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.

4.5 stars!

This was as good a sophmore novel as you'd want when the first book was so fantastic. It picks up a short while after book 1 ends and there are even higher stakes right off the bat. But Kika does a wonderful job of developing the relationships between new and old characters without letting the pace of the plot slip. It's a deeply and emotionally satisfying conclusion to this duology; an ending that isn't neatly wrapped up but with enough of a resolution to feel complete. I loved this complicated world with these completed characters who face complicated choices.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available 6/18/24!

So here we are diving back into a ya fantasy sequel to a book that I found original and refreshing. So here in book 2 Io is now hunting down disappeared siblings that are connected to the murders in Alante. And her thread binding her to Edei is unraveling. There is such a sense of urgency throughout this book. The modernization of Greek Gods, The Fates and the lush history of Greece woven into this book is perfection.

This was such a satisfying end to this duology, and I’ll be missing my favourite cutter Io. Once again we have amazing world building and the mythology aspect is amazing. I love that we got some other born powers in this book then the ones we’ve already known. The descriptions of Nanzy were beautiful and I was able to visualize the city vividly.
The character building here was good and I found myself liking Io’s character even more and I also enjoyed Bianca’s. I never felt like Io was lacking in anything and that's rare for me in a fmc. The romance in this book was there, but also didn’t take away from the story and was good. I love Edei and Io. The plot twist at the end of the book had me absolutely screaming because I wasn’t expecting it. I was so shocked, but once I thought about it, all the pieces fell in place and it made sense!
Overall, I really hope Kika Hatzopoulou decides to write more series inside this world dealing with the other powers ( I’m begging you more fury-born please ) because I think so much could come out of this. Thank you to Netgalley and Razorbill for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plotline: 4.5/5
World-Building: 3/5

Romance:3.5/5
Spice Factor: .5
Themes: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Enjoyment Factor: 4.5/5
Review: This was a very fast-paced sequel. It did a great job of reviewing the prior book's magic system and events. There was much less action in the first half and a lot of information dumping; I didn't mind it because it was so fascinating and moved the plot along really well.
The best aspects of this book were the character development and the surprise twist at the climax. Io's journey was beautifully written and made her raw and honest. The twist was highly compelling. I wish the ending were longer and we got more of the 'aftermath'; the book feels like it just ended with no plan forward or finality.
This was extraordinarily immersive and a fun book; I would highly recommend it if you have read book 1, and if you haven't, this is a great dystopian sci-fi mixed with Greek mythology. This duology has a unique magic system and an even more compelling story around fate, family, politics, and socioeconomic injustice.

An amazing sequel that throws you right into the action (after some pacing issues). But your favorite characters are back at it and I wouldn't have it any other way.

4.5/5
What a wonderful end to this duology! I am very happy that the various mythologies featured in this duology were expanded upon in this book. The unraveling of the threads of time and fate in this novel as the reveals are made was fantastic. I enjoyed the first book, but I enjoyed this installment so much more. Io is a strong FMC to follow, and has complicated and various relationships with those around her. I enjoyed following her as she came to accept the prophecy that she is caught in, while taking charge of her own fate and coming to terms with it. The cast of characters in this book expands, but it is done so in a way that it flows and isn't confusing. Hatzopoulu writes her action sequences very well, they were so descriptive and fun to read!

At times the different kinds of other born powers can be a bit confusing, as well as matching which mythological group (Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc.) goes with which new name in the book. Although the second one isn't that huge of an issue, it would be nice to get more background on different other born powers than the main ones the book focuses on, as they do play a role too, just not as easily understood to me. The beginning of the novel was can be a bit slow in pacing as it gained its footing as well. Nonetheless, Hatzopoulou creates a conclusion to this duology that is highly entertaining and wraps up nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: mythology, dystopian, mysteries, found family

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 1/6 and has been posted to my book blog and Instagram as of 1/9.

I was so excited to get approved for this ARC! I got the ARC of Threads That Bind and was obsessed.

This book starts with Io and Bianca on the road trying to track down the god at the end of the gold thread. I liked that the book took place entirely outside of Alante and that we got to see a bunch of different locations in this world. I definitely think it helped build out the world more, and it was a good way to give us a peek at how weird things have gotten since the murder of the Nine. The Wastelands seem to take up most of the continent (world??) and are comprised of wide open areas prone to natural disasters and chimerini attacks, interspersed with villages, towns, and small cities. The Wastelands definitely add to the dystopian feel of the book, and it was interesting to see how people adapted to living outside of the major city 'safe' zones. Io and Bianca also go to some of the villages, so we get to see the similarities and differences between there and the bigger cities.

