This story wasn't bad. I honestly expected it to blow me away, but I thought it was just okay. Don't get me wrong I liked the characters, well everyone except Lucas and Quellos. I liked the mystery, suspense and the steamy scenes within the story, however, when it came to the story itself, it dragged and there wasn't anything significant that happened. I was left with as many unanswered questions I had in the beginning at the end of the story. There was a lot that was unsaid between the main characters, and I think Kel took the cowardly way out when it came to the end of the story with Rose and I'm hoping that the next book isn't about Rose and Lucas because I'm over him. I was over him from the moment he came into the story. I will read the next book because I want to know what happens between the main males and female character., but I really need the next book to pick up the pace and give me a lot more than this one has. I'm hoping the next book will change my feelings about this series, but I guess only time will tell. I just know that I need more. I was disappointed because it was stated that Prince of the Area would be included with the story, but it wasn't.

3 ⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Netgalley, Bloom Books, and Elizabeth Helen!
I'm giving it this rating purely for the entertainment factor. This reminds me of a Little Caesars pizza... it's hot & ready but is it good? ehhh that's debatable. I still enjoyed the book for what it was, spicy, simple writing with a basic plot line. Sometimes it's nice to read the equivalent of trash tv! Just know going in that a lot of things don't exactly make sense and just to roll with it!

I loved this book!!!!! This was such a refreshing twist on a beauty and the beast type of retelling. The storyline was great and it truly kept me hooked the entire time. While the first book did have a great set up, I feel like it was a lot of background building to lead us to the real action. I cannot wait to read the next book, 5/5 ⭐️

This is such a fun read. I love a good retelling and this is one. Great world building that's different enough to be interesting. I enjoyed all the different characters and will definitly continue with the series. If you want a why choose beauty and the beast with great descriptive imagery and plot, pick this up.

I absolutely adored this book! It quickly became one of my favorite comfort reads of 2023, and I’m beyond thrilled to revisit it now in its published edition.

✨ Beauty and the Beast retelling?
✨ A “why choose” romance?
✨ A sprinkle of MM romance too?
Yes, yes, and YES sign me up!

Bonded by Thorns is book one (of what looks to be a 7-part series 👀) and follows Rosie, who stumbles into a fae realm while searching for her father. There, she meets four cursed princes , each tied to a season, each with their own charm, quirks, and flaws that will have you grinning, swooning, and maybe even wanting to throw the book at them once or twice. The giddy, feet-kicking moments I had through out this book, whether is was caused from the summer realm or a dance in the winter realm I WAS LIVING FOR IT.

What makes this series so magical for me are the plot Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the story. ( and the other books that follow) Every reread feels like unwrapping new little secrets, and it just keeps getting better.

🌹 Beauty and the Beast vibes
🥵 Why choose romance
🐺 Four cursed fae princes
🥀 A broody dark prince
❤️ Fated mates
❤️ Brilliant side characters
❤️ Witty banter galore
🔥 Delicious slow burn

If you love fairytale retellings with romance, banter, and just the right dash of spice, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and NetGalley for letting me read this book!📕 🥀🥀🥀🥀Bonded by Thorns kicks off the Beast’s Cursed Rose series with a fairytale remix that’s part Beauty and the Beast, part reverse harem chaos, and entirely binge-worthy. Rosalina, our reluctant heroine, is dragged into a fae curse mess where four (yes, four) brooding fae males—each with their own brand of angst, horns, wings, or claws—need her to break their bonds. She’s human, they’re cursed fae princes, and together they’re basically one step away from a supernatural reality TV show: The Bachelor: Cursed Castle Edition. ⚔️ Verdict: A spicy, fae-filled guilty pleasure that doesn’t apologize for being extra. Grab your wine, suspend disbelief, and enjoy the drama-thirst chaos.

I've always loved fairytales...and this one wins in all the ways traditional fairytales left us wanting more!

You can never go wrong with a re-telling. But there's a re-telling and then there's this masterpiece! The authors set the reader up with all the right elements - romance, fated mate(s?!), secrets, magic, fae princes, hints at tragic backstories, and whispers of new love. And just when you think you know where it's headed, the story gets pulled in an unexpected direction. I love being whisked away by the adventure and how could I resist these magical princes doing the whisking?

This is not a magical land I will soon forget - you couldn't drag me away from Rosie and her princes!
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

Bonded by Thorns is the retelling of Beauty and the Beast I was always looking for but never knew I needed!
The why choose aspect, the grumpy/sunshine, and the relationship building of all the characters made me so lost in this book I forgot what day it was when I stopped reading. I felt the pain and the longing of Rose through the pages and I absolutely fell in love with the princes and their world along with her. I can't wait to see where the story goes in the next books! It's fast paced but takes time for you to get to know the characters and their stories, and is easy to get lost in! G

Bonded by Thorns is a beauty and the beast retelling with some very interesting twists. It’s a “why-choose” that features elemental magic, fated mates, cursed princes, multiple POV, lgbtq rep, enemies to lovers and more.
What’s truly unique here is the world that this story is set in.
The end of this book leaves you on an incredible cliffhanger and you can just tell that there’s so much more to this fantasy world.

So maybe it's just me, but I felt like a lot of the dialogue was immature/childish and kind of cringe-y. It honestly made it difficult to want to continue reading at times.

I went into this book blind knowing only that it was a retelling of Beaty and the Beast but with 4 of them and they are all fae who change into wolves at night. Omg, it was so fucking good (and spicy too 🥵) I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I’m about to force all my friends to read it now.

