Series Name: These Hollow Vows, # 1
Review By Veronica
These Hollow Vows is an addictive tale of betrayal, love, and a heroine who will do anything to save her sister.
Favourite Quote:
COOL SHADOWS WASH over my sweaty skin, welcoming, disguising me. I could revel in the darkness—happily lie under the stars and let the night air unravel my knotted, overworked muscles—but I won’t waste tonight on rest or fleeting pleasure. These are the hours of spies and thieves. They’re my hours.
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
I was afraid that I wasn’t going to find another fantasy series that really captured my attention. I started a few series, but they have fizzled out for me. Nothing seemed to be clicking with me. That was until I stumbled upon this book and the series that it belongs to. This book lived up to every expectation I had for it. I was instantly hooked on this story and found myself becoming obsessed with the characters. Fans of the ACOTR series, who are looking for a new book series that has similar vibes should definitely give this book and its series a try. Lexi has created a dark and thrilling world that is sure to captivate you. There is also a love triangle that is similar to the love triangle that existed in the first couple of books of the ACOTR series.
I really can’t think of anything that I didn’t like about this book. Lexi is a phenomenal world-builder and storyteller. The world that Brie lives in is divided into several parts. You have the realm that humans live in and the realm that fairies live in. Humans distrust and fear fairies, but some wish to travel to the realm that fairies live in with hopes of living a better life. Brie hates fairies and wants nothing to do with them. But fate has other plans for her. When Brie’s sister is sold to the dark unseliee king, Brie must travel to the fairy realm in order to save her sister. The fairy realm itself is divided into three courts: light, dark, and wild. All is not what it seems in these lands, and Brie has to learn very quickly not to trust those around her. Lexi does a great job at introducing the characters and the worlds she has created in a cohesive and interesting way. She doesn’t bombard her readers with too much information. Instead, she slowly feeds her readers information, ensuring they have what they need to understand what is going on, but also leaves them hungry for more.
The pacing of this book is perfect. Things move along at a fairly brisk pace, and there are some thrilling twists that had me quickly turning the page to find out what was going to happen next. There are a lot of secrets, betrayal, and this shroud that is wrapped around this bigger unknown enemy. There is this feeling that something darker is looming on the horizon, but you don’t know what it is.
The characters in this book were wonderful and very typical of a fantasy novel. Brie has this unusual combination of being incredibly cunning (especially as a thief) and also being a bit naïve when it comes to relationships, both romantic and friendships. For someone who has had a less-than-ideal upbringing and supports herself and her sister as a thief, she can be too trusting when it comes to those she meets. It takes a few very large betrayals before it sinks in that she really cannot trust anyone in this realm. I enjoyed her character and spending time with her.
There is this mystery surrounding Brie, who suddenly seems to be able to control shadows and has these abilities she’s never had before. Finn and Sebastian are the other two MCs and are Brie’s love interests in this book. Both Finn and Sebastian remind me of Rhys and Tamlin from ACTOR. Both characters have similar backstories and characteristics. That being said, I liked both of them. Finn is still a bit of a mystery at this point, and I’m hoping we learn more about him in the next book. There is a stronger romantic element in this fantasy with a little spice. If you like love triangles, rivalries, and fated mates, then I think you will enjoy the romance in this book.
These Hollow Vows is a thrilling and addictive book, and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
