This was even better than Threads that Bind. The second part of this duology was fast paced and exciting and perfectly expanded the world from the first part of the duo logy. Absolutely excellent!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Hearts That Cut was just as good as its predecessor, Thread That Bind, This duology is such a clever twist on "urban" Greek Mythology and I really enjoyed it. The writing was super high quality, the characters were strong, the world fascinating, and the plot kept me engaged from page one.

I love the concept of the gods being gone but remnants of their powers still existing in their descendants, the Otherborn. It was such a cool way to incorporate the Greek Mythology without it being the same old story or having the gods themselves as main characters. And the cast themselves was super interesting - straddling the line between human issues (jealousy, belonging, romance, grief, etc.) and those of the gods (ethics of powers, a higher calling, abuse of power, etc.). It all blended together so well and Hatzopoulou carries the plot of book 1 into book 2 perfectly while still maintaining a unique story of its own - it was a really great balance that felt like a continuation but also a unique experience, and by the end I felt like I had a complete story.

I even enjoyed the main character more in this one - she didn't feel as whiny or naive, we saw real growth. Now was she still sometimes an annoying young adult? Sure, which fit - but she also had a lot of really great, and hard won, character growth that I really enjoyed.

It was obvious to me that Hatzopoulou had a very clear vision and the skill to execute it, making for an excellent story. This is a very strong YA duology that I highly recommend and I would love to return to this world!

dare i say this was even better than the first book????? after finishing the first one, i had to get my hands on this immediately and i cannot believe i got the arc!!!! this was so fast paced and really lent itself to exploring more of the characters’ motives as well as the world. i highly recommend

This duology has been utterly unique and easily one of the best written debuts I've seen in recent years. This is a really thoughtful and mindful YA that actually captures nuance and works with the teen realization that the world is not cut in swaths of black and white answers. Mature but swift prose also lends a crossover appeal to the New/Emerging Adult audiences that aren't ready to move entirely into Adult fiction yet. The themes also resonate with a growing generation aware of climate issues while providing hope against the popular nihilism on the matter.

Fantastic sequel to a fantastic debut.

"Hearts That Cut" by Kika Hatzopoulou is a poignant and evocative novel that delves into the intricacies of love and personal transformation. With its lyrical prose and deeply relatable characters, the book weaves a rich tapestry of emotion and insight. Hatzopoulou's masterful storytelling creates a memorable and impactful reading experience.

Thank you to the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Razorbill, for this eCopy to review. All thoughts are my own.

5/5 stars!

I absolutely LOVED the direction this sequel took! It felt like nonstop action/movement while not being so fast paced as to be confusing, and we got a lot of insight into the character's emotions and mindsets as the story progressed. The use of the manipulation of time by the Gods/Goddesses was such a cool element and I was SHOCKED to realize that their entire world/the storyline was stuck in an endless loop "to prevent the apocalypse from progressing", when in reality it was mostly for the Gods/Goddesses to stay in the power that they had found for themselves. There was just enough humor to keep it lighthearted at times, and it felt like the characters really stayed true to themselves while also growing throughout the story and navigating their setbacks. It's a safe bet that I will read EVERYTHING that Kika publishes.

3 stars

I like what Kika was trying to do with this story, but the execution is a bit lacking for me. The book describes that there were so many natural disasters that happened, but we are just told that. I feel like the world here is so interesting in theory, but in practice the writing didn't help immerse me into it. Hearts that Cut had so much dialogue and not enough things actually happening. All that being said, I liked the ending. The conclusion makes sense, but I felt book 1 had more heart (haha) to it.

Kika is not only an amazing author, but an amazing person. She can write, and also make her readers feel absolutely amazing about themselves all in one setting. This book takes your heart and sucker punches it. Will read it multiple times no doubt.

Hearts that cut is a fabulous follow up to threads that bind. When we pick up with Io where last book ends, the stakes had been raised and she forced to deal with the consequences of her sisters actions.
While it does start slow, I did appreciate being eased in to what was happening and reminded of all I needed to know. Because when the plot started by god did it start, the second half was longer but the pace picks up SO FAST. It’s a good sequel and if you enjoyed the first one why would t you read the next one?!?!? It’s just as good!!!
Minor spoiler but……..I personally enjoyed that the soul mate plot took a back seat to Io’s relationship with her sisters. It made sense for both the plot and for her as a character.

