THREADS THAT BIND by Kika Hatzopolou
Disclaimer time: As always, the following is just my opinion. Other opinions are available.
THREADS THAT BIND is an epic fantasy with an urban feel. It has a fascinating magic system inspired by Greek mythology, and a story that explores the bonds of sibling relationships. Overall, it's a fast-paced book about fate, choices, and forgiving yourself, so prepare for morally grey moments and difficult sibling relationships.
Io and her sisters are descendants of the Fates, which means they're able to see and manipulate the threads that connect people to the things they love. Io is the third sister, and therefore she is able to cut threads. The story kicks off when Io is hired by the 'mobqueen' to investigate murders linked to vengeful wraiths. To top it off, she has to work with the very person she's been avoiding for years, a boy she's fated to love - except he already has a girlfriend.
If you think that the above sounds like there are too many spinning plates for a standalone, then you're right. This is very much part one of a longer story. Then again, there's a little something for everyone. I wasn't personally interested in the romance, but the sibling turmoil pulled me in, and the murder mystery - wrapped up in a criminal underworld taco - kept me reading to the very end.
I liked it. But I could have loved it.
While this book shows fantastic promise, I don't think it reached its full potential. For anyone looking for a unique urban fantasy with a murder mystery at the heart of it, you'll probably enjoy this a lot. But sometimes books get me thinking critically, and this is one of them. So let's get critical.
OPENING
Chapter one, in my opinion, was chaos. It whips through an explanation of the threads, the rift between the sisters, and various world features, some more relevant than others. Io then goes on a job as a private investigator where the rules of the threads - concepts we've barely had established - are broken, quickly followed by an action scene, a murder mystery, and oh look, the love interest has appeared at the end, too.
That’s all one chapter. The first one. In chapter two, Io even comments that ‘now is /not/ the time' about meeting her love interest because there's too much going on, and I couldn't agree more. Trust me, I know YA has to have a fast pace to contend with the market. But this isn't good storytelling. It gives the reader absolutely everything they might want, almost desperate that a reader will like one bit of it enough to ignore the rest and keep going. I would have preferred more focus and a richer understanding of the foundations of the story. I didn’t want everything, everywhere, all at once.
I also think it did a bad job at introducing the concepts because they were re-explained later in a different way. I wondered if Io was an unreliable narrator because later explanations changed the context, almost by accident. For instance, we see Io cut a thread, but we only learn later that she is losing one of her own threads in the process. Similarly, when Io meets her love interest, she's already aware of him, but we don't find out until later. These aren't twists or spoilers. It felt like they should had been known when first mentioned.
The explanation of how Io loses her threads when cutting others also contradicted the story’s message. The narrative seems to says Io has trouble letting go, but moments earlier, Io admits she cuts threads by picking her own at random - and doesn't even care to think about what she's lost. As the threads connect her to things she loves, you would think someone who has trouble letting go would be more careful, but Io literally doesn't care in the moment where it should matter. We're not shown what we're told, which is a problem that crops up in other places.
Rocky introductions aside, the prose flows, the pace is great, and it powers through the usual fantasy set up to give you a mystery that will make you want to keep reading. I found the technical bits rough, but the heart of it fascinating, making it easy to read on.
WORLD BUILDING
On to the worldbuilding. Some of it is felt well developed, particularly around the class systems, whereas other bits, not so much.
The magical concept is exciting and made me think about all the possible pairings of Greek legends and how their magic might present in their descendants. That said, I'd argue the world building isn't as enticing. It focused more on terminology than world integration, with every god-born descendent having different powers, and Egyptian-named equivalents, and Muses, too. I admit the world building might be more intuitive to someone who knows their Phobos from their Dioscuri, but otherwise its sink or swim. I had to disengage from memorising a directory of powers so I could keep enjoying the story.
Terms aside, I couldn't wait to see how the fate magic would be explored. After all, the selling point of this book is the sisters, their magic, and the theme of fate. But this is diluted by other magic. I thought the magic was based on actual gods, but these gods still seemed mythical with other cultures having competing interpretations – so I'm not sure how this fits together. Perhaps book two will challenge this? Even the city uses Italian names like 'Teatro Blanco' rather than Greek - so I ended up wondering how close to our world is this? Some of the other world building elements felt random. The water levels are rising and there are three moons - but what does this have to do with fate? Maybe curbing some of the concepts and strengthening the themes could have helped here?
