Review--These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

 

From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes.

Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.

Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.

Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.

 

I finally picked up Lexi Ryan's These Hollowed Vows, the first book in a tantalizing YA fantasy duology and this was such a fun read! After doing a binge on mystery reads, I was ready for a dose of fantasy after all that! And this book was indeed, a breath of fresh air! I always enjoy a good book involving the fae, as you just never know what you're going to get...

Sisters, Brie and Jas have been living with their aunt and uncle ever since their mother left them nine years ago. Then when their uncle died, the aunt pulled a Cinderella on them and forced them to be the servants of the house and charging them rent. If they don't make the rent, then they get themselves further and further into her debt. It's why Brie, on occasion, steals from the rich. She only ever steals what she needs, so nothing appears to be missing, but as you might guess, it's never enough to fulfill her and her sister's debts.

Then the unthinkable happens, her aunt decides to sell Jas to the faeries in order to payoff the rest of their debt, leaving Brie free and clear to do whatever she wants. But naturally, Brie is determined to rescue her sister from the fae.

Brie has never liked the fae. She sees them all as evil beings, for she knew her mother ran off to be with her faerie lover rather than stay and raise her children. So there's no love loss between them. But Brie will have to hide her disgust if she stands any chance of finding her sister. In order to do that, she must make a deal with a sinister Unseelie Faery. She is to woo the Seelie Prince Ronan who is looking for a bride and locate three missing Unseelie items that are hidden somewhere in the castle.

If that wasn't enough, a bad of rogue faeries wants Brie's help to do the exact same thing, except they want the items for themselves. The leader of the group? None other than the true heir to the Unseelie crown Prince Finnian. 

Naturally, we have a bit of a complicated love triangle going on. Brie finds herself falling for the Seelie prince, but there's also something about Finn as well that draws her to him. I kept wanting to scream at her to just stay away from all of them! If there's one thing I've learned from all the reading of faeries is that you should never trust a faery! Brie, you in danger girl! Lol.

In the respect that I was always hovering on the edge, waiting for that other shoe to drop, I felt like there was a great deal of tension in the story. It wasn't just being a Negative Nancy, it was knowing that nothing is ever simple with the fae. Also, I kept wondering in Brie would ever get caught since she's trying to seduce Ronan and also look for these magical items to steal...all while trying to save her sister.

The romantic tension in this book was intense! Since Brie finds her heart fluttering between two fae men, it's hard to say who she will wind up with. A choice is made by the end of course, but since there's another book, I was expecting chaos and chaos did ensure by the end! I did find myself leaning more towards Finn. Guess it's the rebel, bad boy vibe he had going! Lol. But the story is far from over and what happens next will be anyone's guess but it's going to be epic that's for sure!

The ending leads you into quite the epic proportions! While we think we're getting to a nice conclusion, we're actually on the cusp of that chaos I mentioned. Things are intense and explosive and I am dying to dive into the next book to see how it will all end! If you're looking for an action packed YA fantasy read filled with devious and scheming fae with a headstrong heroine, then this is the duology for you!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars