Prince Cyrus and royal Seer Violet cannot stand each other. Violet saved Cyrus when they were children and not long after their animosity began.

However their passionate hate has begun to change into something else. Something more. Which is inconvenient, as Cyrus is engaged to someone else. Someone who isn’t who she seems.

And all the while foreboding roses, briars and beasts are edging closer to the kingdom as Violet sees a catastrophic wedding day for the prince in her prophetic dreams.

Can they be honest about their feelings? Can they prevent the horror the looms over the kingdom? Or the war that seems to be on the horizon?

DNF 12%

I’m so confused about what the target audience for this is. The MCs are 18-19 years old, but the writing style gives a novel geared for 13-14 year olds, and the plot allures 16-year-olds with how generic it is.

I couldn’t finish mostly because of the writing. The author insists on telling us how everything is instead of showing us—especially when it comes to characters. She was often telling us what our opinions or how we should perceive their personalities.

And just the writing;

<i>The Prince is dressed, mostly. And—ugh—handsomer than ever.

“Hate to say I told you, Princey.”</I> (said un-ironically)

It’s giving…. Wattpad fan fiction. Realistically I would rate this one star but considering I didn’t get 1/4 of the way through, I find it’s not fair for me to rate it at all. But you get my opinion.

Wow, what a fabulous debut! This book was nothing short of perfection, the angsty enemies to lovers, the court politics, the witch and the beasts. I was really impressed by all the elements in this book that came together to craft such a mesmerizing tale. The relationship between Cyrus and Violet was everything you could want in a enemies to lover trope. I did love the fact that Violet was so cynical and realistic about what running a kingdom meant and how the world works. I also totally understood Cyrus' irritation and disappointment in Violet's behavior and her transformation once she became Seer. I'm not gonna lie I am super psyched to see where this story goes, I can't wait to see what Cyrus and Violet pull off if they work together.

I wish with my whole being this story was better formed. I love the concept - a girl plucked from the streets, elevated to the vaulted Seer position, but captured in her own lies. A prince, aloof and withdrawn, but foretold to find his true love to save the kingdom. They hate each other, but will their paths overlap in a race to save all that they have ever known?

See - a compelling plot there, surely. Add in a bit of fairy magic and some steamy scenes, and you have a YA hit on your hands. Right? Nope.

This book is poorly constructed, from its shallow world-building to its lack of true romantic tension. The writing is a-okay, but not an ounce better than that. Even as someone who admittedly can overlook poor writing in favor of excellent plot, it was nothing to shout about. I found myself simply accepting that the tension was there rather than truly following along with the enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-maybe-friends-to-lovers-again-randomly plotline. My heart longed to love it, but just like a substantive plot, it just wasn't there for me.

Would I keep reading this series? Perhaps. I kinda doubt it, though. It doesn't read too young - there is indeed enough steam in here to power an engine, even if the reasoning behind it isn't. Maybe for someone who enjoys almost-witty banter and some fun stolen romance moments, this book would do it. It just wasn't ultimately for me.

For starters, Violet is a morally-grey protagonist, which are my favorite kind. I love a good vs. evil book, but morally grey characters that choose to do good, or maybe bad, things are so much more fun. And Violet made this book so much fun! I loved every scene with her and she read like a teenager. Someone looking out for herself in a cruel world that could very easily get rid of her.

I also loved her relationship with the other characters – Prince Cyrus, Dante, and Princess Camilla. We can see the friendships she built with Dante and Camilla and her time in her tower. And at the same time, we can see the rivalry between her and Cyrus – their clear enemies status and how they refuse to trust each other. We get a clear picture of everyone’s relationship to each other and I loved every interaction between Violet and Cyrus! But, I wish we got more time with Dante and Camilla. We get some good scenes with them, but their relationships with Violet were so entertaining, I wanted to see more of them.

In addition to great characters, we have great world building. While we only know some details about the world and their beliefs, and how they’ve changed, it’s clear that the gift of Sight is something special and gives them a clear connection to the Fates. And how they’re revered as gods. I do wish we got a little more information about the world and why everything changed, especially the relationship to the Fairywood, but there are some good inferences and ideas left behind by the author.

And the plot? Top tier. I was hooked in by this book so quickly, I couldn’t put it down. I’m someone who gets car sick easily and I was fine with making myself ill to read this book on a road trip with my family. I can sacrifice my lunch for five more minutes with this book, it’s definitely worth it!

