Wow. The long-awaited conclusion to this duology did NOT disappoint.

We pick up right where we left off at the end of These Hollow Vows, and lord…the title of this book is spot on because this baby was TWISTED. In the best way. I absolutely couldn’t put it down.

Ryan expanded on the stunning and cruel world she created in These Hollow Vows, bringing us deeper connections between these characters, beautiful friendships and soul deep bonds. She also widened the scope of the myths and histories of the Seelie and Unseelie courts to create a fate of a world that hinges on a band of misfits coming together, making hard choices and sacrifices and compromises to save and better the world they know and love.

If I had one bad thing to say, it’s that the ending felt kind of rushed. I knew what was coming in those final few pages, but I also forgot this was a duology so I guess I expected more? It’s still a five star read, but I would’ve liked those final pages to have been drawn out a bit more.

in conclusion

From the very first page, this was an action-packed story. It was heartbreaking, exhausting, gut-wrenching, spicy and I loved every single second.

I can not stress enough how much I loved this duology. I was left wishing it could have gone on forever. This picks up right after Bree finds out about Sebastian’s treachery and how she is now fae. This story we have Bree traveling to try to save the unseelie court. I loved Finn and Bree and while I hated Sebastian for a long time he redeemed himself towards the end.

I have mixed feelings, I think readers will eat this one up, lots of intrigue, magic, and romance for sure. However, not sure about the YA rating. I think for older teens it's fine, but if you need to watch your content due to state laws, there are some spicy scenes!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing this advance reader's copy for an honest review.

This was a well-crafted and rounded sequel to These Hollow Vows. I loved the characters and didn't want to say goodbye to them!

I was very thankful to have received an early copy of this from the publisher, despite the time it took me to get to it, I am glad to have read this series. I will recommend this to fantasy lovers as it has the perfect mix of a plot-driven storyline and interesting and compelling characters.

Lexi Ryan is an author I know I will return to for more great stories. Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, and all of the betrayals and self-discovery that Brie goes through are why these books are so worth reading.

Another page turner! These twisted bonds was a thrill ride! I loved the romance and development of relationships. I think the author could’ve delved even deeper. The start was a little slow but it picked up 25% in. Some elements felt rushed and I would’ve liked more detail and dialogue.

An EXCELLENT duology ending. This was perfect as a duology and I'm so happy it wasn't forced into a trilogy, the story was an excellent length and it allowed the plot to go at the pace it truly needed to go at so the pace was excellent. Loved the romantic angst with Brie and Sebastian. Highly recommend if you're looking for a good fantasy romance!

The characters showed growth in this follow up book that elevated the story. It was a strong twist on the love triangle and delivered an intriguing and exciting story.

This sequel was everything! I couldn’t wait to read it! I felt that some of the events towards the end were rushed to tie things up, but overall was everything I was hoping for!

I loved book one if this duology so much! This second book was quite good also, but I wish there was more to the story. I feel like if it had been made into a trilogy instead it would have been just as good as the first book and given us more time to enjoy some parts that I found laxkinf in this second book. Still a very good read, though. Love this duology.

I thought this one was really cute and it had a great resolution, but it wasn’t as good as book one, in my opinion. Unlike with book one I got a little bit bored in the middle and I wasn’t exactly happy about the ending just because I felt like it wasn’t as Interesting as book one. I did enjoy it. I read the whole thing. It only took me about a day, and I can see myself re-reading them in the future. I do think it’s a book that everyone can enjoy and will love.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I'm not going to lie, I didn't like this much.

I read These Hollow Vows last year. While I appreciated the book, it wasn't a favourite. I think I rated it three stars overall. The main thing I enjoyed in that book was the fact it was completely addictive to read. It was unputdownable and despite the flaws, I was looking forward to book two especially with book one's ending.