After traveling through the Wastelands, the two eventually end up in Nanzy, the golden city. The descriptions of Nanzy are super rich and interesting, and I loved being there because there are so many different facets to it. For one, the entire city is built on and around the corpse of a long-dead leviathan. The inside of the body makes up tunnels beneath the city and the spine makes up protective walls. The areas outside the city center are subject to the floods that characterize this part of the Wastelands, and many of the buildings are built on floats or high stilts. This area is pretty similar to parts of Alante, even down to how they're gang-run. The city center, however, is what gives the city its name, and even Io is impressed by the splendor and loveliness of Nanzy's richer neighborhoods.

We also get to meet new otherborn, some of whom are descended from different gods than in book 1. It was really interesting to see the spread of powers across the otherborn, and I really liked getting a look at the different mythos and sibling pairs.

Io's goal is to find the god orchestrating this whole mess, figure out their motives, and how to stop them. Bianca, while she's teamed up with Io, is also determined to get vengeance on the one who made her a wraith and sees that as arguably the more important goal. The two of them have a good camaraderie and I enjoyed their friendship here. Bianca has a very no-nonsense attitude, and while Io does too most of the time, Bianca's sharpness is good at knocking sense into Io when she's in a mood.

Io does feel a bit more unsettled in this one and more unsure of where things stand, though honestly considering the ending of Threads, I think that's understandable. In book 1, she was dealing with and overcoming everything that Thais did, and now she has additional interpersonal relationships and problems that she has to sort out. The miscommunication trope is used once, and honestly I thought it was silly and unneeded, but Io does try to be the bigger person when it comes to the people in her life and imo has a fairly mature outlook on things. I liked that Io's detective skills were put to the use in different ways in this one, and I liked reading as she investigated and sleuthed.

I have to say, the conspiracy the group uncovers is crazy. I definitely did not see that twist coming and was definitely shocked when it was revealed. I really like how things played out and think it took things in a really interesting and unique direction.

Overall I really enjoyed this and think it's a great sequel and fantastic finale for the duology! Naturally I want more of Io and her friends, and I definitely think there's room for that considering the ending, but all the threads are also neatly tied off so the story is complete.

If you enjoy Greek mythology retellings you will enjoy this book. It was a very good continuation of the series. I loved the romance!

Initial reaction: absolutely brilliant I love this series SO MUCH

I loved Threads That Bind and was lucky enough to get access to this sequel so soon after reading it. This was so intense, heart pounding, and absolutely captivating. The characters and the plot advanced so much, it really is a testament to how brillant of a writer Kika is that she squeezed so much into a duology. Absolutely obsessed, an EASY new favorite series, i love them all SO MUCH (also Edei's background is Egyptian inspired this is a WIN)

I received this as an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first in the duology when it was sent to me in my fairyloot box. I enjoyed the first one, but it’s a bit complicated. This one is no different, although becoming more aquatinted with the world definitely makes it easier.

The plot was great! There’s a level of world building that is honestly impressive, considering there’s only two books of it. I also appreciate the alternate reality aspect. This book obviously has magical and fantastical elements, but it still feels very real because of the recognizable landmarks mentioned. We follow Io and Bianca (both strong female leads by this book) while they hunt down the gods. They run into several sticky situations, all the while Io is fretting over Edei and their fraying fate thread. She tugs on it and realized it has been redirected (my only complaint is that this part isn’t fully fleshed out, I have no idea how this could’ve happened) and that he is closer than she thought. Once they all reunite, they try to formulate a plan to lure out the gods (successfully), but of course it all goes to hell. The ending is inspiring and a bit cheesy, but honestly I’m not mad at it after all the bull Io and co go through. It is a very simple plot, with few offshoots. This works well for a duology though!

The characters are pretty well fleshed out in the first book, so you should expect to be a bit confused if you didn’t read the first book in the series. The author does a decent job of reintroducing you to the characters and showing their development over time, which is beautiful. I love a good redemption arc, and I also love it when characters don’t always have a perfect, fixed relationship (such as Io and Thais). It offers up more realism you don’t always get in a fantasy book. Io and Bianca both have such fantastic character development.

The writing is easy enough to read, entertaining, and detailed. The author does a great job of painting a picture and introducing us to new plot lines and characters seamlessly. It isn’t super advanced, but it isn’t simple either. Definitely a young adult book, suitable for teens.

There isn’t much, if any, lgbt+ representation in here, but that doesn’t make or break a book for me. There’s definitely variety in class and even race, but everyone seems to be fairly well accepted by others.

My main complaint (bear in mind, this is an unfinished book so the author may fix this issue) is that it can be very difficult to keep up with other born powers. I would love an index in the book to help keep myself straight. Context clues do allow you to piece things together, but I prefer to be a little better educated when I’m reading. I also dislike the plot gap of how the fate thread and the sisters’ threads were redirected. The author may have explained it at some point, but as I read this in two days, it isn’t very memorable if she did. It isn’t even that important to the plot, I’d just like to know.

All in all, an entertaining read that kept my interest all the way through. Definitely action packed and strong female leads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am blown away! This was an amazing sequel! This has left me speechless! I loved this and it was a very strong sequel.