Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is available May 30,2023.

Holy mother of Pearl but this book was a wild ride! Greek mythology, The Fates as 3 sisters, furies, monsters, wraiths and a murder mystery plot. There is also a romance sub plot. It has EVERYTHING you could want in a ya fantasy book. I was hooked from the first few sentences and devoured this book. I highly highly recommend it. It is worth every penny and I will be buying it for myself when it comes out.

One to weave, one to draw, and one to cut.

Io is a cutter, a moira-born along with her two sisters, who channels the power of the Fates. In the two years since her oldest sister left, she has made a living as a private investigator. When the Stilts is terrorized by a series of murders, Io is hired by the mob queen of the Stilts and forces her to face what she's been avoiding: the other end of her fate-thread.

This book combines murder investigations with gods and mythology, and I was absolutely here for it. Now I can't actually say much more, especially since half the fun is in putting the pieces of the puzzle together, but I will say that by the end, I needed the next book in my hands-ASAP.

Okay, before I get into my praise for this, I want to list the negatives. Firstly, the mystery aspect wasn't as strong as it could be. I knew way too much of what was coming before I ever should have (but I still didn't know everything, so that's a plus). Another thing is that there are a lot of instances of information being repeated. As the reader, this quickly became annoying. Lastly, the characters are a little hit and miss in how well developed they seem. Most of them are well crafted and believable, but a few fell flat for me. I just couldn't connect with them. They weren't just the minor characters, either. Io's sisters, for instance, just didn't work for me.

Now, you'd think that would mean I didn't enjoy the book, wouldn't you? On the contrary, I really did enjoy it. The romance felt genuine (and was adorable); Io's and Edie's story arc is painful in its awkwardness, which is a huge part of its charm for me, as it makes it more believable. The story overall was interesting - including the mystery, and the world is well developed and hard to resist. Fiction based on Greek mythology often is for me, especially when it's about the Fates.

On top of all of that, the author also includes trans and non-binary characters, as well as having other queer relationships, and it felt completely natural to the story and the world. The world is written in such a way as to mirror many current social issues, such as racism and classism, and does so in a way that feels genuine and believable. My rating is 4 out of 5, rounded up from 3.75, and I definitely plan to continue reading the series.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting story, who doesn't mind cliffhangers (things are still very much up in the air at the end of this book).

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Penguin Young Readers Group for the early copy. This has been my honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5 ✨

Thank you! @penguinteen @kikahatzopoulou
For my Netgalley EARC

I will start off by saying the Cliffhanger of an ending was amazing and genius!

I absolutely love Los character development throughout the whole book! It begins off with Lo being hired by the mob queen to solve a set of very interesting murders with women being created into justice thirsty killers. They kill with their life thread which Lo believes should be virtually impossible!

We also find out she herself is a cutter and can cut threads. She can also see threads on every single person. Including the FATE thread between her and of the mob queens second in command! We learn a lot about these fated lovers through out the whole book 😉

I wont give to much away! Trying to solve these murders it unlocks many memories of her past which helps her through out her whole journey!


I really enjoyed learning about all the gods and what they have created. It was such an easy fast paced read. Amazing world building as well!

In stores on May 30th!

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, magic, mythology, threads of fate, mystery

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 4/30 and will be posted to my review blog on 5/10 and to Instagram on 5/13.

I really liked the magic in this book. The premise is that some people are descended from gods, but only the gods who come in sibling sets. There are a bunch of different city-states in the book, each with their own culture, but the one Io lives in is a Greek-esque city-state called Alante. For Alantians, their "other-born" pairs are things like the Fates, the Muses, descendants of Hypnos, and the Phobos-Deimos twin pair, etc. We do get to see some people who are from outside the city and thus are descended from a different set of gods, but for the most part the focus is Greek. I liked the way each person in a sibling set had a power associated with one of the gods, and that each of the different god powers worked in different ways.

I also liked the worldbuilding in the book. It's a dystopian fantasy, so the world we're exposed to is post-collapse, and it's implied that the world was similar to (if not the same as) our own. Then the collapse happened in a mix of environmental and magical events that resulted in the world we see in the book. I liked the bits of history that are brought into the book, like the Iceberg Wars, and the little things that make the world seem more real, like the roof bridges and flood screens for storefronts.

