These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan: FAQ [2024 Edition]

In this article, I’ll be writing about frequently asked questions regarding New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan’s These Hollow Vows.

I hope you enjoy the article!

Is These Hollow Vows a standalone, duology, or series?

These Hollow Vows is a duology. The second and last book in this duology is set to release in July 2022 and is called These Twisted Bonds.

What is These Hollow Vows about?

Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.

This includes making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.

Gaining access to the Seelie court is easier said than done.

Brie’s only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda.

As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.

Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty and with her heart.

Is These Hollow Vows spicy?

These Hollow Vows doesn’t have a lot of spice. At least it does not have as much and in as much detail as other fantasy books.

Is These Hollow Vows YA or NA

These Hollow Vows is set as Young Adult due to the age of the protagonist. However, I would say it skews more towards the Upper Young Adult to New Adult end of the spectrum than Young Adult.

Does These Hollow Vows contain a map?

Yes, These Hollow Vows contains a map at the beginning of the book. This map shows the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

Does These Hollow Vows contain romance?

Yes, one of the main items These Hollow Vows focuses on is the romance in this book.

Who is the love interest?

The protagonist of These Hollow Vows is Abriella Kincaid (Brie). There are two potential love interests. Those are Finn and Ronan.

Does These Hollow Vows have a love triangle?

Yes, although Lexi Ryan implemented this love triangle very well. Therefore, it doesn’t feel like a misplaced or annoying love triangle.

[SPOILERS]

Characters

Abriella (Brie)

Brie is the protagonist of the book. Brie has shadow magic she didn’t know she had. When her sister gets sold, she will do anything to get her back. So, Brie strikes a deal with King Mordeus.

Jaselyn

Jaselyn is Brie’s younger sister. She is sold by their guardian to King Mordeus of the Unseelie Court.

Finn

Finn is described as a dark-haired, silver-eyed fae. He is the leader of a group of the Court of the Moon – The Unseelie Court. He is also the nephew of King Mordeus who wants him dead. Thus, this means Finn is also a prince. His full name is Finnian. He wants to help Brie to master her powers because in turn it will help his court.

Sebastian

Sebastian is a mage apprentice. We also find out that Brie has a huge crush on Sebastian. Sebastian knows a lot about the Fae. He is also upset that Brie is going to the Fae lands which sounds suspicious. At one point, he kisses Brie. And, a ways into the book, the reader finds out that Sebastian is actually prince Ronan. He is very kind and sweet. However, sometimes he lays it on a bit thick which causes suspicions.

Ronan

Ronan is the prince of the Seelie court. His mother opened the portal for a human girl to become his bride. As mentioned above, we learn that Prince Ronan is one and the same as Sebastian.

King Mordeus

King Mordeus is the “evil” King of the Unseelie Court. Mordeus bought Jaselyn but wanted Brie. He knew she wouldn’t come willingly so he used her sister to lure her to the fae lands. He makes a deal with Brie to obtain three objects from the Seelie Court in exchange for her sister.

Couples

Brie and Finn

There is clearly a spark between the two characters. There are moments of thoughts from Brie’s side about Finn. Brie never acts on those thoughts. Finn also has an attraction to Brie but he acts like he doesn’t.

Brie and Sebastian

Brie knows Sebastian as a mage apprentice. She has a big crush on him but does not dare to act on it. Before the night Sebastion sets off for his apprenticeship, he kisses her and tells her not to go to the fae lands.

Brie and Prince Ronan

As I’ve mentioned, Sebastian is Ronan. Brie hates him for lying to her but still can’t truly hate him. There is still a spark between them and Brie acts as a potential bride for Ronan. Ronan goes on multiple dates with other girls and Brie gets jealous even though she doesn’t want to be jealous.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

Who does Brie end up with?

At the end of These Hollow Vows Brie is bonded with Sebastian. Brie feels betrayed and runs away. What These Twisted Bonds will bring, we do not know.

These Hollow Vows ending explained

Below you can read a summary of chapter 30 to the end of the book. Beware! It contains spoilers!

Brie and Sebastian spend the night together, but all too soon the moment is overshadowed when Brie wakes up to the Banshee calling out her name. Stuck in a dream she sees Lark. Brie has three paths ahead of her, all of which end with her death.

Nevertheless, Brie sticks to her plan and goes to get a book from the library.

But when she picks it up, it becomes a living thing.

First, it becomes a snake and then a small, silver-eyed boy.

The Sentinel sees her and she calls Bakken to deliver her to Mordeus.

She hands the book over and asks what the final thing is and where she has to go.

But Mordeus says she doesn’t have to go anywhere, because she has the last item. She has the crown and that’s how she has powers.

But that’s not all. Sebastian and Finn both knew all along.

So Mordeus tells the story of how King Oberon fell in love with her mother when he was stuck in the mortal realm long before Brie and Jas were born.

And when he finally managed to return to the mortal realm for her, she was married with children. When the fire happened, she and Jas were injured but Brie was close to death.

So her mother called for Oberon’s help, and he did.

He gave his life and power to save Brie. And everyone wants that power.

So that’s why the bonding is so important.

Only then can she willingly hand over the crown. And if she does bond to an Unseelie she will die as a result of the curse. Brie feels weird the same way she did when she was drugged. She manages to drink an elixir, and asks the mirror to show Jas which finally reveals the truth. She’s not safe! Instead, she’s in a dungeon.