Also, the romance? Enemies to romance. Absolute gold. The evolution of the romance and its progression through the book was excellent and literally perfect. We don’t go from enemies straight to lovers and I enjoyed seeing the awkward love-hate moments Violet and Cyrus had. Plus, there’s a lot of pushing and pulling in their relationship which made it even more perfect. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers romance, you’re going to die for this couple!

Overall, this book was perfection for me. I’m so glad I could read an early copy so I can yell at everyone I know to read it. It’s so good and I’m so happy its out for everyone to read. I would highly recommend reading this as soon as possible because it’s such a good story. And while it wraps up at the end nicely, I really, really hope there’s a sequel or a spin off!

CW: death, blood, self harm, murder.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange honest review.

Are you a fairytale lover? If so, this book is for you! This book really rocks the classic fairytale vibe. Everything from a prophesy, a curse, a witch and of course a prince!

The story was compelling with some good twists, but I was feeling wanting in the romance department, but that didnt stop me from finishing to book in two days!

Despite what it may look like on the outside I don’t expect every book I read to be 5 stars, which is why when one unexpectedly is I get excited about it. This is one such occasion. I expected to enjoy Violet Made of Thorns, don’t get me wrong, but I am thoroughly obsessed with this book and I need the sequel immediately.

I’m a sucker for fairytale retellings and imagery in books, and boy oh boy is this book chockful of that imagery. There is quite literally a scene where Prince Cyrus hands Violet a shoe she lost. I think Chen did a really good job pulling from various fairytales to create a wholly unique story but still paying homage to a wide variety of tales. It created an absolutely exquisite vibe for the whole book.

Our main character was a delight, in the way that she was insufferable and relatable in almost equal measure. Violet’s self-preservation instinct is a mile wide, and I had a lot of fun watching her try to navigate around it without losing who she really is. I’m not going to say she’s the most unique YA protagonist, but I always love when authors allow their female main characters to not be unendingly selfless.

Cyrus is amazing, and he definitely makes my list of favourite love interests. I adore the way he stood up to Violet and the way his morals shined through everything he did. I’m a sucker for a lot of the tropes Chen put in both Cyrus himself and his relationship with Violet that I can’t mention without major spoilers, but suffice to say their relationship is well worth the build-up to get there.

The rest of the side characters were a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. Camilla was an instant fav and stayed that way through the whole book. I really did not expect to see such an unapologetically lesbian character in this book, and it was fantastic for her to just, be there, and be incredibly gay all of the time. Nadiya grated on me, but I have a history of disliking naive characters so that’s really not surprising to me. And the least spoilery thing I can say about Dante is: what the fuck.

The world-building in this book was pretty much entirely vibes, but in a way that I think added to the story. If you exclusively like books with extensive world-building this probably isn’t for you, but if you can flow with a world that isn’t super detailed then I think it really makes the characters and plot the focus.

Speaking of, the plot of this book really did keep me guessing. Sometimes I thought I knew what was going to happen and I was basically never right. I’m usually a pretty decent guesser especially when it comes to YA fantasy, so I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong several times throughout the story. I also just think the plot was fun. It was dramatic and engaging and it really kept me hooked for all 300+ pages.

I’ve talked about it a little, but I truly loved the dynamic between Violet and Cyrus. I love banter in my ships, and these two are non-stop banter up to and including when they’re kissing. I loved the curse element, the way Violet felt that any relationship between them was doomed. Truly there are so many of my favourite things packed into this book that I think I lost count.

Now I don’t know if this was on purpose, but Violet did in fact read as demisexual to me. As a demiromantic person married to a demisexual person, the way she described her relationship to attraction really resonated with me.

In summary: please read this book. It’s exactly the kind of YA fantasy that makes me adore the genre as a whole and I desperately need the next book in this series. If you like ships with a heaping helping of banter and tension, and protagonists that live on their own terms this is the book for you.

I wish there were a way to give more stars because five is just not enough. I can't even begin to describe the love I feel for the way that Violet is written. Chen states before the novel begins that she didn't want a perfect character, and because of that, her character is perfect because she is flawed and selfish; "All I know how to do is a dream, read threads, and lie." Seriously, the last time I loved a character this much was when I read Marissa Meyer's Renegades. Plus, the entire book was fascinating, and I didn't want to put it down! Bravo on this debut, Chen, bravo.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me access to an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review (now I plan to buy a hardback copy because that cover is GORGEOUS and I know I will want to read it again)!

