Violet Made of Thorns (Violet Made of Thorns, #1) by Gina Chen
Published by Delacorte Press on July 26, 2022
ISBN: 059342753X
Pages: 368
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
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The first book of a series. In this first book, Violet, a prophet influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased divinations, and the not-so-charming Prince Cyrus are at odds, but the reader is not quite sure why. Violet saved Cyrus from being killed by a carriage when he was a young boy, consequently attaining the role as the castle seer. Their enemies-to-lovers relationship develops as they try to save the kingdom from a web of deceit. The fairy tale inspired world-building is more atmospheric than your typical high-fantasy settings, which is enjoyable. Violet is a snarky first-person narrator but at times her snark distracts from the fantasy-building world due to her modern-day vernacular. The story drags in the middle but was engaging enough to continue reading to learn what happens. However, as this is book one, the resolution will have to wait for book two. The supporting characters of Dante and Camilla were engaging, but Prince Cyrus was only a meh character.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library