Threaded

The Solstice Cycle #1

by Tay Rose

She spent her whole life craving freedom.

Mariah had been preparing for this moment her entire life. Her twenty-first birthday was supposed to bring with it freedom — from expectation, from scrutiny, from the oppressive lord who reigns over her hometown. But when a letter arrives from the Queen summoning her to the capital for a ceremony that happens only once every few hundred years, she has no choice but to follow through on this final obligation before she can achieve her independence.

What she did not anticipate, however, was being chosen for a future she doesn’t want or deserve.

As Mariah is thrown into a world of cutthroat politics and ruthless power grabs, she is forced to come to terms with mysterious powers that both terrify her and that may hold the keys to saving a world that doesn’t even know it’s under siege. She also finds herself drawn to the brooding, disgraced son of a Lord, an unwilling member of her sworn guard, and the pull between them places Mariah in more danger than she can fathom. As they grow closer, uncovering the forgotten mysteries of their world and their gods, they begin to present a threat to the kingdom’s delicate balance of power…a threat that simply cannot be ignored.

Love is a weakness. Mariah must never forget that. But will she fall prey to it, anyways?

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Dragons, Enemies To Lovers

602 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2024

About the author

Tay Rose is the author of The Solstice Cycle, an adult high romantic fantasy series, and loves to draw inspiration from the natural world in crafting tales of magic and love. A lawyer by day, author by night, she lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her sweet pup and way, way too many books. 

A Capricorn and an Enneagram Type 8, she’s never known quite when to stop or even the concept of “giving up.” Writing has always been an escape for her, and despite a far too busy schedule, she always makes time for her stories. She’s been inventing tales since the days she got her first computer, and while they were mostly either about dragons or fanfiction, everyone has to start somewhere.

When not reading or writing, Tay loves live music, being outside, and daydreaming about even more stories that she hopes to bring to life one day.

Reviews

[Tay Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sit here, having finished my 1937282732nd reread, and am finally feeling ready for this to be out in the world.

And if you think I'm exaggerating that number...I probably am a little bit but not by much.

In all seriousness, Threaded may be my debut, but it is far from the first story I've told myself. It just happens to be the first one I've decided to share with you. The first in a planned series, it is not filled with a ton of action and adventure, but does tell an important story about accepting the fate you are dealt, about making the most of your life's path, and the blindness we can experience in the face of the ones we love the most.

The smut is also pretty good, too, if I do say so myself. *giggles*

If you feel so inclined, I would be honored to welcome you to the kingdom of Onita, to the city of Verith, where betrayal lurks behind every corner and secrets are begging to be unlocked. This is just the start of Mariah and Andrian's story, and I can't wait to show you where their journey will lead. To the seas, to the skies, to the stars, to the moons...the possibilities are endless.

Thanks for being here, and I hope you love Threaded. 🫶🏻

"Let's go show them what moonlight really looks like."

[Anna-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly have no words. Everything about this book was amazing. The characters?! PERFECT. The world building?! Incredible. The slow-burn enemies to lovers?! SO GOOD. And that plot?! I honestly was confused towards the end that something “bigger” wasn’t coming but I should have seen all of the amazing foreshadowing because WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!!!!!! There is a cliffhanger but y’all. You need to read this asap. One of my top fantasy reads this year! 5/5 ⭐️

[Cass (wonderlandandwhisky) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one lucky bean to receive an ARC for Threaded from the Goddess Tay herself. She went and launched it early so my review is coming in a little bit late! But I hope it’s helpful.

This is an intricate fantasy with strong world building. I’m saying that, make sure you’re in the right space to take in that detail. I struggled at first with some of the finer detailed points but I am purely putting they down to the fact I’m also working on finishing my own fantasy romance and my head is full of all kinds of fantasy worlds.

Threaded is a beautiful story of growth, love, found family, and some excellent rebellion.

I loved Mariah and Andrian’s will they won’t they hate and pull toward one another.

Tay is an incredible story teller and had written a book of magic, intrigue, politics, with so many questions I am so eager to learn more!

I’m sure you’re seeing this everywhere but the cliffhanger is brutal. Having said that, it’s also delicious and brilliant.

Bravo Tay. Fvcking stunning.

