This book really put me through a ride. I enjoyed some aspects of the storytelling and the world but it fell a little short for me. The love triangle was very underwhelming to me, but I am excited to follow through with the series.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books for giving me access.

Well, let me just star by saying I am not a fan of fae books....but I enjoyed this one. Maybe its because I didn't go into it with an expectation of 'everyone loves it and if I don't, I'll be shunned forever' or maybe it's because I forgot that it was fae and was already sucked in when I realized what I had gotten myself into.

Regardless, I didn't want to put it down. Ryan did an amazing job of weaving the story together -- even though the love triangle trope is cringe. I already need book 2 because I need more.

Comparing These Hollow Vows to The Cruel Prince and ACOTAR is pretty unfounded. These Hollow Vows was in no way as good as those it is being compared to. It read like ACOTAR fan fiction most of the time. I’m all for faerie trash, but this book was just stupid at times.

Abriella was a very annoying main character. The emphasis on her being so special was tiresome. We got it, ok? The love interests were both boring. Finn had zero personality, and Sebastian was fooling no one but our clueless main character with his big reveal at the end. And the “males” thing again?? Why?! Cringe…

The story kept me engaged enough to finish it. But it was definitely not good. I won’t be reading the sequel.

So this book was really interesting read but it ends on a cliffhanger and I just hate that especially when I didn’t know that this was a duology and with how the book ends I have no idea how anything is going to be resolved in the next book. Brie hates the fae and steals to keep her sister and her from being thrown in the streets but when her sister is sold to the King of Unseelie Court she will do whatever it takes to get her back even making a deal with the king to steal three relics back from the Seelie Court. Brie poses as a potential bride for Prince Ronan the Seelie Prince who she actually knows and trusts even though he lied about who he was when she meets him. Brie ends up stuck between her feelings for Ronan and her growing feelings for Finn the Unseelie prince and an exile of the Unseelie court who is only helping her to get his uncle off his throne. Oh man but Brie makes the wrong choice and ends up exactly where she didn’t want to be by trusting the wrong person but between the two I think she couldn’t trust either. So I can’t wait to read the next book because I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

Thanks to Clarion Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

O h m y w o r d. This book was absolutely impossible to put down. I read the entirety of this larger book in two days! This book was full of plot twists, romance, sexual tension, high fantasy, and so many tropes. We see a lot of typically cliche tropes in this book (love triangle for example), but it never seems to go the way you expect. Lexi Ryan has insane talent in writing fantasy and I hope she writes more! Because I definitely couldn’t get enough of this one and I can’t get it out of my head in the best way possible.

This book was different. It is very predictable and there’s a lot of very obvious foreshadowing. When it happens, you get kind of disappointed, but then a major plot twist gets thrown in that you never saw and is a game changer. This book almost plays mind games with the predictability stand point, but I loved it! I was a little confused on some of the minor aspects and world building, but I’m hoping the next book will explain what was left out here.

THE ENDING, left me REELING. I’m in love with this book, and we got the worst cliffhanger ever and I just need to see it resolved! Here’s the problem, the next book doesn’t come out for another year!!! I’m not sure how I’m going to survive. I feel like I should have seen the ending coming and I did to an extent, but of course, Lexi Ryan threw a GAME CHANGER into the mix and it’s been days and I’m still not okay. But really though, this book is amazing!

Read this book right now! If you loved ACOTAR and need something similar and different (in a good way), THIS IS IT! I’ve heard that this series is going to be a duology and the next/last installment comes out July of 2022. Lexi Ryan, I NEED THE NEXT ONE!! So don’t mind me if I’m counting down the days until These Twisted Bonds drops next year 😫

Abriella Kincaid has one goal in life: protect and provide for her younger sister, Jasalyn. When her cruel aunt sells her sister to a faerie to clear their debts to her, Brie has no choice but to go after her, even though she despises the faeries and their realm with every fiber of her being.

So she travels to Faerie through a portal on the night of a ball held in honor of the Golden Prince, where she also meets the Shadow Prince. In order to save her sister, Brie finds herself caught between two courts, between two princes. The more she learns about the two of them, the more her feelings change, and the more confusing things get. She finds herself torn between doing what is right for the good of all people, faeries and humans alike, and what is right for her and her heart.

