I loved this book! This book was so unique and original! The main character Violet was honestly amazing. I love seeing characters that aren’t your perfect, save-the-day kind of person. Cyrus and Camilla were also fantastic, and don’t get me started on the romance. The enemies-to-lovers in this book was sooo good! Like I literally couldn’t stop reading the scenes with Cyrus and Violet. The plot of this book was also fantastic. It was never really slow and it wasn’t that predictable to me. Overall this was fantastic!

This is a great YA pick for someone who likes fairytale retellings--I saw elements of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast in this story. Although the book seemed to move slow at times, I was eager to finish it and hear how the story ended.

I liked that the book had a flawed, but interesting female lead. Her character was well-developed by the author.

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for the free e-ARC

This is a wonderful fantasy tale with a great plot and terrific protagonist, Violet. There is a lot of great world building but the star here is Violet. She finagles her way through court politics and intrigue. It’s a fast paced book with a lot of surprises along the way. Very enjoyable.

If you love when dark fantasies meet fairytales, you won't want to miss out on Violent Made of Thorns. The protagonist is Violet, a seer and a witch with sharp edges and a sharper wit. When she's tasked with reading Prince Cyrus' fortune, the two begin a relationship built on barbed banter that develops into something quite steamy. It's a love story for cynics, but unfortunately the romance does feel quite rushed toward the end. However, enemies-to-lovers fans will find more than enough to enjoy here.

From the start I was intrigued and got more invested as I went on! The pacing, the depth of the characters, the plot!! Everything was done so well and I couldn’t stop reading🙌🏻Violet is a stark and hard willed character who wants her way and will do what it takes to make it happen. She doesn’t care about appearing friendly and if anything goes out of her way to be as uninviting as possible. She regularly states hating conversing with others and it was such an interesting personality that really resonated with me!! I am definitely anti-social as well, though not as brash, but she was so striking that I loved seeing her lie and taunt others, especially Cyrus✨ The whole prophesies and fates were incredibly well done and had me grasping at the words and seeking answers!! The whole journey of Violet grappling with her destiny and fate was so intense as she struggled deciding between destruction and salvation and killing Cyrus. Their moments of desire overtaking them was so amazing and I was rooting for everything to work out right! I love when the guy falls first🤧 The fact that she saved him and he wasn’t meant to live and he ended up loving her is so sweet!! My hopeless romantic heart loves that storyline🥹 Her personality made it that much more interesting since she lies and doesn’t believe what he confesses and then she decides on power instead. But of course it’s not the end and she takes it back and helps him which had me so happy!! Violet doesn’t need anyone controlling her, especially the witch👏🏻👏🏻 Though I know that’s not the end of her torment and I wonder how Violet will face her again and what will transpire! Very eager to see this new King and Queen in action, taking what’s there’s and against it all reining together!! What an amazing power couple🥰🙌🏻 I absolutely can’t wait to see more from Violet and what she’s capable of and possibly see more romance bloom between them since they deserve it✨

This book had everything I love from fantasy in it. Royalty, magic, betrayal, fairies, an ominous prophecy, a morally grey main character, and the cursed prince who hates and loves her. The writing was incredibly unique in a way that I don’t think anyone has ever written a relationship like that between Violet and Cyrus before. The bickering, lying, and scheming were so well done I couldn’t help but fall in love with this.

God I loved this book. Why weren’t there books like this when I was a teen? I can’t believe it’s YA because it’s a dark, edgy fairy tale that’s also a magical thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s a story of enemies while lovers that truly hate/love/hate/love/hate each other which is a dynamic I’ve not seen written quite as deftly as Chen does here. It's both!

Violet is a prophet and a seer who is snarky and sassy making her kind of an anti-heroine, which is refreshing to read. Cyrus is the handsome and charismatic Prince charming whose life she saved when they were kids, and who has a curse upon him now that he’s about to take the throne. Violet works with his father the King and often lies and spins prophecies to help get the King what he wants. And what he wants is for Cyrus to marry in order to bring peace to the land, but Violet lies about her visions and exposes the court to a witch’s curse.

The magic and world is very cool, but for me I loved the lying and the bickering between them. It’s written so well, you can really feel it. Violet hates Cyrus so much that she argues with him at every chance she gets until they are kissing while bickering, which is delicious. The ending is so dark and suspenseful with so many twists and turns. I can’t stop thinking about it!

