This book had me absolutely smitten, I devoured it within two sittings as I just didn’t want to pull myself away. After having struggled with another book on and off for a couple of weeks (and having to DNF it, my first ever!) I welcomed the familiar feeling of a magical world with open arms.
Book Title: These Hollow VowsPublishing Date: 20 July 2021Social Medias: @WriterLexiRyan / @HodderBooks
★★★★☆
From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, this sexy, action-packed fantasy is about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes.
Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.
Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.
Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.
With the premise starting off very ‘cinderella’-y - an orphaned girl, a cruel Aunt and two mean cousins - then adding in a sprinkle of magic, a love triangle you can’t say no to (or at least I can’t, I’m sorry okay) and an adventure to save a stolen sister, this book has everything you need to keep you encapsulated.
Our main character is a young woman named Brie (Abriella) who had one main goal, to find her missing sister Jas - and she would do anything (including infiltrating the Fae court) to save her. Growing up, Brie had hated the Fae and the courts, believing them to be the reason her mother abandoned her as a child. However, with her younger sister Jas being sold off to the Faerie realm to cover the families debts, she finds herself heading there to steal her back.
This adventure sees Brie facing menacing beasts in the land of Faerie, becoming tied up with a rag-tag band of outlaw Fae who want to help her succeed and a whole rollercoaster of twists that leave you questioning who is actually safe and whether anyone was ever truthful about who they are and what they want.
The story left me with a deep morning-after book hangover (I need more! That ending left me pining), but here are a couple of my most prominent thoughts:
The Characters - We saw a really great mix of characters in here, including different races, backgrounds, personalities etc. Brie was feisty, skilled and had some great potential for character development. The only thing I didn’t like was her inability to remain focused when she was around either of the love interests. I can appreciate both of the main male characters being swoon-worthy by their own rights (team Finn, sorry), but the repeated distraction of topless Fae really went against her fiery passion to save her sister.
My favourite characters though, were the gang of misfit Fae that Brie was spending her time with - they were the quirkiest, most personable people in the story and had great banter with one another which made it incredibly easy to read and fall into their friendship. They were likeable (even when they weren’t supposed to be) and relatable too. I am very much looking forward to seeing and learning more about these characters in the following book(s)!
"Nothing in Faeire is coincidence."
The World Building - The description of Faerie (the Fae realm) was done very well as I could fully imagine the courts, surrounding woodland etc as I was reading. I loved the distinctions between the Summer and Winter courts and especially all the descriptions of the court members appearances.
I appreciated that we were allowed to be taken outside of the Castles/Courts too, being shown the Wild Fae areas, the tavern and the market. This extension really showed that this wasn't just about royalty or their feud, but that other creatures and races exist in this world too and a lot more thought had gone into where the story lies.
The magic system and introduction into the Fae powers was great and I did really enjoy how we saw a small portion of magic while in the human realm - there were subtle hints at it, before the book really started going. Then once we crossed into Fae we were shown glamours and individual powers, something I'm intrigued to learn more about!
The Smut - I love it. There were only a handful of really intense scenes, but they were enough to get me feeling a little hot under the collar! These smutty scenes were a whole load of built up lust and desire with very minimal sexual content - if you're anything like me, you end up wishing they'd stop teasing it and just be together! But I have to appreciate the tension, it really had my heart going.
"Easy, Princess, focus on the magic. When we're out of here, you can go back to imagining all the ways you want my hands on you."
I may be a little biased because I love anything Faerie, but this is currently sitting in with my top handful of books for 2021 so far. Perfect for fans of ACOTAR, fairytale retellings and those who crave a love-triangle trope.
What do you think? Would lusty Fae be enough for you?What's the last Fantasy book you read? I'd love to know!
* An e-copy of this book was gifted to me via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. Thank you to Lexi Ryan and the publishers!
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