This book was such a surprise. It’s described as 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 meets 𝘼𝘾𝙊𝙏𝘼𝙍. While I’ve never read 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚, I definitely got 𝘼𝘾𝙊𝙏𝘼𝙍 vibes in the sense that a human finds herself in faerie lands, falling for a faerie male who is also royalty. But Brie isn’t Feyre, and Prince Ronan and Prince Finnian are not Tamlin and Rhysand.

Brie is dedicated solely to her younger sister. But she’s also torn between the feelings she has for the boy she thought she knew and who he really is. She also feels something for the grumpy prince that she isn’t quite ready to let herself put into words. Navigating the faerie realm proves difficult for her the more she learns about it, especially when nothing and no one proves to be what she thought they were.

Prince Ronan is going to be ascending to the throne soon, and his mother is imploring him to find a human bride who can carry on the line. His only problem is that the one human he actually wants is the one who despises his kind and only wants to get her sister and return home.

Prince Finn is in exile, hiding out from his uncle, an impostor who sits on his throne, doing everything he can from the shadows to save his people and return his kingdom to its former glory. He finds help in an unlikely human source when their goals aligns.

I really, really enjoyed this. It’s going to be an amazing addition to the fantasy genre. If I had to ask for one thing, it would be that we got multiple POVs instead of just Brie’s, but ultimately it was more fun (and honestly still hella confusing) when it all came together. 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 🤯 when does the second one come out?!

After being abandoned by their mother, Abriella lives as an orphan with her sister, Jas, making a living stealing from the rich, to pay for lodging and the contracts they signed with Madame V for room and board. But after not being able to pay again, Madame V sells Jas to a faerie trader from King Mordeus's Unseelie Court. Now Abriella must head to Faerie to get her sister back, all while the prince of the Seelie Court seeks a human bride. When she arrives in front of King Mordeus, he makes a deal: find these three stolen objects from the Seelie Court for me, and I'll release your sister. She agrees and adds her name to the list of potential brides to get in with the prince and his family. Along the way, a band of misfits from the Unseelie Court arrive, interested in her quest. This book is filled with twists, turns, and courtly secrets that I love oh so much!

This was packed with adventure and mystery throughout the entire book. The pacing kept me engaged 100% of the time, which made this a breeze to read, despite being a bit on the longer side for YA. I absolutely loved the development of the relationships in this, and cannot wait for book two to see where they go.

I do have some mixed feelings about the ending. I loved the twist at the end, which I didn't see coming at all (which honestly, I feel like I should have). After the badass moment Brie had, I was hoping for more, so it was a bit disappointing in the end. I'm hopeful that will make her even MORE badass in book two, as she'll learn not to trust so easily and be more independent.

As I read this, all I could see were the parallels to ACOTAR, most notably the Tamlin/Rhys and Sebastian/Finn parallel. But honestly, at the end, I didn't care! I loved this book so much, and read it in one day. I'm here for book two, but if the two characters who are definitely SUPPOSED to be together don't get together, it'll be a 1 star for me.

When I heard this book was like a cross between A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Cruel Prince, I knew I had to read it--and I was not disappointed! All the fantasy elements I love were there--love triangle, Fae, a portal to another world, someone who isn't quite what they appeared to be at first, and mystery and intrigue.

Yes, it was comfortable and familiar, and more than a little predictable (that's the trouble with having comp books that are so so famous and so so well done...it's hard to distinguish yourself from them!). But it was compelling, and interesting, and the second half of the book picked up significantly in terms of pacing and suspense.

I was mesmerized by the first page of this incredible book! The main character, Brie, is phenomenal and such a wonderful character to follow throughout. This fantasy has everything that makes reading fun and enjoyable and then some. I cannot recommend it enough!

I loved this book and couldn't make myself put it down. That's how much I was interested / invested in what was going to happen with these characters.

There is so much I want to say but I also don't want to ruin this book for anyone. I love fae stories and this one had me from the moment Brie is introduced. She hasn't had an easy life and has done everything she can to protect her younger sister, even if it means stealing from someone powerful. When her sister is sold to the fae (for reasons) Brie finds herself in a position where she needs to work with the fae to find her and bring her home.

