high spice, and a couple more with less… so take this as your warning⚠️ if you aren’t into spice, you’ll have to skip a few scenes! ⚠️)

As for the romance (not the spice, just the loving tension) is is GOOD. So much pain, so much ache, y’know, all of that will they won’t they. I love how clearly Brie’s feelings are actually laid out. It’s nice to have a heroine who KNOWS what she wants.

Next, the powers! How her powers manifest is really interesting. I really enjoyed coming to understand their depths and how she can use them effectively.

LASTLY, I want to say how much I LOVE Misha. He quickly became my favorite character, and he is just a delight. All of my favorite traits: ✨sarcasm, funny, a little tragic, banter✨. I would read the HECK out of a book or series about him.

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These Twisted Bonds 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had many feelings while reading this book that I struggled to put into words while writing this review. Overall, These Twisted Bonds was on par with These Hollow Vows, so if you enjoyed the first book then you'll enjoy this one as well. For those that haven't started this duology yet, it's a fun and easy fae romance story with warring courts and impossible romances. This review contains spoilers and specifics for the second book.

I decided that the best way to share my feelings about this book would be through a pros and cons list, so here we go:

PROS:

1.The writing improved from book one to book two. Lexi found more of a groove and was able to flesh out characters a little more without just telling us about them.
2.There were a lot of twists and plot points that I didn't anticipate. I think Lexi really excels in plot writing.
3. Abriella got a little more likeable. Since the first book, she was written as your typical Mary Sue, but every once in a while, during These Twisted Bonds, you get to see a more complex character.
4. The World Building continued to be interesting and fairly consistent throughout the story.

CONS:

1. Abriella, along with all of the other characters, are nothing new. Like I mentioned above, every so often I felt like I was getting a glimpse of a unique character, but overall, these are your typical YA fantasy characters.
2. I felt like 85% of the story was being told to me instead of shown to me. Constantly a character just says "XYZ is amazing" instead of XYZ being described in detail, thus allowing me to draw my own conclusion that it's amazing. This is honestly my biggest problem with the whole duology, and I think it's the duology's biggest weakness.
3. Sebastian sucks. That's just a fact. I absolutely loathe his character and felt no loyalty to him at all even when he was supposed to be demonstrating character growth.

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This is the absolute perfect ending to this duology I loved it so much. This love triangle, is one of the most heart wrenching love triangles I have ever read (in the best way). I was speed reading through the beginning because I desperately wanted to know the outcome. Obviously I had favorite characters going in and was rooting for them, but I found myself empathizing so much with all of the characters and their world that despite my desperate need to find out how this ended I still enjoyed the path to get there. The world really bloomed in this second book and I loved how the greater realm was woven together by the Fae folklore and all of the little Easter eggs that made this ending possible. My Heart is so full of joy for these characters and everything they went to to capture their happy ending.

Thank you so much to Clarion Books, Netgalley and Lexi Ryan for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

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I absolutely loved this book! It's not often that I think the second book in a series is better than the first, but that is exactly how I feel about These Twisted Bonds!

In this book we see Brie trying to deal with all the changes her new life has brought her. She feels like she can't trust anyone as she is caught between Finn and Sebastian, and the connections she has to both. She is also caught in the fight to save Faerie as it is being torn apart by opposing sides. She questions where she fits into this fight, this world, and who she really is.

Again, I absolutely loved this book. In the first book, I felt Brie was so naïve and found myself frustrated with the whole story due to it. In this book, the reader can see here growth and see how she comes to terms with decisions she made and their consequences.

This is only a duology, but I'm really hoping the author write more in this world about some of the characters. For example - I adore Misha and I would love to get more of his story and what will happen in his future. I have my fingers crossed that the author already has something planned for him!

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LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Oh my god, I devoured These Hollowed Vows within a day and when I got this book, I simply screamed. I need more like yesterday.

I can’t believe the twists and turns we get in this book but holy crap, just get ready for a bigger journey on this story. .

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This duology is like Cinderella meets The Folk of the Air series meets Throne of Glass, and it was utterly fantastic.

Fantasy series that push me to stay awake into the early hours of the morning for answers, and then rush to open the sequel are what I *live* for. I read "These Hollow Vows" so fast and jumped into"These Twisted Bonds" without even pausing to write a review because I just needed more. Even now, at the end, I'm so sad it's over and that I have to leave this world behind.

One of my favorite things about love triangles is that there's always a blonde golden boy and a dark, broody guy from the wrong side of the realm. What was different about this series though, is I had no idea from one chapter to the next which guy I was supposed to be rooting for. I started off with one decision in the beginning, and kept changing my mind probably until about 60% through the book. I can't tell you the number of angry exclamations, sighs, and "what?!" was said while getting through this story, but every second was so worth it.

I'm really hoping the author writes more in this world from other characters points of view in the future, or if not, that there's more fantasy on its way. I haven't felt this immediately sucked into a world in a while, and I hope to see more YA from Lexi Ryan soon.

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Brie is still very angry at Prince Ronan aka Bash, for tricking her into a bond and making her Fae so she runs away. She comes into contact with Misha, King of the Wild Fae, who is helping Unseelie children escape camps. She helps him then goes to the Wild Fae lands with him. They become friends. Ronan and Finn become aware that Brie is with Misha’s people. Finn and his crew show up. They must find a way to 1. Save the Unseelie Court and its children from the Long Sleep. 2. Figure out who gets the Unseelie throne. 3. Defeat Ronan’s evil mother, the Queen of the Seelie Court before she destroys everyone. There are parts of the book where many things are unresolved and then they get resolved very quickly, which I did not enjoy.

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