Too right! Violet definitely is a thorny problem!

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Violet Made of Thorns (#1) by Gina Chen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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 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.

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