I love love love love love love love Lexi Ryan's writing.

Her storytelling always pulls me in, and this book was no exception. It’s full of twists, emotional turns, and engaging world-building. That said, I highly recommend reading (or rereading) the first duology and the previous book in this series before diving in. Without that context, you’ll likely find yourself confused by character dynamics and plot developments, fair warning you will spoil some of the bigger plot points (read major spoilers) if you’re not caught up.

One thing I truly appreciated was the continuation of the world and characters from the earlier books. The multiple points of view added depth, and it was really satisfying to see what happens after the original duology. Still, I did find myself frequently thinking, “Wait, who was that again?” A refresher would definitely help with the enjoyment factor. as the characters did minor growth and less backstory on these in some ways making them a little less real off the paper. I was spoiled in the first series for sure but to keep characters alive this long mad props and a whole world.

Compared to the earlier books, the heroines in this installment felt slightly less developed and not quite as fierce or badass as I’d hoped. Personal preference here, but they didn’t shine quite as brightly as the first leading lady. That said, the sisterly bond and the happy ending were heartwarming and hit the right notes emotionally.

This story actually reminded me a bit of The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine If you loved that classic, you might feel a familiar tug on your heartstrings with this one.

Dnf. I really wanted to enjoy this, but unfortunately I found this text to be extremely dull and I just couldn't get into it. On a positive note, the cover is beautiful!

Unfortunately not my favorite. I didnt enjoy the pacing or the beginning of the book. I honestly should have DNF but I wanted to see the conclusion.

Thank you for the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

1.5
I want to preface this review by saying I do feel bad giving this book a negative rating when it's an ARC, but I also want to be honest.

There weren't many things I enjoyed about Between These Broken Hearts. The time skip in the beginning started off the book badly, and it spiraled from there.
I didn't find the plot interesting at all, nor the relationships, which were a big focus.

Jasalyn and Hale's relationship was weird at best. They have a 4-year age gap, which isn't really a problem till you realize Jas is 17. I almost liked it better when I thought Hale was like hundreds of years old, since that's so unrealistic, it cancels out. I also just didn't like the characters individually.

Felicity and Misha's relationship did have its good moments. I liked the representation of non-super-skiny girls in a YA fantasy novel. They did feel pushed to the side, though, compared to Jas and Hale, but weren't very interesting either.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins, for the eARC.

I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books. for my honest opinion. Thanks for the wonderful ARC!!!!

This book was a great conclusion to the duology. I loved the fast paced action and how much activity was jammed into an 11 day period that the book spanned. The continued emotional growth and character development was great, especially with Jas. I love that by the end of the series she finally realized her worth and that she was no longer letting her past trauma control her life. I loved that Felicity came to realize that more people (family, friends, and Misha) love her than she realized, and that despite Konner dying in the end she gained more family in Tulle, Sol, and Leia. I don't think that Konner's death was necessary to carry the story forward, but I wasn't incredibly devastated by it either. I also LOVE the fact that Jas and Brie's mother came to Jas to help wake her up from her stasis in the form of the goblin. I was wondering towards the end what happened to Fherna, and it made sense why we never saw her outside of Jas's sleep.

I appreciate the concept of Jas's ability being that she was a phoenix. It was a pretty unique magical ability that doesn't get overplayed in fantasy books (at least any that I've read). The final conflict between her and Mordeus was satisfying, especially when she turned his shadow magic back on himself paired with her flames. I'm happy that it was a gradual rebirth and not an insta-poof "I'm back!" situation. I was slightly disappointed in Erith's death scene. It seems like he was really built up to be this god-like being even before he gained possession of the Sword of Fire. I thought that Felicity just stumbling upon him torturing Konner and then stabbing him was a bit anticlimactic for this impossible to kill being that was talked about for two books. I'm slightly suspicious that maybe this won't be the end of him? Or maybe I'm just hopeful that we'll get another series out of this.

