3.75

I was hesitant to read this because I'm a little burnt out on YA fantasy and mythology retellings, but I'd heard such rave reviews that I was getting FOMO and took the chance when this was relisted on NetGalley in anticipation of its sequel [book:Hearts That Cut|198563745].

This was such an interesting take on the Greek mythology. Set in a futuristic world ravished by climate change, where children of gods inherit their powers, our main character, Io, a descendent of the Fates, is a private detective looking into a series of abductions turned wraith attacks. What follows is a twisty investigation full of magic and political intrigue and regrets and revenge.

Kika Hatzopoulou drops the reader into this world which is really refreshing for a book aimed at a young adult audience, though it left me feeling a bit confused for the first 20% or so. The world is fascinating and I liked how complex and fleshed out it seemed. That being said, I think the plot fell into some of the same generic YA steps which isn't a bad thing like there's a reason some of those tropes/elements are popular, but I think because the world was so unique I expected something more.

Overall, I think this was a really solid debut and I am looking forward to finishing out this duology with Hearts That Cut.

Greek retelling is probably my favorite thing in the world! This was no exception; it was unique to other Greek retelling as it is set in a modern world. I like that Greek mythology was taken and compressed into an understandable language for young adult readers. It was engaging from beginning to end. I will be reading the 2nd book because omg that cliffhanger!

I’m glad I have book 2 to move into because this was a stressful ending!! I really liked this concept and the pacing for me was perfect!!

This book was so good and I was hooked the entire time. I've always been a huge fan of greek mythology and I loved getting to read another young adult book that brought in elements of that. This was a highly anticipated read for me and I can't wait to dive into the second book in the series.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I had a lot of high hopes for this book and I really appreciate receiving this copy but it wasn't for me.

I try not to DNF any books but I couldn't get into it. I love the concept and idea of this book but I was just not connecting with it or the characters.

It took me a little bit to get into this one, but once I was there I could not let go. Io is trying to solve murders and discover who is behind creating wraiths. Everything comes back to a riot from 12 years ago, but the pieces just aren't fitting together.

Io also knows that she has a fate-thred connecting her to Edie, but she's avoided him because he had a girlfriend. Of course, they're shoved together for the investigation and everything becomes so much more complicated.

There was so much happening in this, and the story was woven together so well. The three sisters, sharing one soul, yet at odds in so much. Alliances and loyalties are tested and strained, while Io tries to hold onto anything she thought she knew.

Surprising twists at the end, and an unlikely ally have me waiting to dive into the next book!!

Io is a detective and can magically cut the threads of people’s lives. She’s been hired to discover who is attacking women and leaving them as wraiths with a frayed life thread. As she digs into the investigation, she begins to unravel truths behind the political powers in her city… and beyond.

Read if you like: YA paranormal romance, Greek and other mythologies, slow burn, detectives & mysteries, dystopian settings, complex family drama, and a fantastic adventure for the truth.

The world has irrevocably changed. Tides regularly flood cities, and the far-flung descendants of gods are born with their powers. The children of the Fates come in threes with powers to shape threads in the tapestry of people’s lives. Io’s ability to cut threads means she’s an inherent threat, but she’s managed to build a successful PI business. But when she garners the attention of the Mob Queen she realizes there are many lines she doesn’t want to cross but she won’t have a choice in the end. Especially when she’s partnered up with the one person who she never wanted to force into anything- Edei, who is bound to her by a thread of Fate.

This book is phenomenal! The mystery is compelling and gritty. The world is a blend of past and future set in an unknown dystopian time. It’s a hard place with clear social lines that thrives on power and deceit. I love Io and her sisters’ complex relationship. Every aspect lends to the scope of the world and feels important to the story. Ev-er-y-thing. It’s just enough murder mystery meets mob without being heavy handed. And the mythology-based magic is complex and wonderous- adding a social divide beyond rich and poor. It’s like X-Men and a crime drama got shaken together with a large scoop of urban fantasy for a perfectly bingeable blend.