[Darcey · Rating 3 out of 5]

this wasn't bad!
it had a pretty unique plotline and magic system, and i liked the strong female friendships. i did feel a bit disconnected to the characters, and despite the apparent powerful bonds of her central 7 bodyguards, eternally connected to her for life, i only truly worked out the personality for like 3 of them, including her love interest.
regarding the mmc, he was the usual dark, twisty, mysterious, rude, shadow-wielding love interest in so many romantasy stories now. and don't get me wrong, i will always eat that up, but i wasn't as obsessed with him as hoped. a few of his scenes did have me swooning and kicking my feet, but in the end it was all a bit anticlimactic and i felt vaguely apathetic, which was disappointing.
nonetheless, this was an entertaining enough romantasy read to captivate me for a few days, so i'm happy!

[Megan]

DNF at page 139.

Life is too short. I can’t connect to the FMC at all, she is literally the definition of a pick me- none of the girls in her village like her because she doesn’t want to get married, she hates dresses, she just wants train/fight, love is a weakness in her eyes. Bleh. This can sometimes be refreshing for a FMC but ONLY if it is done well.

The modern language and the fantasy setting is also something I truly hate in books.

This has a big wattpad vibes which is sometimes fine for me but the story is just getting more and more irritating.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

" 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚑. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚍𝚘𝚖..."

Mariah is tired of living in her small village and wants to discover the world, to be free and find adventure. Only on her birthday, she receives a letter by the queen who summons her to the palace where a new queen is going to be chosen among young ladies like her. From then on, her entire life changes…

Y’all are really sleeping on this! Why is this not more popular? I mean it’s really good! The plot, the world building, the writing, the politics, the magic system, EVERYTHING!

I kid you not I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading, and it had many tropes I love:

💗 Banter
💗 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
💗 Badass FMC
💗 Hate at first sight
💗 Great magic system
💗 Enemies to lovers

I loved the dynamics between Mariah and her armature, especially Sebastian who’s my favorite character. I liked how he was very protective but also gives her her space. The relationship between Mariah and Andrian was really intense though, really showing the “ I hate to love you” vibe 😅 and I was totally here for it.
If you liked ACOTAR and The Veiled Kingdom you will like this one. Also that plot twist at the end was 🤯🤯🤯

I’m so grateful right now to be an ARC reader for the second book, Scourge because I don’t think I can handle waiting for the release of the book. I’m dying to know what happens next!!! ♥️

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ve read it. bc tay is my friend. this is about to rock everyone’s socks off

______

i wrote the first part of this review while Tay was still in the drafting stages of writing Threaded. After finishing the fully fleshed-out book, I felt like it was time for me to write a proper review.

Threaded is the story of a girl, Mariah, who craves a life outside the restrictions placed upon girls in her kingdom. You either have magic and become a priestess, or you don't and are married off to the best suitor. Mariah would rather riot than do either of those things, so she plans (for most of her life) to sail away and live an adventurous life in a faraway land.

Of course, this doesn't happen. (enter chosen-one trope)

Instead, she is pulled into the politics of the kingdom, the magic that finally chooses her propelling her not to the status of priestess, but to the seat of the throne.

As a fantasy reader, Threaded ticks all the boxes for me. Its world-building is intense, but written in a way that's easy to digest because it's threaded (pun intended) into Mariah's character development. I didn't have to take notes or go back to certain scenes because I couldn't remember details. During early drafts, the magic system was a mystery to me, but Tay's final product explained it well. Mariah's magic is so unique that we even saw the history behind its genesis. I'm also a big proponent of fantasy religion, so Mariah's connection to the Goddess in the book made me salivate LOL.

All that to say - the world is so layered that I was able to completely lose myself and forget I'm a living breathing human being on planet Earth. THAT is my definition of a 5-star (fantasy) book.

None of that even covers the characters. They genuinely felt like real people. I am very attached to them. Unhealthily so. Mariah has 7 men in her personal armature who are bonded to her and protect her with their lives. They are all very... attractive :) Watching Mariah form relationships with them was !fun! ( and that bonding ceremony 😮‍💨 ). The relationship I truly adore is with her best friend Ciana. My little golden retriever girlie.

My favorite character was Andrian, grumpy shadow-daddy that he is. The relationship between him and Mariah is a bit chaotic, but in a good way IMO. Both he and Mariah have a hard exterior, and its only in each other's presence that they let that wall crumble. After they realize they don't actually hate each other, that is (hate-to-love trope). Also, there is nothing like some angsty spice. I love it. That being said, their jump from hate to love was intense, and considering their "I'm going to protect my heart" demeanor their professions to each other toward the end of the book were jarring But yeah, they are the ultimate OTP.

