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librarianlizreads's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this work. Anna is a strong character who goes on a crazy journey both literally and of self-exploration.
I normally judge books on how believable and lovable the characters are and I felt for each of the characters in this book.
It involves individuals with magic or mutant-like powers, a fight for a kingdom and the rights of the people, and discovering to trust yourself and make the right decisions to become the person you want to be.
I normally judge books on how believable and lovable the characters are and I felt for each of the characters in this book.
It involves individuals with magic or mutant-like powers, a fight for a kingdom and the rights of the people, and discovering to trust yourself and make the right decisions to become the person you want to be.
darbymm85's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
booksandatlases's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
currents_convulsive's review against another edition
5.0
I genuinely loved this book. To everyone that's complaining, shut it. No author OWES you representation. When an author writes something, the story is, more often than not, close to their heart, or they wouldn't have spent time writing hundreds of pages. This isn't to say you can't be critical - critical means you think carefully about it, not that you just criticize everything. There are tons of books I don't like - calling for something not to be published because you don't like SOME elements of it is harmful, especially when the story of a book is as powerful as the story of this one. Say what you want, but this book tackles feeling like an outsider much much better than 99% of other books in the same genre. If it makes you uncomfortable seeing it, GOOD! THAT WAS THE POINT!
Either way, I got off topic. I genuinely recommend this book, it is, in my honest opinion, amazing.
Either way, I got off topic. I genuinely recommend this book, it is, in my honest opinion, amazing.
aylinniazai_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Yesss! A good fantasy story that pulled me in right away! Jumping into part two!
bookishjosh's review
4.0
We are all heroes in our own eyes, and monsters in the eyes of those who are different. —Linn
This is another instance of unwarranted hate. It's sad how Twitter almost crushed the dreams of a promising author who only wanted to retell one of the dark periods in Chinese/Asian history. Overly sensitive influencers disregarded Amélie's standpoint, accusing her of Black discrimination (and plagiarism). Now that I've read the ARC and final manuscript, I feel very indignant. But I'm also glad that the author chose to publish her book in spite of all the drama. If anything, negative publicity is still publicity.
Blood Heir is a fantastical reimagining of Anastasia. Anastacya Mikhailov is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire, a place where magic is feared but exploited. Because of her dark ability to control blood, Ana is forbidden to leave the palace and has a terrible childhood. One day, the emperor dies of poisoning, and Ana is the immediate suspect. Before her execution, she flees the palace dungeon and formulates a plan to clear her name. Surprisingly, the only person who can help Ana is a con man named Ramson Quicktongue. Regardless of their different objectives, the exiled princess and the notorious criminal team up and discover a shocking conspiracy.
This book was anything but anti-Black. In the ARC, the Author's Note discloses the story's inspiration: Amélie's identity conflict as a Chinese immigrant. Ana, who is constantly called a monster, signifies the demonization of the Other, which is a derogatory term that typically refers to people from the East. So from the get-go, the "monsters" in Blood Heir aren't Black. It's silly to assume otherwise just because the book was published in the USA. Did the bashers read the Author's Note? I guess not! No offense, but Blacks aren't the only ones who have a history of slavery.
As for the plagiarism issue, some parts of the ARC were indeed similar to The Hunger Games. One of the characters died, and Anna sang a nursery rhyme and buried them in lots of flowers. However, the final edition had a different version, probably just to please the haters online. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that Amélie was guilty of plagiarism. Haven't you guys heard of the words "trope" and "cliche"? If using tropes and cliches were grounds for plagiarism, what would happen to the YA genre?
