Threads That Bind

Havoc Chronicles #1

by Brant Williams

The Havoc Chronicles is a Completed Series Madison is a smart and witty teen who wants what any teenager wants – to fit in and be accepted. Everything changes the summer before her junior year of high school when her first kiss triggers powers she can’t control, almost killing the unsuspecting boy. She discovers she is a Berserker, a powerful being chosen to guard the world from ancient creatures brought into our world by magic. These creatures cause destruction and death, but cannot be killed. Only a Berserker's life-blood can bind or release them. One of the ancient creatures is free and needs Madison’s blood to free another. Instead of being a normal teen, Madison must now work with the Berserkers to master her powers and bind the creature before it kills her. Oh, and if that weren’t bad enough, it turns out she is the first female Berserker since, well - ever.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2012

Reviews

[Krisi Keley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars

Madison is a smart, funny and likable but, unfortunately, invisible teen, thanks to glasses, braces and a fondness for carbs, until the day of her driving exam when the end of adolescent awkwardness comes upon her with unusual suddenness. By the beginning of the new school year, she’s a slim, athletic beauty with 20/20 vision and a chance at not only popularity, but a relationship with the guy of her dreams. This turns out to be short-lived, however, since all of these wonderful changes aren’t exactly (humanly) natural and they come with quite the price – not simply one that’s sure to make fitting in as challenging as her previous nerd status, but one that comes with a responsibility which could endanger a girl’s life.

This terrific YA paranormal fantasy really snuck up and surprised me. I’m not a big sci-fi or traditional fantasy reader and a lot of elements of this story struck me as more science fiction/fantasy than truly paranormal, but I really loved this tale of Berserkers, beings who are set in our world to defend it from the evil of the Havocs. A kind of combo Highlander-Supernatural feel to it, I read it in a few hours one night, not just courtesy of an insomnia problem, but because it was simply a fun, exciting read with great characters, an interesting plot and a fresh voice that made me unable to put it down. While it does have the romantic element expected in a YA paranormal (and should, I suppose, since no YA novel without the difficulty of adolescent relationships would be very realistic), still romance is not the primary focus of the story and neither is it “expected,” in that the less-than-self-confident teenage girl angsting over the too perfect, “hot” guy is barely present before the real romantic relationship pointed at in the story turns in an unexpected direction. This only adds to the reasons I so much liked this action-packed story – that when its already smart, likable and very normal teenage heroine discovered the responsibility inherent to her new powers, she not only recognized the responsibility, she also let it mature her and came to see the males in her life as more than simply romantic prospects.

I highly recommend Threads That Bind to YA paranormal and fantasy readers for wonderful writing, a great narrative voice, some laugh-out-loud funny lines and an interesting plot that never slows down. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series, as well as to reading other stories by this talented author.

[David Teachout · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this story. It almost reads like that other teen story that shall not be named but involves sparkling non-humans, but whereas the heroine there is only waiting around for the next sociopath to take care of her, this one steadily matures and can take care of herself just fine. The surprise with the father made everything deeper and the histories of the other characters added nuance often missing from a teen-focused story of angst. Tentatively curious about what comes after.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed his book I liked all the characters and can't wait to read the next one, made a nice change from vampires and werewolves

[Amos Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this at seven in the evening and finished it by eleven. I didn't want to put it down! Maddison is an extremely likable heroine and at no point did I find her whiny or angst ridden, which was refreshing. The plot was tight and kept me interested throughout. There was just the right balance of romance and action to keep me on my toes.
If you like the idea of beserkers, and you like books with a high action plot and a smidgen of romance thrown in to give it flavor, then this is the read for you.
This series is now on my fav's list. I need to get my hands on the second installment!
Highly recommended.