There is lots of action, deception, and enough romance in this book that I found I didn't want the story to end. I loved all of the characters and can't wait to see what happens next! If you're looking for a new YA series to start, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Wow! I'm blown away. The story is about a mortal girl, Brie, that goes in search of her sister. It turns out that Brie will have to combat evil kings, conniving princes, and lies to save her sister and herself. Being a big fan of ACOTAR, I don't say this lightly - These Hollow Vows is so much better. The story never falters. There is no lull in the action. I finally put the book down when my eyes could no longer stay open, only to pick it right back up when I awoke. The main character, while initially naïve is no pushover. When all is revealed in the very end you will gasp in shock. I can't wait for the sequel. Tell me there's another book? Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this fabulous book!

I love Fey books and this has to be one of the best I have read. So many twists and turns I never saw coming and definite moments to swoon over. The world building and character development was well done and the pacing was perfect for the age group it was written for. I will be recommending this one to my students.

Thanks for the copy!

This book was good! The writing was very beautiful In my opinion. Not my favorite fantasy but it does have lots of potential!

ARC provided by NetGalley and HMH/Hodder Stoughton for an honest review.
This book feels like a transition book for older teens looking to branch into more adult fantasy so those looking to read more like The Cruel Prince series or The Shadows Between Us but aren't ready for A Court of Thorns and Roses or From Blood and Ash.
There are strong familial motivations for the actions that Brie takes in the book in regards to the Fae but it very quickly takes a turn as she finds herself caught between opposing forces and developing feelings for someone that she shouldn't.
While Brie isn't a perfect character, in fact she gets a little annoying at times, she is a great way for the reader to learn about the Fae world and the political sphere, as she is learning the things as well. The involvement in the scheming between the courts was also very intriguing and the deceptive leanings of the characters that make their true motives unclear for much of the book. The romances had potential and Brie seemed relatively in control of her feelings and her struggles with her choices were well thought out and clear.
While the ending felt sudden, it did make me more interested in reading the next book.

Eye catching cover but I just wish the book was also as catching. I was annoyed with Brie as a MC at many of her choices, not listening and just rushing into things that make everything harder. This book was a lot of which character was lying or using one another more, ugh. I really wanted to love this book as the courts are interesting, the magic is interesting, but I just couldn't get invested in these characters. Can someone just give me the cliff notes version of the book? So many others love this book so please don't just go by me you may also love is and I'm just a picky fool.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a eARC of the book for the for an honest review.

An interesting take on Fae and human relations. Brie was a compelling lead and I loved both of the heroes! That end!

Overall I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what happens. Brie was a strong empowered female character. The story and scene work flowed seamlessly together. The best part of the whole book was the last few pages with its' mind-blowing ending.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I was definitely biased when I started reading this book as I loved the cover immediately, and a YA fantasy is right up my alley!

I was initially disappointed as the first few chapters felt so unrealistic, even for a YA fantasy - but the further I got into the book the more I enjoyed it, although I definitely was frustrated with the main character - her actions at times just didn't make sense in the context of the plot, and honestly, love triangles are so overdone and predictable.

The popularity of fae fantasy isn't dying away any time soon, but this book really has a lot of ACOTAR similarities and it didn't feel entirely original.

This wasn't a solid start overall unfortunately but there are some good threads in there that hopefully will be picked up and developed in the second book.

I like a good fae story, and one that's done right, and this one is done right! Being caught between two worlds, and trying to figure out what's going on with them... that's always a fun dynamic, too! Overall, just really enjoyed, and looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and Clarion Books! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

These Hollow Vows was exactly what I needed at the time to re-energize my enthusiasm after a pesky reading slump. I flipped pages furiously, I swooned to the point of physical pain (THAT SCENE!), I solidly picked a side, and I yelled at/for the main character because REASONS! This first installment set up the story to come in a most delicious way and I'm screaming for book 2. If you enjoy the finer things in life like sexual tension, new book boyfriend(s), conflicted feelings, chemistry for days, and SEXUAL TENSION (!), then add this to your list immediately.