Violet Made of Thorns is pitched as a “dark fairytale” featuring an anti-heroine. While I thought there were some creative and interesting choices to weave in classic stories like Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella (to name a few) with alternative spins, unfortunately this book fell flat for me.

The plot itself was difficult to wrap my mind around. Violet is the official kingdom seer, given the task of reporting prophecies she gathers from dreams and visions. As the only seer, her word holds much power; but she ultimately serves as a tool of the king’s, manipulating events with false prophecies, hoping that doing his bidding will allow her to maintain her high position. I think this basic premise around Violet’s desire to survive by using her wits was intriguing! But when the fantasy and magic elements began to creep in as the book progressed, things began to feel less cohesive relating to the looming curse that has hung in the background since prior to the events of the story.

The characters, Violet in particular, are supposed to be “unlikeable,” per the author’s note at the beginning. She’s prickly, pragmatic and ambitious. However, it was difficult to truly understand why or how she became that way beyond her initial feelings as an outsider. The enemies-to-lovers romantic relationship between Violet and Cyrus also didn’t quite feel believable: the progression was too sudden, and I also just didn’t really understand why they really liked each other so I found it hard to root for them; their relationship felt purely built on physical attraction. None of the characters in general particularly stood out to me and at times the dialogue was stilted or felt oddly anachronistic given the setting.

While the ending could potentially stand on its own, it seems there is a planned sequel. Admittedly, I don’t feel inclined to read on as of now, but I can understand how some might have enjoyed a more subversive take on the classic fairy tale.

I flew through this book! The banter between the main characters was flawless, and Violet and Cyrus' first kiss made me gasp! I did think that the ending was a bit abrupt. Other than that, I highly recommend this book!

This book is a mess, but in a good way (I don't know if you'll understand me haha). At times it can get a little confusing, but Gina Chen knew how to work on this book. I fell in love with the characters, each one of them is special in some way, although I found Violet a bit boring at times. It's a good book, I recommend reading it and I thank Netgalley for the e-arc

I’m a sucker for morally gray, angsty characters so it’s safe to say that I loved this book! Violet was a breath of fresh air in an era of perfectly manicured heroines. I wish that there was a bit more action, especially when it comes to Violet. At times it felt like this leaned it bit more into the romance than fantasy, so I would have really loved to have more plot regarding Violet as a Seer. I think she has so much to offer as a very strong character.

I’m holding out hope that this first book was setting up the world, so that we can really delve into Violets power in the second book. Overall, I still really enjoyed this book and I’m eagerly waiting for the second book.

Thank you NetGalley for offering an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so unbelievably excited to receive an advanced copy of Violet Made of Thorns (thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's), one of my most anticipated upcoming releases since reading a sample earlier this month... in some ways, the novel lived up to my expectations, in other ways not so much.

This book is undoubtedly carried by the strength of its protagonist, Violet, who is cunning, ambitious, and vicious. The writing is also quite excellent, and I found the premise to be creative and the plot unpredictable--despite it being a fairytale retelling. The hatred between our enemies-to-lovers main couple is delicious and palpable; however, the romance comes to fruitition far too quickly and becomes extremely muddled. Although I enjoy a messy romance, I found it difficult to root for the main couple--largely because of the male lead, Cyrus. His advances were very abrupt, and I wished there were more tender moments to build up to those scenes. Instead, it felt like we got more lust than love. More commitment to a twist at the end could have excused the back and forth, but instead we were left with more unconvincing proclamations.

Ultimately, Violet Made of Thorns is a decent YA Fantasy debut led by a compelling main character and an enemies-to-lovers plotline. Readers will find themselves swept up into Violet's journey... but may feel unsatisfied by the end of it.

First off, I'm very thankful I was able to receive an early copy from netgalley and the publisher. It took me a while to get into this story but, by the end I was enjoying my time.

The plot is messy in a way, as it should be because the characters are all kind of messy too. By that I mean that they aren't good or bad but mostly out for themselves or their own goals. There's a decent amount of political intrigue and I really enjoyed reading about it all.

