Threads of Gold

by J.C. Warren

Cinzia Clark has known two things her entire life. She inherited the same disabilities her mother has been plagued with her entire life and no matter what her mother says she is not a witch.

Barely coping, Cin is on the verge of losing everything in her life. Her job that she loves, the precious sanity she has managed to hold onto, and her friendship with her best friend Mira.

But then her mother disappears and everything Cin believed to be true comes into question.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 11, 2024

Reviews

[Laura Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I enjoyed the unique take on mental illness and magic, i did feel like the pacing in this book was a little off and parts were quite repetitive.

[Ágnes Malta-Lakó · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you BookSirens for the opportunity to read this book before publication. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"Because the most important lesson this has taught me is that there are people in this world, a lot of them actually, who believe what you think makes me crazy actually makes me special and amazing."

This book has a very interesting and refreshingly unique dynamic regarding witch powers and mental health. Sure it's fantasy, but everything can be translated to the real world... The story itself was sometimes placed on the back burner, and we read a lot - occasionally too much - of inner dialogues of Cin, hence the 4 ⭐️s. However, it's very interesting to get glimpses of how a bipolar person might battle with their mind.

A big bonus is that as a chemical engineer I really laughed at some of the chemistry references
- "No one actually wanted to study chemistry." - brought me right back to the years teaching at uni.
- "Strong? I'm an alcoholic with the ability to blow thing up with household chemicals." - special skills indeed
- "Laughing at your unnatural excitement about chemistry does not mean we're friends." - yes, it does haha.

If you want to read something that differs from the mainstream, give this book a try, definitely worth it.

[Joslyn Rosado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this via an arc from BookSirens, and I thought it would be an enticing story but it took a long time to get to the action. Ci, the fmc, suffers from bipolar disorder but then finds out that she is actually a witch. Her having a mental disorder is the connection to being a witch. It was a different take on mental illness but the last few chapters just felt rushed. Ian, the mmc, is very likable, as he helps Ci learn about her powers and they are connected by a gold thread, meaning they are bonded. If this is the beginning of a series, I don’t think I’ll be continuing it.

[Whimsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thought : what’s this?

Second thought : Oooh.. Oh !

Third Thought : This better get famous

Let me just say I knew it was a good book when the suspects started taking turns in my head and I stopped trying to guess.

Writing wise :

Super smooth, easy to imagine. You can tell the writer is doing it so effortlessly you forget you’re actually reading and not simply watching in your head (I hope you understand that since apparently not everyone does lol)

One of my biggest No’s is rushed writing, sometimes the events don’t get their proper pause that you might even miss an important plot without feeling it.

Now I can happily say it was quite the opposite here, every scene took its proper rightly time.

You live through every moment with the characters, which is extremely crucial given her condition and the things she’s going through. If it’s not written properly then relating with the character or at least understanding her would be difficult.

Plot :

What a topic !

Halfway through, when you start getting the grasp of things and the full picture starts forming I was kind of in awe to be honest.

I have never read a book with a character with this condition, certainly not from her pov.

I’m trying my best not to spoil but let me say it was definitely an eye opener, I knew that it can get bad but hearing it and living are two different things.

Very good job ! Can’t wait to read more of her books.



This has been a free ARC read. So this review is of my pure honest opinion.

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.75*

I was provided with a digital ARC of this book thanks to BookSirens and the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

TW: bipolar disorder, panic attacks, toxic friendships, terminal illness, death of a father

Threads of Gold by J.C. Warren follows Cin, a young woman who's a professor at the University and that for has has been dealing with voices in her head and a bipolar disorder. Her mother also suffered from similar conditions, but she always said to Cin that it was because they were magical being. Cin never believed her, until something makes her change her mind.

This was a book I enjoyed but sadly not loved. I think it had a good idea at its foundation, and I truly never saw magic paired with mental health in this way and I really enjoyed it. It was really good to read about. I also particularly loved the found family component of this story, with Cin founding her people and growing to love them, it's a trope I always enjoy so much.

I think this story, for me of course, had some pacing problems. The story really starts to unravel in the last 20% of the novel, and for me it was a little late to really grasp at every twist and turn. The plot twists were quite straightforward, and I was caught on them from the beginning.

This was a good book, maybe not something I completely enjoy, but the romance was fun, the magic was fun, the problems I had were probably me things, and that's totally fine. I would still recommend it.

[Eel Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me all up in my feelings. The familial relationships in this book absolutely wrecked me, both blood and found. Seriously, I just want to bundle everyone up in the biggest, coziest hugs.

One thing that really stands out to me is the way the story ties a witch's powers to mental health and neurodivergence. I've never seen it done quite like this, and I found it very interesting. Makes you think for sure. As well as how Cin's Bipolar Disorder is handled.

The connection between Cin and Ian is sweet. There is some open-door spice in here but its nothing too over the top or descriptive.

The writing itself makes it super easy to visualize the story as it plays out and there were many moments where I felt like I was reacting right along with the characters and in the moment. That said, the pacing felt a little uneven at times. Some parts moved too quickly, while others dragged just a bit or leaned heavily into Cin's internal dialogue. I can see how that fits with her experiences and mental state but it occasionally felt like we lost the story. Still, the lovable cast of characters and their relationships more than made up for it. I just wish we had more details about certain aspects of the plot.

Overall, this is an interesting and heartfelt- though heavy, story that is worth diving into, especially if you enjoy a quick read that blends magic, mental health and deeply personal struggles!

Thank you to J.C Warren & Book Sirens for the ARC EBook! This review is voluntary and my honest opinion.

[Dru · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶 (open door but very short and lacking details)

We follow Cin on her journey to find her missing mother, coming to terms with her magic heritage, and creating a new family filled with love and support.

Something I thought this book did really well was write about mental illness and how it can impact people who are living with it day to day. Cin is such a great character, and reading about her in this story made her feel that much more real. The found family trope is strong in this book, and I think the author did a good job with creating those relationships.

When it comes to the plot, I felt some parts were rush while others parts were a bit too slow. It also felt there were many side quests instead of being consistent, but that also leaned into Cin finding her support in the people around her. I wish the plot was more of a central part, and not feeling like a second part. The magical elements intrigued me, and I wanted to know more, so I wish more details were given.

I would say this is definitely a light read, and more of a feel good book. I will say there could be triggers for some readers, so make sure you put your mental health first.

Tropes:

☑️ Magic
☑️ Mental Health
☑️ Found Family
☑️ He falls first
☑️ Friends-to-Lovers (best description for the trope)
☑️ HEA

***I was given this as an ARC for free and writing a review voluntary. All opinions are my own.***

[Beth Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite this being a book about witches and magic, I found this a story about found family and accepting yourself for who you are, then finding people who also accept you. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions from desperation to hope and finding a way to get through your hardest days.

Cin is living with bipolar and struggling to live a normal life whilst depending on gin to get her through; until she meets Ian and realises that the parts of herself that she found the hardest to accept, might be more special than she was first led to believe. She finds magic within herself and realises that her mother is not “crazy” as she initially believed, this however opens her up to a dark and dangerous world where witches and wraiths live.

I found this a fresh perspective on mental illness and, as J.C Warren wrote in her acknowledgements, it’s a beautiful way to see the light at the end of the tunnel for someone who is living with debilitating mental health. I’d have liked to see more of the magical elements explored in this book however to make this a 5* read!

The relationship between Cin and Ian was beautiful (I’m reading more and more books with soft, caring men and absolutely loving it) and the brotherly relationship that she adopts with Adam warmed my heart. I’d definitely love to read more from this author and certainly a sequel to see how Cin’s powers develop.

Thank you to BookSirens, J.C Warren and the publishers for the ARC!

[leena.reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Booksirens and to the author for allowing me access to this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2 ⭐️ dnf 30%
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Format: ARC Ebook
Pages: 278
Spice: - 🌶️
POV: Third POV
S/S: Threads of Gold #1
Check trigger warnings for any book.

Alright, I could not get into this book whatsoever.

The third-person narration isn’t my favorite, but I can usually enjoy it. However, in this book, it made me feel so detached from the story and characters that I didn’t want to push through and keep reading. It almost feels hectic, and I don’t know if it’s in reference to our main character.

We have our main character Cin who is dealing with multiple mental illnesses, which seem to be a big part of the overall story.

However when the paranormal elements start to get introduced it felt extremly muddy, unclear… Being neurodivergent means you have access to magic but only if you take the right dose of medicine?

So overall this is not a book for me.
(May contain spoilers)

And somehow all of the people in her life were aware she’s a witch and is struggling but no one has said anything up until now? It just feels so weird. Mira is probably a bad person? I don’t even know.

Leena - Leena.reader review - @leena.reader on tiktok and instagram

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

💙🍸🥂🥃😵Realistic and quite addictive...


Cinzia Clark listened to the inner voice telling her to drink another glass of alcohol.

As the bartender handed her a gin and tonic, she marveled that he could remember what she liked to drink...

-----------

I really liked the slightly crazy realistic main character of Cinzia, with her bad habits and inclinations.

I found the misadventures of this main character hyper realistic, hyper detailed (sometimes too much?), rather complicated, confusing, but endearing and moving.
In the exposition of details and feelings, we feel a kind of lived experience on the part of the author.

A few things intrigued me from the start:
- who wanted to harm Cinzia and why?
- was her mother still alive?...

I enjoyed reading this realistic and captivating novel, despite some confusing, repetitive parts, ultimately very representative of the main character. Cinzia is sometimes unbearable, but we will remember that this is in the context of her illnesses.

However, I would have liked the "magical powers" aspect, with the beautiful notion of golden threads (hence the title of the novel) which connect people by their destiny, to be much more developed in the novel.

I currently couldn't have guessed the ending of the book.
I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

[pagestohanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Booksiren for sharing the ARC copy. Warren’s Threads of Gold has a unique way of sharing the daily life of individuals coping with mental health, an example of the constant bickering from these voices in their head from the main character. This book is nicely paced and give an interesting tale, Cinzia always thought she was crazy, but she was in fact unique and special in her own realm, as a descendant of a witch. What I liked about the book was on the “Wraith”, a soul-sucking ghost, whom when being possessed will manifesting the person’s ill-intentions. I wished there are more magical elements of what Cinzia could manifest with her magical abilities, or a more in-depth on their witches realm and more a bit of explanation from her brother, James, why he had left her in the dark when he manifest his magic. Or more action on how their coven did to keep their city safe. Overall, this book is enjoyable to read and I like the story.

An excepts from the book for the romantics, “I’ve learned this past month – which I was so blind to before – was that you, and you alone, were holding me hostage in our relationship.” .

[Meg D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you BookSirens, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of Threads of Gold!

It’s been a while since a book has captured my attention so quickly! From the first few chapters, I was absolutely hooked (so much so that I finished it in a day). The characters were dynamic and played off of each other really well. It was really interesting how the author created her magic system and how that played into mental health. I also really loved how realistic Cinzia was (I’d probably react similarly if I found out that I was a witch and the voices in my head had an explanation).

The romantic elements in this book were excellent. I really loved how the author used the romance to further the plot instead of centering the plot around the romance. It felt realistic and the characters grew with each other over the course of the story.

Threads of Gold was well paced with a gripping plot and characters. A 10/10 read and my only gripe is that the next book isn’t out yet!

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to book sirens for the ARC for threads of gold. A fun new take on magic to pair different abilities with different mental health conditions. The main character has bipolar and is written pretty authentically, the idea of the voices and what they say feels real and makes the character more believable. The story is a little jumping though, it can feel at times like the author suddenly decided what was going to happen next rather than it feeling thought through from the beginning. Some of the writing is a little "clunky" sentences like "directed a sneer in her direction" and needs a proof read " by the time she got through her the door to her apartment" errors like this make it quite difficult to read and makes the book feel less polished. Overall, a good story following a young woman's battle with mental health and finding her new powers and found family.

[shyandlonelywriter · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW


I was hooked. It was really difficult not to read it in one day.

Cinzia is bipolar and she believes that she's crazy like her mother. She's hearing a voice, and her mother believes that they're witches, so yeah, they're both crazy. But one day, her mother disappeared, and then the truth about her family came out.

