I highly enjoyed this spellbinding fantasy. It was so good. I really enjoyed the characters and the world building in this book.
I just reviewed Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou. #ThreadsThatBind #NetGalley
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Fantastic story that mixes a dystopian future, murder mystery and greek mythology. The world-building is wonderful, and I loved the characters, their relationships and how that society reflects issues that are also present in our society. I really hope there will be a sequel to this book!!!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the arc in exchange for review.

This was an interesting YA thriller mixed with Greek mythology. I actually had a fun time reading this, the writing was a bit annoying to get through at times due to it being in third person but I still really enjoyed it.

2/5

I think I just have grown out of the YA fantasy genre at this point to be honest. The world is really, really interesting and I loved the concept of other born, but the characters were just so annoying. The lack of brain cells was so frustrating to read about. It was so annoying. The romance was really lack lustre (I mean - we’re made to think the guy has a girlfriend for 80% of the book. And you can fall in love with people who are dating other people, of course, but this was just here for unnecessary drama) and had no actual chemistry.
The plot …. Well I could have told you how it’d turn out right away. YA books unfortunately tend to make characters fall into archetypes that make the villains super easy to detect. And I hoped they wouldn’t make my favourite characters the villains, but they did!
All in all, it’s a good book, but isn’t mind blowing.

Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for my e-ARC of Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou.

I have to be honest. I really struggled with this one. The book reads as two VERY distinctive halves for me, and the point where I fully bought in to the story didn't occur at a natural break in the story's structure. (i.e. Part 1 was slow, but Part 2 picked up) No, for me, it took until chapter 18, which is partway through part 2 (of 3) before I had any vested interest in anything that was going on in the story. Which is a shame because the prologue was REALLY interesting, and the Greek lore as the backdrop for a modern day fantasy (not just a Greek Mythology retelling) felt fresh and inventive. But unfortunately, that's where the good ended for me in the first half. The characters were flat and half-baked, the setting was disorienting, and the plot tried to move along too quickly from the jump. Threads That Bind could have benefitted from some more in-depth world building, a map, a character glossary, literally anything to establish the world I was walking into. I could have used a lot more time with Io, Ava, and Thais understanding each of their roles as cutter, drawer, and weaver, and their sibling dynamics. The same goes for the underlying romance at the heart of this story. I wasn't keen on how the fated mates trope was handled. Though I think I understand what attempt was made, the relationship came off very insta-love and underdeveloped because of how the trope played out on page.

At some point around 50% all of the windy plotlines that meandered in the first half started to come together and I started follow what was going on more easily, and the pacing felt more even keeled. I still didn't feel like the character development was quite there, but the mystery part of the storyline took the reigns and propelled the plot forward. At this point, I really just wanted to know who the big bad was. And though there were some points meant to throw the reader off, the final big bad always felt pretty obvious to me. Overall, though, I enjoyed the journey a lot more in the second half.

To sum up, first half, 2 stars, second half 3 stars. I think this lands pretty solidly in the 3 star range. I don't think it was quite for me, and I'm not interested enough in Io or Edei or any of the multitude of side characters to continue reading the series when the next book comes out.

I really enjoyed this book. The combination of a fantasy kind of world with a lot of Greek Mythology and a pinch of Egyptian Mythology really enticed me. The characters were also really good, and by the end of the story, I actually still liked the main character (sometimes, I get bored of the main characters). Io's conflicts really intrigued me, and I was very invested in the plot resolution.
My only critique of the plot is that it felt sometimes a bit repetitive and a bit predictable. This is not necessarily a bad thing always, but by the end of it, I was really looked forward to getting a clear answer.
Another heads up to a potential future reader is that this book is NOT a standalone. I might be alone in that regard, but I had fully expected this to be a standalone, and it was only halfway through the book when looking through other reviews that I realized it was not.
But that being said, I would fully recommend picking up this book if you're looking for some supernatural mystery with Greek Mythology.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Threads that bind is about Io, a girl descended from the Fates who uses her powers in her work as a private investigator. In the middle of her most recent job, a mysterious woman with supernatural abilities and a severed life-thread appears, and to unravel the case Io will have to use her experience, her power and the help of a boy she just met and who, oh, surprise, it's connected to her.

