Book Review: Hearts That Cut By Kika Hatzopoulou

It’s not even halfway through the year, and we’ve already read so many brilliant sequels and series conclusions. This month has been no different, and we’re proud to report it! So, let’s discuss Kika Hatzopoulou’s sophomore YA fantasy novel, Hearts That Cut, which releases June 18th. 

Hearts That Cut is the second book in Kika Hatzopoulou’s Threads That Bind series. Picking up five weeks after the end of book one, Io spends her days chasing after a golden thread hoping to find the god at the end of it. Her investigation soon takes her to the golden city of Nanzy. And Io realizes the end of the world could rest on her decisions. 

For those of us looking for adventure this summer, Hearts That Cut could be your next favorite fantasy series rooted in Greek mythology. Here are three of our favorite things about it!

Book Overview: Hearts That Cut

Content Warnings: death, murder, kidnapping, violence, torture, war, blood, natural disasters

Summary: 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 face 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.

New Allies

One of our favorite things about this sequel is the addition of new allies. Don’t worry, we still see familiar characters like Edie and Nico from the first book. But Io also meets Seto Sarris-Nakano, the mob king of the Moor district. He’s erotes-born from Pothos, the god of yearning. Seto has a powerful ability to influence hundreds of people to his command of love. And Io later meets several other-born allies like Pina with asclepies-born healing powers and Gray with oneiroi-born powers of sleep. Everyone plays a part in Io’s fight against the gods and goddesses, and we appreciate all of them. 

Unique Plot Twists

If you remember our review of Threads That Bind, then you’ll know how much we loved the plot twists. And Hearts That Cut has plenty of unique plot twists, too! We won’t spoil too much, though. Io’s reunion with her older sisters, Thais and Ava, happened more suddenly than we expected. And the betrayal near the end caught us completely off guard! The author threw us for a loop with this one (IYKYK). We had no idea how the final battle against the goddesses would play out. 

Io’s Fate-Thread

A fate-thread is rare to find in Io’s world, as it’s a thread that exists outside of time and space. So when she finds out her fate-thread to Edei had been fraying, Io doubts everything she thought she knew. But Io and Edei’s fated romance turned out to be much stronger than either of them could predict. Their fate-thread even becomes the turning point for the final battle against the Horae, the goddesses of time. We rooted for Io and Edei and especially loved their fleeting yet intimate moments together. 

Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou is out June 18th, and you can preorder a copy of it here! 

What do you think of Kika Hatzopoulou’s sophomore novel, Hearts That Cut? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

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