I loved that the FMC was a witch with mental health issues. She was realistic and not the perfect woman. She's making mistakes, falls in love, and has a toxic friend. She's fighting with an addiction and tries to help the people that she loves.
I liked that the romance wasn't the center of the plot. It was a necessary part of the plot but that was all. The relationship between the MCs grew up slowly so they had the opportunity to get to know each other.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Fay Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. It had a unique take on bipolar disorder and fantasy combined which was nice to see and I hope becomes a bit more common place in the future. That said, I found that between 0% and 75%ish there were a few pacing issues it terms of things seeming to fast forward or slow down, and things happening out of nowhere but not in an unexpected twist way but more of a hard to follow way. After the 75%-80% ish mark though things began to come together more, and it ended really nicely. I also liked the discussion of toxic friendships and exiting those.

⭐️I received an ARC of this book and am leaving an honest review voluntarily⭐️

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced review copy from BookSirens and am leaving this review of my own volition.

I liked this book a lot. I initially thought this would be a book where the main character's problems would be magically solved as soon as the love interest is introduced, but I'm glad it wasn't. I enjoyed the found family trope so much! It was so satisfying to see the main character slowly open up to other people instead of hugging all her problems as a support blanket when it was slowly suffocating her. I have some questions about the plot, but I must refrain from discussing them here as they are significant spoilers for the book. I give this a four out of five stars.

[Breanna 🍒 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Thank you to Book Sirens for the ARC ebook copy!!

this was an interesting story, with a satisfying ending.
Loved the mental health rep around Bipolar Disorder and how they intertwined with the magic aspect.
The pacing was slow but it was enjoyable. The characters were likable, especially Ian & Adam’s relationship with Cinzia - STRONG found family vibes

Minimal spice

I enjoyed reading this, and am hoping for a book 2 in the future cause I need some answers about the brother!!! 👀👀


Check trigger warnings!! (alcoholism, self harm, death of a parent to name a few)

[Courtney Gilsdorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the unique take on mental health and its ties to the magic system. The stories pacing felt off with the ending feeling rushed and abrupt and there were moments I wanted more details/answers. Cin and Ian were both very likable characters and I loved how their connection built throughout. There was a small bit of romance but this book is mostly focused on the plot.

It was a quick read, well written and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for book 2!

Thank you to BookSirens for the opportunity to read this ARC! I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[abigail · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated how mental illness was portrayed in this so much. I got 43% in it and could not take anyone calling people with mental illness “crazy” anymore. I know it was in a way that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously and mocking people who called them crazy, but honestly it wasn’t explicit enough. I hated the magic system, if you were a witch and didn’t accept it you would turn “crazy” (get a mental illness) it was just so weird to me. And the story in of itself wasn’t interesting enough to look past it. Cin truly was not a likable MC at all.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thanks to Booksirens for the ARC!

A FMC with a bipolar-disorder: hearing voices, coming into her powers and finding out the truth.
It's kind of dark, in a mentale way, but the story keeps you intrigued.

- Paranormal darkish romance
- Mental health
- Found Family
- Overcoming toxic friendships
- Friends to lovers (but romance is'nt the mainstory)
- Magic realisme (Witches)
- Trigga warnings!

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed Threads of Gold and found the premise and magic system interesting, there were some issues with plotting and pacing. For the plot, the swing back and forth in the main character’s attitude towards other people, often without any new interactions or information to cause a change in opinion, reached a point where it stopped seeming like a person’s natural tendency to vacillate and more of a way to extend the plot. At the very least, an introductory sentence to show that the author was acknowledging that the narrator had changed her mind again would have made the swings less jarring. Similarly, the pacing of the story might have been okay if there were transitions explicit in the text. It felt like I was constantly popping to a new time or place but didn’t know it until a few pages into the new time/place. Nonetheless, I liked the characters and story and rate this at three stars, which means I would potentially re-read the book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Risa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Admittedly, the first 25% of the book was difficult for me to get into. However, once the foundations of the plot line were set, I was completely engaged and found myself following along Cin's journey.

I appreciated the mystery alongside the fantasy element and found myself wanting to solve it alongside Cin.

The real life references to mental health and the daily battles that people experience were a core element to the magic system and I found that to be a really interesting way to describe and share mental health difficulties.

Without giving anything away, I wish that the history and decisions of some characters were explained better and there was more explanation of the other possibilities within the magic system.