4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Razorbill, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up Hearts That Cut on June 18, 2024.

Wow! What a thrilling sequel to an already high-stakes story. I love how Kika Hatzopoulou expanded this world and magic system so much more, introducing us to a world truly on the verge of Collapse. I could viscerally see this world in my head, played out like a movie, and it was so exciting to witness more magic in the city-nations (city-states?) outside of Alante.

Hearts also masterfully expanded on the character arcs we saw in Threads That Bind. I BELIEVED in Io's doubts, her waning optimism, and her struggles with her sisterly relationships and her romantic bond with Edei. All of the characters felt so believable on the page that it felt like I was hiding out with them in Nanzy, trying to hunt down the gods while evading capture.

We meet and fall in love with new characters while also seeing old characters grow into stronger, hardened versions of themselves. The ending had me TRULY gagged, from the betrayals to the action to the climactic final moment. I'm honestly shocked by what played out, and I absolutely can't WAIT for the third installment (hopefully) to come.

If you're in your mythology era -- Greek or otherwise -- and you want murder mystery vibes fraught with sisterly conflict and fated/doomed relationships, this is your book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou is the second book in her Threads That Bind series and it wraps up this duology. I think you definitely have to have read the first book before this one. I had read Threads That Bind last summer and I actually had to look it over again to remember everything I needed to know for going into this one. If the first book stuck with you more I think you'll be fine just to start this second one right away.

For me the first half of the book (or honestly first sixty percent or so) was a little slow. I'm not sure exactly what could've been cut to make it shorter or drag less, but I want to say probably something could've been. Just to help the flow a little more early on. This book definitely picks up as you go on and I did find it pretty engaging over all! The first one just had more action the whole time whereas this one takes more time to set things up. I think just keep in mind that this is a complex world and there are important relationships and plot lines to develop. It all pays off well, so it's really just a matter of staying with the story as it gets to where it needs to be.

As I said, the world is a little complex which is again why I think it's important to really remember the first book. That complexity though is what makes this story so interesting and unique for me. I love a rich setting with well-done world building and a well-explained magic system and Hearts That Cut continued the excellent work done by Threads That Bind in this regard.

The mystery in this book was also so well done. There is a really great twist I did not see coming at all. I was completely shocked but it still definitely made sense. Which just speaks to Kika Hatzopoulou's talent when it comes to story telling. Big plot twists are hard to do well and she absolutely succeeds!

I still really enjoy Io. I think I liked her more in this book than the first. Her romance with Edei was sweet, though didn't exactly wow me. But if you enjoyed them in the first book, you'll definitely love them now. I just never fully bought into their relationship, but that's just my opinion. I think Bianca was an enjoyable character and I liked seeing her friendship with Io develop! I wish more side characters got more time, but I enjoyed what they did get.

If you loved the first book I think you'll probably love this one too. Kika Hatzopoulou is a gifted author and I'd love to read more books from her in the future. I did like the first book in this duology more, but Hearts That Cut was a well-done conclusion to the Threads That Bind series.

3.5 stars
Although I really enjoyed this story it wasn’t as exciting as the first one. It was a little repetitive at times, going over their mission to take down the gods more than was probably necessary. With that being said I really likes seeing the relationship build between Io and Bianca, going from Io being scared of the mob queen in the first book to being more comfortable/commanding in this one. I also enjoyed seeing the love grow between Io and Edei even with their fraying fate thread. The world building was exceptional and the detail given made it easy to picture where the characters were and what was happening.

Once again, I cannot get over the world weaved in this story. Such an original take on the mythology inspired urban fantasy genre, weaved with themes of family, love, morality, and more. I love Kika Hatzopoulou's ability to deliver a tale full of adventure but also of one that examines the nuances between loved ones. I feel like sometimes the takeaways for Io's realizations were a little on the nose, as in they were literally spelled out, and my general preference is more that the author leaves it open to interpretation. However, in this case, I think I appreciated the messages being spelled out, as they served to further highlight Io's growth in a concrete manner. I also loved the occasional descriptions of the Greek dishes the characters were eating, could've used more of them! I feel like out of all the Greek mythology inspired fantasies I've read, only this one has really mentioned the cuisine so vividly and I love a dish detailed out on the pages. Amazing story, definitely one of the best books I've read since this year has begun, I hope this author revisits this world in her future stories!