The characters are interesting. I can't say I enjoyed everything about Violet, but I don't think I'm supposed to, which made for some annoying parts but also more intrigue. The prince is very princley and idealistic, they make for an interesting pair. I enjoyed the side characters a lot and always looked forward to their page time.

This was a lot of what I want in a story but I was craving more world building. We hear about other places but don't get too deep, I just wanted a little more. Like I said earlier, I also had a hard time getting into the story and, while I know Violet is meant to be this way, Violet (and other characters) annoyed me sometimes and made dumb decisions. Overall though, a good time. 👍

Actual star rating is more of a 4.25-4.5 and I think the story will only get stronger in the books to come. I'm really looking forward to seeing more and how this story will unfold in it's entirety.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Delacorte Press for this arc to review.

I know fairytales and especially their retellings are a dime a dozen but also oddly a very popular trope in books right now. I read the ones that sound promising to me. I cannot tell if this is meant to be a retelling but it's moot regardless. Because this was FRESH. This felt unlike any other fairytale I have read before and I loved it. Even the author's note before the story I loved because after reading it, I just had a feeling this was going to be something new and different. Allow me to attempt to explain.

You already know this story is about a morally gray witch. We typically get powerful or evil or sugary sweet witches. Not Violet. She's something different and you're going to know it because she's going to tell you who she is and then she's going to back it up with her actions. Violet was just a small girl, living on the streets, when she dreamed of a boy and his death. She didn't know what to make of it and ends up saving the boy from his impending death. Turns out, the girl was a witch. A Seer. The boy, grateful and also not just a boy, brought the girl to his father, the king. Now the girl had a home at the palace, foretelling futures for the king and his kingdom. Violet was quite good at currying favor by spinning tales for the king. Her and the prince grew to have disdain for one another. Because the prince also had a curse hanging over his head. His life was not meant to be spared and now the Fates are meddling. The prince must marry if there is any hope of breaking the curse. This is the part where most of you think you know what happens next. What always happens next. You're wrong.

This one is full of political intrigue. I'd say this reads as very mature YA bordering on youngish new adult also. It is very plot driven but our characters are all very fleshed out and distinctive. The author did a phenomenal job of nailing each and every character. Then there's my favorite part about this particular story, the twists! There were more than a few things that I never saw coming. Which is sort of hard to do with me as long as they aren't out of left field. These are not. The twists make sense and fuels your need to keep reading because you've just realized, you have no idea what is going to happen next. I'll be honest. I had a theory early on and I'm thinking to myself, even if I figured it out this early, I am still entertained and I bet others won't figure this out this early also. I didn't have it figured out. Not even close. I mean, my theory would have been cool too but this isn't my story and I now completely trust this author to just take me on whatever journey this is. AND THIS IS A DEBUT! But I have a feeling Gina Chen will be gracing my bookshelves for years and books to come. This was just really amazing storytelling. I'm left just even more impressed because voracious readers feel like they've heard all the fairytales and there is no more original spins on them but Gina Chen entered the chat and said, hold up. If you're already a fan of fairytales then you're going to want to pick this one up and if you're just looking to be highly entertained then you're going to want to pick this one up. I know I'll be waiting to see where this goes next.

This book is equal parts fun fantasy story and extra horny high school drama.

The main character, Violet, is a Seer. She was born in the slums, realized her gift, and was able to use her foresight to save the life of the kingdom’s prince who would have been killed without her intervention. This brought her to the King’s attention, and made her part of the royal court. But it also angered the Fates: the prince was supposed to die that day, and Violet interfered. There will be consequences, and there are a few dire prophecies about it.

All of that happens some years before the start of the book. In the years since, Prince Cyrus and Violet have developed a deep antipathy for each other. They can hardly exchange a word without throwing in a barb, though they are each very close to Cyrus’ sister (who is mostly amused at their sniping at each other) and their mutual friend Dante (who is mostly resigned).

The book begins with Cyrus dragging his feet about looking for a bride, and Violet a trusted advisor to the King. He takes a very utilitarian view of Violet’s abilities: prophecies are very useful for a king, after all, and having someone who can make vague mysterious pronouncements about the future and *say* they’re prophecies and be *believed* is *also* very useful. Violet is a cynical and pragmatic person, and has no objection to doing this, as the King has always treated her fairly. This time, he’s having her make some pronouncements to point Cyrus towards the woman the King has decided Cyrus should marry.

