FINISHED! Woo hoo! Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this gem.

First let me start by saying that I have never read anything by Lexi Ryan. But I want to read more now for multiple reasons.

Reason #1 - her writing style. I LOVE LOVE LOVE books that flow well and piece together effortlessly.

Aubriella aka Brie is a tough cookie. She has survived on her own pretty much raising her sister for the last 9 years. At the beginning of this story I got a very "Cinderella" vibe with Brie's current situation with her Aunt and cousins. Situations lead her to Faerie and she REALLY comes in to her own here. A couple of things felt very ACOTAR to me which I totally did not mind. I cay say that I am grateful for the lessons Sarah Maas has taught me because [I NEVER EVER EVER trust the seemingly good guy over the bad guy... bad guy all the way for this girl (hide spoiler)]

Reason #2 Her characters. I truly loved every single character in this book. Even the bad characters had depth to them and I wanted to know more. Pretha is in Finn's trusted group, Jalek, Kane, etc... I love them all. I just love a good group of "outcasts" and I wanted to befriend every one of them! The development of each of these relationships was what really got me with this story.

and lastly Reason #3 A good plot with depth. Sure, there were a few things that I saw coming but for the most part, nope. I got blindsided by a few. This DOES end with a pretty sweet cliffhanger so consider yourself warned. I love a good revenge series with a woman scorned and Lexi Ryan delivered on that for me for sure.

I will be purchasing this book for my collection at my library and handing this to all of my fantasy lovers. *HAPPY READING*

These Hollow Vows is an excellent YA Fantasy novel that everyone should be excited for. Readers who loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Folk of the Air, or The Selection series need to add this to their TBR.

This book has it all. From the world building that radiates fantasy and escape, to the characters that are so well-crafted. Ryan takes the Fae to a new level with this outstanding novel.

Great fantasy full of hope, heart, curses and betrayal. For those who enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Three Dark Crowns, The Red Queen and Children of Blood and Bone.

I want to preface my ramblings by saying that I stayed up until 2:00am to finish it because I just had to know what happened. I read it all in one day, and I was getting such warm fuzzy feelings at the end and then BAM, the icky brown stuff HIT THE FAN and then the book was over. I then proceeded to go into the kitchen, eat some Reddi Whip straight from the can...and just generally contemplate my existence. My husband woke up and came into the kitchen and I just ranted for a good while about how awesome the book was and what happened and how I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Then I went to bed, spent more time just absorbing what happened, and finally fell asleep. So yeah. I have a book hangover. Haha

The description of this book is quite accurate, and if you love the works of Sarah Maas and Holly Black then you will CERTAINLY enjoy this book!!!

I have read so many YA fantasy books about the Fae--and Holly Black and Sarah Maas are two of my favorite authors--so when I read that this was compared to their works....I was IN. I had to see if it lived up to the hype, and mother of pearl IT DID.

This book. I'm honestly not even sure how to describe it because I am just stunned. There are parts where I would have normally cried but I was just too overwhelmed to even cry. That's how good it is. There were twists and turns and the author is a MASTER at making you love the characters, even if the ones in question are have suspicious motives and you're not 100% sure if you should love them. And you FORGIVE characters for the unforgivable because she genuinely just writes them so darn well that they weasel back into your heart.

There were a couple of moments throughout the book that made me kind of question certain things about one of the characters but NOTHING TO EQUATE TO ME ANTICIPATING THE ENDING.

***WHEN I SAY THIS BOOK HAS A CLIFFHANGER, AND PAINFUL BETRAYAL, BELIEVE ME***

It was such a huge plot twist, and my heart broke along with Brie's. I'm angry with her. And I dang sure hope this is the first book in a series because I NEED resolution. Lexi Ryan, if you read this, please have mercy on our souls and give us more. This book made me feel ALL of the feels, and so skillfully which surprised me because, remember, I was skeptical about it living up to the works it is compared to. It is at LEAST up there along with them in my ranks. And from what I can tell I think this may be the author's first YA book? If so then EXTRA kudos. YA tropes are tricky to do without being tacky but omg Lexi Ryan has managed it.

This book isn't officially released until July of 2021, and I have no idea if there will be a sequel or when it will be released. I don't regret reading this book at all BUT HOW WILL I SURVIVE UNTIL I FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS?!?!?! This book is going to haunt me, in the best of ways. I wish I could give it more stars. Truly, truly, impressive writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

This is not even 5 minutes post finishing and only three words come to mind: WHAT THE HECK?! I am speechless.

The pacing, prose, world building, characterization were all FANTASTIC! I think the magic is a little bit confusing, but knowing that Brie doesn’t know all of her powers and it’s extent makes the lack of knowledge believable. The way Ryan set up this book was incredible, but the journey you go on while reading is truly magical.