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

While this was still the most unique and creative take on mythology as a concept I've ever come across, this book did not captivate me as much as the first in the duology did. The writing was still well done, and the characters were still relatable and relatively fleshed out, but it was something of about the execution and pacing of the plot. It felt like just a lot of talk and nothing happening for the first 60% of the book.

I absolutely adored this series. After reading the first book I was so very excited and eager for the conclusion and what a crazy, amazing conclusion it was.

This otherworldly mystery had such great depth with looming prophecies, threads of interlocking complexity, and characters who were so well rounded it was hard to say goodbye. The author did an amazing job, I will definitely be watching out for more of her work!

4.5 stars!

Liked:
I was immediately drawn right back into this world (despite a book hangover from another series)
Good balance between the action of the plot and the world-building
The ending was good and tied everything up well, but...

Disliked:
Not so much a dislike, but I wish there was an epilogue taking place a few months after the finale so we can see how the characters adjust to what happened.
The miscommunication trope-really just a personal pet peeve

Overall, this was a very enjoyable conclusion to this duology!

"But perhaps, these hearts were supposed to be broken. Perhaps this faith was undeserved. Perhaps what came after heartbreak was just as important: when you rose on one knee, then the other, and stood. When you realized that you could piece yourself back together, little by little, slowly and painfully. You might not be whole ever again, but you would survive, and that was - that was salvation in its true form."

Hearts That Cut is the exciting sequel to Threads That Bind, and I definitely did not solve the mystery in this one either. Honestly, I think my favorite part of this duology has been the worldbuilding, to be quite honest. Greek mythology (and other mythologies too) takes center stage in this fantasy world dealing with an apocalypse ... and fantasy apocalypse stories are some of my favorites.
As much as I liked the ending of this book, the beginning felt a bit slow. In the first book, it felt like nonstop action but this book felt like it didn't start until the 50% mark. The first third or so was just intro and it felt like reviewing the events of the last book. That being said, the ending was very exciting and this series is one of those that is written like a movie. The visual design and the way the scenes look in my head are incredible. There was a fair bit of action and mystery, and the plot twists were surprising, so the second half was enjoyable. I just struggled to get into it.
In terms of characters, Nico is still my favorite despite the limited page time. I liked Io and Edei and their struggles with deciding whether or not to abide by fate. Besides Io and Edei, though, the side characters didn't get much attention (besides Bianca) and so I didn't really have many opinions on them.
Fans of fantasy-mysteries or fantasy stories about fantasy-apocalypses should check out Threads That Bind and Hearts That Cut.
3.75/5

I’ve been looking forward to this book for the last few months and it did not disappoint!

I’ve really enjoyed the world building in this duology and thought it was so unique. I enjoyed living in this weird, magical universe for a bit.

I loved how a very complicated relationship between family members was shown and navigated. It felt very relatable and made me connect to Io even more. I thought the conclusion was satisfying and showed great character growth.

The romance!! It was so precious to me and remained just as sweet as it was in the last book.

This was a fantastic duology that kept me enthralled the entire time! I can’t wait to read the next book by Kika Hatzopoulou!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars!

I devoured this book, and it was as good as I anticipated. I believe my review of 'Threads that Bind' was "yes oh my god yes" and I feel exactly the same about this book. Honestly I think this book is losing half a star because the first book was *that* good, and this one is just a touch less. But my enthusiastic recommendation is: drop everything and read this book (and the first if you haven't).

I could go on and on about Kika's fantastic duology but I'm going to try and hit the highlights here.

Standout features of this book:
- Characters: Io our young and often unsure main character finds trust in herself, determination, and strength, but my heart swelled at the inner peace she finds. And a lot of the side characters from book one get major character development. Sweet Edei is back of course, I wish there was more but I can't fault Kika for how she handled the romance.
- Romance: The romance can be described with one long content sigh.
- The ending: Knowing how to write a duology seems to be a lost art that Kika has a strong grasp on. I cannot say more.

READ IT.

