Reviews

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

ihugparrish's review against another edition

3.0

⊹ first read, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
⊹ second read, ⭐⭐⭐

bethanyyoung86's review against another edition

5.0

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

I loved just about everything about this book; from the world building , the humor, the twists and turns and cliffhangers and the internal battles and relationship between Violet and Cyrus. It was easily a 5 star read and I can’t wait for the follow up book. Why must we wait so long?!? Gina Chen is an author to keep an eye on. She’s extremely talented and creative !

kaulhilo's review against another edition

3.0

this might just be my favorite book ever

queen_of_kings's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition

4.0

I was weary of the YA description tag, but honestly it didn't feel YA at all. It was mature and cohesive. Probably only given that tag because the main character is a 19-20 year old girl

anatrnd's review against another edition

5.0

історія в серденько насправді. багато політики (все як я люблю) і просто неймовірна любовна лінія (їхня хімія >>>>). тут якраз енеміс-ту-лаверс, the epitome of this trope, тому що вони не принижують і не знущаються (як в The Cruel Prince), але справді ненавидять одне одного і ненавидять самих себе, тому що закохані у людину, яку ненавидять. а ще це частково ретеллінг "Красуні і чудовиська". і продовження, на жаль, не буде, авторка вирішила зробити історією одиночкою, АЛЕ в мене є чудова новина для вас, бо тут загалом нормальний фінал і читати можна і так. максимально раджу, чесно.

jull1980's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

priya_amrev's review against another edition

2.0

Read in 2.5 hrs

lavdisy's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

It's written as a retelling-inspired, and honestly, quite good for a debut novel. I picked this up because I was curious about the blurb, which promised interesting stuff. Firstly, while the plot revolves around a prince and princess with ballroom scenes and fairy tale twists, the political problems and fantasy elements like witches and beasts are overshadowed by romance. Despite being part of a series, the depth of detail for these elements is easy to forget. It feels like the focus is more on the romantic aspect rather than the fantasy elements that should guide the story. Secondly, regarding the romance, I must admit I LIKED IT. Their chemistry and passion deeply immersed me, with clandestine meetings and longing stares that were beautifully written. Lastly, the characters, while not all my favorites, had some standout moments, like Dante, who I expected to be an eye-catcher but was barely mentioned. Others lacked detail, and I struggled to remember their names after finishing the book.

So, I enjoyed the book, but up until the ending, I was kind of disliking how the story ends for only book 1. There is so much potential for plot and character detail, and that political intrigue should be delved into more to set up the next book. As for the witch, curses, and some dark powers, I feel like there's not even a little hint to put in, which makes it hard for me to understand them more. Despite all that, I'm still curious about the second book and hope there will be a lot of development. Overall, it was a really fun read to spend my time on.

peppervaughn's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0