Following Brie (Abriella) as she works to take care of her and her sister Jas until Jas is sold when their debts were unable to be paid, Brie must journey to the Fae worlds in order to bring her sister back (and escape a powerful man she stole from). The issue? She’s out into the middle of a fae war she didn’t know existed. To top it off, she finds out her best friend of two years isn’t who he says he is. Sebastian is the prince of one court and everything she’s come to hate. Can he win her over? Can she stop this war?

The way Lexi Ryan sets us this series with this opener is magnificent. It’s gives you enough to understand the world, draw you in and love the characters. Even though Brie can be a little annoying at times, it’s easy to step into her shoes and understand that annoyance. I can’t even describe how easy it was to become attached to these characters. Their arcs are well thought out and show sides to each characters multi dimensional personalities. Plus that ending?! I can’t get over it. This is a MUST READ release, coming next summer!

I found myself requesting this book because it was compared to two of my favorite series. I enjoyed it, but it did feel different from those series in the development of the relationships. I enjoyed Brie and her quest to save her sister, but I felt like she should have made a few different choices and really thought about trust. The last 25% of the story moved quickly and the end did leave me wanting to read the next book. I would definitely recommend to some of my older students due to some of the content. Overall, if you like a good fairy based love triangle full of intrigue and mystery and deception, this book is for you! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start this review by saying that yes, I am a garbage human being and love triangle whore. I love them more than enemies to lovers, the "stuck in a room with only bed," bit and also forced marriages. I will hold up a sign stating as such on a white posterboard next to the guy with the poster saying, "STOP SAYING PIN NUMBER. IT'S REDUNDANT."

When I first heard about this book, I raced to my emails, gathered my stats, and promptly sent a message to the publisher. My grabby hands were shaking, trembling with anticpation. I could not wait for my NetGalley request to go through. I needed the book NOW otherwise I'd proably die. Lucky for me, I got a reply almost right away with the READ NOW widget and I nearly collapsed. It's a good thing my office has carpeting.

So, we have a both with comp titles such as CRUEL PRINCE and ACOTAR and be still my YA heart, those are comp titles you want to sell a book. I will buy anything when I read those two titles in a synopsis. That being said, after I recovered from getting my immediate READ NOW widget, i dropped (literally dropped) my current read (Crave, I will come back to you before the month ends!), gathered my hot cheetos and dove right in.

We open the story with Brie, who is a thief trying to keep her small family afloat. When her debts become too large, her little sis is sold to the fae. Pushing aside her hatred of the fae, Brie gets herself in the faerie court where she discovers: a secret about a long-time friend (and herself), that she suddenly has magic, and that the fae are manupulative creatures, as well as a little bit hot and charming.

Did I say hot and charming? *fans self*

Yea, so Brie finds herself torn between two princes, each with their own agendas. Who can she trust?

You know a story is good when it overrides your prescription sleeping medication. I was up far too late reading this book. But its one of my preferred ways of falling asleep; right in the arms of my fae lovers.

What we have here is a glowing newcomer into the YA world, rvialing Maas and Black themselves. I seriously cannot get over how fantastic this book was. I mean, I kinda knew, but I still wasn't prepared. I want more!

Ok enough ramblings.

THE WORLD-BUILDING: Amazing. I loved the courts and the human world. I got a clear sense of how drastically different they were. The world of the fae is wicked and scary, and Ryan's writing made them leap off the page. The complex, plotical intruqe and the magic surrounding almost everything was beautful and deadly.

There's a 100% chance I'm going to buy every special edition of this book. JS

THE STORY:

There are plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing.
There's also princes with pretty eyes and tattoos.

I love princes with pretty eyes and tattoos.

FAMILY TIES:
I loved the emphasis on family. Brie will do anythign to get her sister back and I mean ANYTHING. And although her focus may wane at times, she always goes back to her and what she needs to do to get her family back together, safe and sound.

THE ROMANCE:
I feel lots of warm things for Finn.
I mean, come on. He's broody, and frowns a lot and I love that in a man. I care so much about him. I didn't want to because my book boyfriend cart is full. I may just have to throw out Kaz. He wasn't the real interest, if oyu catch my drift, but I have a feeling he's going to come in strong in book two. That one scene though where she was...and he was...and he had to....OMG

THE PROTAG:
Brie is determined, fearful but courageous. She's everything I love in a heroine. She may be a human in a fae court, but she holds her own.

Ok, let's talk about the ending. HOLY COW COW.
I've read this book way too early and now I'm going to have to wait for book two even longer. It's not fair. Life isn't fair.

Final thoughts:
READ THIS BOOK
if you like fae books and need a change from the usual, this is the one for you. If you like sexy princes, and dark magic and scheming heroines, this is also for you.

This book was so interesting! I flew through it because I just could not get enough of it. Lexi Ryan is an author I will be remembering so I can read more by her. Great book!