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manaledi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was a fun start to this series (unsure if it’ll be a duology or series!), though there are a lot of moving parts and characters to get to know, which if you’re like me, could be disorienting hahaha. However, I really enjoyed getting to know our main character Io, and her fated mate/fate thread sharer, Edei.
Io is a teenage private investigator and an Otherborn, which means she has powers leftover from the Greek gods/Fates who are no longer around. Her powers are related to adjusting folks’ fates, having the power to cut them, while her sisters Thais and Ava weave and draw the threads. She contemplates cutting her own fate thread as well, because “we don’t kiss other people’s boyfriends,” as Io and her sisters say lol! Edei already has a girlfriend when Io learns of him, so she doesn’t seek him out and sort of feels resigned to not ending up with her fate thread.
Io’s sister Thais leaves one day, and now Io is mostly helping disgruntled wives deal with their unfaithful husbands. Then, Io begins investigating a grisly mystery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. She works with Edei to uncover dark secrets and this close proximity gets them both to question if they should simply give in to their fate threads!
Sometimes, the pacing felt a bit frenetic, especially when it came to explaining Io’s relationship with her sisters. I sort of got whiplash with that; I remember thinking, ‘Wait, when did their relationship turn down this road?! What did I miss?!’ So, sometimes I would have to rewind (listened to the audiobook) to try to grasp what happened, but it was mostly due to pacing and a lack of showing (and more telling/exposition).
Something I really appreciated was the queernormative world, with bisexual, trans, and nonbinary side characters!
Overall, I did enjoy listening to this and appreciated an ownvoices take on Greek mythology YA fantasy, so I will continue the series and I think the author does have a lot of promise!
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Genocide, and Transphobia
withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War
amyalwaysbooked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall I enjoyed this book. Be forewarned, there is heavy worldbuilding filled with lots of moving parts. It took me a while to get a hang of everything but I found it unique, especially compared with other YA books inspired by Greek mythology. Io is an interesting protagonist who walks the line between good and evil throughout the novel. Themes of justice, retribution, and inequality are discussed in shades of gray, without a straightforward conclusion to what is right.
A couple of nitpicky things that bugged me:
- Bianca, the mob boss has the strict rules of "no guns, no leeches, no paramours" for her gang, which is mentioned multiple times. Yet both Bianca and her subordinate, Edei, both have romantic partners. This is never addressed.
- Everything happens so quickly! The book only takes place over like three or four days. It makes for an exciting reading experience, but I feel like the building relationships, especially between Io and Edei were rushed. I like them together, but it didn't feel like they had earned the romantic payoff yet.
I'm curious enough to follow up with the sequel when it is published. I hope that Io going out into the wider world will open up the story to other mythologies that have been hinted at in the worldbuilding already.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Murder
luverbyrd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Death and Classism
lbelow's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol
kwthor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality and Death of parent
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Minor: Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
daniellestarredpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I also loved Edei and Io's relationship. The fact that the relationship could've turned out to be unbalanced and toxic based on the fact that I could see the fate thread and Edei couldn't, but instead Kika Hatzopoulou did a wonderful job of taking what could've possibly been a a negative element for the book and made it something overwhelmingly positive (at least in my opinion). Hatzopoulou made it so that this dynamic weighed heavily on Io, wove it into the dynamic between Io and Thais as well as added the tension of Io trying her hardest not to fall for Edei but failing over and over again. Also, I loved Edei as a character so, so much.
Finally the world-building and magic system. I loved it so much. I honestly have no negative thoughts. The take on Greek Mythology and the glimpse we see of other myths and beliefs that will possibly be showcased more in the next book? I loved it. The explanations of powers and scenes where Io used hers were quite interesting and kept me gripped. The world that Hatzopoulou built felt very real (not realistic obviously) and I'm quite interested to learn more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Addiction and Alcohol
andtheywereroommates's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Transphobia