[Diane Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The author went to my Alma Mater. It started out well. Then it went berzerk. I didn't buy the romance. It was too silly. Maybe it was because the author's a guy and he's voicing a girl. I don't know. The "Bringers" and "Osadyn" didn't seem to have any real motive other than destruction. The violence came too easily to the heroine, who had never killed anything before and her father leaving her alone on top of a mountain as bait to battle hundreds of bringers just didn't ring true to me. The ending was disappointing. No more for me.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooray for free Kindle books! I was tipped off about this book by a good friend who is the authors brother. (Thanks Aaron!) I like the idea of getting behind newly published authors.

This was an exciting YA book that was definitely worth my time. I usually am not a big fan of fantasy, but this was fast paced and interesting. I'm looking forward to the second book in this series.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome! I can't wait to read the next one!

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Madison Montgomery was rockin' the geek chic--thick glasses, braces, a little weight, and a lot of zits. Suddenly, it all changes--perfect vision, perfect weight, clear skin, good eating habits. She went from Steve Urkel to Stefan Urquelle in a matter of weeks. What a transformation! But how? And where can I get one?

Apparently, she's also become some radioactive super freak with her inexplicable super strength, super speed, super hearing, high jumps, and the glowing. Seriously what's up with the glowing? Like Superman, she had something inside her that could hurt people...and monsters too, it would seem. Monsters? Really? She has to fight icky, gooey, slimy monsters? And where do they come from? How do they suddenly appear out of the blue. It doesn't make sense. But, then again, nothing in this book makes sense.

I liked the supernatural element, but I thought adding the monsters just made it silly.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A friend on FB posted that they had really enjoyed this series. I knew I had book one waiting in my kindle cloud (having grabbed it as a free offering at one point), and I saw that the two sequels would be available in the Kindle Lending library (part of prime) so I figured I'd give it a try.

I did enjoy the story, although it didn't totally captivate me. Just not quite connecting with the characters and the "bezerker" idea.

I will continue on with the next book though ...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the usual type of book I read but I ended up reading the entire series in about 2 weeks. Good twists and turns in the plot. The characters were enjoyable.

[Dennese Fulmer-link · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast Paced

This was a good read. Plot moved smoothly and keeps you wanting more. Really could get to know the characters.

[Ashley Lavering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining

I enjoy the story and the beserkers. I enjoy the characters and while things skills came quickly to the main character it was still a fun read

[Kenn Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

Starting off as a young girl having issues at school to a fierce warrior. Fun, fast read.

Ending makes ot hard not to continue the series.

[Sierra Tuttle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

The main character Madison, is in high school and very relatable. I like how her feelings, actions, and reactions are also relatable and accurate for a high school student. Many author tend to exaggerate or use a bit too many stereotypes, but I found almost none of that here; It was quite nice. I really like the idea of this world with gross gooey monsters, berserker, and binders. It's new and interesting. This story is a nice read. Not boring by any means, but not super fast paced and flashy either. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to What Madison and the other berserker plan to do about their enemy next.

[Charlene Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

Second read through for this series. The plot is unusual, the characters interesting. No gutter language or sexual situations. Heck of a good book.

[Terry Elley-Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze recensie is als eerste geplaatst op Carpe Libra

Wauw! Thread That Bind was echt een goed boek! Vanaf het moment dat ik de eerste bladzijde las, kon ik het niet meer wegleggen, niet totdat ik de laatste letter had gelezen. Wat een rit was dit! Ik moet toegeven dat ik aan het begin een beetje sceptisch was. De blurb trok weliswaar meteen mijn aandacht, maar dit boek is geschreven door een mannelijke schrijver...

