Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Folk of the Air series, These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan is full of fae magic, sizzling romance and a thousand and one betrayals sure to keep you hooked until the very end!
Amongst warring faerie courts, dangerously seductive princes and a bargain from hell, our heroine Abriella Kincaid is the last person you’d expect to get caught up in the world of magic and fae. Nevertheless, she finds herself at the heart of a plot to overthrow power in the Seelie and Unseelie lands.
Lexi Ryan
Willing to starve and steal rather than give into the deceptive promise of wealth and luxury that the faerie lands offer, Brie pours all of her love and trust into her sister, thieving in the night to make payment for the magical contract binding their lives to Madame Vivias, their mean-spirited landlord. She does however have a soft spot for Sebastian, the handsome mage apprentice next door, who undoubtedly feels the same way towards Brie, showing her nothing but kindness and always checking in on their welfare.
Choosing to steal from a particularly menacing client and giving her earnings over to a friend in need, Brie is equal parts on the run and in trouble as Madame Vivias grows tired of the defaults and sells Brie’s sister off to the fae. Determined to find her, Brie gives into the whimsy of the courts, travelling to the land of Seelie and posing as the potential wife of the charming Prince Ronan, while making deals with the Unseelie king’s shadow court to ensure her sister’s safety. She must find and hand over three magical artifacts from the Seelie court to the Unseelie court and speak of the deal to nobody, but there’s a loophole and that’s where the enigmatic and (Rhys-reminiscent) Finn comes in. This silver-eyed, brooding royal cast-away only has eyes for his kingdom of wild fae who have been plagued by misfortune, dying in droves at the hands of the Seelie Queen. With enough drive and passion to match Brie’s, Finn learns of her pursuit for the artefacts and is willing to help her find them, for his own gain but also because he may be developing feelings for the fiery and incredibly stubborn girl who is making him reconsider his priorities.
Trapped between two courts with her loyalties and heart undecided, Brie fights against all odds to stay true to her mission, even if it means sacrificing the friendship and love she has found amidst the chaos of the faerie lands. Fierce and unapologetic, Brie’s strength and unwillingness to stay quiet in the face of inequity instantly made me fall in love with her as a main character. She is sharp and unafraid, saying whatever is on her mind and damning the consequences. At times she can be a little reckless and impulsive, especially when it comes to the people she loves, but those nuances humanised her character and gave her relatable flaws.
Lexi Ryan’s world-building puts us at the centre of an enchanting land of deadly magic where not even your own shadow can be trusted. I found I was second-guessing every single character, with the reveals and plot twists leaving me reeling (and don’t even get me started on that ending – that was the ultimate cliffhanger!). Coming from the romance genre, it’s clear that Lexi excels in building tension and the complex love triangle at work in this book is no exception – she takes the overused trope and breathes new life into it. I love how both Ronan and Finn were neither good or evil, it made it all the more difficult to choose between the two princes.
With the secrets from her past catching up with her, I can’t wait to see what happens next in Brie’s story! I’m ready for more magic, romance and betrayal, but also a sweet bit of revenge. The ending will have you grinning in glee but also make you want to seethe in anger – so really, it’s the kind of ending where you need the next book in your hands IMMEDIATELY! Set to be a duology, keep your eyes out for book two, These Twisted Bonds, expected to be published in July 2022.
—These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan (Hachette Australia) is out now.
These Hollow Vows
A heart is a dangerous thing to steal.
Brie would do anything before making a deal with the Fae; death is better than their vicious schemes. But when her sister is taken by the sadistic king of the Unseelie court, there is nothing Brie wouldn't do to get her back-including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the rival 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 the Seelie Prince, Ronan - a prince who's not quite as wicked as she once thought...
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