Hearts That Cut

April 15, 2024
Abandoned by her sisters, Io Ora must trust Bianca--former mob queen, now dying wraith--to help her find the hidden gods and end them forever in this duology closer that follows Threads That Bind (2023). Io and Bianca cross mudflats that harbor deadly chimerini and dodge the violent, unpredictable tides that flood the Wastelands, where humans have struggled to survive ever since the Collapse shattered the moon into three pieces. The youngest of the Moirae-born (sisters with Fates-like powers), Io is able to see the threads governing every human fate in the Quilt. She can end a life simply by cutting another's life-thread, but the cost is high: Each time, she must sever one of her own 35 threads. As Bianca traverses anarchic wastes and dangerous urban slums ruled by powerful gangs on the way to their destination, the teeming city-nation of Nanzy, she weakens but pushes on. Despite setbacks and betrayals, the two discover unexpected allies willing to risk their lives to confront the gods. Io's personal evolution, like the Moirae's silver threads, is woven seamlessly into the complicated plot. While her romance with Edei is satisfying, the story's emotional driver is the sisters' difficult history of loss, longing, pain, and betrayal; each bears scars from their old, set-in-stone rivalries. Io's world has an epic thematic scope and an intricately imagined setting. The characters are diverse in appearance, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Enticing and original. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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June 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-This climate-ravaged fantasy follows the electric ending of Threads That Bind. Io and the mob queen-turned-wraith Bianca are reluctant allies as they cross the Wastelands following a golden thread that Io is clinging to by her fingertips: the life thread of a god. Io doesn't know why the gods are trying to bring back the extinct line of Furies or why so many other-born are being assassinated, but the answers lie in the sprawling city of Nanzy. Her only clue is a prophecy from the descendants of the Muses: "She cuts the thread and the world ends." When Io cuts someone's thread, she must slice her own, severing the things she loves. Nanzy holds new allies and betrayals in unexpected corners, with subtle foreshadowing to reward careful readers. Io is an intricately developed character who is unafraid of decisive action but ever conscious of the consequences. Hatzopoulou assigns interesting flaws to her cast-loyalty, hubris, and curiosity, adding dimension to the twists and turns of Io's mystery. The epic dystopian worldbuilding raises interesting stakes, and Io's romance with Edei will tug at readers' heartstrings. The real backbone of the story is the trauma, secrets, expectations, and betrayals Io and her sisters have inflicted on one another. The cast is diverse in race, sexuality, and gender. VERDICT Epic and insightful, this adventure makes for a fun and heartrending page-turner. Highly recommended, and a solid choice for fans of Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals.-Emmy Neal

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