The Bonds that Tie

Book Review

It’s taken me awhile to get to this book. But once I did, I devoured the entire six book series in four days.

            We start with a young girl travelling in a car with her parents. They are all happy, but the adults are still clearly anxious. Before we get to know where they are going another car takes them out and the young girl is alone.

            Then we get to five years later. She has been captured and returned to her ‘bonded.’

            So, the world is now full of gifted and non-gifted humans. Those who are gifted are usually bonded to other gifted, around a central bond. These bonded are supposed to make them stronger.

            Oleander has been running from her bond. She knew they would be searching for her. No one runs from their bonds. Once she is brought back, she is treated like an ungifted traitor. Everyone hates her, including the men she is bonded to. She is bonded to five men. The oldest of the bond is North Draven. He is obscenely rich and from now on will control everything she does. Including curfews, who she spends time with and her class schedule at Draven University. Yep, that rich.

            Here we meet three more of her bond. One, Gabe is another student. Again, he doesn’t like her, trust her, but is forced to be around her. Then there is Nox Draven, Norths brother and the darkest of all her bonds. He is a professor determined to humiliate her in every way he can. Including failing her in his class. The third bond here is Gryphon, head of the TacTeam and is involved in her training.

            She hates her life, wants a job and wants to do everything she can to run away. But what she doesn’t tell anyone is she is gifted, or the reason why she ran. This is a traumatised young woman set on protecting everyone, even if it kills her.

            Then she meets Sage, another young woman struggling in her bond. The two become close, however Oleander still doesn’t tell Sage the truth.

            This is an enemy to lovers’ series. There is banter and Oli is a total brat. But reading between the lines, it is her way of not getting close to her bond and protecting herself. However, this personality develops as she grows in her bond throughout the series.

            Finally, we meet the final member of the bond, Atlas. He is from the other side of the country and seems to be decent to Oli, at least through his text messages.

            The first book is from Oli’s perspective, so we don’t get to see the others too much and their true feelings. Or why they are upset she left them. All for different reasons. It takes the next couple of books to really understand each man and his place in the bond.

            For now, they are not fully bonded because Oli refuses to sleep with any of them. I mean a reverse harem trope of course sex is at the centre. Many who are bonded force their bonds into sex. But even though the men are angry at her, none of them touch her without consent. However, they don’t understand at first why she refuses to bond.

            It is really beautiful to see each man give her the space but also show they care in each way. Gabe begins to feel for her and becomes her shadow. Gryphon realises the pain she is and sits with her at night to ease it. Then the men start leaving their clothes for her to absorb their scent, which calms her.

            There are so many elements to this book. Within the gifted community there is also the Resistance. At first the reason for the Resistance is not really explained, as though it has always been in place. Evil gifted people who want more power and feel that they should control the world. As the series progresses, we learn more about the Resistance including the true reason for their creation. The more we learn of the Resistance, the more we understand why Oli ran, and the man understand why she did.

            The series grows into more of a post-apocalyptic setting. As the gifted community increases their powers, the destruction and death increases. Oli at the centre of all of it.

            Through all of this people talk and gossip about Oli, when they discover her power, they become terrified of her. Her bratty personality is the thing to keep her going. She no longer cares what anyone thinks. Once she starts to bond with her men, her defiance and need to protect what is hers increases.

            In everything she is central. Her growth from the angry, scared young girl into the most powerful and loved person is awesome to watch. To watch her embrace her power, and embrace her men realising they are stronger together, she can finally make peace with who and what she is.

            There is so much more behind the bonds and the resistance, but I don’t want to give too much away. The storyline is strong and compelling. It left with a need to keep reading. To understand more. Each book ending with more questions.

            There are the obvious tropes of enemies to lovers, reverse harem, embracing your power, found family, and a kickass female main character. Even with these tropes I still feel like this storyline is different to the usual supernatural, fantasy, Fae, shifters etc. It is nice to mix it up a bit.

            I just really enjoyed this series. I love a kick ass female, even if she is more than twenty years younger than me. A female that is powerful, that draws everyone to her while still trying to protect the world around her from every danger, including from her.

4 ½ out of 5