I think it's also important to note that, while some first books in fantasy series have quite a bit of action, or start rolling the "overarching conflict" ball, Threaded (IMO) is not like that. Sh^t doesn't get particularly real until the very end. A lot of the conflict is politicking, and it focuses mostly on Mariah settling into her new role and realizing the obstacles she is going to face if she is going to be queen. I personally loved this.

Tay is a writer that I truly look up to. her prose is beautiful, and she's the queen of a metaphor. For a debut novel, this book is absolutely magnificent and i am SO proud. I can't wait to see where Tay takes these amazing characters (pretending like I don't know spoilers 🤠)

[Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵.”


Reread:
My review hasn’t changed. It still think this is such an amazing book and I’m going to start book 2!!! I am SO excited OMG 🥹




I am speechless. This was PERFECT. Honestly Tay did an amazing job and even that word seems bland compared to how I see this book. What a wild ride it was!!!

I have to start with the writing because this is a big part of why I liked this book so much. At first, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about it because 3rd pov is not my favourite to read but the choice of words and the way the story is told just entranced me. I devoured this book and I am craving for more. I couldn’t believe it when I reached the end. I sat there for a few minutes just wrapping my head around what sorcery I just read. This cliffhanger is cruel.

The characters just drew me in so much. Obviously, I have to start with Mariah because WHAT A BAD BITCH! She’s strong and smart. I loved reading about her growth and how she grew more and more confident. She’s a fierce ass woman who will defend the ones she cares about if need be!

Can we all take a moment and be jealous because she has 7 men in her life!!! Not necessarily the way you think… I guess you’ll just have to read it to see 😉 but I absolutely enjoyed reading about what is called her Armature. I felt like I knew all of them by the end of the book. UGH, I wish I could say more buuuuut I really don’t want to spoil anything. Also I love a good female friendship and Ciana couldn’t be a better bestfriend!

I wanted to talk about one of those 7. Freaking Andrian Laurent. He has black hair and he’s irritable. Do I need to say more? 😩 no but seriously, this man is… I don’t even have words to describe him well enough. He’s everything. A sexy flirty, a hot possessive asshole, a man who would do ANYTHING for her. He’s also smart and sassy. Yeah, you can’t have better 😮‍💨😮‍💨

I won’t lie and say this book was a cute fantasy because it wasn’t. Magical, captivating, intense, heart-wrenching (yes I shed some tears), spicy, it was all that and more!!!! Don’t even get me started on the spice. These scenes were HOT 🥵

The storyline was so interesting and well thought. This book deserves so many stars in my opinin!!! I beg you to read it.

It will be forever engraved in my mind 🤍

*𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠*

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who left their hometown young to explore (and continue exploring) what the world has to offer, I saw so much of myself in the FMC Mariah. Not even 3 chapters in I knew I was going to love her. I also really loved watching her struggle with the fact she may not get the freedom she so desperately desired in the way she thought, but found it in other ways throughout her journey.

This book was everything I didn’t know I wanted or needed. I devoured it obsessively. The court intrigue, the growing relationship with sworn guardians, the chaotic magic and uncovering of secrets, and let’s not forget about the absolutely devastating man who ✨hates her✨

The pacing in this story is fast but not in a bad way. A lot happens but it’s still very easy to follow along and the story flowed well.

The last chapter gave me so much anxiety because I knew what was going to happen and it STRESSED ME OUT. I have so many unanswered questions and the cliff hanger is going to haunt me until the next in the series is released. I can’t wait to learn more about the Gods & Goddesses, and the rest of the queen’s guardians (I forget the formal name for them) as the story continues.

This is absolutely worth the read!

p.s. praise kink girlies - this one’s for you

[Kristen Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I didn't just want to know your body. I wanted to know your brilliant mind, your wild soul, the deepest parts of yourself you would never dare share with anyone.”

Threaded is the first book in a new fantasy romance series (18+) and the debut novel by Tay Rose.

I really enjoyed this book, you guys!! We follow Mariah as she’s thrown into a life and future she didn’t expect (or want). We see her step into her new role and all of the conflicts and problems that come with it.

