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olive_lol's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Death of parent, and War
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
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I enjoyed this book. I think this was a great Greek Mythology. I liked the worldbuilding and the magic system. I liked the relationship between the three sister -- Io, Ava, and Thais -- and the relationship between Io and Edei -- I like a good reluctant allies to more plot.
I enjoyed this book. I think this was a great Greek Mythology. I liked the worldbuilding and the magic system. I liked the relationship between the three sister -- Io, Ava, and Thais -- and the relationship between Io and Edei -- I like a good reluctant allies to more plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Blood, and Police brutality
Minor: Gore, Transphobia, and Death of parent
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
disclaimer: I donât really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was a fun start to this series (unsure if itâll be a duology or series!), though there are a lot of moving parts and characters to get to know, which if youâre 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 folksâ 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 âwe donât kiss other peopleâs boyfriends,â as Io and her sisters say lol! Edei already has a girlfriend when Io learns of him, so she doesnât seek him out and sort of feels resigned to not ending up with her fate thread.
Ioâs 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 Ioâs relationship with her sisters. I sort of got whiplash with that; I remember thinking, âWait, when did their relationship turn down this road?! What did I miss?!â 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!
This was a fun start to this series (unsure if itâll be a duology or series!), though there are a lot of moving parts and characters to get to know, which if youâre 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 folksâ 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 âwe donât kiss other peopleâs boyfriends,â as Io and her sisters say lol! Edei already has a girlfriend when Io learns of him, so she doesnât seek him out and sort of feels resigned to not ending up with her fate thread.
Ioâs 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 Ioâs relationship with her sisters. I sort of got whiplash with that; I remember thinking, âWait, when did their relationship turn down this road?! What did I miss?!â 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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Genocide, and Transphobia
andtheywereroommates's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Transphobia
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
Writing: 4.25âď¸/5
The writing shone in certain sections. I particularly loved the way Hatzopoulou described and wrote about the threads. I also thought she commanded good control of her language while describing action and combat, leaving the actions clear. A few sections of the novel fell victim to a bit of a rushed feeling, but most of it was paced well with good control.
Characters: 4.25âď¸/5
I really loved Io. She maintained her strength without paying to the conventions of the âstrong badass female protagonist.â I liked that she fought against her sisterâs description and prescriptions of her and paved her own path. And, I really loved her reaction to her fate string. I loved how she kept her secret to herself and how both characters eventually gave into the determination of the string. Honestly, the characters were just deeply written and still fun to read about.
Plot: 4.25âď¸/5
Ah, a world in which fates are reborn and the threads that bind us remain visible to some. I loved it deeply, especially as it wove into a mystery novel, with Io and Edei investigating together in a world where magic and myths come to life. I think the end was a bit rushed, and the cliffhanger did feel a bit sudden, a bit forced, but overall, it was lots of fun to read.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of young adult fantasy
- Readers looking for a fantasy read with mystery vibes
- Readers looking for a solid book in a fantasy world
- Fans of Greek mythology reimaginings
Content Warnings?
- Death, murder, genocide, war, blood, gore, grief, gaslighting, emotional abuse, animal cruelty, violence, injury, injury detail, death of parent, confinement, transphobia,
Post-Reading Rating: 5âď¸/5
Would read the next one.
Final Rating: 4.25âď¸/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The first thing I have to say is that I might have enjoyed this more if I had taken notes. Because the world-building was some of the most creative and clever I have seen in a very long while - the idea of the other-born, the city-states, and the film-noir aesthetic were all really convincing, and just really cool overall. At the same time, though, I felt like author Kika Hatzopolou overcomplicated things (and when it was overcomplicated, it was underexplained).
The plotting was overall very good, but I think it did get bogged down in too many twists towards the end, making it confusing. I didn't really grow to care for the characters, which is a problem because I then subsequently couldn't really care what happened to them.
Overall, the good plotting and creative worldbuilding couldn't cover all the problems I felt this novel had. Which is a shame, because there was a good story in here.
The plotting was overall very good, but I think it did get bogged down in too many twists towards the end, making it confusing. I didn't really grow to care for the characters, which is a problem because I then subsequently couldn't really care what happened to them.
Overall, the good plotting and creative worldbuilding couldn't cover all the problems I felt this novel had. Which is a shame, because there was a good story in here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide and Gun violence
Minor: Transphobia, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and War
paracosim's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This might be the best book Iâve read this year. I was obsessed from start to finish, completely drawn in by the amazing worldbuilding and setting, then by the characters and their relationships with each other. And what relationships there are. There is little to no romance in this bookâthough Iâm expecting it in book twoâand it gave all the other relationships time to shine in its absence. The history between the three sisters was especially intriguing. And the diversity of the cast! There are nonbinary characters, Jewish characters, a trans woman who plays a major part in the plot, lesbians and bisexuals, and much more. So much more. And none of it felt shoehorned in or awkwardly placed, the way it does sometimesâlike the author was just trying to check down a list. It felt so natural and normal. This is a book Iâve been recommending to anyone who will listen, and one that will haunt me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Classism
Minor: Transphobia, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and War
thedisabledreader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Deadnaming
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
This is Greek mythology done a bit differently than it usually is in YA, with lots of twists and turns and interesting family dynamics. It's a fantasy with a mystery twist, as Io tries to figure out what's going on with the mysterious deaths in her part of town. As a kind of private investigator, she digs deeper into what's going on, but is surprised by what she finds.
The world building in this is so intricate and fascinating to me, built on Greek myths with different families populating the city. You always run the risk when you have a really interesting world that the characters might get lost, but that definitely didn't happen here, either. Io has a complex background with her sisters, which all gets unraveled throughout the novel. Plus, she gets paired with the boy, Edei, who is supposed to be her soulmate.
Of course, we end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so hopefully it isn't too long before the next book comes out!
The world building in this is so intricate and fascinating to me, built on Greek myths with different families populating the city. You always run the risk when you have a really interesting world that the characters might get lost, but that definitely didn't happen here, either. Io has a complex background with her sisters, which all gets unraveled throughout the novel. Plus, she gets paired with the boy, Edei, who is supposed to be her soulmate.
Of course, we end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so hopefully it isn't too long before the next book comes out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Transphobia, and Death of parent
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
In a semi-futuristic climate dystopia where descendants of Greek Gods inherit their powers, Io is one of three sistersâdescendants of the Fates. The fact that she can see the threads that connect people to those they loveâand cut the ties, if she choosesâmakes her an excellent private investigator. Her latest case, however, lands her working with someone sheâs been avoiding for years, a mobster to whom sheâs bound by fate. As they search for the source of a string of unsettling murders, Io and Edei must also reexamine the meaning of equity, justice, and loyalty. This heart-pounding, tightly-woven mystery features a very diverse cast, anxiety representation, and a slow burn love story. I need a sequel now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Confinement, Transphobia, and Death of parent
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