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!

I hope there are plans for a sequel for this one! This is (hopefully) a great beginning to a story spanning multiple kingdoms and fantastical elements. Violet is a Seer (basically an oracle) for her kingdom, but catering especially to the royal family. Every day, she has to juggle a power hungry king, fairies, a possible evil witch, and of course, the Prince, who she loathes with a passion. And yes, it may seem obvious where this is going, but the journey the author takes us on to get there is both compelling and FUN. This is a really great entry into the "strong young women who kick ass and also happen to be magical" genre, and I've got my fingers crossed that there is much more to come for Violet.

This is the second most unique fantasy story I've read in the past few years. I love Violet and her wry humor, deceptively big heart, and quick wit. I can't wait to see what happens with her. I got very attached to these characters very quickly. I'm so happy to see more fantasy stories with strong female leads and unique storylines. This was awesome, I loved it.

I really enjoyed reading this YA fantasy novel! I thought the plot was really unique. The characters were great, and very well written. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, and I look forward to what Gina Chen writes next!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I loved Violet, the set-up was potentially interesting, and enemies-to-lovers is always hot when it's done right, but in this case the love interest and relationship weren't developed enough for it to really work as well as it needed to. However, this was still a quick, fun-enough read that fans of YA fantasy romance will enjoy--and again, the heroine is worth giving it a chance for!--so I'd leave off trying to compare Violet Made of Thorns to The Cruel Prince (as that comp does it no favors, personally I'd have gone with Sarah J. Maas sooner) and recommend as what it is to those I know will enjoy it.

3.5/5

The protagonist in this book is wild. She's a bit of anti-hero and I loved her unapologetic lying self. I had a harder time figuring out Cyrus, but did enjoy the battle of quips he and Violet were involved in. Their romance is a hate-to-love one, and the hate vibes were STRONG. I also liked all the fairytale-esque elements in the book, though I'll admit the world-building felt just a bit fuzzy. I'm interested to see where the story heads next. Violet Made of Thorns was a solid debut!

The book isn’t a retelling but feels like a mash of multiple fairytales with witches, curses, and fairies abound. I adored this about the book. There are nods to classic tales, including Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Even as the tale feels familiar, it entrenches readers in its own spell because its different enough, dark enough that readers know it isn’t the standard fare nor is Violet the standard damsel. This is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Violet is bold, a brazen character who speaks her mind. She doesn’t hide behind a veil of deceit; she ensures people know what she is capable of. Chen does a superb job fleshing out Violet as someone with realistic expectations of her future. Her selfish actions stem from the simple, relatable desire to survive. It’s easy to try to pin her as the villain when she’s cultivated a brazen personality, saying and doing what she deems necessary for her survival.

Although the focus remains on Violet, there is a sufficient amount of court politics at play. The struggle for power is a predominant theme throughout the book, and if you like political intrigue, this will surely satisfy the craving. The enemies-to-lovers romance is also demonstrative of this power struggle.

Individuals who like fairy tales that a bit twisted and morally gray characters will enjoy Violet Made of Thorns.

This was such a fun, fast read! If you love snarky, amoral characters, enemies to lovers, and magic, then this is a book for you!

I instantly loved Violet. She was not exactly a good person, but her actions made sense and she always kept things interesting; even when I wanted to smack her for being an idiot! And the rest of the characters were equally infuriating and entertaining.

The world Chen created was also so fun and interesting. I loved the magic system and the politics in this book. It all felt very real, like I could step right into this world.

I'm so glad I had the chance to read this book. It was exactly what I wanted and was so much fun. I can't wait to see where the story goes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Violet Made of Thorns (Violet Made of Thorns #1) by Gina Chen sounded like it would be exactly right up my alley. All I had to hear was that it was for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove since I enjoyed both of those. While it has a lot of potential, it just never worked for me. It begins really well, but after that it fell flat. The world-building is pretty non-existent and the story gets confusing fast. It also didn't particularly deliver on the court politics either. It seems like it's whole selling point was the romance was just annoying in my eyes. It wasn't all bad, though, because Violet was actually a good character to read - mostly.

I hate giving negative reviews, but hey, one persons yuck is another’s yum so maybe it will still help this book find its audience. Here we go:

1. To me, this book felt like a poor attempt to recreate “The Cruel Prince,” while I liked Jude and Cardan, Violet and the Prince were simply annoying to me. They felt shallow and childish. Nothing about them made me care about their outcome.

2. The world building was a bit confusing. There’s magic, a fairy wood, Violet is a Seer, and…I’m not really sure what else? They’re in a magical kingdom, that’s what I got lol.

3. The enemies to lovers was pretty much enemies that touched each other a few times? Also, why do they hate one another?? Violet says she saved the prince once when they were younger, but then they grow up..are very attracted to each other..but hate each-other? It was weird and didn’t feel fleshed out at all.

4. The plot was all over the place. Honestly there were many holes. Additionally, a lot of things that happened felt predictable. And again, it felt like a poor attempt to be “The Cruel Prince.”