And the cliff hanger it ends on is killing me 😭😭😭

⋆｡°✩ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ✩°｡⋆

ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ : Bonded By Thorns
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ : Elizabeth Helen
ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ: Paperback

Tropes:
⚬ Why Choose
⚬ Beauty and the Beast Retelling
⚬ Fae
⚬ Slow Burn
⚬ Fated Mates
⚬ Touch Her & Die

I have been DYING to read this book for ages and when the UK Paperbacks finally came out i grabbed them all. I am now utterly obsessed with this series and I'm currently reading book 3 as i am writing this.

Elizabeth Helen does and incredible job at a retelling of beauty and the beast. The book gives you all the familiarity of the story but also they have well and truly placed their own touch to it. I really love how they explained the fae world and the help of the maps was amazing. I love the concept the the castle is a mirage in all the realms and they are in fact in their own little realm for the castle. The world building was so good and i cannot wait to see what else we find out.

Rosalina is a girl after my own heart. The amount of times i sat there and identified with her was.... welll all the time. I love her and how she finds her voice in this fae world and really starts to flourish.

Now these princes, all 5 of them, are so swoon worthy in their own way. Yes Kel the Winter Prince is in the bad books but i still love him so much. Now Lucas, i want to drop kick him over the ocean and leave him to ROT what a horrid little man.

I cant believe the ending! Poor Rosie!

I have previously devoured another book by this author and I jumped from my seat when I saw this one. IT DID NOT DISSAPOINT! I love the storyline the style of writing the character development! Chefs Kiss give this author an award!

Thank you NetGalley and thank you Publishers for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. It is a retelling of beauty and the beast. At first I wasn't so sure but I didn't put it down and kept reading. I'm so glad I did. The book ends on a cliffhanger -clutches pearls- Damn Elizabeth Helen.. Plus the spice was spicing

I devoured this in a day!

Why choose beauty and the beast with a slow burn, that's everything I love in one package. The take on beauty and the beast curse is interesting and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Entertaining read that has magic, castles, and 4 guys who can't figure their lives out without help. Things that want to help them and they just don't understand. Typical boy things.

Trope vibes with hurt summer child and cold cuddle winter. The seasonality of the characters really helped me keep track of everyone. It was a fun read to kill time while on a long trip.

I originally heard about this book on kindle unlimited and no one was talking about it, I devoured this book! Plus size FMC with a potential why choose situation? Sign me up! Each of the princes brings a different personality/way of caring that the FMC needs to recover from some past situations. I will say this book left me with more questions than answers so I’m excited for the rest of the series!

Whew. Okay, so this book… did not come out swinging. We meet Rosalina, our FMC, and she’s basically a doormat for her abusive ex (who literally carved his name into her arm—wild, and then never mentioned again?? hello??). She’s lowkey ready to marry this clown who’s discarded her a dozen times, and I was sitting there like: girl, where is your self-preservation? Blink twice if you need help.

Then BOOM she steps into fae lands and suddenly she’s brave, bold, and clapping back at people left and right. Like… ma’am? Who are you and what did you do with the girl from chapter one? The personality transplant was way too unbelievable.

And don’t even get me started on the setting. It’s fantasy, but Rosalina’s from modern-day PNW and the author just cannot resist tossing in pop culture references every five seconds. I’m talking: “Hope I don’t die like Mufasa” while dangling off a ledge, “kick rocks!” to a fae prince, “that traitor trash panda” or “you overgrown tin can” were not giving what the authors thought they were giving. I’m begging—fantasy books, stop reminding me of the real world. I came here for swords and magic, not Disney trauma flashbacks.

Now let’s talk romance, since that’s what I signed up for. Reverse harem, spice, princes… it should’ve been catnip. But nope. The “plot” was thin, the steam was even thinner, and when things finally did heat up, Rosalina wasn’t even involved. I liked the princes (Ezryn’s Mandalorian armor vibes were fun, even if they made zero sense for a spring prince), but Rosalina herself? Painful. She’s 25 going on 17 and not in a cute way. A full-on pick-me girl. I wanted to reach through the page and SHAKE her.

The plot is basically Beauty and the Beast cosplay for the first quarter, down to calling her dad “papa.” Then it’s a jumble of roses, clichés, mood swings, and childish fights. But here’s the kicker: I couldn’t stop reading. It was a trainwreck, but the kind where you’re rubbernecking like 👀 and you just have to see it through. Somehow, despite all the cringe, it’s still addictive. And good news—it does get better later in the series. Bad news: you gotta slog through this mess first.

Bonded by Thorns is messy, corny, and frustrating—and yet somehow has the audacity to be addictive. I’m mad about it. It's proof that a book can be both terrible and impossible to put down—and I honestly don’t know if I liked it or need therapy.

Bonded by thorns is the epic romantasy why choose of your dreams.

If you love:
- politicial intrigue
- funny banter
- romantic tension
- adventure
- why choose when you can have 5
Then i recommend this love story between the main characters is steaming full of love and excitement.

The romance is not a focal point but is very important as the series continues.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so easy to read and I could not put it down. I keep finding myself saying “Just one more chapter” and then inevitably falling asleep with a kindle landing on my face because it’s past 12 and I cannot keep my eyes open😂

This book is by no means a literary artwork, HOWEVER, it's FUN AS HECK!

Also, I love Caspian even though I shouldn’t(right now, cause I know there’s more to his story)

If you haven’t read these and are feeling for some easy reading, beauty and the beast retelling with some why choose, fated mates, touch her and die😮‍💨 you definitely need to give this series a go!