Book: These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
Read From: 7th November - 13th November 2021
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary: In a bid to save her sister who was sold to the formidable King of the Unseelie Court, Brie defies her hatred of the fae to make a deal with him in the hopes of getting her sister back. Her task is to retrieve three magical artefacts from the Seelie Court, and the only way to achieve this is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan. Caught between two courts, Brie must put her loyalty to the test - especially when she begins to work alongside a band of misfits, struggling to resist the seductive charm of their leader Finn.
I know you’re all thinking ‘ugh not another fae book’, ‘nothing will ever match up to ACOTAR’, 'same old, same old'... PLEASE GIVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on various platforms saying it's a 'dollar store ACOTAR', but for me this couldn't be further from the truth. Honestly, if we're talking first books only, These Hollow Vows trumped ACOTAR for me. At the same time, I think it's an amazing story in its own right. Yes, there are a lot of similarities, but the two works shouldn't be put up against each other because they each have their own strengths. It's so hard to rave about this book without spoiling anything so I hope my review will be somewhat coherent😅 it's seriously amazing.
Brie was an absolute badass, I loved her character development but also appreciated that her motives of saving her sister never wavered. She always knew what she wanted and didn't let anyone come in between that - such an admirable quality to have in a heroine particularly when that dedication centres around a familial bond. Sebastian and Finn were very interesting characters, and even better love interests. I'm not normally a fan of love triangles but I was constantly changing my mind about who's team I was on and so I could totally understand Brie's situation of not knowing who to trust (although I do admit that I had a soft sport for Finn…)
I loved the plot - the different methods Brie had to use in order to get the magic artefacts were really interesting to read about. I love any kind of adventure story and this definitely met that mark for me. The world building was also great. It wasn’t complex but it was well developed nonetheless. I can see why people would get ACOTAR vibes from the world but I actually appreciated it’s simplicity in comparison to Prythian, it worked well in complimenting the story without being unnecessarily complicated.
If it’s not already obvious, These Hollow Vows is one that I would definitely recommend, especially if you love fae stories. There is so much to love in this book and I’m glad it was chosen for our November book club read.