26-06-2025
Fabulous reads: Novel read combines myth, murder, romance
Threads That Bind, Kika Hatzopoulou, Penguin Random House, ISBN: 9780241614648
The story revolves around – and is told from the perspective of – Io Ora, the youngest of three sisters. Like many other people living in the city of Alante (similar to the mythical sunken city, Atlantis), Io and her sisters are descendants of Greek gods.
These people, known as other-born, have also inherited the powers of their gods. Io and her siblings are descendants of the Fates (think the ghoulish crones in Disney's Hercules) who can manipulate the threads that link people to things, places and people they love as well as life itself.
Other-born are seen as dangerous and often struggle to find employment. For the last two years, Io has been working as a private investigator, exposing cheating spouses or cutting people's emotional connections. But things start getting dangerous when the impossible happens – Io is attacked by a woman whose life cord had been cut. And then, she's suspicious when her sister, who seemingly abandoned them out of the blue, turns up engaged to the scheming new police commissioner. When another victim pops up – the infamous mob queen of the Silts – Bianca coerces Io into investigating these murders alongside a man she's been avoiding for years – Edei Rhuna – who happens to be her fate-thread / soul mate.
Threads That Bind is not your average young adult fantasy-romance novel. It grabbed my attention, not only because it incorporated some murder mystery and dystopian/sci-fi elements, but it also took inspiration from Greek mythology, weaving the lore into the fantastical tale.
Unfortunately, I found the amount of world building a bit overwhelming at times. The names of some of the types of descendants were just too similar, and I found it difficult to fully immerse myself. On the plus side, Kika Harzopoulou has a quick-paced and easy writing style
The story also combines the forbidden and fated love tropes which was a bit bromidic and predictable. I also felt the chemistry between Io and Edei was a bit lacking. They were sweet but nothing truly swoon-worthy. And, while the characters are not some of my favourite, I found them flawed yet endearing.
The book ends on a cliff-hanger, setting up the next instalment in the series. Mariclair Smit 3/5 stars
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