First of all, the cover is beautiful and it was one of the reasons why I requested this ARC, I'm not hiding. The storybeing based on Greek mythology and the author being Greek were the other reasons.

I liked the world building. All this about the descendants of the old gods who have powers but only if there are several siblings seems quite innovative to me. Something that I found very interesting is that, despite the fact that it is based on Greek mythology, we have descendants from other mythologies and those classifications depend on the place where people are born. For example, they mention the Valkyries of Norse mythology, the god Ra of the Egyptian.

Io is a great character. I love that her introduction is her being terrified of heights but still doing what she has to do. She is a very human character, with a loooot of flaws, a lot of fears and a lot of heart. Throughout the story we see how she changes her way of seeing the world, especially love; she is a girl emotionally abused by her older sister and we can feel all the internal conflict she has to accept that she doesn't have to beg for love.

Edei is loyal and brave, noble and resilient. He’s too cute and the interactions he had with Io brought me to life. I even felt bad for shipping them for <i>things that are spoilers</i> but then that was resolved and everything was fine. Until the end. Why are you doing this to me, author?

That being said, Io and Edei's relationship is not the most important in the book. Io's relationship with her sisters, especially with Thais, is what moves the plot the most. Thais practically raised Io, but her way of doing it wasn't her best, she was textbook manipulative and when things didn't go the way she wanted, she punished Io the silent treatment for days. Io had many reasons for doing what she did.

In general, I liked the story a lot, but I don't give it 5 stars for a couple reasons:

-Sometimes they threw information about the world right at our faces. Long paragraphs of the <i>other-born</i> or the riots. It wasn't all the time, but when it happened, a reading that, on the contrary, is quite easy to follow became heavy.

-Many repetitions or recounts of events that we had already read. Not exactly flashbacks, but things that happened in the book. And when you take into account that the plot takes place around 5 days, it seemed unnecessary to me and a bit like treating the reader like a fool.

I recommend it for readers who like urban fantasy, Greek mythology and soulmates trope. Now I'm going to sit and wait for the next one to come out, because it's impossible for it to end like this.

Much like everyone else, I’m a big fan of Greek mythology-inspired books, so when I first read the summary for this book, I knew I had to read it! The worldbuilding sounded really interesting, and I’m a sucker for the soulmates trope. In Threads That Bind, a descendant of the Three Fates must solve a deadly mystery alongside her fated soulmate.

Io Ora is a fate cutter; she and her two sisters are descendants of the Three Fates, with each of them inheriting the gods’ powers. She uses her powers to hunt down people for her job as a private investigator. One day when she’s on a job, she encounters a woman whose life thread is severed yet is alive—which shouldn’t be possible. From there, she is roped into investigating this mystery by Bianca, the mob queen who runs the Silts. She sends along Edei, her second-in-command and coincidentally Io’s soulmate that she’s avoided for her entire life, to aid in uncovering the mystery. As Io and Edei follow different leads, they come closer and closer to uncovering a deadly conspiracy.

The worldbuilding was very interesting. It took a little for me to get into it, but then once I was more immersed in it, I understood everything a lot more. In this world, descendants of different gods—not just Greek, but also from other regions, like Egypt—inherit some of their powers. The caveat is that this is only true of gods with siblings; the descendants also similarly have the same number of siblings, and each person inherits one god’s power.

Io is the cutter of the Three Fates. Everyone has a multitude of threads, including their life thread and threads that connect them to things they love. She has the ability to cut any of these threads, but only with one of her own threads. Io’s oldest sister Thais is a spinner, who can weave threads between people and in turn, endear them to each other. Ava, the middle sister, is a drawer, such that she can make a thread—and the corresponding feeling—stronger or weaker.

Io’s relationship with her sisters is complex, to say the least. She loves them, but she doesn’t agree with some things they do, particularly Thais. Thais abandoned the city two years ago, leaving both Io and Ava behind. While Io misses her, she can’t help but feel glad she’s gone because of the way she always treated her. She doesn’t know what too feel when Thais all of a sudden appears back in the city alongside her powerful boyfriend, who is also a suspect in Io’s case.

I liked the characters! Io has a strong moral compass and falls in love with a lot of little things and interactions. Edei’s very similar to her in a lot of ways and proves to be very strong in support. Io’s best friend Rosa was also great; she added some much needed humor to the book, and I loved every scene she was in.

