Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

This new take on fairy tales focuses on Violet, a prickly court seer that doesn't particularly care if she is likeable. She certainly doesn't care if Cyrus, the prince she saved years ago, earning her place in court, likes or hates her, as she rather hates him. But it is her place as seer to prophesize whether he will find love in time to break his curse and save the kingdom from war and destruction as the previous seer's prophecy foretold.

This book does so many things well! The "villainous" main character - this is my favorite type of character, so the bar was high, but this book does it well. The author made Violet properly prickly and supposedly unrelatable, but that just made me love her so much. Enemies to lovers - the chemistry is believable and enjoyable, moving the story forward as well as the rest of the plot. The beasts - The beasts were described so uniquely and beautifully, a strange combination of plant, fur. and horns. Camilla - Rivaling Violet and Cyrus for best character, Cyrus' twin sister Camilla is delightful! Confident, beautiful in a suit, great with a sword, and just as popular with the ladies as Cyrus, Camilla is the perfect princess for a modern fairy tale.

Finally, I just want to touch on the mentions of fairy tales that are scattered throughout the novel. This novel doesn't seem to be a retelling of any one fairy tale in particular, but there are references to various tales that I thought were fun and the main story taking on bits of plot points from a couple of tales, while also being its own completely original story.

I look forward to the next book!

Comments

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