Even if it wasn’t mentioned in the blurb, it’s not hard to see where this is going. Violet’s and Cyrus’ mutual dislike isn’t quite as … straightforward, shall we say? … as it looks. Hence my description of this as an “extremely horny high school drama.”

Meanwhile, trouble is, of course, a’ brewin. Prophecies, intrigues, witches, monsters, etc.

This book is fun. It’s unapologetically tropey, especially if you like a will-they-or-won’t-they story where the couple in question alternates between making out and hating each other with dizzying frequency. If you’re tired of … *gestures vaguely at everything* … it’s a good diversion.

Comes out July 26.

Violet Made of Thorns would fit right in with classic fairy tales … the original versions. The darker kind of fairy tales you find in the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales or old folklore. The kind that are dark and bloody and messy. The tales where it’s not the good guys that win, it’s the most clever characters that win (or at least survive). Stories where there often aren’t black and white good guys and bad guys.

If you think many fairy tales would be more interesting if the heroines and princes weren’t such naive self-righteous goody-goodies, you’ll probably love this book.

This book was enthralling and frustrating and so, so satisfying in the end. It’s a great enemies to lovers romance story that’ll leave you wanting more of these characters and their clever schemes and lies.

THE PREMISE:

Violet, the protagonist, is a seer who clawed her way up from street orphan to court seer by saving prince Cyrus’s life when they were both kids, strategic lies, and careful phrasing of real prophecies. Cryus is the prince with a prophecy hanging over his head fortelling that his love and choice in wife will either doom or save the kingdom. When Violet gives a false prophecy about Cyrus falling in love and Cyrus threatens to fire Violet, the King’s liar, when he becomes king, events are set in motion and it seems the dreaded prophecy about the prince is coming to pass. To make matters worse, Violet’s getting nighttime visits from the fates where they tell her either she or Cyrus must die soon. It looks like she might have to choose between her life and his. To further complicate things, Violet and Cyrus seem to develop feelings for each other despite getting on like oil and water.

As things spiral out of control, Violet begins to wonder if maybe the fates aren’t the good guys. Maybe no one is.

THE CHARACTERS:

Violet is the epitome of a cynic. (She actually acts and thinks like a cynic, unlike many books where a character is described as cynical but doesn’t act the part.) Violet’s ambitious, proud to a fault, untrusting, and a little bit ruthless. She’s practiced at the art of lying, secretive, and closed off. She’s diabolical and an endless source of black humor. She’s a fantastic protagonist with a dark edge and tons of cynical philosophies about how the world works. (Most of them are pretty true and somewhat amusing.)

All the characters make massive mistakes and terrible choices, but you also kind of see where they were coming from. They’re all damaged and scared and brave. They’re all a different kind of clever. They all have serious blind spots. They all make smart calls and miss crucial clues. They’re all wonderfully morally grey and I couldn’t help but like them anyway.

THE ROMANCE:

In the end, Violet and Cyrus make a terrifying pair. (Although, Violet is definitely scarier than Cyrus.)

They know each other better than anyone else, which is why they don’t trust each other at all. (And why they know how to push each other’s buttons, making for some very entertaining witty banter.) Cyrus is one of the only people who can tell when Violet is lying. She’s one of the only people that isn’t charmed by Cyrus’s charisma.

The enemies-to-lovers romance between them is irresistible. As Violet herself said, “feuding has its own kind of intimacy.” And they’ve been feuding since they were children. As adults begrudgingly work together to try and avert disaster, they find it harder to resist their increasing attraction to each other.

I’m not sure if Violet, Cyrus, or any of the characters came off as good or likeable. I couldn’t help but relate to them, root for them, and like them anyway. Violet and Cyrus both did things that crossed the line. They’re both liars, they’re just each a different kind of liar. They can both be cruel, ruthless, and more than a little morally grey.

These two might just be ruthless enough to survive each other and the cutthroat politics of their kingdom.