Io is the moirae-born who can cut people's threads of fate, but she tends to use her ability to see the Quilt (i.e., the threads connecting everyone) to be a PI. She's a little rough around the edges, but it's clear she does care about people, and over the course of the book her drive to fight for the people no one else will becomes stronger. At the same time, she's pretty wary of opening up to other people as a result of her eldest sister, Thais', treatment of her when they were younger, before Thais walked out on Io and their other sister, Ava. Part of Io's arc over the course of the book is reconciling everything that happened with Thais and growing into someone who's at least a bit more open to others.

It was surprisingly easy to like Edei. Based on the synopsis and the very first scene we see him in, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about him, but he's actually a pretty good guy. Edei is someone who is easy to get along with and who has a relatively gentle demeanor about him. Despite the fact that he's the second of the Fortuna gang, the gang that runs the Silts, he's not that rough around the edges, probably the result of the fact that he had a very different upbringing.

I liked the side characters in the story and enjoyed how they opened up different sides of the characters. For all her wariness of opening up to other people, Io actually makes friends pretty easily, and it was nice to see her joking around with Nico and Chimdi from the Fortuna gang just as easily as she joked around with Ava and Rosa, her best friend. I hope we get to see more of Rosa, Nico, and Chimdi in the next book, and am curious to see where things go with Ava. Bianca Rossi, the Mob Queen, is definitely someone to be reckoned with and I had a hard time getting a feel for her. There were times when I liked her and times when I didn't, so I'm looking forward to getting a better of understanding of her in the sequel.

I did guess what the motive was pretty much from the get-go, but it was definitely a weird kind of predictability because even though I knew the why, I couldn't settle on the who, lol. There were actually a number of pretty viable suspects presented throughout the book, which I think helped obfuscate things in a way that still kept the story going without requiring weird twists. One thing I will say is that Io jumps to conclusions way too much for someone who's a professional private detective. Her second suspect was really the only one with any solid evidence pointing toward them, but Io treated all three as equally viable, which I thought was a mistake. The mystery is solved by the end of the book and it worked in a way that I didn't see coming, which I loved!

I love how this book mixes fantasy, dystopian, and noir, and am dying to see what happens next as Io follows up on the loose threads (haha) from the end of this book.

I have been excited to read this book since day one.

It's by a Greek author, about Greek mythology and as a Greek reader it became quickly my most anticipated read of the year and it didn't disappoint!

It was rich in folklore and Greek mythology and the magic system was so well developed that I wanted to be a part of it.

Brutality was an aspect in the book that I had predicted, given that this is a murder mystery and because of the way Hatzopoulou writes, I experienced it with the characters and cringed away from the book because of the written horror.

I loved the characters and how fleshed out they all were. My favorite is obviously Io with Rosa being a close second.

The writing was also so captivating and beautiful, I found myself highlighting a good amount of paragraphs and Io's emotions moved me immensely.

I wonder if one of my life threads starts with me and ends with this book.

I can't wait for the continuation because that ending was catastrophic for my nerves, I need it now!

I loved this book so so much! The mix between greek mythology, romance, and a murder mystery was all so exciting. I love Kika’s writing so much and this book was so fast-paced and intriguing that I couldn’t stop reading! Would definitely pick up a physical copy when it comes out.

In a new age of civilization, there are other-born who possess powers descended by the gods. Our main character, Io Ora, is a Moira-born, meaning she can severe strings of connection. Io uses her abilities as a private investigator in the city of Alante. When women are suddenly being abducted and killed by cutting their life-thread, Io teams up with Edei, the right hand to Alante’s mob queen and Io’s fate-threaded soul mate, to find the killer.
“Threads that bind” by Kika Hatzopoulou is like if Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson met the song Invisible String by Taylor Swift. The concept of this story and of this universe is so unique to such an extent that I personally would have preferred more time world building at the beginning of the story. I would also say romance is a subplot but it doesn’t distract from the main storyline or take away from the strong characters. The writing is beautifully done and the characters are diverse and loveable with all their passion and drive for justice.

Unfortunately this is a huge no for me. I feel like I could have liked this a lot better, say, 10 years ago, when I would read just about anything for the sake of being entertained rather than enjoying good literature.

The concept behind Threads That Bind is there and it's interesting—the execution is not. It's sloppy, lazy... it leaves A LOT to be desired. I know I'm being brutal, but there was truly nothing compelling about this book. From main characters that lack depth and side characters that come and go who knows where, to relationships built out of nothing; from a "big bad villain" reveal that's not even shocking in the slightest because they were vile from the very beginning, to a lot of info-dumping happening very inorganically... I can't honestly think of a single thing I'd save from this book, except maybe the writing, which was probably the only somewhat-pleasant part about it.