The romance was nice, as well. Io and Edei share a fate-thread, essentially meaning that they’re soulmates. She’s known who’s on the other end of the thread for years, but she’s avoided him on purpose. When they finally meet, she can’t help but feel like she’s known him for years and vice versa. I liked the conversations and their rapport throughout the book.

My main issue with this book was the pacing. It’s not that long (relatively), but it was so slow in some parts. By the time I neared the ending, I just wanted it to be over already, even though we were finally getting to the exciting revelations. I do think the ending was interesting enough that I might read the sequel, but I feel like it just took way too long to get there. Also, I think some of the characterizations were lacking in that we’re just told a lot of things, and not really shown it.

Threads That Bind was a slowly unveiling mystery fantasy. I liked the worldbuilding and the characters well enough, but the pacing wasn’t very balanced to me. If you’re a fan of Greek mythology-inspired books and/or the soulmate trope, you should check out Threads That Bind!

If you love ya fantasy romance mysteries with mythical ties, this book is for you. Through encountering mysterious wraiths to sister drama and dealing with her rare fate thread, Io is a main character you can root for. I also loved the really intriguing magic system related to life threads. I’m excitedly anticipating a sequel because I still want more after that ending!

Thank you to PenguinTeen and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eighteen-year-old PI Io Ora, professional heartbreaker and cutter of life-threads, partners with her fated — lover? friend? colleague? — to solve impossible murders, in a drowning world post-Collapse of the Greek Gods.

I absolutely loved this book. I read a review stating that this was for the intelligent reader, and I felt a little intimidated. It turned out to be for no reason, though. I was more than safe in debut-author Kika Hatzopoulou’s masterful hands. While Io’s journey is very plot-heavy in a complicated climate, both politically and literally, the world-building was fantastic. I never felt confused, and bread-crumbs were perfectly placed throughout to provide refreshers on what I needed to know, without spoon-feeding me.

For fans of:
🪡 Re-imagined Greek mythology
🪡 The fates
🪡 Complicated sister relationships
🪡 Lethal girls
🪡 Soulmates

I thoroughly recommend this read to everyone who loves YA fantasy. Io is delightful, both lethal and still soft, and I loved every moment with her. I was sad to leave the world when the book ended, and am ravenous for the sequel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Alante, a city-state surrounded by water, the children descended from the gods live as other-born alongside regular humans as ostracized second class citizens. Here, Io, our fearless protagonist, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator for those that can pay. When a standard case of a cheating husband goes awry, Io is hired by one of the cities most powerful gangsters to solve a series of murders by women who have been maimed and let loose in the city to kill for vengeance. She is partnered with the young man she knows is destined to be her love and the two race to solve a deadly mystery while also learning how important they are to each other.

Kika Hatzopoulou's YA debut is one of those books where you can't wait to start the next chapter and it features powerful women of action who are trying to better the world the only way they know how. The mystery feels real and Hatzopoulou's descriptive style gives the book an atmospheric, otherworldly tone. You can almost see and smell the corrosive, deadly tides as they come in. Threads that Bind provides interested readers with a mystery at the intersections of class, immigration, privilege and sexism. It's a book about the choices you make in the past and the choices you make about the future. A fast-paced, thrilling ride with a touch of mythology, romance, and politics.

What I Liked
-excellent use of dialogue
-strong characters and character development.
-wonderfully blended combination of mystery and fantasy
What Didn't work as well for me
-Uneven Pacing, Especially near the start
Who I would recommend this title for
Threads that Bind will be an excellent read for fans of YA fantasy that also love imaginations of Greek myth

Oh my god, this book! This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and left me guessing at every turn. I loved the world-building (Greek gods with a modern, dystopia edge), the magic system ("other born" are descendants of various gods and have various powers), and the relationships (familial, platonic, and romantic).

We follow Io Ora, the youngest of the three Ora sisters, who are descendants of the Fates. The oldest, Thais, is a weaver (can weave threads), the middle sister, Ava, is a drawer (can lengthen or shorten threads), and Io, the cutter (can cut the threads). I loved the introduction of various types of threads that develop when someone loves, in addition to the typical life thread. Threads link the person with their favorite foods, places, hobbies, and other people in many different types of ways (platonic, familial, and romantic). This was a unique, modern take on Greek mythology that was refreshing to read.