Thank you Penguin Group/Penguin Teen for the arc it made my year.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc of this book.

I was really excited when I got approved for this because it was my favorite read of this year but unfortunately this book fell flat for me. It didn’t have the same feeling as the first book. With the first book I couldn’t put it down, but this book felt like it dragged. I don’t even think I really got interested in it until like maybe 60% through. If I hadn’t liked the first book as much as I did I probably would have stopped earlier and DNF’d it. The first half of the book felt like one big info dump and nothing really happened imo. I did end up finishing it because I wanted to see it through and what happened with the prophecy but I definitely trudged through it. I also felt the ending was a little abrupt and I wish there had been an epilogue chapter to kind of wrap things up.

Having not realized that this was the second book in the series. It didn’t make that much sense to me. And was very difficult. Besides that I very much enjoyed the book.

Loved the character growth, the romance and the plot. Loved that we got to see more of the world building .

I liked this book significantly more than the first, which I still enjoyed, but in a much different way. In a way that made me look back at the first and admire it more.

In the first book, Io blindly trusted everyone who showed her kindness and was fearful of everything. Which, thematically, made sense… while also being frustrating to read. In this book, I really enjoyed seeing the more complicated relationships she had in action and her having to make hard decisions on who to trust, who to love, who to forgive. I really enjoyed the commentary on how forgiveness does not necessarily lead to trust and a relationship, even with the people you love the most.

Io grew wonderfully throughout this duology. The first book was full of idealism and childlike optimism. The second was full of realism and weathered determination to love and continue on despite it all. I feel like I’m better for being given the chance to grow with her.

I was surprised when I enjoyed "Threads That Bind" when I read it, but I'm not surprised now that I've read the sequel and also liked it. The characters are complex and interesting, the story flows nicely and keeps you engaged, the world building is complex but easy to understand. I enjoyed myself!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had no idea how Kika Hatzopoulou was going to be able to conclude such an exciting duology(can I also say I did not know this was a duology??? I totally expect a trilogy) but Hearts That Cut was such an excellent follow up to Threads that Bind, an even better book to a huge world that Hatzopoulou set up.

The stakes only get higher in this intense, heart-pumping sequel, and Io comes in swinging, serving her badass determination and unfailing compassion for the people around her. I adore her as a main character, because her vulnerabilities make so much sense to me. It's so poetic that in order to use her powers, she has to sacrifice a connection to something she loves. And loving is so precious to her, and her heartaches make me clutch at my chest.

Edei, my love! I wanted more of him, but the role he played in the book was so critical to Io's ultimate development, blossoming from the unsure girl who is reluctant to love anyone new in case she has to lose them, to having trust that someone will be there for her no matter what, thread or not.

The action, the suspense, the mystery, the PLOT TWISTS! The only downside is that the world feels so expansive, with so many details that I just want to see more of this very unique world. Very excited and happy to see this sequel come out soon!! Pick this book up immediately, I BEG.

Gorgeous, brilliant fantasy sequel to the previous book which I loved just as much. I found this climax utterly gorgeous thanks for the arcZ

Follow Io and Mob Queen Bianca as they search for not only Thais and Ava but their backers who orchestrated the murders and kidnappings in Threads that Bind.

The beggining (honestly the first half of the book) lagged a little for me. It was mostly character development and nexessary world building as Bianca and Io travel across the wastelands and into other cities on their mission. There needed to be a lot of relationship building as Io and Bianca were not characters that got along well in book one. We also needed to see how the rest of the world fared since book one took place exclusively in Alante.

The plot, when it picks up, does so quickly with the revelation of the cause behind the riots during which Bianca rose to power and the revelation that the Gods are not only alive but have been controlling the world through a puppet government and using the fury-born as their private army.

The romance between Edei and Io remained tender and sweet, despite the awkwardness of them being apart and trying to fit together again, their doubts about their feelings being real or a product of their fate thread. I was happy that they got their happy ending, even after the thread was severed. I was also happy that his support let Io come into her own power and shake off the stereotype she had been saddled with her entire life about her powers only being used for horrible things.