Now that I've refuted the major allegations, it's time to discuss my actual reading experience. Ironically, I buddy read this book with an influencer. But he wasn't part of the controversy; I think that he did his best to avoid it. Hahaha. I'll call him JG for anonymity's sake. JG and I read Blood Heir for almost a month, and we updated each other regularly on Instagram. It was a cathartic process because I had complaints about daddy-hating Ramson and his slow-paced backstory. Moreover, I needed someone to talk to whenever someone died. Dear Amélie, how could you be so heartless!? LOL
Ana's blood magic wasn't new to me because I was familiar with bloodbending in Avatar: the Last Airbender. However, I liked Ana's active compassion for the oppressed. When she witnessed the corruption outside the palace walls, she promised to do everything in her power to stop it. Also, Ana's facade of coldness made her vulnerability more remarkable. She genuinely loved her family even though they had failed to protect her. Finally, I loved that she never gave in to her growing feelings for Ramson; there wasn't a single kissing scene in this book! <3
JG and I had two favorite protagonists, but I can't tell you their names because neither of them survived! All I can say is that both of them were very dear to Ana. I expected their demise because a happy ending would be unrealistic. Still, it hurt to see the author confirm my suspicions. If another beloved character dies in the sequel, I might send a love letter to the author. xD
The best part of the book was its colonial discourse. As an Asian reader, I found it very relatable. If you Google "slavery in the Philippines," you'll learn that "modern slavery" (e.g., human trafficking and debt bondage) is prevalent in my nation. Many countries in Asia have the same problem, so novels that seek to address it are more than welcome. Slavery is a global dilemma, and the habit of "Othering" makes matters worse.
Blood Heir was one of the most thought-provoking books I read in 2019. It didn't always please me, but it was worth my time and money. I sincerely hope that book two will have a basher-free publication next year.
This is another instance of unwarranted hate. It's sad how Twitter almost crushed the dreams of a promising author who only wanted to retell one of the dark periods in Chinese/Asian history. Overly sensitive influencers disregarded Amélie's standpoint, accusing her of Black discrimination (and plagiarism). Now that I've read the ARC and final manuscript, I feel very indignant. But I'm also glad that the author chose to publish her book in spite of all the drama. If anything, negative publicity is still publicity.
Blood Heir is a fantastical reimagining of Anastasia. Anastacya Mikhailov is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire, a place where magic is feared but exploited. Because of her dark ability to control blood, Ana is forbidden to leave the palace and has a terrible childhood. One day, the emperor dies of poisoning, and Ana is the immediate suspect. Before her execution, she flees the palace dungeon and formulates a plan to clear her name. Surprisingly, the only person who can help Ana is a con man named Ramson Quicktongue. Regardless of their different objectives, the exiled princess and the notorious criminal team up and discover a shocking conspiracy.
This book was anything but anti-Black. In the ARC, the Author's Note discloses the story's inspiration: Amélie's identity conflict as a Chinese immigrant. Ana, who is constantly called a monster, signifies the demonization of the Other, which is a derogatory term that typically refers to people from the East. So from the get-go, the "monsters" in Blood Heir aren't Black. It's silly to assume otherwise just because the book was published in the USA. Did the bashers read the Author's Note? I guess not! No offense, but Blacks aren't the only ones who have a history of slavery.
As for the plagiarism issue, some parts of the ARC were indeed similar to The Hunger Games. One of the characters died, and Anna sang a nursery rhyme and buried them in lots of flowers. However, the final edition had a different version, probably just to please the haters online. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that Amélie was guilty of plagiarism. Haven't you guys heard of the words "trope" and "cliche"? If using tropes and cliches were grounds for plagiarism, what would happen to the YA genre?
Now that I've refuted the major allegations, it's time to discuss my actual reading experience. Ironically, I buddy read this book with an influencer. But he wasn't part of the controversy; I think that he did his best to avoid it. Hahaha. I'll call him JG for anonymity's sake. JG and I read Blood Heir for almost a month, and we updated each other regularly on Instagram. It was a cathartic process because I had complaints about daddy-hating Ramson and his slow-paced backstory. Moreover, I needed someone to talk to whenever someone died. Dear Amélie, how could you be so heartless!? LOL
Ana's blood magic wasn't new to me because I was familiar with bloodbending in Avatar: the Last Airbender. However, I liked Ana's active compassion for the oppressed. When she witnessed the corruption outside the palace walls, she promised to do everything in her power to stop it. Also, Ana's facade of coldness made her vulnerability more remarkable. She genuinely loved her family even though they had failed to protect her. Finally, I loved that she never gave in to her growing feelings for Ramson; there wasn't a single kissing scene in this book! <3
JG and I had two favorite protagonists, but I can't tell you their names because neither of them survived! All I can say is that both of them were very dear to Ana. I expected their demise because a happy ending would be unrealistic. Still, it hurt to see the author confirm my suspicions. If another beloved character dies in the sequel, I might send a love letter to the author. xD
The best part of the book was its colonial discourse. As an Asian reader, I found it very relatable. If you Google "slavery in the Philippines," you'll learn that "modern slavery" (e.g., human trafficking and debt bondage) is prevalent in my nation. Many countries in Asia have the same problem, so novels that seek to address it are more than welcome. Slavery is a global dilemma, and the habit of "Othering" makes matters worse.