Mariah is strong and sassy and smart. Then, she meets Andrian is who also strong and sassy and smart and the two together are explosive (in the best way)🔥😮‍💨

Rose did a beautiful job building this unique world and magic system. She set the stage perfectly for the rest of the series with this book. I wasn’t lost in the world building at any point and could easily picture each scene, well done!

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next with book two!

Read this if you like…
🌙 Fiery FMC👏🏻
🌙Grumpy, shadowy MMC 👀
🌙Found family vibes
🌙Unique magic
🌙Intricate yet easy to follow world building
🌙An extremely fun cast of side characters who are also 😮‍💨
🌙Spicey-spice🌶️

Threaded is out June 21st
*this book ends on a cliffhanger & it’s bound to make you throw your book across the room just fyi 😪😂

[Nora Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️ DNF at 76%. I really tried here. I wanted to stick with it, as I read there was a big cliffhanger at the end that I was curious about, but in the end it wasn’t worth it for me. The start of this book was so strong and I had really high hopes for this to be a new favorite fantasy series. Unfortunately, that changed fairly quickly for me as I continued to read.

This book had a lot going on and somehow nothing at all simultaneously. The pacing was off and it overall felt kind of rushed. It felt like the author was trying to squeeze in a very ambitious plot and world building (which we ended up not getting a lot of) into one 600 page novel and it just didn’t work. I think this book could have faired better split into two.

As for the characters, I did not feel connected to the Mariah (our protagonist) very well. She yearns to leave home and never look back until she is pulled away from that dream to be queen of the kingdom because she actually has magic, which is really rare for females in this world. Once that happens it’s almost never mentioned again about how much she wanted to leave. That was a main inner conflict with this character and I felt like it was dropped so quickly with no elaboration as to why, other than “she felt like it didn’t matter anymore”. Where is the depth! The dynamic between Mariah and her armature is okay. But what a weird vibe between her and Andrian (who is literally impossible. Red flags everywhere). Also, just like Mariah lacked development, so did Andrian. He hated her so much (and literally for what. His daddy issues?) but then he just didn’t. Yeah it was part of this connection they shared but like I needed more of a reason to justify that hatred. Just another major plot point lost to me. There was just a lot of inner conflict introduced here with most of the characters, which has so much ground and freedom for expansion to help the reader fall in love with these characters more and it all just fell flat for me.

The magic system sounded really cool but I felt like it lacked a lot of depth and new information seemed to be introduced often with little explanation. Example: Mariah found out she had magic and had ONE practice session with the queen? I would have liked to have seen more of this. Mariah learning to harness her abilities could have made for a richer plot and we would have been able to get more time with the queen Ryenne. This could have made the big explosions of power and anger that Mariah ends up having, more serious. I mean she literally killed a man and they were all like “meh”. Also, we find out in the library that Andrian has shadow magic? Never once had that kind of magic been mentioned previously or discussed but it’s a big revelation? How am I supposed to know that if I don’t have any background as to what it is?

Overall, this book lacked detail that I think is necessary for a fantasy novel and a magic system focused world. I think it began to focus too heavily on the relationship between Mariah and Andrian too quickly, resulting in a lack of depth for important world building details that I thought was necessary as a reader. However, the spice was good! (3🌶️/5). I will agree with many other reviewers, the author definitely overused tanzanite to describe MMC eyes. We get it, they’re blue/purple.

I do think this plot and the author have promise, however. For me, I think I would have enjoyed it more if we got more world building and character development for Mariah with this novel. Add in that enemies to lovers tension here and there and then focus on building those relationships in the next one. With that being said, I think I would give the author another shot, if they write anything in the future. Just maybe not the continuation of this series.

[Jenny Lampe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mariah Salis lives a quiet life in a small town, but she has always wanted to break free and explore the world. On her 21st birthday, she’s prepared to leave and never look back, until a summons from the Queen arrives on her doorstep. Thrust into a world of politics and power, Mariah must navigate this new world, while not losing herself in the process.

Mariah is a character I related to immediately. I saw so much of myself in her and felt very protective of her throughout the book. Mariah is headstrong and isn’t afraid to forgo tradition when it comes to helping those less fortunate. She’s fierce and doesn’t back down. She’s not afraid to be herself, no matter the back handed comments she received.

Threaded has plenty of found family and some beautiful female friendships. I appreciated that Mariah struggled to form close friendships but found her people in the palace. Threaded also has a new shadow wielder to obsess over. Andrian is sworn to protect Mariah, even though that’s the last thing he wants. He fights her at every turn but can’t seem to shake the draw that pulls them closer and closer together.

