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Bonded by Thorns Readalong: Day 5!

Shannon

Gorgeous photo by @myfriendsarefiction!

Hey fairy friends!

Welcome to our fifth and final day of the Bonded by Thorns readalong!

Grab a snack (or a few!) and let’s dive in and see what happens. We’re expecting some drama and gosh knows what else!

Today we’re reading from Chapter 48 to the end of the book.


Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for Bonded by Thorns, from chapter 48 to the end of the book. Please only read on if you’ve finished Bonded by Thorns!

Well. Perth Quellos is the worst! What a little rodent. After Rosalina runs from the ball she bumps into him and he goes off on her. He calls her pathetic, a distraction and asks how long she’s been in love with Kel. I thought Caspian was bad, but I hate this guy.

Along with a stunningly light breeze, comes the Spring prince! Tadaaaa!! Good timing, Ezryn. Kick his butt! We’ve never really seen him mad before but if anyone deserves it, Perth definitely does. He throws some threats about and when he’s sure the job is done, both he and Rosalina head back to the ball.

Rosalina finally asks him why he can’t show his face and it makes sense! He’s worn his helm since age 5, the royals in the Spring court are forbidden to show their faces. When he finds a mate though? He’ll be able to take off his helm in their presence. I can’t with him singlehandedly declaring her the Lady of Castletree. These boys know how to woo a lady! Everything has been better for them since Rosalina arrived but, I think things have been better for her too. UNTIL The Prince of Thorns makes an entrance. We really can’t shake this guy, hey?


He’s not here to see the princes… he wants Rosalina. They dance together and although he continues to rile absolutely everyone up, he also tells her the princes aren’t being honest with her. She needs to find a way to the High Tower.

Things go from bad to worse. The Vale has been burned by Caspian before and his visit has caused a ruckus. They misunderstood what was happening and took it to mean the princes and Rosalina have once again sided with Caspian. Things get rowdy and Farron gets Rosalina to safety before heading back to help the other princes.

Alone, she takes the opportunity to find her way to the High Tower – the castle once again bending to her will. When she gets there, she finds four wilting roses. The castle shows her a memory and we see exactly what happened 25 years ago. She called them undeserving of their thrones and titles and ordered them to earn their repentance. She takes down every single one, saving Kel for last where she tells him that he betrayed his people for love. So this is all about Caspian really???


Rosalina’s caught in the act right as she’s touching the roses. They lied to her, but Kel is the one that’s furious. Right before they arrived though her touch was like, bringing life back into the roses? Is that not a good sign??? Why is Kel so inconsolable right now?? And so MEAN. He tells Rosalina she doesn’t belong here and orders her to leave.

He either doesn’t realise, or doesn’t care that her leaving means she has to face the goblins again and this time, it’s no holds barred. They’re ruthless! Someone’s in her head, telling her they can’t get to her, telling her to run. Fairies, this isn’t our first rodeo, that’s a darn mate bond, right???? It has to be! She fights back but comes dangerously close to losing her battle before Kel suddenly appears in wolf form.

Both masters of sacrifice, Rosalina realises Kel is losing his battle and stands on a precarious bit of ice and calls the goblins to her. Kel, not to be outshined, crashes into the ice before they can reach her, taking many a goblin with him. She can’t find him, and she’s been in icy waters before and knows he won’t survive.

Suddenly though something is tugging in her chest, directing her right to him. NOT OUR FIRST RODEO!!! THIS IS IT! Not only voices in her head but now invisible tugging in her chest? We know what this is!!!

The one thing I don’t understand though, is why are the briars helping her get him to safety? This isn’t the first time they’ve bent to her will and I need to know why! They find their way to safety, in one of Ez’s hideouts. Trapped in his wolf form, Rosalina treats both of their wounds and they curl up by the fire. Which is really cute… until she wakes up and there’s a fae male wrapped around her instead! 👀

He apologises, he calls her “my Rose” and this is all too much for me, this private little vulnerable moment between them. He won’t allow it though… he forces her to go home, to Orca Cove… but it doesn’t feel like home anymore. She asks Kel outright if she’s his mate. She told him about Lucas, she admitted she had to pretend to be someone she wasn’t back home. Rosalina laid herself bare before him and still, he made her go back to Orca Cove.