Though I've definitely read worse, I was hoping for a lot better from this.

Thank you to Razorbill and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Threads That Bind has been on my radar since the beginning. So, when I got approved the ARC I was very excited to read it. Kika Hatzopoulou's debut novel was well written, with a solid and complex worldbuilding steeped in Greek mythology. The author really did a good job. The weak points, though, were the characters and their relationships. They weren't fully fleshed out and their interactions (especially the romance) haven't been developed enough. But in the end it was a good, interesting story and I'm curious to see where the sequel will lead us.

Well woven story that'll cut you deep in the feels.

Summary: Hatzopoulou threads together mythology, a unique magic system, a sunken city, adorable love story, commentary on familial loyalty and tension, and mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes. I devoured this in two sittings, only putting it down when I was too exhausted to keep reading. So why not five stars? One too many moving pieces nearly clicked but didn't.

First, I can't say enough about this magic system. While powers transferring from the gods to their mortal bloodline isn't new, Hatzopoulou takes a new spin with labeling them "other-born" and dividing their powers. And using the life-thread as a whip...just wow.

The romance is truly YA, with a kiss being as spicy as it gets, and I loved their banter. The addition of the fate-thread connecting them was a great way to incorporate in commentary on free will.

Definitely be prepared to have a notebook out to record all the different "other-born" or you will be confused as to the LARGE cast of characters, their affiliations, their history, and their motivations. This is extensive world-building squished into less than 400 pages meaning so many characters we meet are skimmed over and fall a bit flat. The setting is fantastic, with a city sunken by magical climate change, and interwoven commentary on systemic discrimination.

I took the star off because the mystery and sleuthing just felt a tiny bit...off. Io is supposed to be a seasoned private investigator but she's a bit rash with her conclusions, pointing the finger at almost everyone except who (I thought) was slightly obvious. I think another round of developmental edits would've cut a few secondary characters and tightened this up. And I'm still confused about the final wraith.

Yes, I recommend this to anyone looking for a high-fantasy, fast paced mystery with mythology based magic. And yes I will be reading the sequel when it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Razorbill for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Threads That Bind has ruined me for all other books.

The entire book is so so well-written. The world-building is spellbinding, the relationship between the Ora sisters is complicated family dynamics at its finest, the slow burn romantic relationship is thrilling. Technically, my rating scale is out of 5 but this book deserves unlimited stars. I loved everything.

🦇 Threads That Bind Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❝ The firstborn was the spinner, who could weave new threads. The second was the drawer; she could elongate or shorten a thread, intensifying or weakening the corresponding feeling. And the youngest was the cutter, able to cut whatever thread she desired, even life threads. ❞

❝ There is violence in kindness, and kindness in violence. ❞

❝ "I think the people we love can be cruel. Our love doesn't absolve them. Nor should it. ❞

❓ #QOTD Do you believe in fate? What Greek deity is your favorite? ❓

🦇 Io Ora is the youngest of three sisters, each a descendant of the Fates: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. When she learns someone is abducting women, cleaving their life threads, and setting them loose as wraiths to exact revenge, Io puts her skills as a private investigator to work. The half-sunken city of Alante is filled with descendants of the Greek gods, leaving Io with a long list of powerful suspects. Can she work alongside Edei Rhuna, the boy she shares a fate-thread with, to unveil secrets in the darkest corners of Alante?

💜 Oh. My. Goddess. I've struggled for two days to put my thoughts to page. This book hangover is going to haunt me for a MONTH. Kika Hatzopoulou wove a spell-binding world inspired by Greek mythology, lore, and above all else, sisterhood. Every thin thread (pun intended) Io follows connects to another; no page is wasted, no detail unnecessary. This captivating tale of family betrayal, fate, political power, and societal inequality snares readers from Io's first page and keeps them enthralled to the bitter end. Hatzopoulou uses her well-developed characters, vivid world-building, and carefully plotted murder to give us so much more than a mythology retelling or mystery. This fast-paced YA novel features an innovative culture and history unlike anything we've seen in mythology-inspired masterpieces before it. As someone who wrote her own mystery and mythology retelling in the past, I can only hope to reach Hatzopoulou's level. Io is a real, raw protagonist with faults and scars, making her all more realistic even in such a magical setting.