“My curse, my ruin, my Violet – my heart is yours. It was always yours. Take it.”

This is an incredible debut novel and I’m so excited for the next book in this planned duology.

– Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the ARC –

Unfortunately, this just really didn't work for me.

The first 40% of this I felt like nothing happened, which I don’t mind in a book if I like the characters, but I didn’t particularly like Violet. I did like some of the side characters, like Dante, but I feel like I never really got to know them well. The plot does pick up after the 40% mark and it was entertaining at times but the romance here is definitely the focal point of the story and it just wasn’t believable to me. It was way too hot/cold and back and forth and it just didn't come across as believable to me. I also feel like Cyrus was kind of bland and way too forgiving. Violet literally attempted to murder him and even though it fails, she's responsible for the curse that he now has and he IMMEDIATELY forgives her to me this just doesn't make any sense.

I think there were also a lot of inconsistencies throughout the book which got a little annoying for me as I went on. Violet went on and on for the majority of the book about how she's not a villain, she's an opportunist, just like everyone else. But then she does become the villain because she's in a fit of rage and doesn't take a minute to think things through. There's also the part where at the end she says the king was like a dad to her even though he was horrible. This confused me because up until that point she's never described him that way? If anything, it appeared that she respected the king and that they had a mutual respect or understanding. He was political and strategic for sure, but we never see him be "awful" to Violet and the flip in characterization didn't make sense to me.

The fantasy elements were just okay. They weren’t bad but I don’t think they were particularly well done either. I feel like the book was lacking in descriptions. I didn't have a clear picture in my head of what the world looked like.

I had also seen descriptions that this had cut throat court politics and I didn’t really get that at all. I had been seeing comparisons for this to the Cruel Prince and I definitely disagree with that and I wouldn’t go into this book with those expectations because I think you’d be disappointed.

I love a fantasy with court politics and morally grey characters so I was excited for this but it just didn’t work for me unfortunately.

Thank you so much to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!

Can you altar fate or destiny or is it written in stone? Came for the witchy fantasy description; stayed for the enemies-to-lovers romance, my favorite trope.

This book packs a punch with witches, fairies and fairy tales, magic and more. The MC, Violet, is a spitfire who can toe to toe with anyone in the kingdom, and her romantic interest, Cyrus, is equally cunning in his own right. Though Violet is a bit of an antihero, it doesn’t detract from the reader rooting for her one bit.

I enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Chen’s work as she continues to grow her writing chops!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

I absolutely loved this book! This was such an unique read. It was something I haven’t read before, once you read the book the title of the book make sense (which was fun to discover).

I liked how it involves so many things, beasts, witches, magic, royalties. The whole plot was something I didn’t see coming which was so great.

The banter between Cyrus and Violet was chefs kiss, I loved it. The pull and push you’d think that would become irritating but actually that made the book so much better. Violet is also such a great character, like her character development.

I honestly can’t wait for another book!

A morally grey Seer, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that could spell their ruin, Violet is a seer and a liar, she’s survived for as long as she has by playing the game of court. She please people with lies and little half truths, but the one person who has always gotten under her skin is the one boy she saved when she was younger, Prince Cyrus. Violet is as thorny as they come, she’s a survivor, she’s willing to do anything to save herself, but for some reason when it comes to him she can’t seem to think straight. Her relationship with Cyrus is fraught and difficult and she knows that he wants nothing more than to strip her of her official role once he is crowned at the end of the summer. Yet when the king ask her to falsely prophesize Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball what Violent ends up with is awakening a dreaded curse... that spells either damnation or salvation for the kingdom, all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Yet another issue arises... she is given another vision from the fates... either she or Cyrus will be the only one left alive at the end of the summer. Violet must now navigate trying to find a wife for Cyrus while also securing her position, except the complicated feelings between the two of them start to rise. They hate each other with such a burning passion... one could almost say they’re both in love with each other, but they can’t trust one another but the attraction and lust is still there. Between complicated feelings, trying to avoid fates and prohpecies and making it out of court alive while a darker plot is running, can Violet and Cyrus sort out their complicated relationship or will one of them truly die this summer. Okay this was such a fun dark fairytale with hints of other fairytale retellings in it! I actually really liked Violet, she’s manipulative, she’s blunt and sharp, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to survive and honestly, same girl. Cyrus on the other hand, one moment I want to throttle him and the next I’m falling for him, I completely get where Violet is with him. I am so intrigued about where the story is going to go next and how their relationship will play out. SERIOUSLY GIMME THE NEXT BOOK!!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Reminds me so much of a Beauty & the Beast retelling but so original! Gina Chen is absolutely brilliant adding so many twist it kept me guessing until the very end.