The sister relationships in this book were amazing. The intricacies within these relationships and the intense feelings some feel toward their siblings, gave a lot of depth to the story. While we're talking about relationships, I loved the friendship and (possible romantic) relationship that developed between Io and Edei. Their banter, the bad puns, all of it was amazing.

I love how the author weaved (haha) the story and the mystery. Things that did not seem like they could be related, were related and played a large role in the end of the story. The story ended in a place I never thought it would and the ending left me wanting more in this world (hopefully there will be a sequel?)! Overall, a solid 5 stars for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/Razorbill for sharing this amazing ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This modern reimagining of characters from Greek mythology brought to my awareness many entitles I didn't know anything about: Keres, Erotes, Oneiroi, and more. Even though I'm generally not a big fan of YA, I really enjoyed this story, especially the conflicts between the three sisters.

SOOOOO GOOD. I HAVE ACTUAL BRAINROT i can't even lie! the plot twist was a bit predictable, but i loved the vibe so much! the idea of threads is soooo well developed here :) i love that it's structured like a true fantasy thriller. and ioedei my beloveds <3

Threads That Bind is a fantasy noir about Io Ora, a descendant of the Greek Fates, who works as a private investigator with her ability to see and cut the threads that connect people to the things they love. When Io is hired to investigate a strange series of murders — all done by women whose life threads had been severed — she must work through dark secrets and shadows from the past to solve them, all while grappling with her growing feelings for Edei Rhuna, her mission partner and soulmate, bound together by a rare fate-thread.

I’d seen this book a few times within my radar as an upcoming release to watch out for, so when I came across it once again on NetGalley, I was compelled to request it. The premise was interesting and fantasy-mystery is one of my favorite genres, so I went in with a curiosity and a small hope that I would enjoy this book.

When I finished, I was left with this feeling that getting to read this book quite poetically felt like fate. It’s very rare for me to find a book with a premise that sounds like something I might like, only for it to become even more than what I expected, and for that, I gave it 5 stars. This book was a reading experience that felt so personally catered to me, yet universal in the themes it tries to convey. It has narrative voice that hooked me in completely and had me reading nonstop, paired with lovable characters in an intricately woven plot. It has a lot of tropes I adore—soulmates, complicated family dynamics, and a protagonist that struggles with truth and the past, to name a few—that were presented in a way that made it impossible for me not to enjoy.

The writing was one of the elements that captivated me from early in the book; its prose is reflective without disrupting the atmosphere, and the transitions between the realities of the story and the immersion into Io’s mind were seamless. I’ve previously had difficulty reading books with a character who dwells frequently on “before” because some of their thoughts are repetitive; this was never the case with Io. The execution of each truth revealed to the reader was paced excellently, and each time it brought so many unforgettable quotes that feel like the words came from my own heart.

The plot was refreshing, and while I don’t often binge my reads, it was near impossible to put this book down. What I loved most was that the mystery, the romance, and the family dynamics are all intertwined. It made the story feel more like one whole narrative, and not just some angsty mystery solving with a side romance. In fact, a lot of major breakthroughs the pair of sleuths have is a direct result of their interactions with each other, or with the people they care about. It really ties in the motifs of love this book has.

The cast of characters is a remarkable bunch. I went in without any particular expectations for them, but I enjoyed the diversity in the book very much. It doesn’t actually end with the multitude of cultures mentioned throughout the book, aside from Greek — I was also very delightfully surprised to find out that nearly every character is queer. The abundance of identities was exciting to see, especially in characters that are constantly important in the story instead of sidelined.

As for protagonists, I think Io Ora may be one of my favorites. Her fears and her principles and the way they both stick with her were very relatable, and I loved her growth throughout the story. The inner conflict we see in her introspection and how it ties in with the themes of love and fear and choice felt real and has impacted me in a way that I have not stopped thinking about it, and it’ll probably stick with me for a long time. Her dynamic with Edei was the perfect balance between lighthearted banter and honest vulnerability, as was her relationships with her sisters, with her colleagues, and with her friends. As someone whose favorite part of any story are the characters, the cast of Threads That Bind have definitely won my heart.

