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.

I'm not going to lie the cover is 100% the reason I first got interested in this, but then it came out and I have heard so many great reviews so I've been really excited to read. When I started it I couldn't help but just feel utterly dissapointed. The worldbuilding felt very clunky. It was a massive info-dump, and it was really hard to keep everything straight, and just remember. However, that definitely got better as the book continued, and by just pushing through things got clear on their own. It is a very complex world, and the way it was explained was just a bit of a letdown.
Like I said before once we actually get into the story this becomes a much better read. In fact once we got over the halfway mark I would argue this becomes an incredible read. It is just such an engaging and gripping story. It very much plays out like a mystery, but it is incredibly well executed. The way this book just makes you suspect person after person just to be wrong in the end is incredibly done. The actual reveal also makes a whole lot of sense, and made my actual jaw drop even when I did figure it out a little bit before it was actually revealed.
I also really liked the cast of characters. Io in particular was a great main character to follow. I wouldn't say she's morally grey, but she does live on the edge of that a little bit. She's grown up in though world and is though because of that. Eddie was also a great secondary character. I thought he balanced Io out greatly, and together they became a perfect team. I do think their romance is a bit underdeveloped. Despite this being a bit of a slower burn, their feelings for each other com out of nowhere to me. I just would have liked to see this develop a little bit more especially because I do really love their dynamic together.
However, the most important relationship in this book is that off Io and her sisters, Ava and Thais. It is the absolute crux of this book, and it is incredibly complex, slightly toxic even. I thought it was just so incredibly interesting, and very well executed. I can't discuss it more because of spoilers but I am extremely curious to see more of these three in book two after the events of this one. All of the other side characters in this book also really helped bring this book to live.
So yeah, in conclusion this was a couple of flaws removed from being a new favourite book, but it is still really good. I feel like most of those little flaws could be contributed to the fact that this was a debut. Therefore I am extremely excited to read the second book. Oh, and then we're not even talking about the cliffhanger this book ends on. I'm glad I'm late on the trend with this book just so I can delve into book two extremely soon. Highly recommend this one!

What a great read. I was sucked in right from the beginning. I thought that the magic system was one that I hadn't really seen before, and loved how it tied back to the three sisters of fate. I was on the edge of my seat just waiting for all of the pieces to come together. While I would have loved a little more show vs tell, this was a great read.

3 star read for me. I will be reading the next one. This just fell a bit flat for me, but the world and concept are so cool. I have been recommending this to my customers who love greek mythology.

*thank you Penguin Randomhouse for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

holy shit. talk about a fantasy with so much incredible depth in the magic system, the history of the world, and in the characters themselves.

This is a fantasy with a base in greek myth, and although it would have definitely been nice to have a bit more knowledge of greek myth coming into the story, Hatzopoulou does a great job of giving you what you need to understand the context of the magic system if you don't have any previous understanding of the different gods and what they did in the greek myths.

I absolutely loved the characters. I love the morally gray of the story. Can justice be black and white or are there crimes that are justified? Is revenge justified? When discrimination plays a role, are the parties who aren't in power never culpable for their mistakes and are the people in power always wrong solely for being in power?

The CLIFFHANGER hurt me. I am R U N N I N G to the shelves for Hearts that Cut immediately.

This is peak fantasy. Absolutely fantastically written. I'm so grateful that I was given access to this first book in order to review the sequel!

The Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou is a thrilling novel packed full of twists and compelling storylines that kept me glued to the page. The worldbuilding, narrative, and characters are all masterfully woven (a bit of a pun on the book itself) and heart-wrenching that I found myself writing down snippets to return to again and again.

Firstly, the world-building! Hatzopoulou has managed the near-impossible in the realm of fantasy by blending a multitude of global pantheons - monotheistic and polytheistic - together to create a new era of magic ruled by demi-god like characters. The rules of the world are clear and easy to follow. I found myself pleasantly surprised to realize that I was never confused over how the whole system works - once again, a bit of a rarity in a new fantasy world that I myself have yet to master - and Hatzopoulou skillfully lays information out drip by drip as the reader needs it. We are able to follow along with the main character, Io, as she works to solve a set of magical murders, unwinding the world at the same time as she unwinds the investigation. We also get to know the Silts, a slum in the main city Atlante of a post-apocalyptic world, as we are introduced to the political and social influences made up of gangs, corrupt police and politicians, and a deeply divided people struggling on the edges of destruction, xenophobia, poverty, and bigotry.