My favorite thing about book two was that we got to delve into the other mythological descendants powers and a bit of how they differed or were similar to the ones we were already familiar with (the Greek). I felt this was so creatively done and you can really tell that KH did her research. I especially loved how she weaponized the powers of the sons of Aphrodite, with Seto being the most powerful of the other born that we got to meet.

I find that sequels are hard for authors to write, especially in duologies when you dont have the second book to delve into the plot/characters and the third for the climax. But KH not only delivers in this book but has the necessary twists and character depth to keep you hooked right up until the very end!

Thank you so much to PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

We pick up this sequel right where Threads That Bind left off, with Io and Bianca following the golden thread of the gods in an attempt to make sense of all the pieces they have been left with from the events of the first book. They eventually meet up with Edei and Nico and become entangled in a further mystery that began centuries before.

The duology is set in a queer normative world, where quite a few of the female side characters (or characters we met once) have wives/female partners. As someone who primarily reads queer books, I liked how normal queer relationships were, even though it wasn’t a large part of the book (and it didn’t have to be!). But I think I preferred the range of mythologies and powers that were introduced rather than the queer normative world simply because it was much more engaging from a plot standpoint.

I was already hooked on this world from the minute I picked up the first book last year and couldn’t wait to jump back into the world of mythology, romance, and fate that Hatzopoulou has so skillfully created. I loved the further development of Io’s relationship with Edei and her friendship with Bianca, and how the slow journey at the start really added to how the mystery unfolded. I also enjoyed how Io’s strained relationship with her sisters was dealt with, but I do wish we saw more of Thais as she didn’t feel quite as important as she had in the first book.

If anything, I really wanted more of the magic system and the world at large. I’m still so interested and have so many questions about this world and could read many more books set in this universe! But I do think the ending was satisfying and wrapped up all the plot points very well.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Hearts That Cut and am so happy and thankful that I got to read it early.

Thank you so much, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

It's been five weeks since Io and Bianca started to follow the golden thread to the gods, in grueling travelling conditions, avoiding threats, worrying about her fate-thread she shares with Edei, that seems to be fraying. When their suspect shakes them off and snaps their golden thread, disappearing, everything is turned upside down. Even though they manage to gather some clues and continue their investigation, in siblings' disappearance all over the Wastelands and increasing disasters, that could have been prevented by the strangely silent Agora. Every sign seems to point to the golden city of Nanzy, connecting murders and disappearances. There Io and Bianca find new and old allies, Edei and Nico and uncover a dangerous plot that traces back centuries. Determined to save everyone, Io struggles with her profecy, asking herself if the fate of the world is really on her shoulder and what is she willing to do. If fate is something already written or she can choose what to do with her own choices.

I LOVED Threads that bind and when I got my request accepted I rushed to read this sequel and it's so good. So GOOD, Io is a wonderful main character and I loved her relationship with Bianca and Edei and how much she struggled to do the right thing. I loved how her investigation, that started with Bianca, is deeply embroiled with plots and mysteries tracing back centuries. I loved how invested she is in doing the right thing and protecting her loved ones. Hearts that cut leads the reader away from Alante, showing them various city, disasters, politics, gang member and other-borns, siblings, powers and more and more. The scope of the world is bigger and interconnected and I loved reading this book and piecing everything together with Io.
I adored how romance and mysteries, powers and friendships and threads, are wonderfully interconnected and balanced. Io is a brilliant MC and she's grown a lot from the previous book, becoming more confident in herself and her abilities and, mainly, detacting herself from Thais' influence and words, the power she had over her, becoming more and more her own person, different from her sisters and past.
Her bond with Edei is another beautiful and profound thing I loved in this book. Their banter, their fate-thread, their loving, conforting and protecting one other is absolutely amazing.
I really enjoyed how themes like family, love, friendships are important in this duology and, also, fate and destiny, how anyone can be sure of their own choices, confronting the idea of something that's already written.
Io's profephy, the Muses' words and the mysteries surrounding the whole Wasteland...everything comes to an end in this book in a perfect ending.

Brilliant, awesome and intriguing.
In this heart-pounding, much-anticipated sequel to Threads That Bind, Io will face threats even more dangerous and players even more powerful as she discovers what it will mean to follow—or defy—her fate.