This book was decent, though pretty generic. The plot was predictable and the characters were just okay. The lore and the magic was interesting.

So this is a book, if Rowan and Rhysand were in a love triangle with Bryce and if Bryce had a little sister that she'd do anything to protect.

Ok no, It's by no means a shot for shot remake of SJM's prolific works but These Hollow Vows had all the goodness of the Fae Queen distilled down into a unique world that felt familiar, yet also new.

I hate a love triangle, so I wasn't on board for that and I feel like the "big reveal" wasn't so big. When there are only two characters with silver / white hair, it's not hard to think that they might be related. But, I digress. I did enjoy the world building and the magic system in this world. I also am always a sucker for fae bargains and the word play mortals have to employ to navigate the fae lands.

I'll definitely read the next book in this series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of the book. This review is based on my personal opinion and enjoyment of the book.

I could not put this book down! I made the mistake of starting before bed, and I finished before I went to bed! This read like Sarah Maas and holly black got together, fae, romance, twists, and badass women taking on the world. Hand sell all the time!

I really enjoyed this first in a duology and found the characters to be really well written. I liked the world setting and magic system but still not a fan of noone just sitting down and saying 'tell me what's going on and stop talking in damn riddles and half truths' that we see in this genre. Brie was a great heroine and I am looking forward to recommending this book and reading more by the author.

THESE HOLLOW VOWS is a very standard fantasy YA crossover that follows the path of A COURT OF THORN AND ROSES and THE CRUEL PRICE but strays to an off-beat trail ever so often. I liked it. Lexi Ryan is a very well-known name in adult romance. The worldbuilding, execution, and prose shows her mastery as a seasoned author. Ryan flexed her skills on the love triangle, the enemies-to-lovers trope, and the steamy bits. Though I enjoyed her worldbuilding, I do think she played it safe on the plot and the twists. This made my reading experience less enjoyable because Brie’s journey was fairly predictable. The ending was twisty and fun though.

I can see teens devouring this story. It's got fae courts, brooding fae princes, court intrigue, quests, Cinderella-esque moments, romance, fun antagonists.

But all in all, it was a good read. A story worthy of a guilty pleasure label.

3.5 out of 5 stars

While the trope of a love triangle might be a common one, it's one that Lexi Ryan does very well. The excitement of loving all three characters, wanting the choice to be the right one but not caring which way it turns out.
The magic was well created and well-thought-out, making it believable in a fantasy world.

this was an interesting start to a series. i will withhold judgement until the second book because i found the first to be slow and too long

I wasn't really a fan of this one. The good ole love triangle trope and similarity to other books was worked and worked and over worked. It wasn't a bad book, per se. I did appreciate the world building and even introducing a least favored character but it all felt like something I already read.

I loved this book alot. I think it mostly had to do with the characters and they all captured me. I also really loved the fairy based world that lexie ryan built. I also normally don't adore love triangels but this book had elements of internal devices that i grew to love. This book had so many twists and turns and loved the focus of sisterhood and adventure at the heart of this story. The ending was too rushed and felt the pacing throuhgout this book was not as strong. But i am super exited for book 2!

I didn't know this was going be part of series when I started and wow the first chapters with the world building is amazing. Definitely the book reads more mature young adult. I really love the main character Brie. The story seems really familiar to Sarah Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses - which is fine because it brings her readers to this book! I can't wait to continue the story line for Im not sure she picked the right love interest. Got to love those love triangles!

I read this book through NetGalley last year and this found a place on my bookseller rec display when it first came out!! I loved the characters and the world building! Some of the dialogue was awkward, but it was easy to overlook because the story was so good! This book is perfect for fans of fae books!

The hype is real. That was amazing. And that ending???? Easy 5 stars and easily one of the best books I’ve read in months!

This book was such a fun one to read! Based on the cover, I knew I was in for a good love triangle, and it did not disappoint. I actually auditioned this one for my middle school library, and ended up passing my copy on to the high school (but recommending to some of my mature 8th graders). I definitely think high school readers and above that are fans of fantasy and romance would enjoy this one.