It’s not exactly the most healthy relationship, and it gets worse before it gets better. They bring out the best and worst in each other. They see each other clearly, with all their flaws, fears, truths, and hypocrisies.

THE PLOT & ENDING:

Violet Made of Thorns is nothing if not clever. Despite a prophecy coming to pass in the book and a protagonist that could see the future, the plot is unpredictable and twisty (and maybe a little bit twisted too). And yet, once you get to the end, it seems like the story was always heading there. As if the story took the only path these characters would ever choose. If they didn’t, they’d be acting out of character. They wouldn’t be the same characters.

This story is incredibly compelling. It’s kind of like an impending train wreck you can’t look away from as you watch the characters lead themselves towards likely disaster.

Violet and Cyrus are kind of just messed up enough to deserve each other. They also sort of get what they deserve. And yet, the story ends on a bittersweet semi-hopeful note. Bad things have happened. Bad things are coming, but there’s still some hope left and some good things to come out of all the (mostly terrible) choices everyone made.

This book is part of a series. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but I’m still itching to see more of these characters in future books.

I received a free digital advanced reader copy via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.

oh, I loooooved this book so much! I love a good antiheroine and a hate-to-love romance, and this was played out to perfection. and I desperately need the sequel!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen is a young adult fantasy that, at times, veers closer to new adult fantasy. The story revolves around Violet, who is the court seer, even though her prophesies are not always correct. When she unwittingly brings about a curse, it's up to her to come into her own powers and save the kingdom. With Prince Cyrus along for the ride, Violet is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Although she starts off hating the prince, will those feelings eventually turn into something else?

Here is a magical excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Today, Prince Cyrus returns to the capital with a bride, or else.
From the Seer's Tower, the tallest point in the Sun Capital I can see a train of purple banners fluttering amid the fields outside the city - the royal caravan making the steep approach to the south gates. Cordoned-off crowds pack the streets, waiting to welcome their prince home. Six months have passed since Cyrus departed to tour the continent, since he set out to "seek from the land and its generous people all the wisdom" that he could not learn in a palace.
Or something like that. I stopped listening to his going-away speech midway through."

Overall, Violet Made of Thorns is a NA Fantasy that will appeal to fans of Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart or Vanessa Len's Only a Monster. One highlight of this book is the main character, Violet, who isn't exactly the "heroine" of the story and actually falls more into the "witch" archetype. It made me wonder if a witch can get the prince at the end. Another highlight of this book is the exciting and jaw-dropping climax. After reading it, I can't wait for the sequel to come out! If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy or NA fantasy, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

I received a digital ARC Of "Violet Made of Thorns" by Gina Chen through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

“Violet Made of Thorns” was a fun high fantasy story that took classic fairytale elements and turned them into something fresh. Gina Chen’s debut novel was well written and the plot was interesting. The characters were a little flat, but interesting enough to keep a reader’s attention. Since it appears that there will be at least one sequel, I think we’ll get more character development in a following book.

The best part of “Violet Made of Thorns” is unquestionably the titular character herself. Violet Lune was unapologetically prickly and self-serving. Although she was not outwardly malicious toward anyone but her nemesis, Prince Cyrus, she never hesitated from telling lies and spinning the truth to her best advantage. Often times, heroines are described as being snarky and narrators assure readers that the heroine only looks out for number one but that is often not the case. Those heroines are usually all bark and no bite and are usually much kinder than they or the narrator say. That’s not the case with Violet though—both her thoughts and words reveal just how unapologetically thorny her personality is and how she schemes to maintain her precarious position with the royal family in the court. I look forward to seeing Violet again in a sequel and hope she remains as prickly and self-serving as in “Violet Made of Thorns.”

If you’re in the mood for a book that’s like a more cynical “Among the Beasts and Briars” by Ashley Poston, give “Violet Made of Thorns” a try. It’s a new fairytale filled with court intrigue, curses, a refreshing main character and will leave you wanting more from Gina Chen.

Violet Made of Thorns sells itself as a dark fantasy novel with a strong anti-heroine. The premise, a witch whose false prophesy sets off a dreaded curse against the crown prince (her nemesis/love interest), sounded like it had all the makings for a perfect YA fantasy debut. Sadly, at least for me, it was not meant to be.