And she asks to see her mother but she once again sees a tomb. 

Back with Mordeus, she remembers the bargain they made which requires returning the items to where they belong.

And so, the mirror and book are back.

But as for the crown, Brie goes and sits on the throne.

With all the power flowing through her, Brie demands Mordeus safely send Jas back to the mortal realm. He does this.

But as for herself, she’s stuck.

Plus, Mordeus is threatening to kill a human girl if she doesn’t bond with him…

Mordeus ends up getting another girl.

But this time, Brie uses her powers to get the upper hand.

And finally, she uses a blade to kill Mordeus.

Then she summons Bakken and tells him to take her to Finn’s catacombs.

There she finds rows of human coffins!

She tries to use the blade against him but she can’t bring herself to do so and so she runs away.

Afterward, the healers treat her, and she finally tells Sebastian everything.

Apparently, he’s okay with it all.

Sebastian takes Brie to see Jas, and she’s well. This is the reuniting of the sisters we’ve all been waiting for.

However, Brie can’t stay because Gorst is still looking for her.

And after all the horrors Jas saw, she needs time to heal before going back.

Thus, they say their goodbyes and promise to visit in dreams.

Back at the Golden Palace, Brie is feeling many emotions, and she decides to bond with Sebastian. The ceremony is set, the dress is ready, and they are finally bonded.

But why is she dying?

Bonding to Seelie shouldn’t cause this.

Then Sebastian makes Brie take the Potion of Life, and the cost of the magic is up to Brie to take.

Brie’s dreaming and see’s Finn.

It’s her magic that’s making her visit him.

This is a bittersweet moment between them when we find out her mother paid the price to keep her safe for years. but all too soon Brie awakens.

It’s Sebastian’s coronation, but Queen Arya is alive, and Sebastian is taking the Shadow Throne.

Sebastian is both Seelie and Unseelie which is why Brie died because she bonded with him, and he knew. This betrayal is too much for Brie to handle.

She may have given the crown to Sebastian, but the magic is still with her. And with the palace covered in her darkness, Brie walks away from the Golden Palace and Sebastian’s betrayal all the while feeling his emotions through the bond.

These Hollow Vows Quotes

Below you can find a couple of quotes from These Hollow Vows

“May you always have a star to wish on, Abriella, and a reason to believe.”

“No matter how hopeless I feel, there’s always a little more hope inside me. No matter how faithless I think I am, there is always something to believe in.”

“I am a great thief. I can steal just about anything. But a faerie prince’s heart? I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Easy, Princess, focus on the magic. When we’re out of here, you can go back to imagining all the ways you want my hands on you.”

“I’m Abriella, the responsible one. The tough one. The boring one……The lonely one.”

“You think I don’t want to kiss you? Half the time I can’t think of anything else. Abriella, every star in that sky shines for you.”

Books Like These Hollow Vows

Here are some of my most loved Fae books that I think you will like if you enjoyed These Hollow Vows.

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – Holly Black is the queen of Fae books. Be sure to grab her books. The Cruel Prince follows Jude Duarte a human in the world of Fae with a Cruel Prince Cardan Greenbriar. This series features politics, intrigue, and romance.
• The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa – The Iron Fey series follows Meghan Chase. But when her little brother gets switched with a changeling, she will do anything to get her real brother back.
• The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black – This series is an older series following Kaye in book one, Valerie in book 2, and back to Kaye again in book 3. It takes place in the same world as The Cruel Prince.
• A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova – A Deal with the Elf King is a standalone in the Married to Magic series. The book follows Luella. The Elf King comes for her and takes her to a land filled with magic. The book gets it’s inspiration from Hades & Persephone and Beauty & the Beast.
• An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – This is a standalone book about fae, or rather fair folk as they are called in An Enchantment of Ravens. This book follows a painter named Isobel who gets a commision from the Autumn prince, Rook. Isobel makes a mistake which causes Rook to take her away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. However, romance brews as they spend more time together.
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – A Court of Thorns and Roses follows Feyre Archeron who provides for her father and two sisters. When she kills a wolf who happens to be fae, she is dragged to a magical kingdom for its murder. There she gets to know her masked captor and the faerie lands. The book’s inspiration is from Beauty & the Beast.
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien who is dragged out of the salt mines of Endovier by the crown prince Dorian to be his champion in a competition to become the king’s assassin. She and the other contestants have to go through multiple tests and the one left standing is the winner. Soon contestants start turning up dead one after another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim?

These Hollow Vows Editions

There are two types of editions of These Hollow Vows. There is the UK and the US edition both with a different cover. The UK edition has a Mirror on the cover and the US edition has Brie, Finn, and Sebastian on it.

There are also multiple special editions Which I will explain below.

Fairyloot Edition

The Fairyloot edition has the UK cover with some minor color adjustments. What has changed are the leaves on the cover and the main color scheme. Where the normal edition features blues, the Fairyloot edition changed those to red. This edition also has a signature from the author and sun-shaped stenciled pages. It also has art on the reverse of the dust jacket and foil art on the bare cover.

Bookish Box Edition

The Bookish Box edition uses the US cover without any changes to it. However, this edition also has foil art on the bare cover, art on the reverse of the dust jacket, custom endpapers, & interior art.

Conclusion

I hope I was able to answer some of your questions about this book!

And if you do have more questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.