The writing of this book makes it compulsively readable and highly entertaining. As the book passes about the halfway mark, I could barely put it down. I loved the main character, Brie, and I love that her single minded focus was on rescuing her sister. I can't wait to find out more about her love interests, Finn and Ronan. I definitely had my favorite, but the twists and turns of this book always had me questioning who was the "good guy?"

Overall, this was a great fantasy read and I can't wait for the next book to come out!

'These Hollow Vows' is a fast-paced fantasy that I enjoyed reading. The world was interesting, although not really anything that differentiated it from other YA fantasies. That said, my main issue with the book was that some of the characters felt a little underdeveloped - but given that there is a new book coming out, I feel as though the depth of the characters still have the chance to be explored further.

3.5/5

I was very excited to read this book, and although it was very addicting and I couldn't put it down, there were still quite a few things I didn't love about it.

✅ THE QUICK PACE was amazing and I've always said I'm a plot person so it's no surprise that I couldn't put this down!

🆗 THE PREMISE WAS INTERESTING enough, although at times I felt like it tried to do too much. There was supposed to be this big competition to win the Prince's heart, but we never met any of the other girls and it didn't really feel like a competition because there was I never questioned if Brie was going to win or not

❌ NONE OF THE CHARACTERS were that great. Honestly, they all kind of sucked. Brie was a special snowflake who could never stay angry at anyone, Sebastian was hella sus the entire time, and Finn just didn't get enough page time for me to have an opinion. If I had to pick, I would probably ship Brie and Finn though because I have a feeling Finn is going to get a big redemption arc where he turns into a nice guy (I like this type of love interest arc, so I won't complain!)

🆗 THE ROMANCE WAS OKAY but it mostly revolved around Brie and Sebastian and as I said previously, I just could not get over how sus Sebastian was acting. So that really ruined me feeling much for their relationship. I would classify this as low heat for romance standards and medium-high heat for YA standards.

🆗 EVERYTHING WAS SO PREDICTABLE. I was not surprised by much in this story. But for some reason, I still could not put it down idk haha 🙈 The only thing I didn't see coming was what she chose to do with her bond at the end, and honestly, I was pretty disappointed with this decision 😒

Okay, so I know it seems like I might not have liked this book very much, but I promise I still really enjoyed it! I think the fact that I was able to predict all the twists and was still able to enjoy it really says a lot. It reminded me of Fortuna Sworn, so if you enjoyed this I definitely suggest you check that one out too

This book was amazing and is now one of my favorite series! Lexi Ryan's writing is so good and I can just see it getting better and better. I can't wait to read the next book!

I have to admit I was a little skeptical about this book. Just because the love triangle in young adult fiction has been done so much and has started to feel overdone. BUT These Hollow Vows takes the love-hate triangle to another level. What really makes this dynamic work is the authenticity of the characters Brie is who she is in all her flaws and she never strays from who she is. Yes, she does have grown over the course of the book and the majority is using what she has as a means to an end. But she also realizes her weaknesses and strengths within those boundaries. The magical world-building is splendid and embraces the reader fully, making them forget where they are. I hope in the coming books the male leads will be fleshed out more, I enjoyed the give and take each gave.

I devoured These Hollow Vows so so quickly. I’d been in a BIG reading slump for ages but I was able to fly through this novel.

This is Holly Black meets SJM in a new tale about fae and the fae world. I fell in love with this story, the world building. While I don’t think the writing is very top tier, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and plot line and the way Lexi delivered it to us.

I did think at times the pacing was a little bit too rushed - like I didn’t have a moment to process what happened before we were constantly moving onto the next scene or the next action point. However, it was able to keep me intrigued and continuing to turn the pages.

I was able to pick up on context clues to some of the bigger reveals, though I was still shocked till the end. I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes - what happens with Finn and our heroine Brie, and the prince …

3.5

I overall think this was a lot of fun, good writing and characters and a lot of teens and people who love fae stories will love this. I personally thought it was full a lot things I've seen before, but I think my enjoyment was honestly hindered by the other books I was reading. I was just reading so many of the same types of books on accident that my mind was overwhelmed. This is where I started noticing that the same sort of scene or event happens around the 70% mark of YA books. lol It really amuses me overall.

I would love to reread this closer to when the sequel comes out so I can see if my initial feelings have changed and then hop right into the next one.

Thank you for NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest review.