Violet Made of Thorns

by Gina Chen

Hardcover, 2022

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Collection

Publication

Delacorte Press (2022), 368 pages

Description

Fantasy. Romance. Folklore. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � A darkly enchanting fantasy about a lying witch, a cursed prince, and a sinister prophecy that ignites their doomed destinies�perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince. �Everything you want from an enemies-to-lovers fantasy starring morally gray characters.��BuzzFeed 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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member dndizzle
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

Where to start with this. I love the main, Violet. She is unapologetically her and I love that. She isn't perfect, she's brash, and she's a bit selfish. But with good reasoning. The supporting cast isn't hard to also like, but I feel they
Show More
aren't as flushed as Violet. I would say that most would have a love/hate relationship with her because she isn't perfect and lies. A lot. But to survive.

The romance trope is enemies to lovers to still enemies and lovers? Lol. I think the author wrote hatemance at the end and I would agree that's how Violet and Cyrus' relationship is. It's love and hate, but beautiful and unnerving. I wanted this to be a little more rounded, though. Like I felt like there was so much more history between them that we are aware of, but never really told that I wish had come out more. I think with a little more history, we could understand the hatemance better.

While the plot had a course, it veers around and starts to become more and more complicated as more things get thrown in. This obviously leaves the plot with holes to fill and we don't get those filled. I will hope that the unanswered questions will be addressed in the sequel.

There's a lot of potential that I would read the next one in the planned duology, but I wouldn't overhype it with five stars or more. It could have been better, but Gina is great with writing that you overlook certain things because you want to continue reading the story to see how she ends it.

One last note: It mentions that fans of TCP would love this and I will say that I wasn't a fan of that series. The writing here is BEYOND BETTER and the characters are, too. If you felt the same about TCP, try this one and enjoy.
Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Violet Made of Thorns duology. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I ended up enjoying this a lot more as the story continued. The beginning was a bit shaky but I was drawn into this fantasy world of morally gray
Show More
characters pretty quickly. The story centers around Violet, a seer who lies more than she sees, and Cyrus, the prince she grew up with but that she has been manipulating for the king for ages. When a dreaded prophecy from the previous seer looks like it is coming to fruition, it will be up to Violet and Cyrus to try to steer the course of the kingdom away from disaster.

This is well done. The world-building is a bit thin but I did love the push and pull between the fairies and the Fates. None of the characters in here are all that likable. Violet twists things to suit her own survival and ambitions but she isn’t completely heartless. Cyrus is similar. I did find it frustrating that if they had just trusted each other a little bit more, a lot of the challenges they faced would have been easily resolved. I enjoyed some of the side characters better; Cyrus’s sister was especially entertaining.

This has heavy themes of curses, fairy tales, and magic. It seems to pull from a number of fairy tales; I felt like there were echoes of “Sleeping Beauty” and “Beauty and the Beast throughout. The romance here is fascinating but more bitter than sweet; very love/hate. The writing was decent, it seemed a bit immature at times but was easy enough to read. It’s not beautifully written and the description isn’t great, but the plot was decent and the pace was fast enough to keep me engaged. I like where the story ended and would like to see where it goes in the next volume.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. The characters are complex and intriguing, the fantasy world has some interesting elements, and I liked the heavy dark fairy tale tone to this. I was engaged in the story and am eager to see what happens in the second book. While this isn’t the most beautifully written book, it packs a good story and is easy to read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy intrigue-based fantasy romance with heavy fairy tale themes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Lunarsong
Violet Made of Thorns would fit right in with classic fairy tales … the original versions. The darker kind of fairy tales you find in the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales or old folklore. The kind that are dark and bloody and messy. The tales where it’s not the good guys that win, it’s the most
Show More
clever characters that win (or at least survive). Stories where there often aren’t black and white good guys and bad guys.

If you think many fairy tales would be more interesting if the heroines and princes weren’t such naive self-righteous goody-goodies, you’ll probably love this book.

This book was enthralling and frustrating and so, so satisfying in the end. It’s a great enemies to lovers romance story that’ll leave you wanting more of these characters and their clever schemes and lies.

