Is this far too nitpicky? Yes. Do I care? Don't answer that.
So, if you're going to set up a whole ass magic system based on crewel work, for the love of all that is holy, please don't call it a damn quilt.

The story follows Io, a descendant of the Fates with the rare ability to sever threads of destiny. As a private investigator in a gritty, post-apocalyptic city, she’s hired to solve a series of mysterious murders that seem to be connected to fate magic. But as she unravels the case, she discovers a web of corruption, hidden truths, and a conspiracy that challenges everything she thought she knew. Along the way, she navigates complicated relationships, including a slow-burn romance with the enigmatic Edei, and the tense, fractured bond with her long-lost sisters.

Io is strong-willed, smart, and morally complex and this makes her compelling as the lead character. The political power struggles and the fate-based magic make it an immersive setting. The new take on Greek mythology is exciting and futuristic.

Threads That Bind is a must-read for fans of mythology-inspired fantasies with a dark and mysterious edge. If you enjoy books like Lore by Alexandra Bracken or The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, you’ll likely love this one. With a cliffhanger ending, the sequel is sure to be just as intense and gripping.

Threads That Bind offers a fascinating and immersive world that truly excels in its world-building. The setting is a post-apocalyptic landscape where magic and gods are intricately woven into a society still grappling with gangs, prejudice, and murder. While the world-building was incredibly rich, it did make the story move a bit slowly at times. However, I really appreciated how the author took the time to craft such a detailed, realistic environment that felt grounded despite the fantastical elements.

Io, the protagonist, was such a compelling character to follow. Her inner struggles with guilt and self-confidence made her feel very human, even in such a harsh world. Her journey is emotional and layered, giving the story real depth.

One of the things I especially enjoyed was the casual and natural inclusion of several queer side characters. It felt seamless and thoughtfully done, adding another layer of richness to the narrative without it feeling forced.

Overall, Threads That Bind is a strong start to the series, offering a mix of mystery, magic, and well-developed characters in a world that feels both gritty and magical. I’m excited to see where this story goes next!

This is a new take on a Greek mythology retelling. I am VERY into Mythology retellings. I usually stick to more dark or gritty retellings but this is a nice YA take on a Greek myth.

I haven't read a ton of fates retellings so i was interested to see how this would pan out. The FMC is a direct descendent of the fates and she must solve a series of murders to save her sisters , her mate and the city she lives in.
The FMC is the youngest of the three sisters and she is a private detective who is currently working on solving a string of murders where she comes to discover that their life thread was cut short. The act of cutting the life thread early is creating wraiths that are becoming a menace in the city.
During the investigation she becomes intertwined with a mob boss and some unlikely allies.

The cover is stunning, its what first really drew me into it.

This is a great place to start for some one who is in the YA level books to get in to some more of the mythology retellings.

This does have romance but its not "spicy" so its good for that late teenage audience or some one who prefers low heat romance. Lots of cute wholesome moments as well.


#ThreadsThatBind #NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley and Razorbill

Threads That Bind is a fantasy thriller based on Greek mythology. Though it's arguably on the lower end of fantasy, set in a world that's not too different from ours, the mythology is pretty intense so not for newbies. It's based on the somewhat more obscure mythology of the fates and follows Io, the youngest in a set of Fate sisters who uses her powers to work as a private investigator.
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It's Io's work as a PI where the mystery/thriller element comes in. There appears to be a serial killer who is targeting woman in her city, and Io must work with a seemingly ragtag group of people, including her childhood bestie and the boy whose soulmate she appears to be, to find the killer. There's a nice combination of fantasy and thriller elements, but even with the mythology piece, the mystery never gets too convoluted. Things get complicated for Io when she learns that their main suspect is the fiance of her semi-estranged eldest sister Thais.
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A big part of this story is actually about sibling relationships, and I thought that Hatzopoulou depicted Io's complicated relationships with Thais as well as her other sister Ava sensitively. Io arguably has a bad case of youngest child syndrome, but you really can't blame her when you see how her sisters have both helped her and let her down in her life. Given this context, Io has to reconcile her feelings about her sister with her suspicions about her fiance, and I felt it was done well.
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Overall, an engaging read.

I like the premise of this book and I love all mythology, but this book was too young adult for me. I know I'm not the intended age demographic for this novel though, so I'm sure young adult readers will enjoy it.

"One to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads."

This fantasy/mystery successfully weaves together an innovative magic system, politics (yes politics!), fated love (my favorite trope next to enemies to lovers), and familial perfidy and betrayal. The FMC Io and her sisters are "descendants of the fates" which in this case issssss not a good thing. Being *other* in this case is like being born on the wrong side of the tracks and obviously sets forth it's own set of challenges. FMC is basically racing against a ticking clock to solve the mystery behind a series of murders-and the only way to solve them? Being forced to partner up with her fated partner to her chagrin.

I recommend this if you like fast paced fantasy- heavy on the plot instead of the romance. It keeps you on your toes and the world is fun to be in!

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 thought that this book was a fantastic idea. I love the idea of looking into the youngest sister of the three Fates and having a new take on Greek mythology. I love the magical system and think it's a fresh take that I hope she continued into the sequel that happened. Also, the blending of different genres made for a very successful book. I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next after this series is done.

Review: The Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

I enjoyed reading The Threads That Bind and found the story intricate and captivating. However, there were moments where I felt a bit disappointed—the world-building, while intriguing, left some gaps that I wished had been further explored. I wanted more depth and explanation to fully immerse myself in the world.