Blood Heir was one of the most thought-provoking books I read in 2019. It didn't always please me, but it was worth my time and money. I sincerely hope that book two will have a basher-free publication next year.
biancas_library's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beginning was so interesting and I was immediately hooked to the story. However, the plot could not hold up and got a bit boring and repetitive from the middle onward. I think that the storyline is nothing special for a YA Fantasy but it had potential. I liked the magic system but I think it was poorly explained. It wasn't really clear which affinities exist and how they could manifest themselves. Some affinities we encountered during the story seemed a bit random to me. The biggest selling point of this story, to me, is the atmospheric setting.
I liked Ramson the most and found Ana to be a bit annoying. Their relationship had the potential to be an epic enemies to lovers love story but eventually (as so often in YA Fantasy) fell flat because they somehow stopped their rivalry and liked each other all of a sudden.
I won't be continuing this series.
I liked Ramson the most and found Ana to be a bit annoying. Their relationship had the potential to be an epic enemies to lovers love story but eventually (as so often in YA Fantasy) fell flat because they somehow stopped their rivalry and liked each other all of a sudden.
I won't be continuing this series.
adelle_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Něco mezi 3/5 a 4/5. Moje druhá kniha od Wen Zhao a v podstatě dopadla úplně stejně - je to kreativní, není to vždycky jen černobílé, ale zároveň... je to občas takové nijaké.
Upřímně, moc se mi nelíbí to popření komunistické historie a variace na ruskou kulturu; worldbuilding, který probíhá hlavně stylem, že všemu dáme názvy velmi podobné určitému jazyku, zrovna v lásce nemám. Ale budiž. Hlavní postavy jsou skutečně na stupních šedi, jak se i samy popisují, a to je fajn, ale Ana mi lezla na nervy. Že je postava cíleně hloupá, aby prošla vývojem, to je jasný, a říkala jsem si, že když jde o trilogii, třeba jí to prostě bude trvat déle, ale autorka opakuje v podstatě stejné scény a Ana se pořád chová úplně stejně. A co mi lezlo krkem maximálně, byla deus ex machina zjevení, která absolutně nedávala smysl a byla tam jenom proto, aby se děj posunul. Uf.
Celkově jsem od toho čekala krapet víc, ale do pokračování určitě půjdu.
Upřímně, moc se mi nelíbí to popření komunistické historie a variace na ruskou kulturu; worldbuilding, který probíhá hlavně stylem, že všemu dáme názvy velmi podobné určitému jazyku, zrovna v lásce nemám. Ale budiž. Hlavní postavy jsou skutečně na stupních šedi, jak se i samy popisují, a to je fajn, ale Ana mi lezla na nervy. Že je postava cíleně hloupá, aby prošla vývojem, to je jasný, a říkala jsem si, že když jde o trilogii, třeba jí to prostě bude trvat déle, ale autorka opakuje v podstatě stejné scény a Ana se pořád chová úplně stejně. A co mi lezlo krkem maximálně, byla deus ex machina zjevení, která absolutně nedávala smysl a byla tam jenom proto, aby se děj posunul. Uf.
Celkově jsem od toho čekala krapet víc, ale do pokračování určitě půjdu.
drymming's review
2.0
The beginnning was interesting and then i heard there was no real character growth and when i found out it was an anastasia retelling it fell flat because at the moment i am not really interested in an anastasia retelling. Maybe it's all about the wrong time for this one... Also the name RAMSON for a love interest was a no for me.
nanzi38's review against another edition
4.0
My rate is actually 4.5. I loved the Authors take on magic and that Ana’s was extremely rare. I’m excited to see what happens in the next two books and see how Ana and Ramson’s relationship grows but also how she wins her kingdom back!