The book picks up immediately after the events of book one. I should've rejigged my memory by re-reading the last chapters but I ended up throwing caution to the wind and trusting my vague recollections. A lot of major logistical components eg the power of the crown and how the Shadow Throne operates would've been great to remember so I struggled a little bit on that front. This is definitely more of the binge-read type of series, as in, you'll struggle to find your footing if you don't read one book after the other or in a short time between the two books.

Apart from the above, I couldn't help but feel a little bored with this book? It's a fantasy and usually fantasy books have me on the edge of my seat with the fast-paced action and high stakes, but I felt like there was none of that? The first 50 or so pages were fast and filled with action but after that the stakes and tension of the situation died down a bit and it wasn't until the last 100 pages or so that the action picked up. I felt like a majority of the book wasn't necessarily plot orientated but more romance dominated with spicy scenes that honestly made me question if this belongs more in the New Adult genre than Young Adult, especially since the main character, Brie, didn't even feel like she was a 16 year old girl. Her character felt much older, 18-23 at least.

With the romance, honestly, I wasn't really sold on it. Maybe towards the end yes, but I couldn't help but eye-roll at the fact that she was manipulated by Finn and Sebastian (in book one) and yet she easily continued to pursue a relationship with Finn and still has feelings towards the other even though he severely broke her trust. Sebastian made me eye-roll the most. He was one of my favourite characters in These Hollow Vows (albeit a little whiny at times) but in this book he was borderline insufferable and childish.

I also didn't love Abriella. I didn't like her in THV and that hasn't changed in These Twisted Bonds. In book one, she appeared as very arrogant and in this book, she acted very much like a special snowflake always like "but I'm just a human" followed by every character telling her she's more than that and that she's so special. It got annoying very quickly.

Also, it felt like the spicy scenes were just fillers and honestly were needless. I would rather the plot progress further than hearing how much Abriella wants more of Finn and wants him all over her. I don't mind spice, but please just not so often in a book that the plot feels like it takes the backseat.

ACTUAL RATING: 2.3 STARS

I was frustrated that this book is considered Ya. I can’t suggest this book to students unless they are mature enough to read sex scenes that don’t further the plot. The story also resembles acotar way too much.

I was instantly smitten with this sequel to These Hollow Vows which I had been dying to read since I finished the first book. I love this world, the romance, and of course, Brie! Will definitely buy anything Lexi Ryan writes in the future!

These Twisted Bonds are was such a great follow up to the first. ACOTAR lovers should definitely give this one a read.

I really did enjoy this series but I did have a few issues with how this second book went...
I felt like at times it was just straight info dumping and could have been woven into the story more (I suppose this goes for both books, but more so this one). I also kept waiting for something major to happen and was panicking as I watched the percentage read on my kindle creep up, yet we haven't really had anything happen. That being said, the ending felt a little rushed, and I would have rather been left on a cliff hanger yet again and had this be a trilogy. I felt like the last 20/25% of the book SO MUCH happened and I was left with a wow its over and so much has happened and I wish this could have lasted longer kind of vibe. BUT all in all a great YA fantasy duology. Would recommend.

I loved the first one in the duology and was so happy the second one did not disappoint. I am not usually one who enjoys love triangles but this one was really well done. It did a really good job at making you like both love interests and struggling with who you wanted her to end up with. The continuation of the world building was also really good.

A wonderful conclusion to a great duology! I don't want to share too much of the plot, and of course one should read book one first. A seriously well written and enjoyable YA fantasy.

Things moved fast in this one! I felt like the romance got intense and deep quite quickly, and this is the rare time that I wish a book series was longer and spread across books. I liked the characters, however, and the way in which things were tied up. While I preferred the first book in the duology, I'll definitely pick up this author's books again!

i really really liked the first book so I was excited to get to read this one. We got a lot more character development in this book. The characters really came into their own roles. I like all the characters and i liked the love triangle with a twist.

Overall i thought this was good. I was definitely entertained. I enjoyed getting to see what was going to happen after book one ended and I was not disappointed.