This was an interesting book.

The character development and world building was detailed. I appreciate how well written it is. I read a lot of young adult novels so I can have recommendations for my students, and I often think that the concept could have become a much better book in the hands of a more talented writer. That’s not the case here. Gina Chen knows how to craft a novel. Some people just have a certain way with words that create a more compelling story, and she’s one of them.

The main characters are complex and morally grey. There are times when they’re not particularly likable. Violet is most certainly not your typical young adult heroine. She is calculated and self-serving, and completely unapologetic about looking out for herself first and foremost. She may not sound like the type of person you’d root for, but her behavior is based on her life experience and her actions usually make sense. She is not the girl who will dutifully run off a cliff after someone because she just has to do something, no matter how absurdly stupid it is. I find this to be a welcome change. I am so tired of protagonists constantly doing rash and inane things. Violet is more inclined to think things through. Thank you Violet. You’re not a nice person, but at least you’re not an idiot.

Cyrus, the prince is also not your typical prince charming. While he’s described as being handsome, his personality runs hot and cold. He and Violet have a complicated history and a tense relationship. On the surface they antagonize each other and don’t get along. Bubbling below that facade are a lot of unspoken feelings that they don’t know how to communicate.

All that angst leads to my main issue with the story: the “romance”.

One minute they apparently can’t stand each other and the next, well, they find themselves in some compromising situations. That’s actually rather realistic. Here’s what I have a problem with: selling a toxic, dysfunctional relationship as a “romance” to a target market of younger readers. Their relationship consists of insults, intentional public humiliation, violence……….there is absolutely nothing romantic about abuse, so please stop presenting it to teenagers as anything but the ugly mess that it is. You can go dark. Life can unfortunately be that way. But don’t throw some glitter on it at the end and try to sell it as a rainbow.

I enjoyed the story. I would not however, recommend it to my teenage readers. I think it would be more appropriate if the characters were aged up a few years and it was an adult novel.

An interesting combination of fate and fairytale Gina Chen brings a world to life in "Violet Made of Thorns"

It is hard for me to rate this, as I did enjoy the story ideas as well as the world building in this story, however the two main leads leave a little to be desired. People who like "The Cruel Prince" will enjoy this, but as I found it hard to like any of the characters in that it is hard for me to enjoy the characters in this, their personalities leave much to be desired. Their chemistry really doesn't jump out, which is a shame because I like a good "I hate you, wait I like you" banter normally, but this time it feels dry.

It is a quick and intriguing read though, and I am sure that many other people will see things with the characters that I did not, that is the beauty of books after all we all take different things away from the experiences

**Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC**

Ever since this book’s announcement, I’ve been unbelievably excited for it. As more and more information about it came out, I was even more convinced it was perfect for me; after reading it (twice, at the time of writing this review), I can safely say that it was. Gorgeously written, Violet Made of Thorns follows a Seer who sometimes lies about her visions, particularly about the prince whom she hates.

Violet is the court Seer, able to divine people’s futures and see into their pasts with a grasped hand. When Prince Cyrus returns to court without a bride, whispers of his curse—that his love will be the country’s salvation or damnation—begin again, and his father orders Violet to “prophesy” meeting his bride, an arranged match, at an upcoming ball. This heightens the imminent war with Balica, a neighboring country, one that Violet and Cyrus, along with Dante and Camilla, must race to prevent, even if it’s what the Fates want. However, Violet and Cyrus’s hatred toward each other begins to be overshadowed by their attraction for each other, something that could doom their country after all.

Like I mentioned before, everything about this book felt perfectly targeted toward me: an acerbic, selfish antiheroine (who’s Asian-coded), her love-hate relationship with a prince, and a fairytale-feel to the entire story. I already love a book with just one of these pieces, much less all of them, so you can imagine how my anticipation for this book just grew and grew, especially after reading Gina Chen’s author’s note. I’ll try to capture everything I loved in this review.

Violet was brilliantly written, and I highly related to her. She’s an antiheroine, in that she’s selfish and cynical and always looking out for herself. Unlikable female protagonists in YA have become synonymous with “ambitious,” and I wouldn’t necessarily say Violet is that so much as just trying to gain a stable role for herself, no matter the lies she has to tell. Orphaned at a young age, she forces her way into the court and knows all too well how precarious her position is, which is partially why she despises Cyrus so much. I really love Gina’s description of Violet in her author’s note:

Neither brave hero nor glamorous villain, she is her own contrary character: a prickly girl carving a place for herself in a world she doesn’t believe in, two feet on the ground while she looks toward the sky.

