The Cutter, The Unseen Blade, The Reaper Of Fates

I recently finished reading Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou. This is book #2 in the Threads That Bind series.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

  Rating: 4.25/5 stars

"Io will face threats even more dangerous and players even more powerful as she discovers what it will mean to follow—or defy—her fate.

It’s been five weeks since Io left Alante to follow the golden thread, and she’s no closer to finding the god on the other end. She spends her days in constant, grueling travel and her nights worrying over the fate-thread she shares with Edei—which seems to be fraying. Making matters worse, she and Bianca soon realize that their only lead has shaken them off, snapped the golden thread, and disappeared.

But not before Io gathers some crucial clues. Her investigation leads her to a new mystery, a rash of sibling disappearances across the Wastelands that seems to be connected to the murders in Alante. And all signs point to Nanzy, the golden city, as the center of the whole conspiracy.

As Io and Bianca make their way to Nanzy, they make powerful enemies, find allies new and old, and uncover a horrifying plot that traces back centuries. The more Io learns, the more she begins to suspect that the future of the world may truly rest on her shoulders. But she will have to determine how much of the future is her choice—and how much is simply her fate."

I enjoyed this series and the characters. With aspects of Greek mythology and the Greek heritage of the characters, the Fates, the threads of fate, the gods, and the different quests, it felt very reminiscent of my Greek mythology-obsessed youth. I loved the teenage angst, the quests that the groups of characters went on, and how badass Io was.

Io is a descendant of the Greek Fates, living with her sister and assigned to solve the mysterious havoc that wraiths are wracking on their city. Io has the ability to use the threads of Fate to track others and is a private investigator. When she is pulled into solving the newest mystery in her city, she is forced to work with her soulmate and sisters, both whom she has a tentative relationship with. I loved the mystery in this book, trying to figure out who had set the wraiths on the city. I loved Io's character, as she deals with the guilt and insecurities of being left by her older sister and not knowing whether her soulmate likes her. The humor was great, the angst was great, and the fantasy setting was superb.

In Hearts That Cut, Io has been betrayed by the people closest to her, separated from her soulmate, and forced to venture out on her own to solve the issue with the wraiths. She is battling the gods and goddesses, her threads are slowly unraveling, and she is unsure about whom to trust and keep close. This book had actually the same vibes of Threads That Bind: a crime/mystery, tied in with fantasy and Greek mythology. I loved the way that the author created such a vivid world, building on the locations from the first book and expanding out as Io continued throughout her investigation. I loved the little pieces of interactions and relationship building between Io and Edei, although this book was mainly focused on solving the crimes and Io finding her place in this world. 

I was so excited to jump into this sequel because of the anticipation of finding out what would happen with Io’s fate thread!! I loved learning more about the different clues hidden on the front cover and seeing Io open herself up more to the important people in her life. I felt like we were watching Io grow up throughout this book and mature significantly. By far my favorite part of this series was the magic system and learning about the different threads!! And the ending was perfect. 

Check out Hearts That Cut, and discover what happens when you mess with fate.

Happy Reading :)