While this novel had a fun and unique premise and I felt like it was a quick read, it ultimately felt messy and chaotic. First off, the romance. I LOVE a good enemies-to-lovers story. It is my favorite trope and will almost always result in an automatic addition to my TBR. So when a story doesn't pull it off, it hurts. In this case, it didn't feel believable, largely because there was no true development, no building of the tension and angst. Violet went cold to hot to cold to hot in a matter of pages and no real impetus is provided for these changes. Seriously, I got whiplash from this romance. And as for the enemies, there was no real backstory or motivation for her disdain. We know she was an orphan and felt the prince was handed everything, but beyond that, no major offenses or personal affronts the reader witnessed to explain the level of hatred, and again, no encounter or learned knowledge to change her perceptions.

On to the main character, who again, is billed as an anti-heroine. While my friends may disagree with this (largely due to my apathy for the Darkling), I like a strong, morally gray anti-hero, as long as they are well fleshed out. I didn't feel like Violet was. She was a pawn more than anything. We got minimal backstory to understand who she was or what informed her choices and mindset. There were many instances where it felt like she was being difficult and stubborn just because. She came off as immature more than as an anti-hero mostly because we never knew her true motivations or where she stood on anything. She was also wishy-washy, with her thoughts and actions often contradictory and her stance changing every couple pages.

The side characters didn't feel fully developed. This extends to the love interest, Prince Cyrus. Despite being a central character, I never knew his motivations or background.

Overall, this sadly just felt chaotic and messy, from the relationship arc, to the character development, to the plot. While the overarching premise was interesting and the strongest part of the book, there were a lot side threads that went nowhere. Additionally, there were points where the plot moved along without actual development and I was left wondering how we went from A to F while skipping B, C, D, and E.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review. While I am sad I didn't love this one, I have seen plenty of positive reviews and no many will still enjoy this.

Rounded to 3.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, murder

This story has elements of various fairy tales mashed up into something completely new, with a protagonist who is more of an anti-heroine, a slow-burn star-crossed love interest, and a prophecy hanging over everything that can doom the world as they know it.

Violet is the character who I hated to love. She’s a street kid who was elevated to life at the palace because she is a Seer and happened to save the life of the prince, drawing the attention of the royal family. As such, she has grown up scrabbling for everything she had, leaving her with a certain sense of manipulative cunning that seven years of palace life haven’t quite managed to rid her of. The king has manipulated her talent to serve his own ends, and in her own interest, she has gone along with it. It worked well for her, but also changed her dynamic with Prince Cyrus, and they hate each other intensely, setting up an enemies to lovers situation. While they play the enemies part extremely well, I wasn’t quite sold on the lovers aspect. It doesn’t help that Cyrus never won my heart at any point in the story. I hated him intensely, and never felt like he earned my respect.

While the story focuses a lot on Violet’s skill as a Seer, we never really learn much about what she can do with it. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t fully understand her own power, since she wasn’t fully trained. The story also spends a lot of time discussing prophecies about the Fairywood and these monsters, but it doesn’t delve too deeply into it, leaving loose ends that weren’t really wrapped up at the end of the story, even though everything else was.

Overall, this was an interesting story, although it wasn’t my favorite in the genre. While I haven’t read Serpent and Dove, I have read The Cruel Prince, and it doesn’t really feel like an appropriate comparison, with the compulsive readability and immersive world that was created in that story, with it’s morally gray characters that showed a lot of development in terms of redeemability and growth. However, this wasn’t a bad book and it was creative, especially with the inclusion of a diverse, Asian character in a lead position, particularly in the fact that she wasn’t your typical heroine, but rather a realistic, flawed, and relatable character, and an openly lesbian side character in the royal family.

Violet Made of Thorns was a book I was pleasantly surprised by. The plot had quite a few twists and turns that took me by surprise, without completing subverting expectations. The author did a great job keeping things mysterious for most of the story. The characters, while not completely unique, was fun to follow and easy to connect with. The writing was enjoyable, though there were some pacing issues and problems with dialogue. The world-building and magic could use a little more development, but that can be built upon later in the series.