Her refusal to be ordinary influences her dynamic with Cyrus, whom she views as privileged and ignorant of that fact. She dislikes that he’s so well suited to his role, that he’s never had to want for anything when she’s had to fight for any semblance of power as Seer. Meanwhile, Cyrus looks down on Violet for being influenced by his father, the king, whom he often disagrees with. He finds her cold and mean when she doesn’t have to be, and the two of them never hesitate to point the other’s flaws.

As I’ve described, the basis for the hatred between them was well established. I adored their dynamic, especially the way they amplify the other’s worst qualities. Violet and Cyrus hate each other because they’re the only people who truly see the other person for who they really are, which is a dynamic that I’m always a goner for. This also intensifies the attraction between them, and frankly, I could not get enough of their love-hate relationship. They know that if they give into their attraction, they’ll end up destroying each other, which only increases the sparks between them. I honestly was gasping and screaming at certain scenes and the words exchanged between them, especially some of the more intimate scenes.

I also liked the side characters, particularly Dante, the usual mediator between Violet and Cyrus, and Camilla, Cyrus’s twin and Violet’s friend. Both of them grow frustrated with Violet and Cyrus’s animosity and actively campaign for them to just give into their attraction for each other, which leads to some highly amusing conversations. We also have some on-page LGBTQ+ representation with them: Dante, who is bisexual, and Camilla, my favorite chaotic lesbian.

The plot was intriguing; there are a lot of court politics, namely that the king essentially wishes to incorporate Balica into Auveny. This, of course, would certainly unleash a war, one that our main cast wants to prevent: Cyrus because he believes it is unnecessary, Dante because he’s Balican, and Violet because she’s been having haunting dreams of the bloodshed it would cause, including Cyrus’s death. She also dreams of an unknown Fate speaking to her in an attempt to either warn her or corrupt her.

I also liked the worldbuilding. This book is reminiscent of a fairytale, one full of fairies and Fates and dragons. Violet is Sighted and able to talk to the Fates; fairies provide glamours for people, increasing their beauty. I also found it interesting that Violet is (East?) Asian-coded in a Western fairytale setting. I think people might think that this book primarily draws from any Asian inspiration because Violet is meant to be Asian. It doesn’t, actually; instead, Violet’s mother emigrated from Yue on the Moon Continent. I really liked this detail because fantasy often likes to pretend that immigration doesn’t exist.

The writing was also so, so good. Reading this book was almost compulsive; I fell into the cadence of this book so easily. I’ve actually spoken to a few other people about how fast they read Violet Made of Thorns, and I totally agree. If I didn’t have work to do when first reading it, I would’ve blown through it in one sitting. I just couldn’t put this book down, I think due to the fact that Violet’s voice is so strong and well established and I couldn’t help but relate to her and her thoughts.

After finishing this story, I decided to put off writing my review until I read it a second time. Now, a month later and a second read down, I can safely affirm that this book is even better the second time around. The story culminates in events during the last ten percent that I found both thrilling and heartwrenching. The ending was so good, and now I’m now impatient for the sequel even though it’s still months before this book comes out.

Violet Made of Thorns tells a story that fairytales often do not, one of a liar and a prince and the things they have to do to hold power. I loved the characters and highly related to the protagonist. The romance is a dynamic that I know I’ll obsess over for quite a while, and this book is definitely a favorite that I’ll be revisiting often. If you’re a fan of The Cruel Prince and/or selfish antiheroines, I cannot recommend Violet Made of Thorns enough.

This was supposed to be a fantasy romance and I was really hoping to love it. Unfortunately the book doesn’t really do a good job at anything. The main character is a seer for the king but doesn’t actually do her job well and I don’t understand how she gets away with it. Every person in this book is written to be strangely juvenile, even the king, who is a full blown adult. It’s just not an enjoyable read because of how poorly written it is.

I wish that the relationship between the two leads was more developed. I feel like we were told he had these deep feelings for Violet, but never really shown them. A big to do was made over Violet being mercenary and out for herself, but she really just seemed like a pragmatist and not even a selfish one at that. World building was fun though! Will definitely pick up the sequel!

*Spoiler free*

When I heard that this was a book about a prophet who was a liar, who shapes her world through the lies she tells, I wanted to read it. Then on top of that, she and the prince do not like each other at all. They don't like each other so much there might be some attraction between them. It sounded incredible and I couldn't wait to read it.

Oh, I adore this book so much.