But we can only love a world as much as we love its characters; in this realm, Hatzopoulou once again rose to the occasion. Hatzopoulou does not disappoint in providing deeply complex and flawed characters from Io to her sisters to the mob-queen Bianca. I found myself loving and hating each person, gasping out loud as their secrets were revealed, and even cheering them on as they neared their goals. This book is also full of amazing queer representation and a wide diversity of races and ethnicities that almost feel familiar to us readers, even in a distant, corrupted world of the far-flung future. Their struggles are our struggles when it comes to difficult family and battling against poverty and oppression. My heart broke for Io as she navigated this world in her own way when the odds were so heavily stacked against her.

Overall, this book was a delight. I am actually glad to be able to review it after the book has been published, mostly because I was able to get the sequel from my local library the very next day when I had finished it. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends and family!

high stakes fantasy, mythological retelling, and intricate magic systems, this book will simply take your breath away.

Hatzopoulou's "Threads That Bind" centered around the story of three fate born sisters, one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut. It followed Io, the youngest sister, and the cutter, as she tried to solve a series of horrific murders that have occurred in her city.
This book featured beautiful writing and amazing character dynamics, especially through Io and her sisters, who grew up in less then ideal circumstances. It also had a very interesting take on the idea of soulmates that I think was executed really well. The aspects of mythology were imbedded into the story so well, and even if you weren't familiar with the classic myths before, you would be able to follow along with the book.
The only down side is that by the end of the book, so many things were happening at the same time that it was a little difficult to follow along with the plot.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Threads That Bind" and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

HELLOOOOO fantasy!!! we are so back!!!!! this was positively phenomenal. i loved every character so much, they were truly so fleshed out and were the heart of this story. i know this is a first book in a new series and i need the next one immediately if not sooner!

Where to begin? I was drawn into the hype and that gorgeous cover … the promise of a crime thriller set in a post apocalyptic fantasy land … but this is pure modern YA and all the ick that implies. Against a murder plot we have a group of teens who have “things” for each other and can’t believe it. And “cutter” as the name of those with a special power in a youth-oriented read? Major oversight. The world building was hard to understand, with a lot of references to Greco-Roman myth … I fumbled through the names in my mind. The crime thriller? A peripatetic whodunnit that merely extended the length of the book. I’m afraid this one just wasn’t for me.

thank you so much to negtalley for providing me with a digital copy! all opinions are my own 😊

why is this book so underrated omggggg 😱😱
i wasn't understanding a word until it all started to make sense. the different other-born and why they exist was really cool, something i've never read about. i wish i could have a map of the city because i had the idea of the city but it would've been better to have a visual, but also the originality of the city sounded pretty awesome. and then EDEI SHOWED UP AND OMGGGG i really thought he would be like a super cool bad guy who enjoys being in the mafia but he ended up being super sweet and a delight to read about, i adored every time he was in a scene... he didn't deserve that much suffering tho.
the idea of the sister love and how the closest people you have can be the cause of great pain was something so interesting to read because BOY I REALLY FELT THAT 😭😭 i loved how Io was changing her mind and deciding she didn't have to live with that guilt, i truly liked the side characters and despised Thais from the very beggining. i honestly can't wait to read the sequel because the high stakes are huuuge and i need an ending now 😱😱

I was initially drawn to this book because of my love for mythology. i think my only concern is the world building. while i found it wonderful, i think if someone is coming in without a broad range of knowledge for the lore, they could get lost. i would suggest a glossary for the types of beings ine the book and/or edit minorly to give brief descriptions closer to introducing the characters. some instances felt like there was too much plot or exposition before properly introducing the lore surrounding them

otherwise, i loved the plot and the slow burn. aching for the next in series

Title: Threads That Bind
Format: E-book
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: An Arc given by Netgalley for an honest review.

In Alante there are people called other-borns that have abilities. The population of Other-borns in Alante is one in a hundred. Io is a moira-born and can see the threads of fate. The is what Io calls a wraith killing other-borns and must work with her fated love to solve where they are coming from and why they are killing.

This story had a lot of potential. It lost me with all the repetitive phrases, the font changes, and all the random names of groups thrown into the story. I would reread and continue with the story but in physical form.

This is a unique way to create a fantasy world around a well known mythology. Sometimes it can be complicated, but it’s still absorbing. Io is a great main character and the ending is satisfying in some ways, but definitely sets up a second book. Sometimes books that are part of series don’t have an ending, but I didn’t feel that way here. I appreciated the romance without feeling it was the only part of the story. I’ll definitely read the second one.