A minor complaint of mine is that I was slightly disappointed in Misha going from completely hating Felicity at the beginning of the book to a 180 of being willing to do anything to save her. After he came to retrieve her from Konner he seemed to still be pretending to hate her, but then randomly started being nice to her very shortly after? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy it wasn't a long drawn out situation, but I wanted a little more of a dialogue or another scene showing how he came to the conclusion that he wasn't mad at her anymore and that he realized he loved her.

Things that I realized didn't really get resolved by the end:
-Where did the Sword of Fire end up? Did I just miss its whereabouts in the flurry of the last 20% of the book, or is it going to show up in a third duology (YES PLEASE!!!!!)
-The interaction with the other realms- Misha mentioned several other realms, and I'm hoping they will be featured in future books!!!

Spice: 2.5/5- some of what I would consider partially open door sex scenes but nothing explicit

Okay, I was SO excited for this sequel to this spin off. I did like all the characters and I actually liked the different points of view and the two love stories. The way the first book ended was cool and angsty, I actually loved the cliffhanger. Buuuut the way that got wrapped up so quickly in this book kinda bummed me out. The love stories got wrapped up a bit too quickly in my opinion, I think I needed just a bit more angst and turmoil here. I didnt mind the ending but it was kinda predictable and underwhelming, and the new characters weren’t well fleshed out either. I think I needed just a bit more from this second book. I do love this author though and will read more from her. Thank you so much to NetGalley and harpercollins for approving my arc!

There’s a lot I liked about this book, it was a great end to this duology (Beneath these Cursed Stars) and the first duology following Brie’s story (These Hollow Vows).

*SPOILERS AND MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK AHEAD, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK*



The book starts 8 months after the cliffhanger in Beneath these Broken Stars, and both Felicity and Jas are confused (me too, girls).

I LOVED the mind-to-mind talk between Misha and Felicity and needed more of those two in the book. My main feedback is that some of the characters felt…out of character? in this book. I wasn’t super sold on Hale either, because I really didn’t trust him after the first book. And then the main challenges they had to overcome, that had been building over the two books, were resolved really quickly.

Overall, a great end to the series, and I love that everyone got a happy ending! I also really loved the message of living for the good and bright things in life, despite the dark ✨

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the eARC. This book will be published on July 22, 2025.

This is the sequel to "Beneath These Cursed Stars" which is a continuation of the duology "These Hollow Vows". These are all young adult fantasy novels with fae and other magical creatures. If you don't want any spoilers for the 3 previous novels, skip this review.

Review with mild spoilers for books 1-3:

We pick up with Jas and Felicity 8 months after the end of "Beneath These Cursed Stars". Felicity was kidnapped and Jas had disappeared. Both awaken in different locations confused where they are and what has been happening. Jas still has the ring on which makes people do whatever she says and then forget they saw her, which makes it very tricky to track her down. Felicity teams up with the delicious Misha to save the fae kingdoms. (can we please just have a book only about Misha and Felicity, lol).

Overall a fun and quick paced fantasy. I absolutely adore Felicity and Misha. I don't have as strong of feelings for Jas and Kendrick. I kind of wanted to skip over to Felicity's POV half the time when I got to Jas's storyline. I really enjoyed Felicity and Misha's mind banter, I definitely needed more of that!

I do feel like once the story hit the "all hell breaks loose" part that everything resolved more quickly and cleanly than I liked. I also just needed more Misha, lol.

For the first time in my life, I was more disappointed with the beginning of a book than the end. I read Beneath These Cursed Stars before its release, and the end of that one had me thinking about this book nonstop for almost a year. The characters are extremely engaging, and I was truly in shambles waiting for this release. Yet everything that was set up perfectly at the end of the last one was resolved way too quickly for my taste. Most of this novel felt repetitive, and I think that this was due to the fact that the relationship conflicts were solved right at the beginning. The main conflict in Between These Broken Hearts would have been more potent if everything that happened past the first chunk happened in the last half of the book, and prolonging the resolution for the end of the last one could have helped with that.