I adore Violet so much. She's brash and rude and is completely made up of sharp edges. She's imperfect, and this book makes sure to revel in that fact. She wants and she's messy and sometimes she makes choices that are frustrating, but that's because she's trying to have her place in a world that seems to want to grow right through her. She was so, so wonderful and I love her so much. She's even allergic to the fairies of this world, which I thought was hilarious.

Really, I loved all the characters. I loved Cyrus and Dante, and basically every side character, even though I was not expecting to. They each have their own tricks up their sleeves, and own ideas on how the world works and how it should work.

This is a fantasy romance, and oh is it an amazing fantasy romance. There is so much hate kissing. They're so angry that there is attraction between them and there is so much banter and barbed comments, it's fantastic. Their dynamic was so emotionally charged, just, so, so good.

The world was also spectacular. It is seeped in fairytales. I thought it was going to only be one retelling, but there are little pieces of so many throughout the book, and dang is it amazing. It was so cool to see which pieces it took from which one. Plus, there's beasts and roses and kingdoms on the brink of war and fairies and dark magic.

Overall, I fell completely in love with this book. I adore it. It's spectacularly written, thrilling, and I adore Violet. It's so, so good.

Gray witch Violet, a Seer with lots of potential, is the central figure in a compelling narrative which raises questions of destiny, loyalty, and love. There are traditional fairy tale elements, but Gina Chen writes a story that is uniquely her own!

I really flew threw this book. I thought that the world was fascinating, at least the parts that we could see. I wish we could have actually seen some more. I’m not sure if this was purposeful or not (I’m assuming it was) but I definitely caught fragments of different fairy tales strewn throughout but in unexpected ways which I loved. I wish we could have seen more of violet when she was growing up. I loved seeing how her relationship and worldview change (not always for the better unfortunately. It’s odd because I really don’t relate to her at all. You can see why she is the way she is and she’s unlikeable and yet likeable at the same time. I don’t love how her relationship with the prince developed. (Saw that coming a mile away). I still don’t buy that they could hate eachother so much. I think there could have been some better back story with that. It was really interesting seeing our view of the king shift with hers, despite him not being that much of a major character. I actually felt like there weren’t really any complex characters other than her. I wish we could have seen the supporting cast fleshed out a bit more. Even a second perspective could have been good, There was a lot going on, I didn’t agree with a lot of her choices, but we’re not supposed to, per the authors note in the beginning. I’m excited to see more and hopefully we’ll get to see more of the world and more of the characters with the next one.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishing team for providing me with this ARC!

This was quite the read! Violet is not your typical heroine and the title of the book suits this character very well. Indeed, she is of thorns! She's brash, cynical, and mean. Throughout the story, you see her struggle with herself and her views of the world around her. She wants to be powerlful and leave her mark while put in a position where she needs to play by the rules of the king. She's a Seer who wants to be <i>seen</i>. Honestly, I'm not even sure I liked her but I sure as hell rooted for her.

Cyrus is prince charming that is the enemy from page one. He's charming and handsome and sought after by all which only grates on Violet further. Their relationship is definitely tense and has very nice enemies-to-tolerated-affection vibes. They absolutely loath that they like each other and you watch them dance around these feelings. I love that <i>she</i> saved <i>him</i> and brings it up unsure whether she regrets it or not.

The world-building was just enough to bring you into the world and the biggest background plot was the political intrigue that moved the story along as all the characters played a part in this. It doesn't feel like there's only one villain as you feel like you can't trust anyone.

I enjoyed the side characters and their relationships with Cyrus and Violet. The final chunk of the book had me hollering and the book ends in a way that makes you want the next one right now! I think this is a very promising start to the series/duology and look forward to seeing where the story goes!

I really liked this book! I loved how the main characters were not wholly good nor wholly bad. They rest smack dab in the middle of grey. The only thing that prevented me from giving this a higher rating was how rushed the ending romance felt...but I would definitely buy this when it is published.

Thank you Netgalley Random House Children's publishing for an early copy of this book.

I have to say, this is definitely one of my most anticipated books for 2022. I cannot wait for it to come out to add a copy to my shelves.

I really loved reading Violet Made of Thorns, for a Fantasy novel it has pretty much everything that I enjoy. I like that Gina Chen used several fairytail tropes and they all flowed together nicely, the magic system was explained well and I wasn’t left with a lot of questions, and the two main character’s relationship was filled with enough angst to keep it interesting. I do love a good enemies to lovers.

The world building was developed well, and every character was thoroughly described. The only set back I have was that the ending seemed a little rushed. We finally have the antagonist in person and then it seems like everything just wraps up very quickly. But I do see there is an anticipated sequel for this one, so hopefully it wraps up my lingering questions!

Overall I think this was a fantastic YA Fantasy and I am really looking forward to the release.

This was fun and cute. I wish there had been more development between the leads, it felt underdeveloped. Would have liked to be shown their relationship developing instead of just being told. I also thought Violet suffered from some weird martyr syndrome and kept telling us she was bad, but she just seemed pragmatic.

I’m amazed at how Gina Chen managed to combine so many fairytales in Violet Made of Thorns and still make it one of the most unique fantasies I’ve ever read. There’s a little bit of Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, along with a creepy forest, fairies, and Fates.
I loved Violet’s character. She’s selfish and rude sometimes, but she still has a good heart. I really liked how she grew throughout the book but still stayed true to her prickly nature. Her enemies-to-lovers relationship with Cyrus was so much fun to read, too.
This was one of my most highly anticipated reads for 2022, and it did not disappoint. 5/5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book but I’m a sucker for a great fantasy! It started out a little slow in the beginning for me because of the world building and character building, but oh boy did it pick up! I will definitely be recommending this to everyone who loves fantasy books! I can’t wait for this book to come out so everyone can see how great it was!

This was easily one of my more anticipated releases of 2022. And it wasn’t just because of the absolutely stunning cover.

Violet Made of Thorns is a dark fantasy that follows Violet, resident Seer and Witch of the Sun Capital. Reading in her PoV will make you feel one of two things: you’ll either love to hate her or hate to love her. She’s super witty and so much fun to read about. She’s also very confident and unapologetic for her words and actions which I really loved, and it really added to her character. Personally, I love reading books where the protagonist is also an antagonist in the eyes of their peers. In this book, Violet is the antiheroine that everyone will be rooting for.

“Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove”, well they definitely got that part right. The romance is super angsty and filled with sexual tension. I loved reading the banter between Cyrus and Violet and how it kept escalating throughout the book. They played the ‘enemies’ part in enemies to lovers pretty well. I wasn’t entirely sold on the ‘lovers’ part though, if I’m being honest. I felt that it was a little rushed towards the end, especially in the last few chapters. But there’s a lot of backstabbing and betrayals that make up for it. You don’t really see that in many enemies to lovers books these days.

You can see how the book draws on a lot of fairytale influences throughout the story. I would have loved to see a little more world building though because the details we got just felt too limited. A broader view of what was going on would’ve probably changed a lot. I do also think that it just overall felt a little too rushed towards the end. There were a lot of things that did not make sense, leaving me very confused. But I'm hoping book 2 clarifies a lot of the questions I have. I can’t wait to read more about Violet and her potential character growth in the sequel.

Even though Violet Made of Thorns didn’t have the wow factor I was looking for, I do think a lot of the elements at play made it a fairly interesting and unique read. I really do recommend checking it out at the very least.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press/Random House Children's publishing for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Violet Made of Thorns is about Seer Violet. As a child she saves the prince from a near death experience and gains passage to live in the palace as a Seer in training. When her mentor passes and gives a final fatal prophecy Violet takes the position of Seer to the King. At eighteen Violet and the nineteen/twenty year old Prince Cyrus are at each other's throats but need to work together as a rot starts to take over the lands, a neighboring country starting to rebel, and the prophecy begins to show its true colors.

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

The only TINY negative I have is the made up cursing Violet does. For example "toady hell". It's endearing for a couple of times but bothers me a little especially when Violet does curse in the book. I've never been a fan of made up curses. They tend to either be overly used or sound so ridiculous to a point of not being cute.

Besides that very tiny issue, which might just be a "me" thing, I absolutely adore this book!

I love Violet and her morally gray character development. I love all the characters including the villain. I'm crossing my fingers there will be more of villain in the sequel/conclusion. I love how put off Violet is of people and how relatable she is. Violet is a character I've been waiting for in YA books.

I did enjoy the enemies to lovers trope and I think Gina Chen did a beautiful job telling/writing this fairytale of not-so-perfect characters. There is a perfect amount of tension, banter, mystery, and lore.

I am hoping one of my favorite book box subs will do an exclusive for this book. The writing is fantastic, the pacing kept me hooked to my kindle, and the authors note at the beginning made me love this book even before I started reading.

I'm sad to wait so long for the next book but I definitely plan on rereading this one again very soon.