It’s been a helluva last two months and I’m a little behind 😬

#violetmadeofthorns was overall an excellent book. It was a slow starter for me, I didn’t really get into it until chapter 5… but it was a fast paced #adventure through the end.

I love the “I love you I hate you fuck off” trope 🤣 it’s very well written!

There is a plot twist I kind of saw coming BUT still added #dramatic flair.

Cheers to @actualgina for a great debut!
Special thanks to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for allowing me to read this story 📚

This has been an AMAZING surprise!
I didn't know what I could expect from this story and I sort of start quite blindly, immediately captivated by this reign with its lights and shadows, with a peculiar presence of magic that I really liked. Politics rules over relationships, and it was interesting to see how Violet handles her role as a royal Seer, how she's perceived by other people, and, most of all, how her past is still influencing her behaviour towards others and herself. She's a morally gray character and I really appreciate Gina Chen's choice to be coherent from the start to the end in this: Violet's mind is often bitter, full of resentment, anger and doubts of betrayal and this leads to thoughts and choices that are not always good or could not end up well, but it's ok, because for the way Violet is, she couldn't act in any other way!
The figures that surround her maybe could have been deepened a little more, but for this I wait book 2. Undeniably, I've easily seen a clear characterisation and it was interesting to read their interactions; notheless, I would have appreciated to see more scenes with the "villains", or a slower rhythm within them.
What I could not predict in any way, even if the story presents itself in a quite simple manner, were the plot twists! The author left me speechless multiples times with the contrasting desire to keep reading and know what will happen next and the fear of it! One thing especially has been totally unexpected and I still have to recover from it.
Finally, the romance: if you believe you have seen everything with Cardan and Jude (from The Folk of the Air series), brace yourself, because Violet and Cyrus' relatioship is even more complicated and twisted! I wanted to smack their heads several times, but at the same time I rooted for these two SO much (anyway, Cyrus is absolutely my favorite character and he deserves better!).
A very good debut, can't wait to read the next one!

AMAZING!! I absolutely loved this book from the beginning to the end. I read it so fast (once I got around to it 😅) and everyone who’s been raving about this book was right! It was fabulous!! Gloriously woven, Gina Chen crafts a world and characters like no other full of magic, political intrigue, and conflicting romances. The main character, Violet, is a wonderfully rich character full of wit and sarcasm. Violet can see the future, but how much truth her divinations hold is debatable 😙 She’s such a beautiful endearing, and complex character. This book was exciting and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for Violet, Cyrus, and their world!

-Fun take on a fairytale
-Dark
-Interesting and engaging
-Twists we’re great and not really predictable, which is nice
-I do find it hard at times to see why the two characters liked one another.

Violet has always had visions of the future. As a destitute street child, she used these visions to save the life of the prince. Now, years later, she is the king’s Seer – and often, a talented liar – who influences the royal court on his behalf. She and Prince Cyrus can’t stand each other, and she knows that as soon as he’s king, she’ll be stripped of her position and banished. The king is pressuring her to “foretell” that Cyrus will soon meet and marry his true love – which is at odds with a vision of the prince’s death and a terrible curse which the old royal seer had before she died. And Violet herself is having terrible, violent dreams that tell of a curse awakened and a dire fate waiting for the prince... and for herself.

I found Violet to be an interesting character – selfish and prickly and yet also sympathetic, as much of her unlikeable behavior comes from an understandable position of self-preservation which has been molded by her early life, as well as the jaded nature that comes with years of being the king’s pawn. The enemies-to-lovers trope isn’t one of my favorites, but I thought it done in an interesting way here. The ending was unexpected and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the next book!

Representation: POC characters, LGBTQ characters

BROS THIS WAS GOOD i was not expecting that at all!!!! a little heavy to get through in the first half but the second half GAVE! it’s like if Cinderella was morally
grey and trying to figure out if she wants to be a villain or an antiheroine. i can’t wait for the sequel.

also this is definitely new adult, not YA, just so y’all know!!

An AMAZING book. I adored the writing very much. It is whimsical in the way of Diane Wynne Jones, the wit and humor of the main character give the book an extra layer of enjoyable. It isn't often that a story can make me laugh out loud, but this one certainly did.