Io and Edei have this amazing slow burn chemistry. It’s a very a fun way to set up a relationship between the main characters and I was constantly hoping for or dreading whatever was coming. The cast is so fun and diverse. We have clear cut supporting roles, but nothing is flat or overdone. Every character is complex and comes with their own surprises that keep the story going. Review for book 2 Hearts that Cut is coming soon! Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

This book was amazing! I loved the magic system and how it was described. It was so unique. Io was such a strong character, physically and emotionally. She was portrayed as a character who forms such easy and strong attachments to everything (including some random frog lol) and it was so refreshing to have a main character who had gone through so much, was still fighting for survival, and still didn’t lose her ability to love and care for so many things. Edei’s instant loyalty and protectiveness over her won me over. He followed her and helped with her insane plans instead of trying to take charge. The mystery of the plotline was so intriguing and I truly could not figure out most of the twists. The last 20% had my jaw on the FLOOR. Love love love. Please read.

Thank you NetGalley and PRH for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

First, I would like to thank Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the ARC and facilitating the ARC distribution. This was a pleasure to read!

This is my second read through of Threads That Bind as I prepare for Hearts That Cut and I am so excited to reread it. I loved Io's development as a character and as she grew as an individual. She followed her own path even when it was harder than expected.

Edei is one of my favorite characters and I loved watching their relationship develop over the course of the story, even if it is not how any of them expected.

Overall, this book is added to a short list of favorites and I cannot WAIT for Hearts That Cut.

A longer review to come closer to/on pub date but I loved this book! A very unusual and compelling mix of myth, urban fantasy, noir, dystopia, and murder mystery with well-etched characters and intriguing world-building.

Let me start by saying: I adored the world building. It was amazing, I think the way the author weaved a post-apocalyptic world with greek mythology, it was so original and refreshing. The plot had me captivated, I was SAT. I really like Io and the casual queer representation, all the characters were very well written and felt realistic. 100% recommend and so excited for book 2

Love love loved! So many wonderful elements to Io story... I didn't want it to end! I'm a huge fan of fantasy/magic/other worlds and this one checked all the boxes for me. The cutesy romance, the female lead with strong morals and determination to save everything, the bonds of sisterhood, mob bosses, powers, gods and goddesses. So much going on but done in such a beautiful and not at all confusing way! Highly recommend if you are a fantasy reader and want a fun, new world to jump into!

I LOVE Greek Mythology and any book that has that theme in the plot is a must-read for me. The Threads that Bind had an interesting sounding premise, but I found I didn't get into the story as I would have liked. There was a lot info-dumping, which slowed the story down, and there were many times that I wasn't quite sure what was happening in the story or why characters were doing what they were doing. Wish I would have liked it more.

I am so conflicted with this one. I thought the mythology aspect was interesting but also not sure I complete understood a lot of what was happening - thinking this has to do with the info dumping.

As descendants of the Fates, Io is the youngest of 3 sisters and a cutter who uses her skills as a private investigator. While working her newest gig she find herself in the middle of a bigger mystery. To find answers she teams up with Edei, the Mob Queen’s right hand and the boy she shares a fate thread with. Things take a personal turn when clues point to a powerful player in the city and Io’s eldest sister.

While there was a lot of info dumping throughout, the world building was perf! The pacing was a little slow, and I did guess the reveal but enjoyed the ride getting there. Overall this is a decent fantasy read!

I really enjoyed this book! Although it took me a bit of time to understand the fantasy world once I did I was hooked. The author does a great job of using various myths as inspiration for her other-born characters. However what I really appreciated was that no one in this book was perfect or right. All of the characters had flaws and had made some decisions they regret, but they carry this mistakes with them attempting to learn and make better choices the next time.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Threads That Bind was a nice fast paced read–until about half way through.

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We follow Io through her investigation into some wraith assassins who are targeting people in the Silts (the poor part of town) and her romance with her partner Edei.

Like I said, the first half was super quick. There was a lot of action, there was a lot of worldbuilding (more on that in a bit). I wanted to know what happened, I needed to know what happened.

And then the midpoint came, her sister Thais shows up as promised by the back copy and I felt like it all stalled out.

The Greek mythology inspired world was interesting but most of it was presented through paragraph length descriptions that told us all about what the other-born did and who they came from, rather than showing us. And those paragraphs happened a lot. Once I hit the middle mark, I was dissapointed to see these definitions over and over again.