5. The writing felt incredibly inconsistent. Some of Violet’s one liners made me cringe and also felt very modern- which threw me off. Then, there would be very pretty and flowery prose thrown in here and there. Overall, I didn’t care for the writing style. But again, that’s a personal preference.

&finally the ending
It felt like I read the book for nothing. What was the point? I get there’s supposed to be a sequel but IMO, everything got chaotic and fell apart at the end. 🫤

**Writing a book is hard, I’m sure the author put in a lot of effort & I want to say that just because this didn’t do it for me, doesn’t mean others won’t love it. If the tropes in “The Cruel Prince” are your bread and butter, if you absolutely eat that stuff up- then you may really like this book! If you want a quick easy read with lots of tension, anger, and angst- not a love story, again,you may like “Violet Made of Thorns.” It’s a dark fairytale- not a happily ever after.
I will say the banter in this book was fun at times. Additionally, the princess Camilla was funny and likable.**

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is full-on delicous to experience. With a strong anti-heroine who might begrudgingly want to be good, a prince who isn't all that sweet and innocent, and a world of magic and prophecy that is completely unique.... this book is such a treat. I couldn't put it down. Three spicy peppers and a lot of hate kissing. Enemies to lovers might be enemies to enemies that like to make out ;)

I need the next one right now. I loved this one. I could not put it down. It was the perfect fairytale! Violet is an orphan that was brought to the palace after saving the prince. Now she is seer to the king. Cyrus is the prince she saved. Now they hate each other. Or do they? I love that Violet was not perfect. She has trust issues and makes bad decisions. I cannot wait to read the next book. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House/Delacorte Press for the Ebook arc in exchange for my honest review.

TW/CW: Sex, body horror, fantasy violence

RATING: 4/5

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Violet Made of Thorns is the story of a young seer called Violet who tries to navigate the terrible prophecies that plague her kingdom, as well as the feelings she has for the Crown Prince Cyrus.

I have mixed feelings about this book, so I’ll give the good first and then what bothered me. First, the story. I loved the story. I loved the idea of a seer with prophecies she can’t understand and can’t make right. It was well written and definitely kept me awake until 2am to finish this book! I also really loved Camilla. She was a great character and I would have liked to see more of her. Also, more about the fairies and just the mythology of the world – because all of that was fascinating to me.

I guess the main thing I didn’t like was the relationship between Cyrus and Violet. I just…never felt it. It never clicked for me. I’ve never been a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but this one just took it way too far – I won’t say exactly how because I don’t want to give spoilers, but they definitely didn’t feel like lovers to me at the end.

Apart from that, though, I though this was a really good book and I’ll definitely give the sequel a chance too. 🙂

Violet made of Thorns is full of suspense, dark prophecy, and court intrigue with a serving of enemies-to-lovers on the side. There is also plenty of magic in this story and prophesies that spell doom. If you like your fairy tales on the darker side, this is the book for you.
Violet is a young Seer working for the King. She is one of only a few in the world and her talents are highly sought after. However, she didn’t receive proper instruction on the use of her gifts and though the visions and dreams are easy enough, there are other things her magic is capable of that she has yet to discover. Of course, there are people who wish to exploit her youth and lack of knowledge.
The King being one of those that will use her for his own ends. He frequently asks Violet to lie about what she sees or does not see. The latest lie is about Prince Cyrus’s upcoming engagement, even though he has yet to secure a bride.
Also, there is a dark prophecy surrounding Prince Cyrus. The prophecy Violet has, or says she has, could have dire consequences for both herself and the realm. Ultimately, the choices she and Cyrus make will determine the fate of everyone.
There was a lot of tension between Violet and Cyrus. I get the resentment that the Prince felt toward Violet. He cared about her but didn’t like her being a tool for his father to use as he desired. I felt that resentment was a little misplaced. However, it did allow for the tension between them and this enhanced the plot.
What I didn’t get was the hot to cold thing that was going on between the two. One minute they were making out and the next the claws were out. This part of the story felt like it needed further polish. In addition, I would have loved just a little more character development for Cyrus. His character was not as rounded as Violet.
The plot was interesting and it moved nicely along. Though, I was not a fan of the ending. It was a bit rushed and left too much unanswered for me. Yeah, I get that it is the first book in a series. Even taking this into account, the ending was not as organic as it could have been. In short, I wanted a bit more of an ending. One more chapter would have been nice.
Despite the few minor complains I had, I liked this story a lot. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what will happen next. If you enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale, this book should be on your TBR list.
I received a free copy, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, please see my blog at www.thespineview.com.

With such a gorgeous cover and and interesting premise, I immediately wanted to read this book. However, that's where my interest faded because I literally could not stand the main character. Not only was she annoying but she was also an awful person. And yeah I get it, she's supposed to be morally grey, but even those characters have to have something likable about them, right? I guess not in this case. I tried to like this book, but it the end this was definitely not for me.