That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this! All of the moves were right, it was just the pacing that threw me off. The characters are lovable, the dual storylines are distinct, and the struggles the characters face are gut wrenching. I do still wish that I had read the original duology before I tried these, so if you haven't read These Hollow Vows I would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.

Between These Broken Hearts is the fourth installment in the These Hollow Vows universe and the second book in the spin-off following Jazalyn, Abriella’s younger sister. Picking up months after Beneath These Cursed Stars, the story thrusts us into high-stakes turmoil: both Jaz and Felicity are missing, and with only eleven days left to live, Jaz must face not only the fading trust she has in her friends, but also the crushing weight of her family's expectations. Meanwhile, Felicity wrestles with heartbreaking truths—being loved in a different body by someone who now despises her, and the looming reality that killing her father might cost her brother’s life.

This book is a masterpiece—expertly crafted and emotionally rich. I feel so lucky to have read it early because I’ve been aching for more of these two central romances. Lexi Ryan took on a daunting task: wrapping up threads from the previous books while handling sensitive issues like trauma and mental health with the care they deserve. She delivered—and then some.

Somehow, Ryan made me care deeply for Abriella in the first two books… and then made me fall even harder for Jaz in the next two. Jaz’s arc is, without exaggeration, one of the most compelling I’ve ever read. Once a bright, hopeful girl, she’s been broken down by torture and imprisonment at the hands of Mordeus. She’s ready to give up—until she meets Kendrick and his friends. Through them, she rediscovers what it means to fight, to feel, to live. Her journey is a raw, honest, and astonishing portrayal of mental illness and healing. I cried. I felt every beat of her struggle, and by the end, I was so overwhelmingly proud of everything she overcame.

If I had one wish, it would be to see more of Finn in this book and the last—but that’s a small note in the shadow of a truly unforgettable story.

I listened to the first book. So since this isnt out yet I had to read it. I wish I would've waited to listen to it I feel like I would've followed it better.

I was waiting so long for this book! I love this series so much! This was another great read by this author! Loved the fae and the magic!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

3.5 stars ⭐

SPOILERS BELOW

I enjoyed this book a bit more than I did the first one. Part of that might have been that I listened to the audiobook for the first one (where the narrator kept making every single thing that Jas said sound sexual) but read the ebook of the second.

I still have issues with the fact that Jas is 17 and Hale is 21. Overall, I've not enjoyed their romance at all. It was insta lust and super boring. The fact that Crissa (Hale's future queen) is actually found alive, should've given some kind of tension but since Hale and Crissa have no history at all...it fell incredibly flat and felt like Jas was making it up to be an issue when it really wasn't. I liked Felicity and Misha's relationship a lot more and was really rooting for them.

The story itself was a lot more action than the first book, but was still incredibly repetitive between the two POVs. I have no idea how they didn't realize how to free Jas from her deal--the answer was obvious...so that story thread was way too drawn out and frustrating as a reader.

This wrapped up the story arcs pretty nicely and I like a happy ending (I really do!) but considering Jas saw all of those alternate realities of what could happen, it feels cheap that the reality she got was the happiest possible ending for her. It would have felt more realistic if there were actual hardships that she would have to endure. It's unreasonable that the only character that we actually know that died after that battle was Konner.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book. Lexi Ryan just has a way of pulling you into her writing and it’s always a great time. I read the first book in this duology as an arc as well but hadn’t read the first series, These Hollow Vows. I think she did an amazing job explaining the world and the characters in a way that this series can be read as a standalone separate from the first series and I never felt confused.
I really enjoyed the dual POV from the two main fmc and the different struggles they go through. Jasalyns character arc was really well developed and definitely pulled at the heartstrings throughout. I also loved the mmc’s and side characters. The twists and turns and plot were all great too, I never felt bored.
Overall, I think this was likely exactly what the readers wanted after these hollow vows and it was delivered on a silver platter.

