This is such a cool blend of urban fantasy and mythology. I loved that while the setting mostly focused on Greek Mythology there were references to how in other lands people with these powers were seen as manifestations of other gods and reflected Egyptian, Norse, and other mythology as well it added an interesting depth to the magic system and glimpse into the larger world. The magic system is really cool and I particularly enjoyed the different ways those with magic saw the threads and manifestation of their magic. Its a great touch that helped give all these different powers a commonality and tie to the other mythologies as well. The plot was well paced and twisty, I did predict quite a few things but I was also really second guessing myself. The characters are well written and I am so looking forward to more of their story.

Threads That Bind is one of my favorite reads from 2023. Kika Hatzopoulou crafted a fantastic story with a great mystery and interesting characters. If you love Greek mythology and want to read it woven into a new and imaginative book, check out Threads That Bind ASAP.

I truly adored this book. This was a fabulous debut, and felt like a breath of fresh air I the fantasy genre. A fix of mythology and dystopia and an intriguing take on magic, THREADS THAT BIND was, simply put, amazing. I was not bored for a single moment—I had to find out what was happening next. Hatzopoulou's writing is authentic and engaging; her characters are authentic and raw. The emotional arc for Io made this book all the more enjoyable for me. I am eager for book two, and future works from this author!

I liked this one - not a favorite fantasy ever, but probably my favorite so far for YA 2023 fantasies. I liked the mystery through line & I found the twists and turns easy to follow, but hard to predict. The pacing was good, the fantasy elements were unique, and the writing was decent. I am intrigued about where it is going next.

Calling all Greek Mythology lovers, this book is for you!

I love a book that is full of action and can keep you guessing along the way. I loved the idea of following the a descendant of The Fates! I also loved the unique magic system and the way the story was crafted. This is for sure one of my favorite Greek Mythology inspired books!

Thread that Bind is a first in the series with a very interesting world-building. The story follows Lo, the youngest of the three Ora sisters who works as a private investigator. Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes, one weave, one draw, and one cuts.

Lo and her sisters can see life threads that come out and attach people to objects, other people, etc. A job that goes wrong brings Lo to the person who is on the other end of her fate thread. Edie Rhuna works for the mob queen. Lo is now supposed to work with Edie to find the person who is abducting women, maiming their life threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill.

Thread That Bind has a very unique magic system with some hints of a potential romance in the sequel. Lo is quite young for someone who is supposed to fight something that isn’t making sense to her especially when the majority of the time fantasy is an immortal character with centuries behind them, so I am excited to see how this plays out.

The last few chapters have some pretty big reveals and plot twists I didn’t see coming. The writing is easy to follow and the characters have a lot of layers to them, there is no easy way to put them in protagonist and antagonist categories. There is not much in terms of romance but the book still has moments between Lo and Edie and those were nicely done.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I absolutely LOVED this book and I can't believe that more people are not talking about it. Like, this was such a fun and unique system of mystery and powers, and the second one comes out soon and I know that it will be one of my top preorders.

This was okay. I enjoyed hearing about the Fates in modern day - a trait that is passed down in groups of 3. I also really liked hearing about how one of them decided to go into investigations. The world was interesting with other-born people living in the same world as regular humans. It's cool to imagine that's what's going on now.

And yes, I was also about the "fate string" that tied two people together and the ethical dilemma it would pose - do you cut it to give that person a choice or do you keep it to see what could be between you? It's interesting - would you want to be with a fated partner or would you want to feel as if you had a choice in the matter? I ate that up.

However, I found the investigation itself and the wraiths and the gods and the furies and Bianca's role in everything hard to follow. I felt like I just couldn't keep up with the new information, but I also had no desire to go back and re-read what I read, which doesn't bode well for the story itself. So although I liked parts of it, I was kind of underwhelmed and I don't have any desire to go onto the next one.

NNF @ 20%

I really tried to get into this but I really could not,

I am not sure if it's the writing or the story itself or maybe I am just not in the mood for it, but I tried for months and I cannot seem to stay focused when reading,

I've heard such wonderful things about this book so it saddens me to not be able to complete it, but I believe I am not the intended audience with this one.

I immediately fell in love with this book. The writing drew me in and Io's perspective and Io herself as a character were so interesting. I loved the relationship between Io and Ava, the love that was very obvious between them. The fact that Io very obviously felt an extreme amount of love for Ava but also showed extreme frustration with her behaviours felt very realistic. That brings me to Thais and Io's relationship. I loved how Io's thoughts on Thais were written, the fact that she realised that Thais was nothing short of a bully to her and felt a version of hatred towards her but she also still held love for her as her (Io's) older sister added quite a bit to both the story and Io's character.