Around the same point, I found myself skimming, looking for dialogue and action words but I skimmed for a while.

I think Threads That Bind has a lot of merit, but the sudden drop off in interest that I had really sunk my rating.

"Threads That Bind" is a delightfully tangled web of myth, mystery, and modern magic! Kika Hatzoupoulou masterfully weaves ancient Greek mythology into a fresh, urban fantasy setting that kept me hooked from page one. The characters are vibrant, the plot twists are mind-bending, and the world-building is so rich you can almost smell the ambrosia. If you’re a fan of mythology with a contemporary twist, this book will have you happily tangled in its threads.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Threads that Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou is a YA contemporary fantasy first person POV reimagining of Greek mythology set after a great disaster sank most of the world. Io Ora is one of three sisters and a moira-born, a descendant of the three Fates and has the power to cut threads of fate, destroying feelings of affection. When Io meets Eide, the man who she is fate-bound to while investigating the murder of multiple young women, she’s torn between doing what’s best for her city and the other-born and getting closer to Edei.

When I first heard about this, I was really excited. A Greek myth reimagining from a Greek author with elements of a post-apocalyptic world and an investigator MC who can see fate threads is pretty irresistible. As a long-time fan of Greek mythology, I knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint.

The slowburn romance between Edei and Io is subtle and doesn't take up a lot of page time, but it is ever-present. Io is aware that he's out there but holds herself back from making any moves once she learns he has a girlfriend. She has other loves, such as pastries at one bakery in her city, but her curiosity never goes away and she does everything she can to not cross paths with Edei. And when she does, it's everything she can do to keep the truth of their connection inside as they become comfortable with each other. And it's so cute. I loved it when Edei tried to be funny for her and Io didn't laugh because she wasn't expecting a pun.

The worldbuilding uses allegory and real world terminology to discuss immigration in the wake of climate change, class struggles, xenophobia, and racism. The other-born are treated as Other, with fear and hatred directed at them to the point that they must be registered and have limitations placed on them by the government and what opportunities they can have. It goes further with Io calling out anti-immigration and classist sentiment in a way that feels very current and needed as fascism continues to rise in many countries.

I really liked how the threads Io can see are not all necessarily romantic, but include familial bonds, threads connecting someone to a place they maybe weren't born in but were met to be, and more. The magic system is very cool, unique to different descendants of different gods (such as the Nine, descendants of the muses, constantly inspiring artists that they patron) and focuses on the members of the Pantheon that don't get as much attention.

I would recommend this to readers of Greek mythology retellings, fans of YA fantasy with a mystery angle, and those looking to support a Greek author in the wave of Greek myth retellings.

i fell in love with cover and the premise did come across as refreshing...but the way this novel deals with the fated lovers (insta love) and the characterisation of the MC struck me as grating and very old school YA.

I picked up Threads That Bind because I loved the premise, but had not expected to be so totally blown away! Threads That Bind is the first in a genre bending YA duology. It is a dystopian speculative fiction crime mystery, with a bit of romance thrown in. Set in a world in which the Greek gods have long been dead, but their descendants still exist and live a marginal life among humans. Our main, Io, is a descendent of the Fates, or moira-born, as are her two sisters. Io is a cutter, one who can manipulate the threads that bind one to other persons, places or things of significance, and more importantly to life itself. She is a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Atlante. While investigating the usual philandering spouse, she witnesses a death, and encounters an extraordinary avenging wraith like woman whose life thread is cut but is still alive. Io is brought in by Bianca Rossi, the mob queen of the Silts, a crime ridden slum, to get to the bottom of a series of murders executed by these wraiths, before she is their next victim. Io quickly finds she is in over her head, not only with these mysterious creatures but because she must work alongside Edei, Bianca’s second hand. Io has known that she and Edei share a fate thread, which makes them soul mates, only HE doesn’t know and SHE hasn’t told him. Things get even more marvelously complicated when Io’s sisters get involved. It’s time for summer reading - danger, intrigue, political corruption, messy family and slow burn romance, what more could you ask? Oh, and I almost forgot to add, the conclusion to this duologo, Hearts That Cut is nearly here! - pub date is June 18th.

Many thanks to the author @KikiHatzopoulou, @PenguinTeens and @NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. It was a pleasure!