This one was really good! I loved the morally gray characters, the dark fantasy elements, and the fairytale themes. I will say I did see a lot of the plot coming, because it was very standard YA fantasy. The same type of story, same types of tropes. However it still kept my attention and I enjoyed it.

This new take on fairy tales focuses on Violet, a prickly court seer that doesn't particularly care if she is likeable. She certainly doesn't care if Cyrus, the prince she saved years ago, earning her place in court, likes or hates her, as she rather hates him. But it is her place as seer to prophesize whether he will find love in time to break his curse and save the kingdom from war and destruction as the previous seer's prophecy foretold.

This book does so many things well! The "villainous" main character - this is my favorite type of character, so the bar was high, but this book does it well. The author made Violet properly prickly and supposedly unrelatable, but that just made me love her so much. Enemies to lovers - the chemistry is believable and enjoyable, moving the story forward as well as the rest of the plot. The beasts - The beasts were described so uniquely and beautifully, a strange combination of plant, fur. and horns. Camilla - Rivaling Violet and Cyrus for best character, Cyrus' twin sister Camilla is delightful! Confident, beautiful in a suit, great with a sword, and just as popular with the ladies as Cyrus, Camilla is the perfect princess for a modern fairy tale.

Finally, I just want to touch on the mentions of fairy tales that are scattered throughout the novel. This novel doesn't seem to be a retelling of any one fairy tale in particular, but there are references to various tales that I thought were fun and the main story taking on bits of plot points from a couple of tales, while also being its own completely original story.

I look forward to the next book!

Violet is a Seer, but that doesn’t mean she’s always honest with her predictions. In fact, her king often asks her to lie for the wellbeing of the kingdom. But when a false prophecy insinuating Prince Cyrus finding his true love will bring peace to the land instead causes a curse foretelling war in the near future, Violet has to grapple with her position within the court and whether her lies have been hurting rather than helping – not to mention dealing with a certain illicit attraction to the prince in question.

I sped through this read, hooked from page one. It boasts a very cool combination of a variety of fairytales melded together to create something wholly new – not an easy feat by any means. (I picked up on Beauty & the Beast and Cinderella, but I’m sure there are more.) An old-timey world with very modern language, a protagonist that doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that will have you tearing your hair out in frustration but also have your heart pounding in support? Sign me up.

I got Ella Enchanted (film, not book; they are very different) vibes galore. The vibes of rom-com, with high stakes fantasy and clever dialogue was fun fun fun. There’s court politics smartly played out on a small scale, and the foreshadowing that insinuates they’ll be present on a much larger scale come the sequel. Meet-cute moments combined with spicy dalliances. More fun fun fun. I already recommended it to my best reader friend.

This is one of the few instances of my not being annoyed by the inclusion of dreams in a book. Oftentimes they add a sense of foreboding and atmosphere without doing much else; in this sense, they are vital additions to the plot, moving the story forward and informing as to the true scope of Violet’s powers as a Seer.

The only thing holding me back from marking this a 5-star read is the wishy-washy, back and forth nature of the main romance. I love it, but it goes a couple steps too far, making me doubt the characters intentions and true desires. Also, I was decently confused by the ending. I didn’t understand the reasoning behind Violet’s choices, and the epilogue made me question the events making up the final conflict, and whether or not I actually read what I thought I did. Smaller things on top of loving the majority, but odd enough they need to be mentioned.

Either way, I can’t wait to see where this series goes!

Content warning: emotional manipulation, violence, blood, death, self-harm in a ritual/magical context, casual racism.

A not wholly likable protagonist, and antagonistic romance, an impossible situation that becomes possible in the end, and... monsters. This book sets out an interesting premise with promise, but throws in some elements that seem to come out of nowhere and go nowhere. Elements are introduced that could be taken better advantage of, but in this book feel unfinished, un-worked out. Perhaps it's setting up for a sequel. That said, the love scenes are worth the read alone. Chen can write a love scene that will leave you steaming!

This book gave me very strong From Blood and Ash vibes so if you’re a fan of that series you definitely need to give this book a read!

I loved the witchy/seer elements to this world. It felt new and intriguing and I couldn’t wait to see how everything came together! It took me a few chapters to get into but the enemies-to-lovers vibes really sucked me in! Also the fact that the MC is a badass and doesn’t take any shit really sold it for me!

If you’re a fan of witches, enemies-to-lovers, spies, and a world ending prophecy this is the one for you!