🦇 Despite having annotated this book more than any other in the past year, I do think there's room for growth in Hatzopoulou's prose. A certain amount of poetic prose would contribute to the mythical magic of Hatzopoulou's world, captivating readers even more. I know I'm nitpicking, but a few word choice changes could have made all the difference. This is a stunning debut, though, and a fantasy novel you CAN'T miss this year. My only other issue was the antagonist's reveal. We're given the mastermind's name, but when they walk into the room, Io skims them from the floor up, then names them again. Removing the antagonist's name and focusing on the description (showing, rather than telling) would have made for a stronger reveal. There are a few pages where Io's narration runs in circles, repeating details as she works to solve the mystery. Repeating certain details ensures readers are on track, piecing together the clues as Io does, but there's more than one occurrence when it's unnecessary. Beyond that, this is a powerful debut with the potential for a wow-worthy sequel or series.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Lore, Song of Achilles, or any mythology retelling. An engaging read for fans of Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew who love unraveling a good mystery.

🧵 Greek Mythology
🪡 Soulmates
✂️ Murder Mystery
🪡 Sisterhood
🧵 Prejudice / Equality / Social Change

🦇 Major thanks to the author @kikahatzopoulou and publisher @razorbillbooks / @penguinrandomhouse / @penguinplatform / @penguinteen for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #ThreadsThatBind

In a world where other-born (descendants of the Gods) exist, a descendant of the Moirai (aka the Greek version of Fates) must solve a series of murders in order to save herself, her soulmate, her sisters and the whole city.

This is one of the books that I was so happy to read for numerous reasons. Firstly, it was an english-written book by a Greek writer. Greek authors who write in english aren't usually promoted that much, for reasons that I don't know, but that unfortunately happens. Apart from that, it was a book with many parts of Greek mythology, although a whole new world was created in simple artistry. But, it didn't include only Greek mythology, but also
Norse and Egyptian mythology. I even learned one part of my own mythology which I didn;t know, and as a Greek I feel more knowledgeable.

I found the world-building quite unique while respecting the Greek culure. It also contained a lot of "jabs" at the government, about police brutality, about how the immigrants are suffering from the natives. I also liked how the sisters Thais, Ava and Io had the powers of the Moirai, but Io (the youngest) and Thais (the oldest) had their powers in reverse according to the original Fates., which I loved. Another important factor of the book was that the dialogue and the plot weren't rushed and the thread could be untangled easily and naturally. On that note, I didn't anticipate the plot of some characters of the book, but it pleasantly surprised me.

Character-wise I could go on for hours, sinve I liked a lot of them for different reasons.Io was my favorite character, because even though she didn't trust herself, she was afraid and sensitive, she evolved throuout the book and I was cheering for her like a friend. She had to decide for some vey difficult scenarios, and I didn;t blame her in the least; I tried to understand her. At the end of the day, I think that's why she was my favorite character; she was humane. On the other hand. Thais was one of the characters I love to hate. Even though she did what she had to do in order to survive, she was judgemental towards Io, manipulative and caring only for her own good; and that's what made her reckless. I think that's how I justify Io having Atropos' (the oldest sister of the Fates) powers, because she was wiser than her oldest sister. Lastly, Edei was someone who Io could count on, even though he was fiercely loyal to Bianca, he was always there for her and taking her side without question.

I enjoyed the book, and I wish I had it in a physical copy to annotate the totality of it, especially Io and Edei's sarcastic conversations. Read the book if you want to see a creative world and characters with the origins of mythologies of the world.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! The book comes out on May 30, don't miss it!

Threads That Bind, my god this book was amazing. I couldn’t put it down, definitely a read in one sitting type of book.

Extreme slow burn, which is kind of disappointing, but hoping it will pick up in the next book.

I honestly cannot wait to see how this story will continue, being left on a massive cliffhanger was killer. Not knowing what’s going to happen to some of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Kiki Hatzopoulou for this ARC.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

Whatever it was, this book confused me straight out the gate. There was just a lot in the beginning chapter. Then, as soon as we got to the main character and the world... that was even more confusing.

I think that this book was not a good one to dive into and because of that I didn't make it very far. I'd like to give it another try, but perhaps when there is more of a fluid / enough reviews where someone can describe to me the world and how greek mythological characters can exist but have modern-day utilities and attitudes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This book is a mesmerizing tapestry of mythology, murder mystery, political intrigue, and commentary on the idea of fate. The author balances deeper, heavier topics and ideas such as how our love for others shifts and changes (even in ways we don’t expect or don’t want), with lighter moments of witty banter and cozy coffee shops.

I couldn’t put it down, and when I had to, I felt anxious to pick it back up again. While it ended on quite the cliffhanger, and I have so many questions from that cliffhanger, I’m willing to forgive it due to the rich, immense world-building and beautiful prose.

