Review: These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
“I could revel in the darkness — happily lie under the stars and let the night air unravel my knotted, overworked muscles — but I won’t waste tonight on rest or fleeting pleasure. These are the hours of spies and thieves. They’re my hours.”
The Basics
Title: These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows #1)
Author: Lexi Ryan
Published: 2021
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 439
Format: Hardcover
Genres: Fiction — Fantasy, High fantasy, Romance, Fantasy romance, Young adult, Young adult fantasy
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Book Synopsis
Brie has always felt at home in the darkness. She can blend in with the shadows and move through the night undetected, an ability which has made her quite skilled in the art of breaking and entering. She does not relish thieving, but it is the only way to pay off the debt that she and her sister, Jas, owe their cruel aunt, Madame V. When the two sisters fall behind on their payments to their aunt, she sells Jas to the wicked faerie king of the Unseelie Court. Desperate to get her sister back, Brie makes a deal with the king to steal three objects from the rival Seelie Court in exchange for her sister’s freedom. To be successful, not only will she have to hone her natural talent for sneaking around, but she will also have to cozy up to the Seelie prince, Ronan. A group of Unseelies led by an enigmatic faerie named Finn decide to help her with the former; to achieve the latter, she will have to pose as a potential bride for Ronan. As Brie spends more time with the two males, her feelings for both grow, creating a conflict of both the heart and conscience. Will she be able to follow through on her plan?
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: With its captivating plot, fantastical setting, and well-crafted love triangle, this is the perfect read for when you feel like escaping from reality for a spell.
What a fun, escapist read! These Hollow Vows pulled me in right away and did not let go until the very last page. I snuck away at every available opportunity to read it, and I stayed up into the wee hours of the night to finish it. I was so entranced by the book that I devoured all of its 400 pages in a single day.
You might ask what about These Hollow Vows makes it worth the sacrifice of productivity and sleep. Well, for starters, it has an entrancing plot, filled with fantastical elements, suspense, romance, and enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The use of a first-person narrative and the present tense heightens this sense of the unknown and truly immerses you in the story. You experience everything in real time through Brie’s eyes. Consequently, you are as in the dark as she is with regard to what will happen next or who to trust.
That latter point lays the foundation for the story’s romance, which features a love triangle between Brie, Finn, and Ronan. As it is never entirely clear who to believe, you, like Brie, will find yourself constantly questioning who is the worthy male. And that lack of predictability is what makes the love triangle in this book so good.
Complementing the mesmerizing plot is an otherworldly setting, replete with magic, mythical creatures, and feuding royals. Ryan provides just enough detail to paint a picture of the realm without ever becoming mired down in minutiae. You will not find any info dumping in this book – only concise accounts.
The not so good
The story does not spend much time exploring the Unseelie Court; the bulk of the action is in the Seelie Court. It would have been nice to learn more about the Unseelie Court and its people, but perhaps that will be the focus of the next book.
Another not-so-great aspect of this book is that Brie can be exasperating at times. She makes questionable decisions and is too easily manipulated. Then again, this is young adult fiction, so I suppose I can cut her some slack.
Overall
These Hollow Vows is a fast-paced, enthralling fantasy perfect for fans of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I am already counting down the days until the sequel, These Twisted Bonds, is released.
Have you read These Hollow Vows? If so, let me know what you thought of the book in the comments section below!
