I’m so excited to be part of the TBR & Beyond tour for this book. Find the full tour schedule here.
About the book
Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publishing Date: July 26, 2022
Synopsis:
A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove.
Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.
But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.
Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.
Book Review
Perfect for fans of The Wicked Prince, this YA fantasy novel has a lying prophet and a smoldering enemies-to-lovers romance.
Violet can see strands of the future, which allowed her to save the Prince Cyrus’s life in the market one day when they were both kids. She was immediately brought to the palace and began training as a seer. Now, as prophet to the king, she regularly lies for him, causing Cyrus to despise her, even though he’s no longer the sweet boy she saved, either. Violet’s an opportunist building a future in a palace, and Cyrus is a charming flirt who is chased around by all the girls in the kingdom.
However, when the kingdom is threatened by mysterious beasts, who arrive at the same time as a potential bride for Cyrus, Cyrus may have to trust Violet to get the answers he seeks. Violet keeps being visited by the fates – or other beings – encouraging her to kill Cyrus to secure her own future. However, all of this is complicated by how hate seems to be turning to passion between the two of them on the eve of Cyrus’s marriage to another.
This story has a glittering court setting, where everyone enchants themselves with fairy glamours to look more alluring than they really do. Even Violet regularly wears fairy-made gowns, and the descriptions of the balls and all the desserts served are a delight.
The romance takes center stage, with the witty, scathing banter between Cyrus and Violet bringing a lighthearted balance to the danger they face. Their ups and downs keeps the reader guessing who Cyrus will end up with, and who he really wants to end up with.
This engaging fantasy left me eager to read the sequel.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and TBR & Beyond Tours for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the author
Gina Chen tells stories about fantastic worlds featuring heroines, antiheroines, and the kind of cleverness that brings trouble in its wake. A self-taught artist with a degree in computer science, she generates creative nonsense in all forms of media and always has a project stewing. Violet Made of Thorns is her debut fantasy novel.
Need more to read? Find all of my fantasy recommendations here.