I loved this book! The plot is perfeclty paced and the mythology elements that are included are very interesting to read about. I'm also a big fan of how many mythologies and cultures were included, not just Greek ones.
Very interesting and creative magic system! People with powers - aka other-borns - have the powers of the acient mythology god they descend from. It was nothing like what I'd seen before!
I loved the LGBT+ representation in this book. It shows that labels aren't always needed, if you fall for someone, it shouldn't matter their gender. The only aspect I thought wasn't good was the fact that Rosa, Io's trans best friend, fell in love with a guy who used to bully her for being trans. I don't like that trop where it turns out that the bully is only bullying you because they're in love.
The writing style is very immersive and there are several unpridictabale plot twists!
Io and Edei are great protagonists. They feel very real, especially Io, who was raised in a very complicated environment and what to do what she could to survive.
The relationship between the sisters is so complicated. Thais broke Io's heart. She was abusive and Io tried her best to make her happy, but it was never enough. Thais went through very complicated things, but it's also true that she had a lot of whims and wished for Io to comply to everything she asked even if it was bad. Ava tried to keep the peace but it wasn't enougn. Io kept blaming herself for what happened for years, it's sad how the people you love the most end up hurting you the most.
I saw Thais relationship with Luc coming, but not how they would be involved with the case. It was still very interesting to watch everything unfold.
The Initiative is a complite mess. They claim they want to help police other-born by having other-born in the police force. They literally stated that "only 1 out of 10 other-borns are found guilty of crimes". Maybe it's because only 1 out of 10 commit them??? It's claiming to be helpfull and inclusive, while being discriminatory. The other-born have lived in poverty and being judged their whole lives, and this is just another example of lowly the rest of society thinks of them.
The Moonset riots were a very important occurence in this book. They were essentially a gang war where the fury-born, who used to police other-born, were decimated. This event is very complex and it really shows that sometimes violence is a way of survival.
The connection between the real world and this world is interesting. It's sort of a dystopian future Earth, where our civilization evolved differently. Our moon also split in 3, which is kinda cool, but it makes me wonder how small those 3 moons are, considering that in astonomic measures, our moon isn't that big.
I'm super excited for the next book. This one ended up being a complete surprise. I was not expecting to love it this much!

TW:cheating, death, violence, torture, abuse, racism, murder, gangs, gang wars.

This book will take your breath away with its whirlwind action scenes, detailed world-building, and incorporation of Greek mythology, politics, underground gangs, and an apocalyptic city atmosphere. The unusual magic system inspired by Greek goddesses and muses is also fascinating. You'll get lost in the story as the mystery lures you in, and the heart-throbbing thriller plot with threatening wraiths lurking around the city keeps you on your toes. The blooming soulmate love story between Io and Edei will warm your heart. This book is not for everyone as it's extremely smart, complex, and challenging, but it's definitely worth the read, combining different genres like sci-fi, magical realism, fantasy, thriller, romance, and mythology for an unforgettable experience. I'm so glad to have been introduced to Kika Harzopoulou's brilliant writing.

The plot revolves around Io Ora, the youngest of three sisters who are descendants of Fates. Her eldest sister Thais is born to weave the threads, the middle sister Ava is destined to draw them, and Io is born to cut them, which is the hardest and harshest part of the job. Two years ago, Thais left without a word, and Io focused on her investigation skills to help betrayed wives whose husbands cheated on them.

One day, Io's stakeout job ends with the assault of a mysterious wraith in her eighties without a life thread (which is normally impossible) and a murder case. Her path crosses with infamous Mob Queen Bianca's right-hand man, Edei Rhuna, who also shares a fate-thread with her, meaning he's her soulmate.

Bianca summons Io to inform her that there are more wraiths around the town hunting people, and she forces her to team up with Edei to uncover the mystery. Io reluctantly starts working with Edei, barely restraining her attraction, but their investigation leads them to underground fight dungeons, the manipulate Nines House, a congregation of very powerful politicians who are about to take over the entire city with their dangerous scheme.

Io slowly realizes that the things she learned about her past and her destiny couldn't be so wrong. As harsh truths keep hitting her face like a slap, she needs to confront her guilt, secret feelings, and biggest fears not only to save her city but also her loved ones and survive.
Overall, when I reached the final chapter, I just screamed when I read the big twist and cliffhanger. Pros: I'm absolutely ready for more books to spend more time with Io and Edei. Cons: I cannot wait to read the next installment; waiting for it is like torture!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/Razorbill for sharing this amazing book's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend