#a: kika hatzopoulou

[the-merry-librarian]

Set in an apocalyptic, mythical future, after the death of the gods and the Collapse of the world, Threads That Bind is an intriguing, layered mystery. Io Ora is moira-born, a descendant of the three Greek goddesses of fate, and as the youngest of three, she is representative of Lachesis—or, more colloquially known, a cutter: a severer of the threads between people. Stumbling across the scene of a violent and unexplainable murder, Io is drawn into the teeming underworld of half-sunken Alante, and into a conspiracy that changes everything she knows about her life and her family.

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Target Age Group:

Grades 9-12

Justification:

I love Greek mythology. This is probably something that people can intuit about me very quickly, just sort of based on the kind of person that I am. I grew up with D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths and devoured the Percy Jackson series as a middle schooler, so when I read the synopsis of Threads, I was captured immediately by the premise—descendants of the gods with peculiar, miraculous powers. As for how I found it, I was browsing the BookRiot list of Best Books for Teens 2023. (Pretty prosaic.)

Evaluation:

For this review, I will be evaluating characters, plot, and setting. I’ll admit, it took a while for me to warm to the characters in this book. In the beginning, Io feels a little generic; she’s the typical troubled YA protagonist, with powers that ostracize her from others, and her personality felt muted and a little too understated. However, as the novel went on, more facets of her personality were revealed—her humor, her compassion, her strong senses of loyalty and justice. Other characters are at first presented a little one-dimensionally and could be summed up with brief titles: The Love Interest. The Mob Boss. The Older Sister. By the end of the novel, though, all of these characters have a little more depth to them. Edei, the love interest, is a lovable but quiet boy, with his own demons to face; Bianca, the mob boss, is more than a swaggering threat; Ava and Thais, the older sisters, offer their own unique brands of familial love and betrayal. While each of the cast has room to grow, I think that Threads reaches farther than many YA novels in their characterization, and allows further development in the sequels (one of which is already published; I anticipate a trilogy). The plot is also more ambitious and far-reaching than many YA novels I’ve read. It’s a mystery that begins with a murder, but it’s far more than that—Io finds herself hip-deep in a conspiracy from over a decade before, the consequences of which are still rippling through the city. Without giving away too many spoilers, I found the plot of Threads to be genuinely engaging. Intrigue didn’t have to be manufactured, it was simply generated by every new fact and twist that we discovered through the protagonist. The only aspect I didn’t immediately enjoy was the romantic subplot, although I suspect that’s a matter of personal preference: I’ve never been a huge fan of the soulmate trope. Finally, the setting of this book absolutely blew me away. Hatzopoulou’s description of this postapocalyptic world is rich and riveting—a moon that shattered into three, continents drowned under tides, cities that flood in the onslaught of neo-typhoons, isolated city-states that jealously guard resources, swarms of chimera-like beasts that crawl from the seas, and wars over the last clean water in the form of icebergs… and that’s everything that’s talked about in any kind of detail. There are references to parts of this world that haven’t even been explored in text, such as the Flying Orchards, but Hatzopoulou does such a good job of establishing the state of the world that once the Orchards are mentioned it’s easy to guess what they might be. The existence of other-born, humans with some kind of ancestry from a god or goddess, is almost unremarkable when compared to the rest of the world; it’s just a part of this new world, one that Hatzopoulou clearly put just as much thought into as the rest of it. I really enjoyed this book. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t hooked right away—it did take me a while to get into. But, I think, if one can get past the first fifty pages or so, it’s worth finishing. I absolutely recommend it to fantasy-loving teens, readers of mystery stories, and anyone interested in new interpretations of mythology.

References:

Doherty, A. (2023, October 5). The 20 best books for teens: 2023 picks. BOOK RIOT. https://bookriot.com/best-books-for-teens-2023/ Hatzopoulou, K. (2023). Threads That Bind. Penguin Young Readers Group. Penguin Young Readers. (n.d.). Threads that bind by Kika Hatzopoulou. PenguinRandomhouse.com. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/713492/threads-that-bind-by-kika-hatzopoulou/

[wingsofhcpe]

anyway if yall want something greek-mythology inspired to read, please pick up Threads that Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou. It's a post-apocalyptic fantasy romance (soulmates!) with lots of queerness in it, inspired by various mythologies but centered around greek mythology, with a greek-coded protag & cultural elements strewn across, and written by an actual greek woman who lives in Greece. It's also the first book I see by a greek author to be written & published in English/abroad first, and to go semi-popular on western reading circles.

we need more like this. please support her.

[evilios]

Threads That Bind was my first introduction to Kika Hatzopoulou's writing, and a pleasant one. It's a refreshing novelty among mythology-inspired books as it features an otherwise untouched by them genre: a fantasy crime novel.

Hatzopoulou's writing is dynamic and flavorful, she's very talented at creating action sequences and fast-paced, intense interactions. Her text is heavily inspired by different concepts of cultural and mythological landscapes of Greece, Ancient and modern: the main heroine, Io, is a descendant of a long line of Fates-born capable of seeing and cutting threads of one's life and all the things dear to the person. Alongside her equally powerful sisters, Thais and Ava, she's in the middle of all the action, uncovering the mystery of a spree of suspicious murders.

Io is a deeply sympathetic character that's easy to relate to due to her social standing and the deep personal, familial crises she is going through: grief and loss, growing apart with the family, finding your point in life, hoping for one day when things might get better. She's simply well-written and interesting to follow.

If you enjoy a fun and dynamic narrative built around the concepts of predetermined fate, destiny and justice, sisterhood and family, otherness, and free will, then I'd heavily recommend this book.

No major plot spoilers, some things I want to specifically point out:

Personally, I adore how many solid female characters Kika introduces. The majority of the reoccurring cast are women and they're all utterly brilliant. I am deeply in love with Bianca and I adore Rosa with my whole heart. There's a dangerous sapphic character who does not die and is in a relationship with another woman. There's a transwoman (who is I believe in a relationship) whose queerness is not obtusely focused on but rather treated as it should be: as a normal thing. You do not learn she's trans until one mention of past deadnaming (no name mentioned) appears. There's a hint that the main character might be bisexual. There's a nonbinary character relevant to the plot. There are multiple secondary characters using different pronouns. Queerness is treated by Kika as a usual everyday thing and it's very refreshing to see.

Kika sets the action in a city that resembles Athens: it has an Acropolis where elites live, the slums, the poorer areas and the more immigrant-populated areas. No real geographical location is ever marked but by some small cues you can figure out that the fictional city and its surrounding areas are heavily inspired by Greece with proximity to Egypt, Slavic territories, and Near East.

Main character's love interest (this book has a soulmate story as a background but it's not annoying/in your face) is coded to be what would equate to real world Egyptian, based on cultural codes. A lot of characters are heavily diverse, Kika uses a lot of names that sound Greek, Italian, Russian, and Arabic. It's a very modern Mediterranean-coded story.

I ADORE the attention Kika gives to her side characters. There's a character named Chimdi who is passionate about sculpture, and her mini-story is actually deeply impactful on how you perceive the Muses. The Muses are the only "other-born" who go by the names of the original Nine Muses and it's treated as a "marketing move" — there are so many analysis points the author makes and I just adore it.

Instead of having divine descendants follow individual Gods (who might or might not be mentioned), Kika makes the divine "other-born" descend from groups of divinities only: three Fates equate three sisters, countless oneiroi equate to multitudes of oneiroi-born, Muses equate to the rare event of nine girls being born in a family, and so on. It's fun how she puts it together.

This book very openly and directly hates cops and I love it for that. Kika overall comments a lot on social injustice, immigration laws, mistreatment of ostracized native population vs. ostracized immigrant population, xenophobia, and other matters of social segregation. Corrupt government and people just getting by are the background of her story.

There's one element at the very end that I'm a little worried about because I do not like this trope, but with Kika's gentle and careful approach to her own cultural narratives, I have faith it will be encountered properly in the sequel, Hearts That Cut.

There are a lot of topics she touches upon, and I do heavily recommend this book.

[bookaddict24-7]

(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (June 18th, 2024)

___

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

Of Jade & Dragons by Amber Chen

Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer

The Calculation of You & Me by Serena Kaylor

With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo

All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel

Rules for Camouflage by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

A Game Most Foul by Alison Gervais

Old Palmetto Drive by S.E. Reed

New Sequels:

Hearts that Cut (Threads That Bind #2) by Kika Hatzopoulou

Masquerade of the Heart (Garden of the Cursed #2) by Katy Rose Pool

Poison in their Hearts (Castles in Their Bones #3) by Laura Sebastian

___

Happy reading!

[the-final-sentence]

'Let's bring down the gods.'

Kika Hatzopoulou, from Threads That Bind

[notsopersonalcharlie]

everyone go read Threads that Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou. not only is it a beautifully crafted true crime mystery story that includes Greek mythology and the ins and outs of childhood, sisterhood, and found family, but it is also so well written from an LGBTQ perspective because these people just exist. you don’t even find out a character is trans until we’ll over halfway through the book and there is no over explaining just a mention of deadnaming without doing it. i can stress enough the fact that this book drew me in and i can not wait for another one to come out

[mistwraiths]

5 stars

This was an AMAZING book. I read it when I was extremely sick so unfortunately I didn't write a review but I would 100% recommend it. It's neo-noir and takes descendants of certain gods/monsters/mythological beings certain powers.

It follows the main character who is a descendant of the three fates, so her sisters and her have powers. She's the Cutter, the one who can cut the strings of Fate. I loved how she used her powers as like a private detective. I loved the messy dynamics of sisterhood and family. The discussion of fate and destiny too.

It was so refreshingly unique and just so well done. Can't wait for the sequel.

[shxpeshifterr]

Sundays are for fantasy books

[teartra]

One thing I love the most from Threads that Bind is the fact that Io wears spectacles. Please, more badass female mc with spectacles

[gemsofgreece]

https://parallaximag.gr/agenda-parallaxi/biblio/i-thessalonikia-poy-eide-to-vivlio-tis-na-ginetai-pagkosmia-kykloforia

There will be a greek book called the Threads that bind and the story is quite interesting so far. About a girl with the power of the fates, greek mythology, modern noir setting in Greece.

Now i really do hope this book succeeds a lot like any Greek author who wants to make it big globally. Also the story is what we have been saying on this blog. A greek story mixing Greek mythology and modern without exploiting it, but trying to question the philosophy behind the myths of our culture, in her story specifically how much choice a person has in their lifes.

Looks promising! And honestly I love that she writes under her real Greek surname without making it short English-like, like many Greek celebrities abroad, even though the book is written originally in English and will be first published in USA and UK (she has studied the English language and literature) and will then be translated and published in Greece! Also love the Fates theme. But I really hope she doesn’t fall on the traps foreign writers fall on, in order to attract a young foreign audience… this worries me a little.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Hearts That Cut Book Review 🦇

💜 Happy book birthday, Hearts That Cut!

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite mythology retelling? ❓ 🦇 With a god's golden thread in her hand, Io leaves Alante alongside a revenge-thirsty Bianca to find the entity responsible for so much death and destruction. With each turn, they uncover new threads in a conspiracy that traces back centuries. The more they learn, the more tangled the mystery becomes. Meanwhile, a prophecy looms over Io's head: that she'll destroy the world by cutting a single thread. Can Io follow—or defy—the threads leading to her fate?

💜 Kika Hatzopoulou's world-building is exquisite. Many mythology retellings run the risk of either sounding dry or repetitive, either plopping us in the time of the Trojan War or infusing Greek mythology into modern reality. Instead, Hatzopoulou created a world entirely of her own; a refreshing hierarchy of overlapping mythologies, of those with god-derived powers and those relying only on the mortal powers within themselves. If the beauty of this world doesn't grasp you, allow Io to; the cutter, the unseen blade, the reaper of fates. Io carries the weight of a prophecy that claims she'll end the world. Worse yet, her sisters seem to have a hand in it, her fate-thread seems to be fraying, and THE gods are seemingly pulling everyone's strings. When you strip away the mythology of it all, Io is a layered, stunning, emotionally-powered character. Her relationship with her sisters--watching her eldest sister shoulder the burdens of responsibility and parenthood at a young age, their other sister stuck in the middle as the peacemaker--is realistically messy and flawed. That sisterhood plays a huge part in Io's present, in her decision-making, and in her development. Each sister has distinct motivations--none the villain, each doing the best she can.

💙 By now, you know one of my biggest pet peeves is telling, not showing. While this story is action-packed, the mythology begins to put too much weight on the exposition. We're given explanations we don't necessarily need when the story could have focused more on emotion. Io's powers allow her to see the threads that connect people to those they love. She has to sacrifice her own threads to destroy another's. There's so much potential for metaphor and artistry there, but Io cuts nearly without remorse, even though she's upset that her sisters manipulate threads with a similar mindset.

💙 Normally, when I'm disappointed with a book, I can set it aside and move on. Threads That Bind was one of my top five picks of last year, though, and Hearts That Cut was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. Reading the first page should have felt like greeting an old friend. Instead, the first 30% of the book felt detached from the original story, providing us with seemingly unnecessary puzzle pieces that could have been placed elsewhere as Io unravels this mystery. It's not until she's reunited with her friends that the story finally returns to the dizzying, delightful, action-packed pacing from the first book. Just as we grow accustomed to that pacing, the story reaches a sudden, almost rushed ending. Usually, I never complain about the lack of an epilogue (most stories don't need one), but given Io's brash actions and the consequences it may trigger, Hearts That Cut sorely does. We're left with no hint as to the new world order, or Io and Edei's future (yes, I'm sure they're thriving in love, but STILL), or if the sisters can rebuild what they lost. While these details aren't necessary, readers have been on a wild ride with these characters. A real resolution would have been nice, but instead we're left without closure.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Percy Jackson, The Lunar Chronicles, and other retellings.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🧵 Second in a Duology 🧵 Fated Lovers 🧵 Mythology Retelling 🧵 Young Adult Fantasy 🧵 Sisterhood 🧵 Magic

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #HeartsThatCut

💬 Quotes ❝ Cunning was her weapon now, and she would wield it with precision. ❞ ❝ “Just because it works doesn’t mean it’s right.” ❞ ❝ “Io, let me choose you.” ❞ ❝ Change was uncomfortable, sometimes filled with growing pains, but without it, there was no way forward. No way to keep going, to shed the scabs of your past and heal yourself in the present. Without change, there was no future. ❞ ❝ Fate was powerful. Fate was deadly. Fate could topple gods. ❞

[bookishlyvintage]

Threads That Bind, Kika Hatzopoulou [thoughts]

[mandalorian-chiara]

Gracie Abrams wrote Risk for Io and Edei and I AM RIGHT

(Yes this is your sign to read Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou, I’m looking at you Percy Jackson and AGGTM fans)

[ninasbookshelf]

[between-the-pages657]

Couple of thoughts on the ending:

BIG leaps in logic to find out who the bad guy was and there were way too many twists and turns to keep up

I thought for sure that Io was going to cut the fate-thread. Imagine the angst!

I JUST WANT EDEI AND IO TO BE HAPPU DAMMIT!

I also love how morally grey everyone is.

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of threads that bind by kika hatzopoulou here.

In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.

Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.

But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they’ve even met.

But the investigation turns personal when Io’s estranged oldest sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the city’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the city’s most powerful players—before destruction comes to her own doorstep.

my review:

Much like everyone else, I’m a big fan of Greek mythology-inspired books, so when I first read the summary for this book, I knew I had to read it! The worldbuilding sounded really interesting, and I’m a sucker for the soulmates trope. In Threads That Bind, a descendant of the Three Fates must solve a deadly mystery alongside her fated soulmate.

Io Ora is a fate cutter; she and her two sisters are descendants of the Three Fates, with each of them inheriting the gods’ powers. She uses her powers to hunt down people for her job as a private investigator. One day when she’s on a job, she encounters a woman whose life thread is severed yet is alive—which shouldn’t be possible. From there, she is roped into investigating this mystery by Bianca, the mob queen who runs the Silts. She sends along Edei, her second-in-command and coincidentally Io’s soulmate that she’s avoided for her entire life, to aid in uncovering the mystery. As Io and Edei follow different leads, they come closer and closer to uncovering a deadly conspiracy.

The worldbuilding was very interesting. It took a little for me to get into it, but then once I was more immersed in it, I understood everything a lot more. In this world, descendants of different gods—not just Greek, but also from other regions, like Egypt—inherit some of their powers. The caveat is that this is only true of gods with siblings; the descendants also similarly have the same number of siblings, and each person inherits one god’s power.

read my full review here.