That said, the premise is unique, and the story kept me engaged. Despite its shortcomings, I’m invested enough to continue the series and see how it all unfolds.

✨ Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC! ✨

I'm a sucker for anything related to Greek mythology and this book delivered. It was unique, action-packed, and complex. While it might be a lot to keep track of for some, I loved it.

The book starts a bit slow but is extremely enthralling once it hits its stride. The world-building of Threads That Bind is impressive and I love the blending of mythology (predominantly Greek but mentioned Egyptian influences too) into its politics, gangs, apocalyptic history, and cultural subtext.

The criminal mystery storyline was well done and I didn't figure out the "who" until just before the reveal. The fated-romance storyline could have been a bit better but it works for what Io and Edei. are building towards... a solid partnership built and respect and trust. Looking forward to the sequel(s).

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This isn't usually the type of book I enjoy, but I did like this one. I will say that at times the magic system was a little confusing and there was a lot of moving parts. Still, I think it is a book I would read again.

A good twist on mythology and a very engrossing book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

Thank you to the Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars overall, I had so much unexpected fun with this story and I can’t wait to read book 2!

First of all, the amount that I enjoyed this shocked me, and I had such a good time reading this - I ate this up in 3 days flat reading both audiobook and written formats. The plot was so interesting and fast paced, I did not see half of the twists and turns that came up throughout. I love that it was a fantasy investigative thriller with a really fun and mythological magical system mixed with a modern world touch. It kind of gave me some crescent city vibes too?! Fascinating.

The world building was fascinating, it does help to already know and understand some Greek mythology but it’s also not a requirement. There are rules within the world, but with a modern touch that make it relatable to our world. In essence, it's a fantasy world and city, but with many of the rules of our modern world + rules and ways of governing with a Greek mythology twist.

I loved the growth we saw in our FMC, Io, her character arc is by far my favorite. The growth she experienced felt natural throughout the trials and situations she was put in - nothing felt too over the top or impossibly insurmountable. For a fantasy novel, I felt as though the growth developed realistically and relatably. The sister and familial dynamics were some that were deeply relatable to me, which was a surprise and I think would be relatable to a lot of readers - young adult and adult!

The writing was easy to digest, and really easy to follow. It lended well to an investigative, mysterious story with all its twists. I didn’t find it too flowery, and as such, I would say that this is not a novel for prose lovers.

Overall, I had a great time reading this novel, and can’t wait to read the next book in the duology. Highly recommend this to both young adult and adult fantasy lovers!

I really wanted to like this book, but I just could not get into it and I really didn’t like the MC

The world building was lacking for me in the magic realm within seemed chunky and maybe lacking some backstory

I never felt invested and ended up putting my audiobook on 2x to just power through and get it over with

I will say about halfway through the book. We got to see the personality of the MC‘s best friend Rosa and I loved her, but that was really short-lived because then we don’t really hear from her again for the rest of the book which was a bummer cause her personality was my favorite

Threads That Bind is a fantasy that marries mythology, mystery and romance with a noir vibe.

I quite liked the world of this book, I thought it was a good twist on mythology and loved the general premise. It’s set in a kind of post-apocalyptic world where descendents of Gods inherit some of their powers. The MC, Io, and her two sisters are descendents of the Fates, and she can see and cut threads of fate. I also liked that the world didn’t just have Greek Gods, it was more regional, but this one definitely had a Greek mythology focus. I’m very familiar with and absolutely love Greek mythology so I enjoyed all the references.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a bit repetitive in how it gives you information which got a little tiring, but overall, I found the mystery to be intriguing, and I was very invested in the romance. Especially after a certain point I really couldn’t put this book down.

The romance was quite interesting to me, because they’re fated and because the MC can see threads of fate, she can see the thread connecting them. But the two don’t just jump into it. It’s not even clear if they’ll actually end up together. This fated-ness causes dilemmas for the MC between fate, predetermination and free will. Do they give into fate, does that make their connection weaker or stronger or do they go with free will, would they even actually choose each other without fate? I really was rooting for them throughout though.

One of the other big relationships in the book is the one between Io and her sisters. Their connection is very strained and complicated especially because one of them is emotionally abusive and has abandoned the family. But at the same time because of their powers they’re “three bodies, one soul”. This abuse and the complexity of the situation caused by their supernatural ties is handled quite well.

I didn’t always agree with Io, thought she made many terrible decisions and abused her powers, which made it a bit annoying to read at times.

I hadn’t realized this was a series when I started, but I’ll likely be reading the next book.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was very interesting but it took me a while to get through it. Overall, I enjoyed it and I recommend this novel as a unique take worth reading. Looking forward to reading the second half of this duology.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Threads That Bind.

I love anything to do with Greek myth, and this book was no exception. A really brilliant adaptation of the three fates!

*Threads That Bind* by Kika Hatzopoulou is a captivating, emotionally charged novel that weaves together themes of family, identity, and the complexities of personal connections. Hatzopoulou’s writing is vivid and evocative, drawing readers into the rich, multi-layered narrative. The characters are well-developed, each struggling with their own challenges and relationships, which adds depth and authenticity to the story. While the pacing can be a bit slow at times, the emotional payoff makes it worthwhile. The book explores powerful, universal themes with sensitivity and grace. A compelling read for anyone who enjoys character-driven, thought-provoking fiction with a touch of heart.