Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

Violet Made of Thorns (Violet Made of Thorns, #1)

by Gina Chen

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A darkly enchanting fantasy about a lying witch, a cursed prince, and a sinister prophecy that ignites their doomed destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince.

“Everything you want from an enemies-to-lovers fantasy starring morally gray characters.”—BuzzFeed


Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.

But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus's love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.

Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can't change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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Book Summary:

Violet is her kingdom's prophet. She's also the king's puppet and a liar. She's not afraid to bend the truth to make a vision (or lack thereof) sound more appealing. The king loves her for it...the prince...not so much.

Unfortunately, the prince is part of a dark prophecy, and Violet has spent the majority of her life running PR and doing what she can to cover for him. All he has to do is pick a bride and become king. But nope, he's going to be picky, which means the prophecy continues to hang over all the heads - right up until it blows up, of course.

“Sometimes I want to kiss him and sometimes I want to ruin him, but most of the time, I want those actions to be one and the same.”

My Review:

Okay, so I've been looking forward to Violet Made of Thorns for a few months now, and boy, it did not disappoint! I love dark fantasy, twisted prophecies, and magical politics. This book has all of that – and then some.

Violet is a cutthroat prophet living perfectly suited for the courts, and it shows through each and every page. The complicated situation she finds herself in is at least partially of her own making - and partially the fault of larger forces. The end result is a highly entertaining read.

There are a few surprising twists in Violet Made of Thorns, including fairytale retelling vibes. I hadn't expected that! Gina Chen also makes brilliant use of a few tropes, some of which I know the fandom will appreciate. For this reason, along with several others, I think Violet Made of Thorns is absolutely worth the read.

Highlights:
Debut novel
Fantasy
Morally gray witch
Enemies to lovers
Cruel Prince vibes
Prophecy
Retelling

Trigger Warnings:
Self-injury
Body horror

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Reviewed