Nu ga ik zometeen heel erg bevooroordeeld klinken, maar mannelijke schrijvers en ik klikken meestal niet zo. Het ligt natuurlijk niet aan hen, maar de manier van schrijven van de meeste mannen weet mijn aandacht niet te trekken. Ik vind het over het algemeen te gedetailleerd en te objectief. Gevoelens worden minder beschreven en laat ik maar niet over romantiek beginnen... De focus ligt gewoon meer op het verhaal, de gebeurtenissen en minder op persoonlijke ontwikkelingen. Op zich niets mis mee, maar ik hou gewoon van mijn romantiek en gevoelens ;) Het kan natuurlijk ook zijn dat ik tot nu toe de verkeerde boeken heb gelezen, maar dit is gewoon mijn ervaring tot nu toe. Ik probeer natuurlijk af en toe weer een mannelijke auteur uit en dan kom je onverwacht echte pareltjes tegen, zoals metThreads That Bind! Zeer blij dat ik de sprong gewaagd heb :)

Oké, nu over het verhaal. Zoals ik al zei, was dit een zeer goed boek. De personages zijn goed uitgewerkt en het verhaal is fantastisch. Ik vind het alleen jammer dat er niet echt gebruik gemaakt is van de Noorse mythologie, want daar komen Berserkers van oorsprong vandaan (Ja I know, grote mythologie geek ;) ) Het zou super zijn geweest als hier meer gebruik van was gemaakt. Niet dat het nu minder goed uitgedacht is, ik bedoel: ze zijn de beschermers tegen het kwaad, hebben magische krachten en een grote adrenaline rush. Veel meer dan wat de Noorse Berserkers konden doen ;)

Madison is een fantastische hoofdpersoon. Ze heeft precies de juiste mix van humor en pit. Ze is niet iemand die achter anderen schuilt, nee, in plaats daarvan neemt ze het voortouw. Wat voor andere keus heb je dan ook als je een Berserker bent? Gelukkig laat Madison dit feitje niet haar hoofd op hol brengen, maar blijft ze trouw aan haar zelf. In andere woorden: Madison rocks :D !

Conclusie

Threats That Bind is een super boek! Ik heb van elke bladzijde genoten en kijk zekersteweten uit naar het volgende deel. Het verhaal en de personages waren goed uitgewerkt en grappig. Vooral Maddison is brilliant met haar humor. Dit boek is voor iedereen die van een superleuke heldin met pit houdt!

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to the beautiful kindle for this book. A book that actually wasn't too bad despite it being free and the pretty annoying beginning. The concept was cool, writing not too bad and I ended up actually quite enjoying it. Totally brought out the 'Girl Power' in me.
Madison is just starting junior year and being an overweight, glasses wearing, brace bearer is not the smoothest path in high school. But when her vision suddenly corrects itself, weight falls off her and her braces gone, life is looking up. And when the guy she is crushing on takes an interest in the new Madison, she is ecstatic but after nearly knocking him out she realises the new her is down to something. Something big. Something secret. She is a binder. The first female Beserker.
The beginning was boring. The beginning was bland. Typical outcast, social reject girl transforms entire exterior and becomes popular over the summer *yawn*. The sleepiness of her transformation was too fast as well. But then it got a bit juicer. And I got more interested.
The love sick, eager-to-be popular teenager was gone, thrust into a pretty cool world. The unexpectedness of going from a typical, nauseating teen-growth book, to fantasy made me enjoy it even more.
Such diverse genres to contend with, such different styles I think this may have been why I was a bit knocked for six with the beginning of the book. While most books still contain the element of the twist in the beginning, it didn't really show in this book. No hints that I caught onto.
Although, it may be because it took a very different route to what I am used to reading normally. And I'm not sure if I liked it as much.
The characters weren't too amazing, I didn't feel invested in Madison as maybe I should have been. She was good, but maybe a bit too contrasting throughout the novel. I did however, love that she was the first female binder. I thought that element was brilliant. I quite liked the male characters (although it took a bit to get my head round their names) as they all had different personalities. But I'm afraid the hint of romance between Eric and Rhys was a tad boring. I'm fed up of love triangles, the storyline of her becoming a Bessemer was awesome enough. However, saying that, the involvement of Josh when her powers came into play tickled me. Karma right there.
The cover though, I like quite a lot, and the title too.
So, whilst the characters weren't anything special, I thought the writing wasn't too bad but the beserker/binder aspect was awesome. Such a cool concept and loved Madison's discovery. Not too bad, but not one that will rock my top spot.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5 Stars)
"Threads That Bind" is not your typical YA novel. It doesn't have any werewolves or vampires; just some demons who want to release one of their own and the beserkers who are determined to stop them. Oh and did I mention that beserkers are always male except in the case of a newly discovered female named Madison.

