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A review by amyalwaysbooked
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
Io is one of three sisters who descend from the fates. Each sister has the ability to see threads that connect people to love and life. Using her powers Io works as a private detective in the slums of the city of Alante. A case brings her toe to toe with a woman with a frayed life thread. She's thrust into they mystery of these wraiths sent by someone to kill in the name of "justice". Alongside Edei, the boy who is connected to Io by the thread of fate, she must find out who is behind the wraiths before chaos breaks out in the city.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Murder