Society constantly tells Mariah what she can and can’t do and how to act. It’s a familiar feeling we have all felt at some point in time. Her struggle made it feel all the more real.

The ending of the book is a bit open ended, which I find very fun. I have a few theories about what really happened, and where the next book is headed. Keep an eye out for the continuation of Mariah’s story, coming out later this year.

[Lisa l chaotic.couchreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Love is a weakness.”
Mariah Salis has lived by this mantra forever. On her 21st birthday she plans to flee her hometown for freedom and adventures… and instead is destined to become the next queen. To be crowned she must bond with seven guards, her Armature, to share a soul bond and tether her to them forever. Will she be able to remain true to her mantra? Or will these bonds test her resolve?
I loved Mariah from the first moment we meet her. She is a woman who refuses to conform to the arbitrary rules in a patriarchal society. She chooses to train for combat and wear clothes for comfort and not ritual.
And then we get Andrian… one of her Armature who seems to despise her, even though he is to be bound to her. Did I mention he is a possessive shadow daddy??
As in true book one form, Tay did an amazing job sprinkling in clues to Mariah’s links to the goddesses and an overarching plot that will plague her for books to come. It was done masterfully! I also love another twist on soul bonds, where someone has strong reservations. But I am a feral beast for Mariah and Andrian’s connection, no matter how chaotic it may be!
The ending is an intense cliffhanger - good thing book two will be released in September!

[Kayla Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much going on in this book & yet nothing at the same time. The world building was extensive to the point that I am still confused on how their works works. Though, the story itself lacked in my opinion. She was chosen to be Queen very early in the book but why did it take her so long to actually take her role as Queen & why did it take so long for her to bond to her armature? Isn’t that what she needs to do to become Queen? Maybe I just don’t understand lol. I also did not care for the MMC. He was moody & failed to have any qualities that made up for that. The smut was okay but kind of felt forced as I didn’t feel there was really any chemistry between the characters.

[Naya · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG after months of trying to get through this, it is finally over!!!

I never DNF books, if I start it I must finish it 😭

This book was not it. Too many repetitive descriptions of tanzanite eyes. Too many repetitive mentions of the mountain she viewed. It was just not what I expected. Characters had no real chemistry and actual growth. The third person narration was not helping me connect at all with the plot, characters, or romance if that’s what you can even call this.

Im just glad it’s over!!!! 🫠 two months of my life down the drain 🙃

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tay wrote a beautiful story about personal struggles and navigating a new world as a headstrong female that is forced to learn how to lean on those around her. And man, if that didn’t speak to my soul.

I’m highly anticipating book 2 of this series and recommend everyone jumping into read this book in preparation for book 2.

[Lindsey_reads_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this book so much. It is available on KU. I am looking forward to the second book. I loved how Mariah stood up for herself in this book. She did not let the men and their opinions define the Queen she chose to be. I loved the magic and how beautiful the author described it. I plan on reading it again before book 2. I'm still thinking about that ending!

[Amanda | bookishlaboratory · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow what a ride

As Tay’s debut book, I’m blown away. The story is so rich and the lore is so vast, you really feel like you’re stepping into Onita right alongside Mariah. As someone who desperately wished to leave home the minute I was given the chance, I saw so much of myself in both Mariah and Cianna.

I loved the found family we started with the armature and the ladies, and I am curious to see how their dynamics help to play a role in the next book. Though there were a few POVs in this book, I felt like they were woven together perfectly. From one consciousness to another, we were given context as needed in key scenes from another’s POV and I think it really added to the story in the best way.

I also caught the note about waking up dragons and now I’m giddy and kicking my feet.

The ending is brutal though, and I can’t wait to have some answers miss madam that was RUDE

[Nicole H. ✨️nicoledreamsofbooks✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Romantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
Pub Date: May 1, 2024
102/125📚

I buddy read this book with @chelseasfaerietales and I can't believe I didn’t read this sooner! This was one of my first @probablysmutbookclub books I ever got.

This was Tay Rose's debut and it was so fun to read. The slow-burn was killing me! We also love a good shadow daddy and this was delivered 🤭. The plot and magic system were pretty unique, however, there were a couple things that made me do a double take and didn't quite make sense..but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Reading with friends always makes them more enjoyable too. I also really loved the strong female friendships, this was done very well!! Now to get my hands on book two!