I liked the divide between the classes and the exploration of wealth through politics. I often don't like when those with magic are the dregs of society because that doesn't make sense to me - why wouldn't their helpful gifts helps them? Still, I liked that it was considered and integrated into the story, even if it's not my thing. Some of the other world building felt less explored. Maybe it's penned for the sequel, but I'm not sure how the acid rain or need for iceberg water really affected the world, plot, themes, or characters. One scene stood out in particular. Io mentions it's a good thing the rain today wasn't acidic like usual because otherwise they'd all be in pain...if this is the case, shouldn't they have been panicking when it started raining?
I guess my main issue here is it felt like the world building was for aesthetics, not ingrained into a rich tapestry of society. Even the prologue felt like a mood board. After reading the whole story, it didn't add an extra layer of understanding to the opening. That left it feeling superficial to me.
Similarly, I had mixed feelings about the modern-day issues that crept into this fantasy world. Don't get me wrong, there is lots of positive representation, like the mention of therapists and the gender-neutral character. Other parts felt very 2023 America, and while its referencing super important issues, American politics felt very out of place in a Greek inspired story.
Also, I need a moment to say 'mobqueen' is an odd choice of moniker. The leader seems to love the idea of being a queen, but, well, she's not. I'd say the same about mobking – it doesn’t sound right. My friend pointed out that it probably should be mob boss, genderless, and that would have fit some of the other world building elements well.
RELATIONSHIPS
Io's relationship with Thais is a huge part of this book. The mystery surrounding their turmoil kept me reading, although I didn't always like how it was presented. I get what we're supposed to think about Thais because we're told what to think. Io complains about Thais, calling her sister mean, but we don't get good evidence. Io overinterprets Thais's words to paint her in a bad light when they actually seem sincere, if taken on face value. It's 'he said she said' mentality and I found I didn't believe Io's rendition - although I understood almost too clearly the takeaway message. I prefer to meet someone and reach my own conclusions, but I felt I wasn't allowed. I actually loved the dynamic, but I think Io's interpretations could have been dialled back, leaving room for the reader to pick up on the subtext. Either way, the character arcs around the sisters were a highlight of this book.
Now onto the romance. Io and her fated love are cute when they're working together, but when they're alone, it felt maybe too realistically awkward. I cringed so hard at the attempted flirting - and having them admit they're cringy didn't subtract from the awkwardness. In an odd twist, I found I didn't want to read their interactions. It reminded me of friends who flirt in front of you without them realising how it seems to a third person - great for them, but I'll be leaving now, thanks.
WEIRD THINGS
There are a couple of points I might retract later because it could be due to ARC, but I can't be sure because they're not just typos. The phrase 'snitches get stitches' is played with...in a confusingly incorrect way. A character insinuates they're not snitches and that's why they have stitches. I think the joke is meant to be that they weren't snitches and yet they still got stitches. No?
Also, there's one character who gets his full name every time he's mentioned. Everyone else is literally just introduced as their first name, and then this guy gets fullnamed like his mother is running out of patience. He's the only one this happens to.
Some lines just contradict others. For instance, Io’s very sure at the beginning of the book that wraiths are impossible, and yet towards the end of the book, there's a casual mention of a power that can create them. Io doesn’t trust the police officers, but she also tells them everything, including the things she didn’t even think were possible moments earlier. No hesitation. I think the editing could have been better.
ENDING
Like everything else in this book, I found the ending was a mixed bag. The bulk of the mystery is resolved although it still felt more mysterious than complete. I wanted to reread the opening and understand it on another level - and I did reread the opening. The reveal and the prologue just don't match up that well, and so the book doesn't feel fully looped either.
One thing that might split readers is that it's very much a bridge into the next book, with concepts set up and ready to explore. It made me realise I wanted a neatly tied bow at the end of this story. A spinoff in the same world would be good so we can explore the different parts of the fascinating magic system, but this plot thread is surely at the end of the spool. I'd settle for a duology.
I’m not reading a trilogy.
SUMMARY
All in all, I really loved this book and felt engaged while reading, which is why I had a lot to say. I reckon many fantasy readers will love this as it is. At the end of the day, I read it quickly and enjoyed the ride. I just thought it could be...more.
So I rounded up and gave it 4 stars. I found the writing really consumable, and the intrigue pulled me in from multiple directions. The plot is good, the pace is consistent, and the idea behind it is really imaginative. While I think it could have been so much more, I'll love it for what it is instead.
Verdict: Mixed feelings throughout but a very enjoyable read.
Source: With thanks to the publisher via Netgalley.
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