She is a flawed, but good person, but while the angst-lover in me reveled in all the drama caused by her feelings for Finn clashing with her bond with Sebastian, a part of me was angry that she was still protecting Sebastian and was willing to forgive him. I liked Brie more in this book than in the first one, but while I admire her whole selflessness willingness to sacrifice herself and her happiness for the realm, and I understand that she is willing to do it because she’s always wanted to protect the weaker ones, it is still a HUGE change from the first book where she hated the faes in general.

Honestly, this could have been a trilogy and I believe it would have been great, maybe even better because there would have been more time to elaborate on the politics and resolve certain issues. I wouldn’t have minded an extra 50 pages to elaborate the last 10% a little more. The only thing that I liked less about the pace is that the “big confrontation” at the end is resolved quite quickly and easily? The book is a big build-up towards finally finding a solution to bring a semblance of peace to Faerie, and when they finally get some answers after days (or weeks) of traveling and searching, the last part of the story also feels a little rushed. The pace was great, and it was a very quick read due to the good flow of the story and the many important moments for the development of the relationships, and the good amount of action. Brie finds an unexpected new ally in the Wild Lands, and together they try to find a way to get Finn and Sebastian to work together to save the Unseelie court and face the threat of queen Arya’s court before it’s too late. Alone in a dangerous land, Brie cannot trust anyone, and she doesn’t know where to go or what to do to escape Sebastian. Brie is fleeing the palace after waking up as a fae and learning about Sebastian's manipulation and lies. These Twisted Bonds picks up right where the first book ended.

Objectively, I think this book should be 4 stars because of some flaws, but I just loved it SO much despite those flaws. It is not a perfect book, and there is definitely room for improvement, but despite that, I really enjoyed it and I flew through it. I said in my review of These Hollow Vows that the ending was very promising and that I was expecting a more enjoyable second book. ✅🆗 Rushed resolution of the BIG problem at the endĤ.5 stars - I admit that I am not 100% objective, my heart is guiding me right now. ✅ Misha (can we get a spinoff pretty please?)

These twisted bonds by lexi ryan