And in the very last chapter… we find out why.

🥁🥁🥁

I can’t believe I didn’t see it. The bargain Keldarion made with The Prince of Thorns. The magic of their bargain means that Kel’s mate, whoever that will be, will be dropped right at Caspian’s doorstep.

I’m sorry. WHAT? This guy made a bargain to HAND OVER HIS MATE??? FOR WHY???????


Fairies, I can’t believe that’s how we’re ending things. Suddenly it all makes sense, why he wouldn’t even try. I’m gobsmacked!

Do you think the other princes know about the terms of the bargain?
What do you think will happen in the next book?
What did you think of Bonded by Thorns overall?

Oh my gosh, I had SO MUCH FUN reading this book, and I hope you all did too! Thank you so much for joining us for another FairyLoot readalong. 🥺 We’ll see you real soon for the next one!

Love,
Shannon

Conversation

12 Comments

Comment

  • Aukjevanmontfort

    so … I’m guessing Caspian was so madly in love with the Prince of Thorns, he made a bargain to hand over his mate to him as some token of faith? Wellp I’m already getting the next books on Kindle xD. Though it’s gonna be plain in comparison, I mean we’ve all seen the Fairyloot edition. I was so sure she was just gonna be mated to multiple of the guys if I’m honest as some kind of cruel joke from the Enchantress. I’m also still wondering what is up with her mother, seeing as she was “stolen” away by fae. Maybe she was fae, who knows.

  • dnjreads

    I feel like they do know but I don’t think they know it’s meant to be one mate for all of them.

    I think she’s going to hate being home and seek out a way to get back to them all. Or, they’re all going to come find her, save her from something and them take her back with them.

    I had such a fun time with this one, the vibes were definitely there and I can’t wait to read more.

  • Vex Brabazon

    This book was amazing! It had everything I want in a romantasy book.
    I think the princes have an inkling about the bargain and their own thoughts of the terms, but I don’t think Kel has told them about it all. I feel like in the next book we’ll see Rosalina try to get back to her princes, and try to learn about the bargain. And that maybe Caspian will try to woo our girl even more. To really rub it into Kel’s face.

  • Zanda

    Well I don’t think the other prince’s know about the bargain, because one of them asked Kel if he had made a bargain with Caspian and Kel didn’t answer. I think that was Dayton, but I’m not 100% sure. I’m sure Rosalina will end up finding her way back to the fae realm in book two, and then at least one other prince will also be revealed to be her mate. I actually really enjoyed this book! I don’t normally read why choose romances, so I’m surprised I had as much fun reading this as I did. I’ll definitely be picking up book two as soon as I can!

  • ladymeg

    Do you think the other princes know about the terms of the bargain?
    No way or they wouldn’t have been encouraging Kel to go along with the plan.

    What do you think will happen in the next book?
    Rose is everyone’s mate including Caspian’s. XD I mean why not at this point? Still expecting her to be half fae too.

    What did you think of Bonded by Thorns overall?
    I’m mad about the “ending”, because it felt like it was just getting going and then it stopped. Meh.

  • Morgan Blake

    Omg I need to read the next one NOW!! Thanks so much for the readalong, I loved this book!

  • TupaKitty_Reads

    This fountain scene makes me think of Cinderella meeting her Fairy Godmother, but the vizier is totally creep-tacular. He also knows too much for someone barely allowed in the castle to meet with Keldarion when absolutely necessary. He makes Rose feel like she did with Lucas with all of the horrible things he’s spouting to make her more insecure until he mentions compensating her for her time there because he “always make[s] sure to pay the w****s.” At that comment, Ezryn appears & throws him to the ground. Ezryn refers to Rose as “the Lady of Castletree” & threatens to kill Quellos if he ever speaks to her that way again while assuring him that if Keldarion had heard him, he’d already be dead. Ez leads Rose back to the ballroom where Kel sulks, head in hands, before dancing with her himself. The electricity between them yet another sign of the mate bond. Caspian crashes the party like Maleficent. So, I might’ve gotten Ez & Day mixed up before: Ezryn was the “misused his magic,” Dayton was the “abandoned his realm.” Caspian is ripping into everyone & about to lay their secrets bare to the whole Winter Realm because they’re trying to get him to leave without messing with Kel or Rose. Rose gives Caspian a dressing down before giving him the dance he came for in order to make him leave. During the dance, Caspian tells her the princes are hiding something from her, that time is running out, & that she should trust only herself to get into the High Tower to find out the secret. He also makes it seem as though he can gather Intel though his briars which gives him intimate knowledge of the Castletree happenings. Caspian says to Kel “how long before you break & she belongs to me” while rubbing his thumb over a dark shape on Kel’s wrist above the bargain bracelet. A riot breaks out as the members of the ball try to attack Kel & Rose for being in league with the Prince of Thorns. Ez & Day protect Kel while Farron protects Rose & sends her home to Castletree with his mini magic mirror. Maleficent (Caspian) creates a narrow stairway for (Briar) Rose to walk into the High Tower. Is she going to prick her finger on a spindle (or thorn)? She witnesses a stained glass light show of how the curse came to happen, why they were cursed, & the meaning of the roses in the High Tower. Keldarion finds Rose asking for Castletree & the brambles to help her pour magic into the 4 roses. He starts tearing briars from everything which makes the castle start to crumble. In true Beast fashion, he roars at Rose to get out while the other 3 princes try to protect the roses & pour magic into Castletree to keep it from completely collapsing. She runs from the castle & runs into goblins again, but she hears a voice in her head screaming at her to run: “I’m in a bit of a predicament at the moment. I can’t get to you.” Caspian can’t save her this time. “Stay in the briars, Rosalina,” Caspian says inside her mind, but she’s recognized his voice, so she does the exact opposite. Soon, swarmed by goblins, she runs out into the frozen river in an attempt to get to the rosebush on the other side, but the goblins are faster. Who are “mother & brother” that the goblins speak of? They try to take her Below to “mother” where they want her head on a pike, but Keldarion’s wolf come crashing through the crowd of goblins. Kel is losing the battle after sending Rose away, but she didn’t listen. She stayed on the frozen river, tries to draw the goblins toward her, so she can break the ice & drown them all (even though she has some PTSD from falling through the ice in her teens), but Kel breaks the ice before she can, sending himself & the goblins into the rushing, frozen river. A briar patch dams the river where it narrows, so Rose rushed to find Kel. The insistent tugging from her chest leads her to him under the ice. Using the thorn crown Caspian put on her after their dance & which has transformed into a purple sword, she breaks the ice but can’t lift him out. The briar patch has golden roses, so she uses them (the way she used the ones in the High Tower to help the princes’ roses) to wrap around Kel & lift him out of the water. Kel’s wolf manages to carry her to a nearby cave – 1 of Ezryn’s caches – where she finds supplies to build a fire, treat their wounds, & change into dry clothes. Rose tells Kel about when she fell into the ice & a bit about Lucas before she falls asleep between the heat of his fur & the fire where she dreams memories of Kel’s past. She awakes to a human (naked) Keldarion wrapped around her even though stars are still in the sky. That admit their feelings for each, he says he sees magic in her eyes, she sees his briar thorn bargain bracelet, she says she’s his, he says HIS she’ll stay, then he turns back into his wolf, leaving her alone to suddenly go check that no goblins are regrouping. 🙄😮‍💨 Is the bargain with Caspian that Kel’s mate will be Caspian’s or something? Kel packs up camp & tells her she has to go home – not Castletree, but Orca Cove. He kisses her & then drops her back through the rosebush she arrives in while saying, “this way is closed to you forevermore.” (Live Action Beauty & the Beast “Forevermore”) Then, he freezes & kills the rosebush before she can climb back through. Caspian visits Keldarion in his room a month after he forced Rose back to the human world. Caspian taunts him, teases him, enrages him, & refuses his plea to break covenant binding them before returning to the Below where he confirms that, as soon as Kel gives in to Rose, she’ll be delivered to Caspian’s doorstep. *cliffhanger*
    Daily Q&A:
    Q:
    1.) Do you think the other princes know about the terms of the bargain?
    2.) What do you think will happen in the next book?
    3.) What did you think of Bonded by Thorns overall?
    A:
    1.) Maybe Ez? I think they know something but probably not the full extent.
    2.) I want to learn about the Enchantress (her mom?), more about their backgrounds, & for her to stand up to Lucas. I also feel like Gaston (Lucas) storming the Beast’s castle is going to take place soon since it didn’t make the cut in Book 1.
    3.) I love the Disney parallels (mostly Beauty & the Beast which is my favorite), the writing style, the humor… everything. There was some character growth, but there’s still plenty of room for more. I need Book 2 now.

