Threads That Bind pulled me in right away with its creative magic system and fast-paced opening. The gods-based system of fate threads was unique and vividly described, making it easy to imagine how it all worked. Unfortunately, as much as I was hooked at first, my interest started to wane about halfway through.

The plot became a bit repetitive, and while the fate thread concept was intriguing, I didn’t feel much chemistry between Io and Edei, which made their romance fall flat for me. I had high hopes for this book, and while the ending was exciting and set up the sequel well, the middle section dragged too much for me to feel fully invested in the characters or their journey.

While I don’t think I’ll continue with the series, I’d still be interested in reading more from this author in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Threads that Bind immediately drew me in with its unique magic system and fast paced plot. I really appreciated the thought that went into this Gods-based magic system and could easily visualize the threads. While this initially had me hooked, somewhere about half way in I slowly lost interest. The plot felt a bit redundant at times and the fate thread was interesting in theory, but I did not feel much of a romantic connection between Io and Edei. I would read more by this author but I’m not sure I’ll finish this series. The ending was very exciting and definitely seems like the plot will set the sequel up well, but I am not overly invested in these characters.

I thought that the magic system and atmosphere were super cool in this book. Some of the characters were very frustrating but I really enjoyed Io, the main character, and felt very sympathetic for her.

I liked the world and the different powers each person had. I liked that it was a fantasy murder mystery. I guessed it fairly easy, but there were still other surprises at the end. Bianca is my favourite character. I like how grey she is. I am interested in how this is going to end in the next book. I didn’t like the insta love. I was hoping she would cut the fated thread and then still end up liking him. I needed more buildup for the relationship. Their banter was lacking. Edei is a bit boring. I would rate this more like 3.75

I really had such high hopes for this book! It was intriguing at the beginning and the end made me want to read the next book! However, I probably won't because the middle 2/3 of the book was so slow and a bit boring. I loved the characters and the plot but something about the writing let me wanting more.
Thank you to @netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I went into this book excited by its unique premise and link to Greek mythology, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. The world-building is dense, elaborate and a bit repetitive. There were also so many characters that I found myself mixing them up, except for Io and Edei, who stood out just a bit more. My biggest struggle, though, was connecting with the characters. They felt distant, and I never really got to know them well enough to care deeply about their stories. In the end, it just didn’t click for me.

It has been seriously way too long that i've had this and haven't reviewed it, time has just really badly gotten away from me. While I haven't finished this book yet I did start it a few months ago and I look forward to finishing it soon when I have the time for a new fantasy series again which is hopefully soon. When I do, Ill come back and say more about it but for now I loved what I read and Ive heard great things about the entire duology. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy!

📖 I found the plot to be super interesting. I love Greek mythology, and love to read about the children of the gods (however far removed from the gods they are). The children of fate is also incredibly interesting to me.

The book starts out so strong, I was fully invested. The middle it meandered a bit more than I prefer. It does have interesting twists and turns and ends on quite the cliffhanger.

I love and appreciate the insights on society that leave the reader to draw parallels with our society.

🗺 I found the world building to be excellent. Lots of details that make it easy to invision. I love that instead of info dumping on the reader, the world is built by interspersing information throughout.

🔮 Being able to see and cut the threads of fate is wildly fascinating to me and I enjoyed it immensely.

Some of the magic could've been developed and explained a bit more. It was developed and explained enough that everything made sense, but I would've loved to have gotten just a tiny bit deeper, more thorough, explanations in some areas.

✍️🏼 The writing is descriptive without going into purple. I felt like it flowed well and was easy to read and imagine.

⏳️ I felt like the pace could have been a bit more consistent, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Pacing was solid, basically, but I felt like it bogged down a bit in a couple of places.

👥 I loved the characters! Characters are important to me, and these were well developed and interesting enough to help me with the pacing some. The inner struggle with things like a lack of self confidence as well as personal guilt were interesting and helped me to connect more deeply with that character. I love and appreciate that the cast is diverse and inclusive.

💞 The romance was good. Not my favorite couple, yet, but I enjoyed it. It starts off more insta-love that I enjoy, but thankfully becomes more later on.

🪟 My expectations were quite high for this book, since I've been hearing nothing but hype for a solid year. That could be part of why it just wasn't quite a 5 star read for me.

I loved the concept of this book however it was kind of hard for me to stay connected to it. I was getting to the point where I was trying to finish the book because I felt that I had to. However, I’ve spent about a month and a half trying to get through it and only got to 50% of it read. Beautiful cover, beautiful concept, just not for me I guess :/

This was a great read with awesome scene development and the characters were drawn out very well. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.

Rating highly because I love the magic system and how completely unique it is. The worldbuilding is fully realised and I loved that there's an urban fantasy feel to it.

The main character has the power to see the Quilt, which is the threads of fate between people. I particularly loved the fate thread that leads to a boy she never looked for but has to now work with him so solve the murders happening in the city.

I felt that by the midway point I felt that the mystery elements were a little drawn out and the pacing wasn't as fast as I wanted, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment.

“Tolerating wickedness can ensure your survival - but
also cause a feeling of slow death.”

“You know, one day you'll need to grow the hell up and let other people decide for themselves if they like you or not.”

⭐⭐⭐💫

Content warnings: murder/violence/death (including family members)/blood/injury/gun violence/gore, emotional abuse/gaslighting/toxic relationship, classism/xenophobia/racism, war/genocide, grief, abandonment, animal cruelty/death (including rabbits)

Thank you Netgalley and Razorbill for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this via an e-book ARC, library physical copy, and library audiobook.

I requested this book because, aside from the stunning cover, because I adore reading books inspired by or about mythology. I grew up mostly on Greek mythology, but this is one of the first time I had the opportunity to read a book by a Greek author!