5 stars

Violet Lune is a liar. She is also a Seer, and therefore her lies impact the entire country, not just herself. When the king tells her to invent a vision to convince the prince, Cyrus, that the political match his father made is his true love, Violet starts to realize that her lies are becoming a bigger issue for her life as well. When Violet starts to hear a voice showing her frightening images of the future, Violet begins to reconsider her habit of lying for the king. I appreciate that Violet is incredibly flawed, yet I think she is likable even though she leads a morally gray life.

3.5★

thank you to delacorte press for an arc!

violet is one of the best protagonists i have read about till date. she is sharp tongued, unapologetic, very prideful, and somewhat selfish. that is why i loved her so much. i need more books with not-perfect mc's- the ones who aren't a perfect balance, but the ones who have too much of something and too little of another. and it is safe to say i'm a simp for violet lune.

violet made of thorns is a very unique book and that fact really appealed to me. the plot was interesting, yet sometimes it felt like i don't know what i was reading. the world-building was great and so was the character of violet.

what wasn't too amazing for me personally was the romance between violet- the seer, and cyrus- the prince. i loved how they hated each other and still had casual endeavours with one another. what did annoy me a *little* bit was how fast the romance was towards the end. BUT this is a duology so i am very excited to see what the second book is about.

in conclusion violet made of thorns is a unique asian dark fantasy debut with an antihero who will either make you hate her or make you fall in love with her.

TW: one instance of parent harming child physically- themes of emotional manipulation, fantasy-typical levels of violence- including death and body horror, self-harm in a ritual/magical context,
some instances of casual racism.

I can see why this would cater towards fans of The Cruel Prince. Our main character, Violet, makes some pretty questionable choices and is more morally grey than most protagonists, just like how Jude was. They have kind of similar feels with a trippy magical world that contains fairies and witches and glamours.

At first, I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to like this story because it seemed a little bit too much like those Cinderella movie retellings on Disney Channel. There's the super hot prince that every "commoner" girl is obsessed with except for the main female lead who is the only one who seems uninterested, which somehow turns into a love story. Fortunately, this book broke away from that mold pretty quick and the story felt very well done.

The chemistry between Prince Cyrus and Violet was pretty solid. Their banter was quick-witted and snappy which made them super entertaining to read, especially when they would butt heads as often as they did. I do wish that we got to learn a little bit more about their childhood together because right from the get go, the book immediately tells us that they hate each other. I would have liked to see a flashback or something that showed the history of them slowly growing apart and becoming at odds with each other.

I loved Cyrus's sister, Camilla. She was hilarious and had some of the funniest lines and moments. Unfortunately, I don't think that Dante was in the book enough for me to grow an actual attachment to him. I hope we learn more about him in the next book.

Something I didn't realize until I saw other people mention this was that the main character is supposed to be Asian. To be honest, this was kind of unclear to me. If this was more of a colorblind cast of characters, then I'd probably give it a pass with it but it's not. Dante gets casual racism because he is from another country. I'm not entirely sure what Violet's heritage is but it doesn't seem like it affects her that much. It seems like being a Seer is a bigger problem for her. There's a beautiful map at the beginning fo the book and I feel like I just needed more of the world explained.

The romance was pretty entertaining. There was angst and drama and all the fun enemies to lovers problems. I really want to read the next book because it looks like we're heading into a fake dating trope... a.k.a one of my favorite tropes because of the insane drama it brings.

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen was a refreshing take on the enemies to lovers trope and the complications that arise from lies and deception. Chen described our main character, Violet, as a flawed, unapologetic protagonist who choose head over heart every time. Although Violet did evolve over the course of the story, she remained true to herself and prioritized her own wishes over those of the kingdom and its crown prince. This became especially important near the end of the book, when Violet had the power to ruin the prince, embrace her darkness, and become the world's worst nightmare. Her ultimate decision wasn't what you would expect from a traditional fairytale princess, but then again, Violet never claimed to be better than the monsters and villains she visited in her dreams.

Violet's love interest was equally complex and calculating, although he certainly had me fooled in the beginning! The book was filled with their witty banter, and I was there for every second of it. The secondary characters were also interesting and well-developed. I loved the queer representation and acceptance they had of each other. I was a little confused by one of their actions at the end of the story, although it does help set up the plot for the next novel. I can't wait to return to this deliciously dark fantasy world with its unique magic system, devious witches, and dastardly prince in the book two!

I received an ARC of this novel curtesy of the publisher and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.