wordsareweapons's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this one but I didn't hate it. I liked the characters for the most part, especially Violet. Here were my issues though. Political intrigue- there was really none. Just a lot of counselors screaming at each other about idk what. Characters other than Violet- they just weren't very fleshed out or impactful. World building- I just wish it was better and more in depth on any level. I genuinely have no idea how this magic works, or why it exists, or why if they also have guns they are non existent minus one random scene. The whole friends-to enemies-to lovers also wasn't really believable. Violet and Cyrus, from what I saw, don't like each other at all, even at the end. Lust? Sure they have that, but nothing occurred that made me think love or respect was involved at all. I liked the end though, minus the Dante twist, that felt very left field to me.
royalgreen's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a great fresh YA book! I've read countless YA fantasies and romances and fantasy-romances over my life, but this one really struck a perfect combination of favorite tropes but with new spins on them. I was never bored and never felt like the plot dragged; nor did I get confused or lost in a rushed plot. It's wonderfully paced with a hook of a beginning and a slower unraveling of the storybook mysteries within. I love love love fairy tales and this book cherry picked from quite a few to reblend into this plot. I like that the MC was clever and just grey enough to be fascinating, but never went into mean spirited territory. And that last chapter!!! I listened to it a couple times to really let it sink in. Love it, perfect finish.
Overall such an excellent YA book and honestly deserves way more hype than its getting.
Review is for the audiobook edition.
Overall such an excellent YA book and honestly deserves way more hype than its getting.
Review is for the audiobook edition.
claire_schermer's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
tense
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
4.0
alex346's review against another edition
4.0
damn, this was good. i’m giving it 4 stars just now (4.5) but may bump it up to five later, as i had a few small issues with it. but the overall vibe and dynamic between our two main characters was everything. i thought this was going in a direction i didn’t care for at the end but gina chen managed to switch it around and i’m slightly obsessed.
lovehollyxx's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book purely for the cover. It. Is. Gorgeous! I’m not one for reading what books are about, if the cover looks good, or I’ve heard the book is good, I’ll read it. So I had no idea what this book was about when I started to read it.
It took about 100 pages for me to get into it, and then due to work, life, and a migraine it took me a week to end up getting it finished. I really liked Violet. She’s not your typical female MC and I loved that about her. She was unpredictable in her thoughts and actions so you never know what she will do next. I also loved Cyrus, Dante and Camilla.
This book kinda had a mix of elements from just about every popular fairytale which I’m not sure if I liked or not. I love a retelling but this was so many different stories into one, I think the author should have just stuck to one.
I did like Violet Made of Thorns, though it never seemed to truly grip me, I still wanted to know what would happen and I rooted for the characters throughout. When I reached the end I wasn’t sure if there would be another book or if it was a stand-alone until I came on here and saw it listed as book 1. Will I read the next? Yeah I would, especially if it has another gorgeous cover!
It took about 100 pages for me to get into it, and then due to work, life, and a migraine it took me a week to end up getting it finished. I really liked Violet. She’s not your typical female MC and I loved that about her. She was unpredictable in her thoughts and actions so you never know what she will do next. I also loved Cyrus, Dante and Camilla.
This book kinda had a mix of elements from just about every popular fairytale which I’m not sure if I liked or not. I love a retelling but this was so many different stories into one, I think the author should have just stuck to one.
I did like Violet Made of Thorns, though it never seemed to truly grip me, I still wanted to know what would happen and I rooted for the characters throughout. When I reached the end I wasn’t sure if there would be another book or if it was a stand-alone until I came on here and saw it listed as book 1. Will I read the next? Yeah I would, especially if it has another gorgeous cover!