Madison wears coke bottle glasses, is overweight and socially awkward. Then when she goes to take her driving test at the DMV, the unimaginable occurs, her vision corrects itself and she has an accident. Then, Madison loses all interest in the sugary treats she's crave all of her life and rapidly begins to lose weight. When she returns to school she is a new girl and finally lands a date with Josh, the boy she has had a crush on for years.

While on her date with Josh, Madison experiences a violent episode that leaves Josh afraid of her and Madison mystified. As she tries to come to grips with her heightened strength, speed, ability to memorize facts she is attacked by some strange creatures. As she battles with them, two new boys from her school come in to assist. They are shocked by the revelation she is a Bessemer and begin to explain who and what she is. This will not be the only surprise for Madison as more secrets will be revealed. However, that old saying, "What you don't know won't hurt you" may not be the truest words ever spoken.

I started this book with great anticipation due to the uniqueness of the plot; however, it didn't take long for my interest to wane and I found myself almost unable to finish the book. What happened? I became bored with all of the explanations and walks down memory lane of the various characters. Additionally, it bothers me when aspects of the plots I question are not addressed. For example, as Madison begins spending time All of her time with the beserkers, the author doesn't really address how or what her best friend, Amy thinks of her friends abandonment. The Ultimate goal of the demons is not really clear as well. I like my antagonists to be really nasty pieces of works and my protagonists to be wicked strong and badass. The characters in this read were lukewarm at best and in the end I went from enjoying this read to being bored senseless.

There are some amazing reviews for this book but it just wasn't for me. So, read it for yourself and decide. Obviously I will not be going on with the series.

[Mpb]

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Goodreads Synopsis:



At 16, Madison has accepted herself for who she is: smart and witty, but overweight with thick glasses and the social life of a Tibetan monk. Everything changes the summer before her junior year of high school when her eyesight inexplicably corrects itself, and she begins to rapidly lose weight. However, her new look comes with an unexpectedly expensive price. Madison’s first kiss with the boy she has had a crush on for years triggers powers she can’t control, almost killing him.



She discovers she is a Berserker, a powerful being chosen to guard the world from the Havocs, ancient creatures brought into our world by magic thousands of years ago. They cause destruction and death, but cannot be killed. Only the Berserkers’ life-blood can bind – and free – the Havocs. One Havoc is free and wants Madison’s blood to free another. Instead of enjoying her new look and popularity at school, Madison must now work with the Berserkers to master her powers and bind the Havoc before it kills her.



Oh, and if that weren’t bad enough, it turns out she is the first female Berserker since, well - ever.

[Natty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunday nights adventure consisted of Apothic’s Red Blend and Brant Williams’ Thread that Bind. Both were highly enjoyable reworkings of a tried and true themes.

First the book: Like much of it’s genre, this YA has all the usual themes of good versus evil, coming of age, morality of death and supernatural powers. However where this book differs significantly is that the writing is of a higher caliber than one usually expects and the story is very original in how it’s put together. A very creative and enjoyable read weaving a modern take on the old Berserker tales in a current setting, additionally throwing in a female lead. However while using the familiar trope of outcast to in-crowd, this is much more pleasant having the character stay fundamentally the same, without any of the usual selling out of the longtime best-friend only to come running back after finding out the in-crowd is hostile. Instead the character stays herself, growing through staying on the fringes and becoming a fierce fighter.