I absolutely cannot stop thinking about this book and it is going to be a terribly long wait for the second book. I chose this Arc because I absolutely love Serpent & Dove and the Folk of the Air series and the cover is stunning with the purple backgroundand yellow roses. Theis series has all things that I love: magic, royalty, strong femal character, enemy to lovers, fates, and mentions of dragons.

The banter between Cyrus and Violet is witty and I want sure which way Violet's heart would take her. At one point I thought Violet was going to follow the direction of the fates that had been speaking to her in her dreams.

I will post this review on Amazon once reviews are allowed.

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book.
The romance was surprisingly different, though it did take the “one has a knife to the throat while the other professes their love” trope a little too far. I loved their chemistry, and though I usually like slow-burns, it worked well for these characters to not have a long build up.
I was confused by the writing at times though, since it got a little repetitive and yet still left me with questions unanswered about the world of the book.
I did love Violet’s internal monologue and her commentary of the people around her was hilarious, but I also have never been as confused about a main character’s motives as I was about Violet’s. I like an unreliable narrator, but I felt like it didn’t make a ton of sense for her to be that unreliable.
Am I really confused by this story? Yes. Will I read the next book? Toady hell yes!

This was a delightfully unique reading experience. I loved the distinctly diasporic characters within a fantasy world and I loved how unique the world was. I just couldn't turn away.

This is a delightfully wicked sort of fairy tale, with morally gray characters (my favorite), an enemies to lovers romance (always fun), and a tightly crafted plot that left me wishing I already had the second book. Very well done. I will definitely be waiting to see what comes next.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

This was such a fun read. Elements reminded me of fairytales like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I loved the witty character and the banter between characters.

Wow. This story is so beautifully "fairytale." You don't expect to be enraptured by tales you're already familiar with however Gina Chen did just that. She took bits of so many stories we love and made one amazing, NEW, story with pieces of all of them. There are moments of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and more. Violet is wonderful and morally gray, but really just a survivor. You can't hold anything against her and yet you can. Cyrus is so sexy and yet I want to smack him so many times as well. One moment I think, "you bastard" and in the next you love him fiercely. Just when I thought Dante was feeling a bit under-developed I was pleasantly surprised that I was completely wrong. Beautifully written, an actual new fairy tale. I loved this book!

So you have the idea (no spoilers) Violet is a Seer just trying to survive in a kingdom that would turn on you as quickly as they look at you. A king she thinks of as a father figure, who is questionable himself. A prince who you love to hate but then hate to love. A kingdom that makes you wish you weren't from there and a witch that makes you wonder, "is she right?" I will be thoroughly recommending this book.

I wanted to love this one but it fell flat for me. The MC just can't make up their minds which wastes the book. It had potential.

Thank you to Random House/Delacorte Press, the author, and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will release July 26, 2022.

This was a wonderful story following Violet and her life in the Sun Capital Palace. In the Kingdom of Auveny, there has always been a prophecy surrounding the price, Cyrus. Violet, who was born originally in the Moon District, with no known parents or name, created her life for herself when she saw the prince’s life ending. She changed the future and saved his life for a place in the palace as the Seer.

Violet, a flawed, lying, and unpredictable character, is just the type of main character I have been wanting to see more of. While some of the things she does is inconsistent in terms of the plot, her being this way truly adds to the story. She has this sense of being clever, but also being blinded by emotion, which is all too real. I think this book does a wonderful job of exploiting character flaws and putting it into this story where it makes sense. Although, I did wish that I got to see just a bit more growth and development with the character side of the story. The plot was very entertaining, but I also felt like the characters got stale by the end, thinking and saying the same things. I hope that this is something that could maybe be worked on in this series.

But, ahhh! The cliffhanger! It has me very excited to read more! I very much enjoyed everything about this book. Super entertaining and very quick to read.