[this_bookish_house · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to start by saying that this book had great promise. I wanted to know more about the magic system and the political structure of the realm. I wanted more organic world building. This could have been epic. I think it could have been AMAZING.

BUT... It just ... wasn't. I realized halfway through the book that nothing of true importance had really happened to drive the plot forward. I wanted so badly to dnf this book several times. I remained just hooked enough to finish it though. It was nearly 600 pages of repetitiveness with nothing really happening until the last 15% of the book. A huge chunk could have very easily been cut out and not had any impact on the story at all.

PLOT WISE:

- We know from the minute she gets called to the palace that she was going to be chosen- so that wasn't a surprise.

-We're told she has to bond to all 7 of her armature- so as she starts to bond to them one at a time, that isn't a surprise. We see one in detail, the others are mentioned in passing.

-We're told that Mariah and the Priestess don't get along- but for a majority of the book the only way we see this conflict being driven was by Mariah wearing clothes that the Priestess wouldn't like and Mariah being sassy to her.

- We're told that there has never been a commoner queen and that the Royal Families would be upset- so again, no surprise when that happens. What surprised me was how long it took to see any of the political repercussions of her being a commoner.

-then all of a sudden at the last bit of the book BOOM. Action. The attack in the town. The death of one of the old Queen's Armature. Mariah killing the person responsible for it. The Solstice. Andrian directly trying to challenge his father and stand up for himself. That cliff hanger.


THERE'S NO RELATIONSHIP BUILD UPS AT ALL:

Not between her and her ladies. She quite literally meets them and then almost immediately is like "yes. This is who I want on my official court. These women are my best friends." But how did they become best friends? Where was the build up of trust?

And definitely not between her and her Armatures. We know they're supportive, because we're told that. We know they have honor, because we're told that. But we hardly ever see them interact with Mariah at all. I can only remember 3 of their names and that is it. It's always something like "they are there protecting me" or "they helped me research" or "And I bonded so and so that night".

It was the same with Andrian and Mariah's relationship. We're told he hates her. And then we're told he's only doing it to protect her. Okay cool. I could get behind that, but other than that, we have no real look at who he is as a person. He felt like the male version of Mariah - someone who wanted to escape their life, but then was trapped into it. They both have unusual powers. Etc ... They were a gender swapped copy and paste.

WORLD BUILDING:

oh man. I wanted so much more than what we got out of this. I would have loved a more organic approach here, instead of the random exposition dumps we received. Seriously, this world felt like it could have been so amazing- but it just fell flat because 95% of the book took place in the Palace.

TRANSITIONS and FORMATTING:

the technical aspects of the writing were pretty solid. However there were a few strange transitions between scenes that didn't make sense, as well as some strange formatting goofs in a few places. These didn't detract too much from the story though, so ultimately it didn't really bother me


CONCLUSION:

I'm going to say it again. I think this book could have been AMAZING. There were a ton of good bones for an amazing fantasy world. Truly, this could have been top-tier. But.... the exact same story could have been told in half the page count and you wouldn't miss anything.

[Momo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just...wow. I cannot believe this is Tay's first-ever debut novel. She writes like she has been writing for years. I enjoyed this ARC so much! We have the chosen one, magic, fantasy world with a modern twist on it where magic is used as a technology. I loved the characters, the growth, and the charisma.

Reading Threaded you can expect:
👑 Court Intrigue, royals and politics
👑 Hate Romance that turns into Love
👑 Shadow Bondage 😏
👑 FMC that grows into her power
👑 Interesting side characters
👑 FMC that doesn't shy away from men
👑 Magic, castles, sword fighting.
👑 Lovable side characters
👑 The ENDING IS CRAZY

For a debut novel, the world-building was so well done, the character's chemistry and the story was intriguing. Once I started I couldn't put the book down, the story draws you in. Only thing I would say I do wish it was a tiny bit shorter, but thats personal preference, I'm a slow reader it took me a while to get through it.