I am dnfing this book at 25% and really bummed about that since I love the original trilogy so much, obsessed even, and I quite enjoyed the first book in this spin off duology. I started this ARC months ago now and I only got a quarter of the way through it. Clearly not loving it. It’s so hard for me to connect to for some reason. Maybes it’s the fact that it jumps between two story lines and character POVS. When things start to get interesting the chapter ends and then you are forced to read about the other character. It’s a bit confusing, especially since I think I’ve forgotten key details from the previous book, and maybe could have benefited from a reread before starting this. I just lost steam with this sadly. I will probably still buy the beautiful hardcover when it releases, and try reading it again when I’ve done a reread of the other book, but this one unfortunately wasn’t able to grab me like I hoped, Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read it.

3.5 ⭐️
🫑

Firstly, I want to thank NetGalley, Lexi Ryan, and HarperCollins for the eARC of Between These Broken Hearts. I was so excited to get an eARC and immediately re-read Beneath These Cursed Stars, so I could fully immerse myself again in this world.

This story picks back up after the major cliffhanger of finding out Felicity’s real identity and Jas going missing. One of my qualms with book one in this duology was how nonsensical and dramatic Jas was and how communicating could have solved 1000% of her problems. That being said, I think one of the points Lexi Ryan was trying to get across was the despair of depression and anxiety caused by trauma and how that kind of hardship makes you nonsensical or a bit irrational. Even knowing that, I still had a really hard time connecting with her character. Hale Kendrick on the other hand was a gem in this book and won me over. I think readers will swoon over him in this finale.

One of my FAVORITE parts of this duology was the budding relationship between Misha and Felicity. I secretly wish this duology had solely followed their story. I loved Misha from Ryan’s first duology in this world and fell more in love with him in this series. Felicity’s character to me is everything Jas’s character isn’t. She had her own trauma to overcome, but did it with grace and selflessness. I guess maybe that is one of the other lessons in this book is there is more than one way to overcome trauma and we each have to find our own way.

I think the ending seemed a bit rushed, once the climax hit resolution. Wish we had more concrete wrap ups with both couples, but ultimately I enjoyed this read. I think people who liked book one will also enjoy this read! Can’t wait for others to get a chance to check it out.

#BetweenTheseBrokenHearts #LexiRyan #NetGalley #ARCreview

I didn’t realize this was part of a series. I hadn’t read the others in the series. So I was a bit lost. I would have liked this more if I would have know that.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

4 1/2⭐️

I loved this duology, but this book gripped me harder than I expected. Both Jas and Felicity deal with anxiety, fear, grief and guilt, and the fights they each face to find their strength, hope, self worth and love, is both heartbreaking and yet the most beautiful journey. The romances between Jas and Kendrick, and Felicity and Misha, were so much fuller than in Beneath These Cursed Stars, and I loved how they showed couples who made each other stronger. I loved seeing Brie but wish there was more Finn, and would have loved some glimpse of Ronan again. I’m going to miss this world, and I will come back in a heartbeat if the author ever writes more there.

3.5 ⭐️


This was definitely better than the last! Besides the hiccup in the beginning with the 8 month time jump I did feel like this one moved a little bit faster. There were still moments where I predicted the solution and felt like I was waiting for the characters to catch up. But I feel like this was a perfect ending to this duology and series. Following both relationships and seeing how the characters grew from their struggles with anxiety, PTSD, and depression was great. I’m very happy with the way it ended and would say it was overall good. Not the best I’ve read but still great for YA readers.

I really enjoyed the Hollow Vow and Twisted Bonds books (previous duology) and was interested when I saw the author was creating a new series followed the previous main character's younger sister. In the first series, younger sister Jasalyn had a more damsel-in-distress role and had a plot role of someone her older sister needed to save. In Beneath These Cursed Stars and this book, Between These Broken Hearts, Jasalyn is a force to be reckoned with and has channeled all of her hurt and rage into her personal missions and vendettas. I found this a very riveting plot and character and liked how her past traumas lead her through trouble but then obvious growth as she tried to find her place in the dangerous and magical world around her.