Book Review: Bonded By Thorns by Elizabeth Helen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Loved it! A must-own book.

Read Bonded by Thorns if you like fairytale retellings, fae princes, why choose romance, and magical bonds with serious tension.

✨Heads up! Some links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping me keep this blog running and my TBR endless! 📚

📖 What’s Inside:

Multi-POV
Fae princes (yes… plural 👀)
Why choose / reverse harem
Shapeshifters 🐺
💞 Magical bonds
Found family vibes 🫂
Explicit language
On-page intimacy 🔴

Book Boyfriend Meter: 🩶

Too soon to tell.

As with most MMCs in a series, I need to get to know him before I can make a judgement call on the book boyfriend leaderboard potential. Fortunately with this series, we’ve got multiple men to choose from. 🫠 (And we really don’t need to choose 😉

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✨ Vibes:

🌛 Dark fairytale retelling
🌹 Beauty and the Beast meets fae romance chaos
👑 Broody princes + magical curse energy

Basically: enchanted castle, cursed princes, and a heroine who’s about to shake everything up.

💭 My Thoughts:

Full disclosure: This is a back-log review, with my first-time read-through thoughts. With the series concluding this year (2026), I wanted a place for each book on my website because this series is gold!

This is the first book in the Beasts of the Briar series, and let me just say:

WOW.

I love a good fairytale retelling, and Bonded by Thorns absolutely delivered.

This is one of those books I flew through the first time… and then came back to reread because I needed to be back in this world.

From the very beginning, the story pulls you in — and once you’re in?

Good luck leaving.

One of my favorite things about this book is the cast of characters.

Because yes… we have four fae princes.

And somehow? They all feel distinct.

Different personalities, different dynamics, different vibes — and I never once felt like they blurred together. That takes skill, and the authors nailed it.

Now let’s talk plot.

Even going in knowing this is a why choose situation, I still found myself constantly trying to piece together the mysteries of the world, the curse, and what was really going on behind the scenes.

And that ending???

Did not see that cliffhanger coming.

Which is exactly how I like my fantasy — give me answers, but also give me ten new questions so I immediately need book two.

If I had one small critique, it would be the writing style.

At times, the dialogue felt a little stiff or one-dimensional. It didn’t happen constantly, but there were moments where it pulled me out just a bit.

That said — since this series was picked up and re-released, those issues have clearly been smoothed out.

And honestly?

Even with that, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story.

This book does exactly what a first-in-series should do:

It sets the stage, hooks you completely, and leaves you desperate for more.

📚Read Alikes:

If you loved the fae romance + fairytale retelling vibes, try:

• A Court of Thorns and Roses — fae, curses, and romance wrapped in a fairytale-inspired world.
• These Hollow Vows — fae courts, secrets, and tangled romantic dynamics. Read my review.
• Broken Bonds — why choose romance with strong bonds and multiple love interests. Read my review.

Should you add Bonded by Thorns to your TBR?

Yes.

If you love fae romance, why choose dynamics, and fairytale retellings with bite, this is absolutely worth the read.

🛒 Buy Now

If You Liked This, Read Next…

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📌 Want to remember this book for your next reading binge?

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