  • Erica @living.in.the.pages

    Oooh that ending. I knew something was up when Kel refused to accept anything about mates but the fact that he has to give her up to his former lover who betrayed him… ouch!! I loved the book and need book 2 asap, I’m so happy that they are available to read now and I don’t need to wait. I don’t think the other princes know about the bargain. I also think the enchantress was Rosalinas mom so hopefully she shows up at some point.

  • Lisa Spanu (@lisashelves)

    1. Do you think the other princes know about the terms of the bargain?
    Yes, I think they do know the terms, but the details might’ve faded to the background a bit in the years that passed.
    2. What do you think will happen in the next book?
    Rosalina will find a way back to them and probably another mating bond that will snap into place
    3. What did you think of Bonded by Thorns overall?
    It wasn’t really my cup of tea in the end. I think this is mostly since I didn’t really vibe with Rosalina and found myself a bit bored overall. I did like Farron and Dayton a lot and just wanted more of them

  • Stephanie Otting

    I really hope Fairyloot releases the rest of the books. Because I NEED to read the rest and these books are so stunning, I only want to read them in fairyloot edition.
    Can you share a mate? Why are they all so attracted to her and why do the princes seem to be lured to her all the same?
    I totally think Farron and Dayton are fated mates but Dayton won’t accept it so the bond is lying dormant.
    Also, was her mother the one who cursed the princes and do you think her brother is actually Prince Caspian! It would make sense that she can control the thorns and roses! It would be a total plot twist!
    Soooo excited!

  • Athena Sagar

    So I honestly loved this book so much more than I expected to, and I ended up reading it in one sitting – oopsie?
    Also, I’m going to need FL to do an edition of the rest of the series, and I need it soon – with a pretty please. Because I need to read the next book soon, but I really don’t want to buy multiple copies… So I 100% need yours. Please and thank you

    I genuinely think her mother is the enchantress, but then, why would her mother have cursed all the princes? Possibly playing fate and trying to help her daughter get out of her town? Or maybe she didn’t know her daughter would be involved? Or maybe my theory is just miles off.
    I think Rose is everyone’s mate, including Caspians, and I genuinely love that. Caspain is definitely giving ACOTAR book 1 Rhys vibes and I love that, please give me more.

  • kaythesuperstar

    Do you think the other princes know about the terms of the bargain?
    I don’t think they know. They just know he’s an icy bastard 😂 I think if they find out they will not be wanting Rosalina to be handed over that’s for sure.

    What do you think will happen in the next book?
    I don’t know! Obviously Rose needs to find her way back to Castletree. I’m hoping she gets some revenge on Lucas as well. Maybe we find out what happened to her mom? So many questions!

    What did you think of Bonded by Thorns overall?
    I loved it! It was kinda goofy at times with her modern day references but overall I loved it! I hope Fairyloot does matching editions for the sequels because I NEED that in my life.

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