Mythological, magical, and mesmerizing, a must-read fantasy debut!
“‘You might survive,’ Io told Edei, ‘but tolerating wickedness seems to me just a slow kind of death.’”
Well, I think it is safe to say that Greek mythology (and mythology in general) retellings are still one of my preferred subgenres of fantasy. Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou is a young adult, Greek mythology retelling that introduces a noir, post-apocalyptic-like world where the descendants of the gods inherit their powers and as soon as I read the plot of this book—a descendant of the Greek Fates, who has the ability to cut people’s threads, tasked with solving a series of seemingly impossible murders alongside the boy with whom she shares a fate-thread—I was sold, and this book quickly became one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I mean, this book is filled to the brim with mythology, murder, mystery, and magic (aka some of my favorite things to find in a fantasy book), and featuring a rich, compelling world replete with underground gangs and political intrigue, complex characters, incredibly vivid writing, and a dash of romance. So, in other words, I loved it (what I did not love—that crazy, cliffhanger ending with no news with regards to the next book, I need to know what happens next!).
What I particularly enjoyed about this book was how Greek mythology was incorporated—the descendants of the gods inheriting the powers of the god from whom they are descended—and simply how unique the magic system was because of it. From our main character Io and her sisters’ ability to manipulate people’s threads as descendants of the three Greek Fates to Io’s best friend Rosa’s ability to make people fall asleep and guide their dreams as a descendent of the god Morpheus, the way in which mythology and magic were directly linked was really creative and I enjoyed exploring this relationship as the novel progressed. I also really enjoyed how, much like in reality (the most notable example being between the Greeks and Romans), the people from different locations within the world of the novel were descended from different gods who were essentially the same god with a different name and slightly different powers.
In typical fashion, the characters would have to be one of my favorite aspects of this book. They were all so complex and multi-faceted, which, in a story in which a murder mystery is being solved, made it that much harder to determine who the ultimate “villain” was as none of the characters truly existed in the realm of purely black or white. In terms of the characters themselves, I loved Io, our fiercely loyal and protective private investigator protagonist who is tasked with solving the mysterious murders going on around her alongside Edei Rhuna, the boy with whom she shares a fate-thread. I enjoyed the personal and emotional journey that Io went on as the story progressed and experiencing her struggle with trying to do the right thing and to protect those that she cares about (which creates such an interesting juxtaposition against her job as a private investigator and her ability to literally cut people’s threads). I also enjoyed exploring her fraught relationship with her sisters (I’m a sucker for books that explore sibling dynamics) as well as her complex relationship with Edei as her soulmate (a concept which Io struggles with quite a bit considering that Edei was never given a say in the matter).
Speaking of, Edei Rhuna has officially been added to my list of book boyfriends, sorry I don’t make the rules. Ugh, I loved Edei so much. Much like Io, there is a deep-rooted sense of loyalty and kindness to him despite the gritty, crime-filled world around him and I honestly spent most of the book just wanting to give him the biggest hug. In terms of the other side characters, I loved them (especially Nico, I adored Nico)... for the most part (there were some glaring exceptions). Despite the book being filled with quite a lot of side characters, Kika Hatzopoulou found a way to make them all so complex and for us to get a sense of them as people, including their motivations and struggles, which I greatly enjoyed.
And the mystery? Considering that the mystery was one of the major selling points of the novel for me, I greatly enjoyed how it was executed. Between the various surprises and revelations throughout the novel, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to decipher who was behind the murders right alongside Io. Not to mention attempting to unravel the various secrets and twists that were thrown in on top of everything. I mean, the third act was absolutely insane with all that was revealed—I swear my jaw dropped once Io pieced everything together.
Overall, I simply adored this book and found it to be an incredible debut. Now to wait for that sequel, which I need now (the only downside to getting ARCs of your most anticipated books—the longer wait for the sequel).
Well, I think it is safe to say that Greek mythology (and mythology in general) retellings are still one of my preferred subgenres of fantasy. Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou is a young adult, Greek mythology retelling that introduces a noir, post-apocalyptic-like world where the descendants of the gods inherit their powers and as soon as I read the plot of this book—a descendant of the Greek Fates, who has the ability to cut people’s threads, tasked with solving a series of seemingly impossible murders alongside the boy with whom she shares a fate-thread—I was sold, and this book quickly became one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I mean, this book is filled to the brim with mythology, murder, mystery, and magic (aka some of my favorite things to find in a fantasy book), and featuring a rich, compelling world replete with underground gangs and political intrigue, complex characters, incredibly vivid writing, and a dash of romance. So, in other words, I loved it (what I did not love—that crazy, cliffhanger ending with no news with regards to the next book, I need to know what happens next!).
What I particularly enjoyed about this book was how Greek mythology was incorporated—the descendants of the gods inheriting the powers of the god from whom they are descended—and simply how unique the magic system was because of it. From our main character Io and her sisters’ ability to manipulate people’s threads as descendants of the three Greek Fates to Io’s best friend Rosa’s ability to make people fall asleep and guide their dreams as a descendent of the god Morpheus, the way in which mythology and magic were directly linked was really creative and I enjoyed exploring this relationship as the novel progressed. I also really enjoyed how, much like in reality (the most notable example being between the Greeks and Romans), the people from different locations within the world of the novel were descended from different gods who were essentially the same god with a different name and slightly different powers.
In typical fashion, the characters would have to be one of my favorite aspects of this book. They were all so complex and multi-faceted, which, in a story in which a murder mystery is being solved, made it that much harder to determine who the ultimate “villain” was as none of the characters truly existed in the realm of purely black or white. In terms of the characters themselves, I loved Io, our fiercely loyal and protective private investigator protagonist who is tasked with solving the mysterious murders going on around her alongside Edei Rhuna, the boy with whom she shares a fate-thread. I enjoyed the personal and emotional journey that Io went on as the story progressed and experiencing her struggle with trying to do the right thing and to protect those that she cares about (which creates such an interesting juxtaposition against her job as a private investigator and her ability to literally cut people’s threads). I also enjoyed exploring her fraught relationship with her sisters (I’m a sucker for books that explore sibling dynamics) as well as her complex relationship with Edei as her soulmate (a concept which Io struggles with quite a bit considering that Edei was never given a say in the matter).
Speaking of, Edei Rhuna has officially been added to my list of book boyfriends, sorry I don’t make the rules. Ugh, I loved Edei so much. Much like Io, there is a deep-rooted sense of loyalty and kindness to him despite the gritty, crime-filled world around him and I honestly spent most of the book just wanting to give him the biggest hug. In terms of the other side characters, I loved them (especially Nico, I adored Nico)... for the most part (there were some glaring exceptions). Despite the book being filled with quite a lot of side characters, Kika Hatzopoulou found a way to make them all so complex and for us to get a sense of them as people, including their motivations and struggles, which I greatly enjoyed.
And the mystery? Considering that the mystery was one of the major selling points of the novel for me, I greatly enjoyed how it was executed. Between the various surprises and revelations throughout the novel, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to decipher who was behind the murders right alongside Io. Not to mention attempting to unravel the various secrets and twists that were thrown in on top of everything. I mean, the third act was absolutely insane with all that was revealed—I swear my jaw dropped once Io pieced everything together.
Overall, I simply adored this book and found it to be an incredible debut. Now to wait for that sequel, which I need now (the only downside to getting ARCs of your most anticipated books—the longer wait for the sequel).