Likewise the wine was nothing new, a blend of red wines, a bit brassier and fruitier than I usually like, however it has a nice honeyed chocolate finish that really showcases the merlot off and makes it very drinkable and compatible with almost anything as far as food goes. It’s a familiar story, but this blend is always consistently tasty and versatile so it’s like a broken in pair of slippers. Nothing fancy but you never mind slipping into them, in fact sometimes, you want to.

[Crystal Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddison thought at 16 she had already been through the biggest transitions in her both social life and appearance she'd experience. However, the summer before her Junior year her life began to change. Dropping all the baby fat, getting rid of the braces and coke bottle glasses, the social ladder was hers to climb as high as she wanted. However, with all those changes comes an unexpected side effect and it occurs in the most inconvient time she goes Berserk. Lighting up like a glow worn with superpowers isn't exactly how a teenage girl gets herself the Prom Queen. It also turns out as much as Maddison was different as a teen before becoming a Berserker, she is just as unique in the world of Havocs and 'zerking since she is the only girl.

I really like the originality of this storyline, without vampires/werewolves etc. this story stands out as a very creative and colorful paranormal young adult. The undercurrent of unique being both a good and bad thing at times is refreshing. As well as the level of romance in the wholesome young love kind of way. I enjoyed coming into the world of Maddison and Havocs. This introduction has it's share of action, but builds a very strong foundation for the remaining stories of the Havoc Chronicles. I also geniunely enjoyed the contrasted personalities of the love interests in Maddisons life.

I would definitely recommend this book to 12 & up although only because of the emotional connects made within characters and the loss. I also would give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally speaking I didn't like it. I found that the book was altogether too fast paced and trying to cram far too much into the first chapter alone. Not to mention that the character does a 100% 180, yes I am aware it's the point, but it seemed... too much. I would have liked more expansion on how the main character copes with her changes, how she has spent her entire life one way to suddenly be the equivalent in a new body and no one seems to find it all that peculiar. Sure some comments from family, but almost instantly it seems just a gimmick for boys to like her.

There were many places this book could have gone, with romance involved and everything but it was simply too fast paced and over-powered to be relatable for the average person. I think I would have been more captivated if she had been given more of a weakness and not the default of being in love with someone, or even if she had kept some feature from before. For instance, why did her eyesight get fixed? Did she HAVE to be skinny? Why not a large but mostly muscular build? It would have made more sense for some changes to have occurred if written differently. For the changes that were made I would have liked at least some explanation and not just 'it happened.'

Otherwise, the book reads as most young fiction centered mostly around the love factor and fits well into the category, reminding me a little of the Twilight series. To each his or her own opinion on the read.

[Denae Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Oh, warning, this plot is rather similar to Twilight, except they're only half immortal.

So, the main character and her best friend were fairly petty teenage girls. They thought and talked about boys quite a bit for the first part of the book.

She gets super powers, ok, but we don't know why for quite some time. It also annoyed me that her super powers were so much more powerful than everyone else's .

Then things started to pick up. Around halfway through, we find out the MC's life is in danger. 8D. But, even though she's attacked twice (yep, just twice), and has 24 hour guards, no one ever gets hurt. Heh, that's a pet peeve of mine when characters go through lots and lots of supposed danger and there's nothing to show for it. Oh, well.
I loved finding out the stuff about her parents. I wish she had a sister, though. Not her dumb friend.
The end was good. Not great, just good. A little predictable, actually.

The love triangle would drive me crazy if it wasn't such a strange love triangle/square. She's in love with guy 1 for the first half of the book, and guy 2 for the second half, and guy 3 is in love with her. Okaaaay.

I also wish they had more hobbies and things. Jobs? She likes shopping. Anything else?

[Angela Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, this book bugged me. Within two chapters it transformed the fat, geeky main character into a stunningly popular Mary Sue. Suddenly, this girl that had been teased and ignored became the talk of the small high school. She soared to popular heights, suddenly developed athletic prowess and almost gave me give it up in disgust.

Thankfully, the author then went on to throw in a fatal flaw (well, almost fatal) and then actually explain why she had suddenly turned from plump and uncoordinated into a sports star.

