These Hollow Vows | Review

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.

This book was Disney fairytales sprinkled with a bit of spice.

I assume the whole vague fairytale retelling was intentional, but I don’t know for sure. At first it was Cinderella with the evil aunt and stepsisters running off to the ball to meet a prince. Then it was Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White was sprinkled in at the end. I loved seeing this familiarity but mixed up in Ryan’s own way. Again, I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I liked it either way.

This book was a feast of secrets. Because so many were being kept from Brie, there were also lots being kept from the reader. Some things were easy to figure out or connect, but there is so much there that I couldn’t even begin to understand it all. That was part of the appeal to me though. This world is complex and all the characters have pieces of the truth and partial answers so it was fun to work out some of that.

My biggest gripe about this book was the love triangle. (view spoiler)

Overall, this book had me utterly enthralled! I loved the twists, the romance, the magic, the secrets, all of it. I immediately bought the second book after finishing this one because I can’t wait any longer.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Lexi Ryan, go to her Goodreads profile or visit her website.