I love a good fairytale-inspired fantasy book and Violet Made of Thorns definitely fits the bill. While the book is not re-telling a specific fairytale there are elements from classic fairytales like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and even Sleeping Beauty woven throughout. Throw in a cranky witch, weird scary ladies, and an enemies-to-lovers romance and this might be one of my favorite books I've read this year.

Our main character Violet is a sassy witch who has no time for the royals she reluctantly serves and their bs. Violet is a former street urchin and has never let the look-out-for-yourself-at-any-cost mentality go and honestly that was so refreshing. She is not particularly nice or noble which makes her a fun character to follow. Violet is a seer which means she can see people's lives (past, present, and future) and that makes her a valuable asset to the king she reluctantly serves. Complicating matters is her hate-love relationship with Prince Cyrus who may or may not be cursed. As the resident witch and general magical person, Violet is tasked with coming up with a solution to the curse. Of course like any good fairytale, the curse can only be broken by true love which means Prince Cyrus needs to find a bride. The only problem is that Prince Cyrus would rather bicker and then make out with Violet rather than woo his future wife. Violet for her part is simply trying to keep everything together even though she acts like she doesn't care. No spoilers but this book end on an unresolved note and I need the next book in the series ASAP. Highly recommend.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I had high hopes for this book, but it didn't meet them. The premise sounded interesting and I love stories with fairy tale elements, but unfortunately I didn't like much about this one. I wasn't drawn into the story at all and didn't care for the characters. And I'm a character-driven reader and I need to like/care/be interested in the characters to enjoy the story. And I didn't like Violet and Cyrus at all.

Much of the hype I'd previously seen about this book was about Violet not being your typical heroine. She's a self-serving survivor with a sharp tongue and fierce attitude. But her personality felt too forced, like it was just for the sake of marketing her as a different sort of YA heroine and it didn't work for me.

And the romance....that also didn't work for me. Cyrus didn't appeal to me in the slightest and I don't think he and Violet make a great or believable couple. When I finish a book, I like to imagine the couple living HEA for the next 50 years. And I can't see that with Violet and Cyrus. I guess all their biting banter, barbs, and arguing was supposed to convince me of their hot chemistry and fuel the hate-to-love trope. But I got the opposite vibe. More like they would make each other worse as a couple instead of better. Perhaps the sequel will evolve their relationship better where the love (not just lust) between them becomes more apparent, but I don't care about them enough to read it.

But my impressions and opinions are probably in the minority, because I CAN understand why other readers would love this book. Under different circumstances, I might've loved it too if the characterizations and tropes weren't so glaring and forced for my taste.

Absolutely lovely. Enemies to lovers romance, masterfully done. It’s all about the long game for me. I love that Chen is taking her time with her world-building. I love that our heroine is flawed, naïve, willful, and somewhat thorny (Forgive this pun, I had to). Violet will grow over the course of this series, however long that will be. And I’m here for it- the long haul.. The romance between Violet and Cyrus will likely evolve from hot-hate to mutual love and respect, and I want to be there. Generally in fantasy, it’s not as impactful when our hero and heroine fully fall in love by the end of the first book- it honestly leaves me feeling like I don’t need to continue. Likewise the plot itself doesn’t need to be fast paced, nor fully developed to effectively make me want more. I don’t want all the back story and detail right now, I want to dive into a world that will capture my mind for the duration of the story. Story-building. Chen nailed it. I can’t wait to read more! 4.5 stars


Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this eARC!

"A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies - perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent and Dove.

Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased - and not always true - divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he's crowned at the end of the summer - unless Violet does something about it.

But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus's love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom - all depending on the prince's choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that's growing between her and Cyrus.

Violet's wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can't change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom - or doom them all."

A very Storyteller Sleeping Beauty vibe.

This is the perfect YA/NA read for people who love fairytales. This is a great first book that sets this world and characters up perfectly. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. I can understand the Serpent & Dove comparisons but I think it might set the expectations of readers too high. The enemies-to-lovers romance is a big selling point of this book for lovers of the trope.