From then on, it got steadily better. The mythology behind the Bezerkers, the Binders and the Havocs seems to be well considered and well thought out and, once the story got properly started, the plot moved along nicely. Which was good, because I do not know how much more High School teen drama angst I could take. After Madison discovered her new identity, the whole high School theme rather faded into the background, which made the slow build up rather unnecessary, but it does give an insight into how much her life, and priorities, had changed - which is probably the point.

I do feel sorry for her friend Amy though. I hope she gets more of a role in the second book.

[T.W. Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book in my BookBub email. The cover made me stop and read the burb and then click to amazon to get more details.

You can tell a good book when you hesitate to put it down for things like work and sleep. This is one such book.

It is a YA book with a female heroine written by a man. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but in this case it turned out to be the exact opposite. Thankfully the dialog isn't written with mind numbing teenage verbiage but it is still authentic enough to not be out of character.

What really made this different from a lot of the stories I have read was the power that the characters posses. It was unique in the super natural power world that I have read which really was the key that kept me turning page after page.

The only negative and it really is hardly much of that is that this book is the first in at least a sequel series where one book feeds into the next without a clear ending for each book. I tend to like series where each book is a self contained part of the overall story of the characters.

If this is a genre you enjoy then you would be doing yourself a favor by picking this up.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, damn. I think this book goes onto the list of Top 5 Favorite Books of This Year. Honestly.

If you could only lose weight that quickly, or delicious food started tasting horrible. Man, I wouldn't mind defending the world. The action parts were so detailed and amazing. I'm just awed at how much detail went into making Beserkers and Bringers.

I loved Madison. She was smart and strong. Eric and Rhys were pretty amazing too. Of course, they had completely different personalities, but I don't think they were really close friends in this book. Maybe they were, but I knew they were competing against each other for Madison's affection so it didn't seem like they were at the moment. I liked how each character had their own story that made up who they were.

Madison was so unique and special. I can't wait to see how the author is going to put those 'cables' to use.

All I know is, I loved it, and I'm so reading the next one. ;D

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this was another... I went by the cover, and I still say.. this works for me :).

I really am loving this story, I love the characters, the frustration, the excitement. The story is easy to follow, and it has alot of little information, but it's not drawn out boring... the author does it in a very interesting way.

The plain girl, who suddenly changes, and there's something that is going on, she can't figure it out. First crushes, and heart ache, and then the new love interest, while as an adult, I think omg, cut it out already, but it is how kids (even I did growing up) felt. It is kinda cute in a way I guess. She finds that she has something new with her, its scary and exciting, she meets new people and her abilities start to grow. She faces new things, and finds she has strengths that she never knew she had.

I have started the 2nd book, and can't wait to pick it up and read some more!

[Riana Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good premise & plot, though a lot more depth is needed with character description. Book started out a bit stronger in that regard, but then just tapered - adding new characters but keeping them shallow.
Some small queries:

-The story invests that much time with Josh? For what?
-Is there supposed to be a triangle here? I don't really see much interest other than, "Oh, hey, he/she is here. Should we get together?"
-What was the point to the car? If just to show wealth, wasn't that explained later anyway?

Even with my issues with it, I still gave this 4 stars. It was a fast read that kept me entertained to the last page & left open questions (read cliffhanger) that will have me scouting the sequel.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an alright read, though a lot of it's either badly thought out There are these imortal beings, and they came to earth for who knows what reason to cause damage. Completely by happenstance, humans, a pair each, plus seven pairs to take on the biggest baddy, happen to form as berserkers/bonders, who knows why, and they have all sorts of strange artifacts they somehow got/know how to make...because reasons...why isn't a question this author is familiar with, or insulting Oh hey, you know, you unpopular fattie mkfattersons? Hey, yeah, the only way things can get better for you is if you develop strange magical powers!.

Disregard that, and it's a fairly enjoyable read.