These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows Book 2)

Product Information

Having turned fae after nearly dying from her bond with Sebastian, Abriella flees, reeling from his betrayal. Discovering a Seelie prison camp for Unseelie children, Brie unleashes her now considerable magic to free them, alongside Misha and his Wild Fae. Despite her mistrust of all fae, Brie vows to demolish all the golden queen’s camps and stop the exploitation of children. As the imbalance between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts grows, Brie struggles to fix the problem created by her survival. After recuperating with the Wild Fae, she reunites with exiled Unseelie Prince Finn and his friends and immediately recalls her attraction to him despite her bond with Sebastian. As she falls into a flirty love triangle, Brie’s relationships with Sebastian and Finn spotlight negative and potentially toxic issues such as jealousy and obsessive possessiveness as well as the importance of positive communication, support, and empathy. The focus on Brie’s evolving sense of self and belonging elevates an otherwise familiar fantasy plot with some predictable twists. The theme of power in terms of consent, free will, balance, and duty is strongly depicted through Brie and Finn’s determination. Brie and Sebastian read as White; Finn reads as fantasy diverse. So obvs I had to request an arc. And then I waited in fear that, despite approving me for the first book, they'd go 'nah' and not give me this one. But I was approved, so thank you, I wish all the good things on you @ Hodder & Stoughton. And of course, if that wasn’t good enough, we have the fact that every single MOMENT that we’re in the main character’s head (literally the whole book, if you may), she’s always saying: If you even somewhat enjoyed book one, I definitely recommend reading book two when it is released! This book was so good! These Twisted Bonds follows Brie as she goes on a journey of love, truth and redemption. Along the way Brie learns about her developing powers and who she is as a person. Brie must make a decision that will have a lasting effect on her life and the people she loves.

Now, I read the first book a while ago, and my brain cells are commonly known for auto deletion in various modes, HOWEVER, I do not recall the first book making me want to eat chunky bleach (the chewy version to prolong the effect) with my eyespheres.

These Twisted Bonds is a story about love, friendship and the ties that bind us together. It is a story of duty and loyalty. A story about difficult decisions and sacrifices. A story that will entangle you and leave you begging for more. how dare this series only be a duology. this story EASILY could have been a trilogy and i will forever be bitter about that. i need more fae magic, i need more warring kingdoms, i need more brooding princes (aka finn), and i need more betrayals. lol. As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn’t even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don’t lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm – whether she likes it or not. I want to highlight the traveling element of this book as it’s one of my favourite tropes, it helps gain a good understanding of the world, which is really rich and well thought out. Moving from place to place and building an understanding of the world and it’s magic system was really key to the plot. I particularly love the creatures of the world.

This was a great conclusion, the romance was great and I'm not a romance reader, the sexy scenes where actually sexy, It was like Lizzie and Darcy but sexy. The character development was amazing and the amount of politics, history and world building in this one was such a great conclusion to the duology. I am meant to be here. I am shadow, I am flame, I deserve better than these two males trying to hold me in. I’m a bird. This book, while still very good, did not quite hit all the marks I’d wished for. Maybe I had high expectations, maybe I didn’t give myself enough time to process the first book, I don’t know. Still, I very much enjoyed the further unfolding of secrets, the romance, and learning more about this world. There was heartache, pining, vulnerability, and a redemption arc that left me oh so satisfied. I just wish this was leaning more towards adult than YA, but that’s what Lexi Ryan chose so that’s fine. I don't know how to decide who to trust in this realm, but you can learn a lot from the way someone treats those weaker than they are, those who have nothing to offer them.”On the point of clever: the twists! The turns! The plot was truly electrifying. I didn’t predict some of the plot manoeuvres, and even the bits I did predict were still great, because Ryan’s development of it all was enjoyable and engaging, her characters were interesting and their dialogue was a whole lot of fun. I loved watching Brie grow, but more so I think I enjoyed getting to know Finn even more. Bash was a surprise towards the end, I was not a fan of him based on These Hollow Vows and so I think it took me a longer time to appreciate his growth, but overall I was a big fan of watching the main characters, and side characters, develop as the story continued.

I KIND OF GOT SOME Rhys and Tamlin vibes in this one. But I think this story handled the relationships better so I didn’t mind so much. Wow, this book really is a successful conclusion to this wonderful dilogy! I’ve loved the first book so much and therefore I had high expectations for the sequel. And fortunately I wasn't disappointed, but my expectations were even exceeded.
The author's writing style is captivating and addictive. While reading you become part of the story yourself and thanks to the pictorial representations I could find my way around wonderfully in this new fantasy world. In general, I absolutely loved the world building! Both the atmosphere and the feeling while reading were something very special here and I am very happy that I have discovered this author for myself.
Brie, the female protagonist, goes through an enormous character development within the book. Already in the first book I admired her a lot for her courage, her strength and her way of thinking, but this time my admiration for her has grown even more. She was betrayed, had to put up with a lot of disappointments and her entire life was turned upside down. And yet she shows herself to be a true fighter. I loved how she found herself more and more and discovered who and what she really is. I also loved her immensely thanks to her big and pure heart.
I also loved the love story a lot too! I actually didn't like Sebastian in the first book and gave my heart to Finn within a very short time, which is why I was very excited, especially after the end of the first book, to see how the story will continue and who the final love interest will be. I don't want to spoil here, but I can say that the author has implemented the whole thing wonderfully and authentically and I absolutely sympathized and shared my excitement while reading.
The secondary characters also helped make the book so enjoyable to me. They are all wonderful additions to the story and I grew very fond of many of them.
A highlight for me were all the unexpected twists and revelations in this book. I loved the plot and didn't see it coming. I was surprised several times, it was very exciting the whole time and I couldn't put the book down. Romance aside, I enjoyed seeing Finn's new facets in this sequel. His past, his origins, and the way he cares about his people gave him a more human and realistic touch that completely conquered me. Especially when he mentioned his first priority was to serve his people instead of ruling them. I don't think love is about what we deserve. It's an opening of our hearts, not a judgement we make."I don't think love is about what we deserve. It's an opening of our hearts, not a judgment we make." I don’t understand how I could be so special. I’m not even pretty enough, I’m just a human who fell in love with two males and I am nothing. I wish I could sacrifice myself to save people from the agony of being near me. Brie finds herself caught between two princes and two destinies while the future of the fae realm hangs in the balance.