The spice and romance were so good, as much as the hot and cold frustrated me at times, that was the point haha Andrian is a mess in his own head and it was nice to see his POV's. The spice was so good, I only wish Tay wrote the Throne Room scene, you can't leave us with fade to black for that girl 🤣

Really enjoyed it, I can see Tay grows as the writes and this will be a fantastic series.
Just an FYI this isn't a why choose romance lol some people asked me if it is.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

[Nicole Trimbur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to start out by saying I will be haunting the author until I get a resolution from that cliffhanger 🙃

This book starts out with our FMC, Mariah, ready to leave her small town and enjoy the freedom the world has to offer. When she suddenly gets a call to come to meet with the queen and her life is turned upside down. She tries to take on her new responsibilities all while figuring out how to balance tradition and gut instincts. I loved watching her transition shift from denial, to curiosity, to acceptance, and escalate into want.

Her sworn protectors each have my heart for different reasons, and a particular one has me absolutely WRAPPED and GAGGED with absolutely no hope for escaping 😏. Once this book started going I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in less than 3 days.

It was fun and funny without trying too hard. And the FMC Mariah could step on me and I’d thank her. She’s a badass with a mouth to match and she’ll have you panting for her just as much as anyone from her hot armature.

The politics and romance were so beautifully balanced I loved every second of it. I’m reeling from the ending and cannot wait to absolutely devour book 2. Definitely pick this up if you’re into fantasy with some good steamy hate to love romance.

[Adrianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the world created in this book.
There is magic, suspense, slow burn romance, and an incredible character arc.

The ending of this book has left me wrecked and I am unwell! To say I'm looking forward to book 2 is an understatement!

Mariah is a young woman who dreams of bigger adventures than her small town of Andburgh has to offer.
Just when she is about to get her freedom, fate unexpectedly flips her life around.
Suddenly, Mariah faces more responsibility than she ever imagined possible.

I really enjoyed seeing Mariah embrace her strength as the book progressed. She faces her personal worst-case scenario and takes charge of her life and the situation.
One of my favorite things in this book is the overwhelming support she receives from her family and friends. I love that Mariah has parents who not only loved her, but also raised her to be strong and independent. The friendships she makes in this book are life goals!

A few of the themes in this book include
❤️Found Family
💕Fated mates
⚔️Enemies-to-lovers
👑Chosen one
🖤Shadow daddy
✨️Unique Magical System

[Bree Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a new word today. Hireath. Noun. "deep longing for something, especially one's home."
Or "nostalgia or a deep longing for a place or time that may never have existed, or that may have existed only in one's memories or imagination."

Tay perfectly crafted a world that I slipped into, like a person slips into their slippers after a long day to rest. So descriptive in her words and her ways, I could see it all in my minds eye the trees, the palace, the people.
Mariah is the kind of FMC I could have done with when I first moved out of home and away from all I knew to do something I was meant to do. She's so full of courage, bravery and strength while also being so real in her emotions, in her flaws and in the way she said "I just want my mom." To feel that kind of pain is so human and to see a FMC break and just want her mum got me so good.

I fell in love with Threaded in so many ways and highly recommend this to everyone. It has spice, action, romance, friendship (strong FMC friendships) and a MMC to DIE for.
I can't wait for book 2 and to be more emotionally damaged.

[Evan Zaremba · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! What. Fantastic romantasy story. If you like:
1. Badass FMC’s
2. Shadow daddies
3. “Touch her and you die” vibes
4. Great romantic tension
5. Wonderful friendships
6. Supporting indie authors
…then you will love this book! Mariah’s sass is incredible, I really loved her character. The whole dynamic with her Armature was also awesome and such a creative idea. This does end in a huge cliffhanger, though, and as of now, we don’t have a release date for the next one 😭. There is definitely some 🌶️, so read at your own discretion. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

[Micaela Rundhaug · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO. GOOD. it felt like jumping into one of my childhood dreams, but make it more adult if that makes sense 😂 Loved the relationships that were formed throughout and the growth that Mariah had from start to finish. This was the PERFECT blend of fantasy with just enough romance (plus some spice). Seriously can’t wait for the next book.

[Luaranne Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! Tay knew what she was doing with this book.
I was completely enthralled by the world, the characters, and the storyline. It is all SO good! It was next to impossible to put down. Definitely going in my pile of favorite books!

[ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my godd...The ending hurts soo bad and I can't wrap my mind around it 😭😭😭😭. Such a phenomenal story and I'm dying to get my hands on book 2 😭😭😭😭

[AA ⚡️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

THREADED 🌙 | 4⭐️

[Lorrie (Clockworkbookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 Reads #608/250
3.5⭐️ So much potential.

Read for the Sights of Sweden Challenge 2024-2025
September 20, 2024 - January 10, 2025

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