THE PREMISE:

Violet, the protagonist, is a seer who clawed her way up from street orphan to court seer by saving prince Cyrus’s life when they were both kids, strategic lies, and careful phrasing of real prophecies. Cryus is the prince with a prophecy hanging over his head fortelling that his love and choice in wife will either doom or save the kingdom. When Violet gives a false prophecy about Cyrus falling in love and Cyrus threatens to fire Violet, the King’s liar, when he becomes king, events are set in motion and it seems the dreaded prophecy about the prince is coming to pass. To make matters worse, Violet’s getting nighttime visits from the fates where they tell her either she or Cyrus must die soon. It looks like she might have to choose between her life and his. To further complicate things, Violet and Cyrus seem to develop feelings for each other despite getting on like oil and water.

As things spiral out of control, Violet begins to wonder if maybe the fates aren’t the good guys. Maybe no one is.

THE CHARACTERS:

Violet is the epitome of a cynic. (She actually acts and thinks like a cynic, unlike many books where a character is described as cynical but doesn’t act the part.) Violet’s ambitious, proud to a fault, untrusting, and a little bit ruthless. She’s practiced at the art of lying, secretive, and closed off. She’s diabolical and an endless source of black humor. She’s a fantastic protagonist with a dark edge and tons of cynical philosophies about how the world works. (Most of them are pretty true and somewhat amusing.)

All the characters make massive mistakes and terrible choices, but you also kind of see where they were coming from. They’re all damaged and scared and brave. They’re all a different kind of clever. They all have serious blind spots. They all make smart calls and miss crucial clues. They’re all wonderfully morally grey and I couldn’t help but like them anyway.

THE ROMANCE:

In the end, Violet and Cyrus make a terrifying pair. (Although, Violet is definitely scarier than Cyrus.)

They know each other better than anyone else, which is why they don’t trust each other at all. (And why they know how to push each other’s buttons, making for some very entertaining witty banter.) Cyrus is one of the only people who can tell when Violet is lying. She’s one of the only people that isn’t charmed by Cyrus’s charisma.

The enemies-to-lovers romance between them is irresistible. As Violet herself said, “feuding has its own kind of intimacy.” And they’ve been feuding since they were children. As adults begrudgingly work together to try and avert disaster, they find it harder to resist their increasing attraction to each other.

I’m not sure if Violet, Cyrus, or any of the characters came off as good or likeable. I couldn’t help but relate to them, root for them, and like them anyway. Violet and Cyrus both did things that crossed the line. They’re both liars, they’re just each a different kind of liar. They can both be cruel, ruthless, and more than a little morally grey.

These two might just be ruthless enough to survive each other and the cutthroat politics of their kingdom.

It’s not exactly the most healthy relationship, and it gets worse before it gets better. They bring out the best and worst in each other. They see each other clearly, with all their flaws, fears, truths, and hypocrisies.

THE PLOT & ENDING:

Violet Made of Thorns is nothing if not clever. Despite a prophecy coming to pass in the book and a protagonist that could see the future, the plot is unpredictable and twisty (and maybe a little bit twisted too). And yet, once you get to the end, it seems like the story was always heading there. As if the story took the only path these characters would ever choose. If they didn’t, they’d be acting out of character. They wouldn’t be the same characters.

This story is incredibly compelling. It’s kind of like an impending train wreck you can’t look away from as you watch the characters lead themselves towards likely disaster.

Violet and Cyrus are kind of just messed up enough to deserve each other. They also sort of get what they deserve. And yet, the story ends on a bittersweet semi-hopeful note. Bad things have happened. Bad things are coming, but there’s still some hope left and some good things to come out of all the (mostly terrible) choices everyone made.

This book is part of a series. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but I’m still itching to see more of these characters in future books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member eyes.2c
Too right! Violet definitely is a thorny problem!

The challenge? Violet is the Court seer. A situation that’s taken her out of hardship to a life that she’s determined to maintain. So when the king asks her to channel her prophecies skewed to his political advantage she does. After all, what
Show More
will honesty do but highlight her precariously held position! Made all the more so because she didn’t receive the training she needed from the previous seer.
But then there’s Cyrus, the prince. She’s keenly aware of him, but he? Of course Violet’s angry with the perfect prince and herself, so she’s only too keen to agree to give a false about Cyrus meeting his true love at an upcoming ball. And of course this releases a curse that will make or break the kingdom. (I feel like I’m teetering around the edges of a mishmash of fractured fairytale themes—Sleeping Beauty and the wicked fairy godmother, Cinderella and the ball including the glass slipper and Prince Charming , and a dark Briar Rose.
I enjoyed Violet’s conundrum and fears about who she really is, how she should behave, and how to preserve what she’s gained to maintain her security.
Couple that with Violet’s emotional blindness, her active rejection of Cyrus and we have a fascinating YA fantasy with a rocky relationship gilding the lily.

A Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DilowRosas
The heroine is an influential character of the royal court. Through the use of clever divinations, the heroine is tasked with prophesizing the hero's love interest, which awakens a dreaded curse. And as the relationship between the heroine and the hero changes, the two must journey a treacherous
Show More
path towards a future that will be determine the kingdom's future.

This wasn't a bad book with a nice fantasy premise. I liked the fantasy setting and there were some memorable characters in the story. I liked the heroine better than the hero as both of them have complex personalities, but I found her flaws a bit more relatable. I would like more details throughout the book since there were certain areas in the story that needed them. Overall, this is a nice start to the series.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**
Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliovermis
This anti-heroine perspective tale was a fun, very readable and pretty unique spin on several fairy tales, with strains of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. I thought the blurbs and author intro really oversold the unlikability of main character Violet—her motivations and
Show More
aims were very understandable, to me!
Show Less
LibraryThing member sennebec
This is one of those books you open and don't close until the end. It's that good and seductive. No more need be said.
LibraryThing member acargile
I wish I had read instead of listened to this novel. The narrator did a good job, but the tone made me see Violet from this tone. I wonder if reading it in my head would have resulted in a different tone for her.

Violet, a seer, claws at everyone to maintain her position. She refuses to return to
Show More
the streets, so to speak. Because she saved Cyrus, she moved to the palace as a child and was raised with him and his sister. Supposed to die at a young age, Cyrus now inherits the kingdom, becoming king, soon. The fates may or may not approve of his continued life. Cyrus and Violet quarrel constantly--fated/determined/choosing to destroy each other. Violet refuses to tame her pride, allowing emotion and fear to guide her decisions. She sees blood and beasts at Cyrus's wedding; she sees Cyrus covered in blood. She refuses to reveal these visions. She, instead, continues to repeat the king's lies in order for the king to guide his country in the direction he chooses. Cyrus disagrees with his father's beliefs, not trusting him or Violet. With great passionate dislike, often great passionate love-or lust--follow. Cyrus reveals his desire to Violet. She finds it one way to destroy him--with this power. She, however, finds herself feeling the same way. It's a political nightmare.

The country seems destined for war unless Violet can interpret her visions correctly and get the new voice out of her head. Who talks to her? Is it a god? A fate? None of the visions show a positive future.

Overall, the novel reveals a perfectly fine plot. I wasn't enraptured. I wasn't bored. It was fine. If you liked The Red Queen, I think you'll enjoy this novel as well.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Anniik
TW/CW: Sex, body horror, fantasy violence

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Violet Made of Thorns is the story of a young seer called Violet who tries to navigate the terrible prophecies that plague her kingdom, as well as the
Show More
feelings she has for the Crown Prince Cyrus.

I have mixed feelings about this book, so I’ll give the good first and then what bothered me. First, the story. I loved the story. I loved the idea of a seer with prophecies she can’t understand and can’t make right. It was well written and definitely kept me awake until 2am to finish this book! I also really loved Camilla. She was a great character and I would have liked to see more of her. Also, more about the fairies and just the mythology of the world – because all of that was fascinating to me.

I guess the main thing I didn’t like was the relationship between Cyrus and Violet. I just…never felt it. It never clicked for me. I’ve never been a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but this one just took it way too far – I won’t say exactly how because I don’t want to give spoilers, but they definitely didn’t feel like lovers to me at the end.

Apart from that, though, I though this was a really good book and I’ll definitely give the sequel a chance too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Enid007
I finally finished Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen.
" 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
Show More
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."
I give this an overall 2.5 out of 5 star rating, it's very slow paced to the point that I switched to the audiobook and sped through just to finish the book. It finally started getting interesting towards the end which apparently there is a book 2 and I as curious I am to find out what happens I am in no hurry to dive into the second book. I am a bit offended that they claim this to be perfect for fans of Cruel Prince by Holly Black because uhm no it isn't. I love Cruel Prince and this is far from enticing as that is. I don't ever like not recommending books to anyone and even more giving a bad review but this book just didn't hit for me.
Show Less

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2022

Physical description

368 p.; 8.54 inches

ISBN

059342753X / 9780593427538

Barcode

98
Page: 0.1838 seconds