Such a great sequel!! I was really impressed by this book. At the start, I kept forgetting plot points from the first book, but I was still really into the story and quickly remembered as I read.

I felt this book did a great job of continuing the story from the first book, and wrapped up everything really well.

I would definitely recommend this book!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Hearts That Cut. Io takes us on a wild adventure through treacherous territories, complete with monsters, love and self discovery. I love the world that Hatzopoulou created so much, it's unique and different. She weaved a beautiful tale of gods, threads and humanity.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an eARC of Hearts That Cut in exchange for my honest review!

While I didn't enjoy this sequel as much as I wanted to, it's still an engaging read that benefits from the complex worldbuilding. This was an aspect of the previous book, too, and it made it easy to feel like this landscape was real and fleshed-out. We get more of this in Hearts That Cut, although it doesn't pop out as freshly because we'd already dived into it once before. When it comes to the characters, they don't compel me as much as they had in Threads That Bind, which feels odd. I do like following Io and Edei's dynamic, though. And with all of that, I'm giving Hearts That Cut three out of five stars. I'll keep an eye out for more of Kika Hatzopoulou's work.

Thanks to Razorbill for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.

Io has been on her mission to take down a god to no avail. She is determined to cut the thread holding the life of the god on the other end. Meanwhile she still questions her thread of fate to Edei, do they actually like one another or are they just puppets of the gods? 

There's lots of action in this one. It's definitely a more plot driven story than a character driven one. I enjoyed the ride and the ending was really satisfying.

As part of my honest review, I must admit that I read this arc a few months back, forgot that I did so, and attempt to read it again because I simply did not remember any plot points of this book until checking on Goodreads that I did indeed complete this book.

I adored the first book in this series. So much so that I read it in one sitting before leaving for the airport in 4 or so hours. The romantic conflict introduced had me gripped the entire way. I did not find it so in this sequel. In fact, I hardly even remember the love interest being present much this time around, as our main character is facing new enemies and he was on his own side-quest for much of the book? I think this disconnect was why I felt less engaged this time around, as I spent more time trying to figure out how these new enemies played a bigger role to the first book.

Character development is my favorite part in the story as you get to watch your hero take another step in life, and this book was the same. Our heroine fought through her childhood traumas and learned to love and be loved as a result of it.

DNF at 15%.

I could not find myself wanting to dive back into this plot yet. I may revisit in the future when I'm in a more YA frame of mind. I would like to see where this story goes.

Dnf at 10% wasn’t invested in the story or the characters. Didn’t like some of the content. I found myself not interested in continuing with the story

Thank you to NetGalley and Razorbill for the free eARC. I struggled with the beginning of the book as I forgot most of the smaller details from the first book. It took me until around 40% in for it to feel like the book pace picked up. Overall, I felt it was a decent end to the duology. My only complaint was it seemed like it ended very abruptly - I would have enjoyed an epilogue set in the future to see how some elements were resolved.

Unfortunately, this book/series was not for me. It's a cool idea, but I feel it could have been better executed.

Reasons it's not for me, in no particular order:

The narrative tells readers things they've known since the beginning. Repeatedly. I'm not dumb and I haven't forgotten during the last few chapters. Lol!

There's a lot of telling instead of showing.

Words, phrases, and metaphors are often repeated in close proximity.

There are info dumps, but somehow the worldbuilding still doesn't make sense. It feels like the story often breaks its own rules.

I didn't feel the love between Io and Edei. This is supposed to be the heart (pardon the pun) of the story, but it felt like another thing I was told instead of shown.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the ARC.

Hearts That Cut is an adventurous sequel that, after having read the first so recently, was satisfying to pick right back up into where I last left Io and Bianca. As Io and Bianca search for the owner of the golden thread, Io worrying all the while about the state of her fate thread tying back to Edei, they dive deeper into a further tangling web of mysteries, with her sisters and the gods at the center.
This book fell flatter for me than the first, as I had a hard and incredibly slow time getting into the book and being invested rather than confused and muddied in the pacing. I was also put off by the way Edei and Io reunited, as if they'd returned to their dynamic at the beginning of the first book. Overall, I really love the concept of this series and I think the magic is very unique and excellently described. The action and adventure is also thrilling when in the heat of it.

I am so glad I got to read the ARC of this one! As the first book was one of my favorites, I enjoyed the dynamic between Io and Bianca, the angst between her and Eden and most importantly, the adventure that unfolded and THAT ENDING OMG