Needless to say, this book has quickly become one of my new favorites of the year, and maybe even of all time. I’d love to go more in-depth with what exactly makes this so brilliant, but I really think it’s best to know as little as possible, and frankly, I’d spend hours and hours going on. Let me be the first to claim that I have a rare fate-thread with this book. There’s everything I enjoy in a book: it has all the staples of the noir mystery genre twisted to live in a unique fantasy world, with characters and relationships that will be difficult to forget; it’s such a real depiction of the complications of love, and of love’s relationship to choice. And I encourage any fantasy or mystery lovers who come across this to take this as a sign and pick this book up. Call it fate, or call it choice, but Threads That Bind truly has the potential to be the next book you love.

3.5 Stars (rounded up) ⭐️

Threads That Bind is a hybrid mystery, fantasy, and Greek mythology all wrapped up into one.

Io Ora, is a Moira-born. Being Moira born is one of the sisters. Each sister has a special ability regarding a persons threads, their connections in life. Io specifically is a thread cutter. She can sever those threads including their life. She is also s private investigator and her new case involves women that only has one thread that acts a whip killing men. They shouldnt even exist.

We follow Io as she gets wrapped in this mystery and a gang warlord/queen. I enjoyed the magic in this story and how different threads interacted and what would happen if one was severed. However at times this would get weighed down by the crime procedural part of it and I would find it to be slow.

The romance is just a subplot of this book but for me I'm not sure it really fit. I didn't find it to be needed in this first book, I just didn't really buy into it.

Although this book didn't work that well for me. This was an entertaining debut novel and I will be keeping my eye out for more books by this author, I really think this book will find its audience and many will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group young readers for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to major retail sites on or near publication date.

Io Ora is a cutter, a descendant of the Fates, with the ability to cut threads of connection to their love and life. The youngest of three sisters, Io spends her days working as a private investigator, using her ability to trace these threads within her home of Alante to uncover their deepest secrets. When her ability leads her to a job for the mob queen of the Silts, Io becomes wound into an investigation so personal and impossible, she’s not sure where to turn. This thrilling, page turning novel uncovers the relationships of family and how far those relationships can be tested.

When I say I devoured this book, I’m not even lying. I read Threads That Bind in a single day, in one sitting, desperate to know what would happen next. The interpersonal relationships are beautifully written, the book was well paced and the ups and downs, twists and turns kept me engaged and on my last breath. Hatzopoulou knocked this one out of the park.

The book is a mix of modern mythology and fated love. While I love modern mythos, I find fated love can be hit or miss. This one was the only element of the novel that fell a little short for me. The idea was there, I just wasn’t sold on the chemistry of the characters and the overall story of their fated romance. I could have done without that storyline.

This is a cannot miss novel that I cannot wait to share.

The best way I can describe this book: this is a wonderful YA mythology based story featuring a murder mystery adventure, a fated love story, and a strong sisterly dynamic - what more is there to love?
This book left me on the edge of my seat.

I had issues with the pacing of the story, but after consulting other early reviews, this seems like a ‘me thing’, so likely not a big deal for other readers, but worth mentioning nonetheless. However, I did find that the story really picked up the pacing around the 60% mark.

Fans of Percy Jackson (or quite frankly most of the books in the Riordanverse) would really enjoy this Greek myth retelling.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Io is a cutter, one of three moira born sisters with the power of The Fates. Her sister Thais has the power of Clotho, she can spin threads and create feelings of love and trust where none existed before, her sister Ava has the power of Lachesis, to stretch and shorten threads to change how one feels about something they're threaded to, and Io herself has the power of Atropos, to cut the threads that bind us to the things we love and to life itself. When women with severed life threads start popping up all over the city and taking lives in the name of retribution, Io is brought in to solve the case, and forced to partner with the one man she can barely breathe around, the one who's incomprehensibly tied to her by a thread of fate. As she tracks these murderers, who seem to be victims themselves, she finds that everyone has secrets, especially the people we love.

I loved this. Kika gave us Greek and Egyptian mythology; amazing queer and cultural rep; fated mates; a compelling protagonist; and a tense magical magical sisterhood that I couldn’t help but get invested in. This was like Percy Jackson meets Lore meets House of Hollow. And the cliffhanger?! This is me begging for book 2 even though this one isn’t even out yet 😭