Threads That Bind follows Io, the youngest of three siblings who are all descendants of the Fates. They all have a different and specific ability and Io is a Cutter. This means she has the ability to end people's connection or love for people/places/things or even their very life thread. Can she use this ability to solve the mystery of how and why a murderer who seems set on vengeance doesn't seem to *have* a life thread? Can she also use it to sever her fate thread to the boy she's never met who already has a girlfriend?

The characters in this book were very fun and had distinct personalities! I didn't particularly have anyone that I grew most attached to, though. Maybe one of the younger gang members, I think his name is Nico? The silly and talkative one! The atmosphere of a Greece-inspired setting was beautiful; I would have loved to explore it more! It seemed like most of the time we were just inside haha. The writing was great, but I didn't have any saved quotes by the end. This may be because I listened to most of the middle on audiobook, though.

I felt the two original plot points (should she cut her fate thread and who is behind the murders) were not as resolved as I would have liked. I feel like there would have been a more dramatic cliffhanger if Io either <spoiler> cut the fate thread or they made a mutual decision (at the time at least) not to or having it end with her showing up to wherever the gods are on the final page (if they're even the real villains)</spoiler>. I was also a little bit confused by the specific powers of each god's descendants (how did xxx allegedly use Io's ability? etc.), but am excited to hopefully learn more in book 2! I'm not sure if this is a duology or trilogy either.

Overall, my enjoyment was about a 7/10. There was a rabbit killed in gruesome detail and I was listening in the shower, so I both wasn't expecting it and couldn't get out of the shower in time to skip past it. I'd really appreciate content warnings in books more often. The romance was interesting and I did like the romance scenes and slow burn, but I never felt a large amount of chemistry from their actual dialogue and everyday interactions.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Greek mythology, YA romance, and who don't mind a bit of gore in their YA books.

All I needed to hear was descendants of fates, and I was sold!! they're always so interesting and this one was no exception. I was really hooked with the story. It's a fun greek mythology with a supernatural mystery twist and really played the part well! I'm excited to read more of this world!

Percy Jackson type apocalyptic-dystopia

Slow beginning with an abrupt ending, but I love the concept. I’m so attached to this story line now

I think this book will really resonate with middle school and high school students who are into mythology. Unfortunately, it didn't appeal to me. I found it teally hard to get into.

I've always been fascinated by Greek mythology since childhood, so I was really eager to dive into this book. Sadly, the execution fell a bit flat, and it didn’t grip me the way I had hoped.

The real standout for me was the magic system—it’s unique and truly captivating. I also enjoyed the murder mystery and the strong theme of sisterhood. While the characters were decent, I found myself wishing for more depth and development. My biggest frustration, though, was with the pacing and the overwhelming amount of info-dumping. These aspects made it hard to stay engaged, and at times, I felt tempted to stop reading. I’m also not a huge fan of insta-love, which initially made me less invested, but over time, Io and Edei's relationship did grow on me.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, even though certain parts struggled to hold my attention. It has potential, and I’m open to reading the sequel to see how the story progresses.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hatzopoulou has created a duology as her first entry into publishing. "Threads That Bind" was initially conceived as an adult fantasy.

However, the age of our protagonist, Io, the youngest of the triad, prompted the author to reconsider the books for YA readers.

In this world, which is possibly Earth in a dystopian state due to ecological disasters like melted polar ice, acid rain, and horrendous typhoons, the city-state of Alante is half-sunken. Living in the Silts, the lowest level both economically and geographically, the sisters have formed a PI business. The business thrived until Thais disappeared, and Ava turned to her true love, performing. This left Io to maintain the business. In the opening, she unwittingly witnesses a crime committed by someone who appears to be a zombie.

Book one primarily focuses on world-building. The plot often slows down as characters explain their backgrounds. Io, who is very young at the beginning, ages quite rapidly throughout the story, largely due to her life being constantly at risk.

Action scenes are numerous, leading to strong relationships between Edei Rhuna, her fated soul mate, and Bianca, the leader of the Silts, a full-fledged crime boss.

As mentioned, the author originally intended this to be an adult fantasy. In my opinion, it might require a dedicated young adult reader to stay engaged with the book. The political intrigue, the romance, and the overall prophecy regarding Io ultimately deliver a book that leaves the reader eager for book two.

Great story with strong characters and a very cool magic system. It took me a bit to get into it, but when I did, look out. I loved it and cannot wait for more.

for fans of:
✨ mythology-inspired fantasy
✨ soulmates
✨ complex sibling relationships

in a post-apocalyptic world where the descendants of gods inherit their powers, io uses her abilities as a private investigator. she is a moira-born, descended from the fates, and has the ability to see people’s threads to life and the things they love—a useful skill when chasing down cheating spouses and affair partners. her latest job leads her to an impossible discovery: someone is severing women’s life threads and releasing the resulting wraiths into the city to kill. in order the solve the mystery, she must work alongside a boy she has never met, but shares a rare fate thread with.

part murder mystery, part fantasy, and part family drama, threads that bind is such a unique approach to the mythology trend. i enjoyed hatzopoulou’s world-building and how she weaves multiple mythologies into her magic system. the romance is too instalovey for my tastes, but i’m picky about YA romance. the intricate bonds between io and her sisters and overarching mystery made up for the weak romance and intrigued me from beginning to end—i picked up the sequel immediately.

I really enjoyed the magic system in this book. The way the Greek gods were incorporated into a magic system was unique and interesting. The political climate were thrust into mixed with this unique post apocalyptic disaster world vibes makes for a strong setting and helps amp up the urgency felt within the plot. This book is a fantasy murder mystery, which I thoroughly enjoyed despite having guessed the perpetrator. I can’t wait to read the next book.