I also loved Edei and Io's relationship. The fact that the relationship could've turned out to be unbalanced and toxic based on the fact that I could see the fate thread and Edei couldn't, but instead Kika Hatzopoulou did a wonderful job of taking what could've possibly been a a negative element for the book and made it something overwhelmingly positive (at least in my opinion). Hatzopoulou made it so that this dynamic weighed heavily on Io, wove it into the dynamic between Io and Thais as well as added the tension of Io trying her hardest not to fall for Edei but failing over and over again. Also, I loved Edei as a character so, so much.

Finally the world-building and magic system. I loved it so much. I honestly have no negative thoughts. The take on Greek Mythology and the glimpse we see of other myths and beliefs that will possibly be showcased more in the next book? I loved it. The explanations of powers and scenes where Io used hers were quite interesting and kept me gripped. The world that Hatzopoulou built felt very real (not realistic obviously) and I'm quite interested to learn more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book well enough while I listened to it, but unfortunately I forgot pretty much everything about it immediately afterward. Neither the characters or the plot made much of an impression on me, and I don't think I'll be continuing the series.

“Decided to quit at about 5% in. Just not keeping my attention…” That’s all I could convince myself to update Goodreads with. Like I said, I finally gave up at 5%. And I struggled to get to that point at all. This book sounded like it would be my cup of tea. Greek Goddesses, and the threads of life that connect people. But this story felt like it was trying too hard to be something new and unique. It often didn’t make sense and was hard to follow… There’s not much more that I can say about it. I just didn’t like it.

Percy Jackson meets Red Queen in this thrilling mystery inspired by Greek Mythology.

This was a really interesting read. I loved the Greek Mythology aspects, which gave it almost a dystopian feel. Io reminded me of Mare from Red Queen, which gave this story a very nostalgic fantasy sort of vibe, which worked well with the Percy Jackson style writing.

I think that the beginning dragged on a little bit, which is to be expected, however I had to put it down multiple times because there was a lot of information in very few pages. Combined with the introduction to the world, it was a tad overwhelming, and almost a DNF. I’m glad I pushed through because it was amazing.

I don’t particularly like the ‘fated mates’ trope, but I think it worked well here. The slowburn/coming to terms of Io and Edei’s relationship was done very well, and I really liked how it came together. The relationship was so cute, and I loved seeing them grow together.

The characters are well-written, and don’t seem to lack personal bias, which is something that I find doesn’t happen in teen mystery/thriller books as much as it should. I also think Io has quite a few character arcs that help her to learn more about herself, which is refreshing to see. Being the quick-thinking thread cutter who won’t hesitate to use her gift who doesn’t always see the consequences, it made a huge impact when she realized someone close to her faced a devastating loss because of her decision, which added a lot to her character. The diversity of the characters was also well done, and didn’t feel like they were added to hit a quota.

I liked the ending, but I think it would’ve made a bit more sense to end the book earlier. The big reveal was intense, and changed everyone’s lives, but then we had more stuff happen, which took away from the twist ending. I felt as though it fell a bit flat after, but there are a few things I want to know more about, and I can’t wait for the second book.

I think this would appeal to fans looking for the wit and sarcasm of Percy Jackson and the fantasy/dystopian world of Red Queen. Overall, it was a very interesting read, and I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Razorbill, and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love anything related to Greek mythology, and this does not disappoint. I especially enjoyed this take on the Fates as sisters. The characters have depth and are easy to connect to. I always love a mystery and enjoy skimming the text for clues. The magic system is unique and well-fleshed out.
Overall it was a great and engaging read.

2/5

This book started out really good. I liked the premise, and it was like nothing I had ever read before. The ending was also really good. But the middle was a jumble mess for me. There was so much going on with the different types of powers, the different subplots, and just so so many characters. It became confusing or maybe I'm just dumb. Why is it always gods who are doing the bad things I felt whip lash the whole time reading.

The writing is solid, creating a vivid atmosphere, but the plot is a mix of captivating moments and predictability. Characters are well-developed, though some lack depth. Pacing fluctuates, making it a decent but not outstanding read.

Threads That Bind was exciting, engaging and a wonderful read. I definitely recommend for high school students.

I loved this modern play on Greek mythology and the fates thread.

Io is a detective as well as a descent of fate that can cut your thread of life. She is able to cut any connection to things you love including you life. She is feared for her power but people still hire her to figure out people secrets. While on an assignment she is attached by creature that’s life line has been severed and it uses what’s left as a weapon. She also runs in to her fated mate that she has avoid all these years. She followed the thread to discover a deadly plot to over turn the world as she knows it.

A great story with a unique Greek mythology based magic system and absolutely adorable romance! It gets better as you get further into it, I really, really enjoyed parts 2 and 3!