Reviews

The Blood Spell by C.J. Redwine

kaylasonlyheart's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.25

maryjessie's review against another edition

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3.0

7/10 for me

what i liked -
-loved the cinderella retelling
-cozy world and characters that felt lived in
-stakes and deaths that grounded the story
-the romantic chemistry between our romantic childhood frenemies turned lovers!!
-exploration of trauma and found family

what wasn’t for me -
-setup and explanations felt predictable and dragged out for me at times, i ended up reading the first 275 pages, skipping to the last 30 and then filling in the middle because i felt like the plot was dragging behind my anticipation
-the protagonist’s (Blue) view on the world felt childish and self righteous in the beginning (was very interested in an exploration of classism in what seemed like in ill conceived idea to just make “fake” money and build whatever you want - didn’t see that idea fleshed out and matured)
-felt similarly about the antagonist’s plans in terms of maturity

eireen's review against another edition

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5.0

Kurang dari 3 minggu, aku berhasil menyelesaikan 4 buku dari seri Ravenspire, membuktikan kalau memang aku suka dengan plot dan gaya bercerita C.J. Redwine di buku serinya ini.

Buku yang ke 4 ini adalah retelling dari dongeng Cinderella karangan Brother Grimm. Mungkin banyak yang belum tau, tapi cerita original Cinderella (asli karangan Brother Grimm, bukan yang tayang di Disney ya) sebenarnya jauh lebih gelap dan twisted daripada cerita Cinderella yang selama ini kita dengar dari kecil. Ceritanya seperti apa, boleh di google sendiriya. :)

Walaupun buku The Blood Spell ini adalah retelling dari Cinderella, tapi sebenarnya ada perbedaan signifikan dengan cerita originalnya. Seperticontohnya, Blue de la Cour (si Cinderella dalam buku ini) memiliki kekuatan sihir, ia berteman dekat dengan sang pangeran, dan ia pula lah yang mengalahkan seorang blood wraith. Dengan plot yang sedikit berbeda ini, justru membuat buku The Blood Spell layaknya sebuah cerita baru. Apalagi dengan background ibu tirinya yang dijelaskan juga di cerita ini kenapa ia bisa jadi sekejam itu. It brings something fresh and it’s definitely not the usual fairy tales.

Menurut aku buku ini definitely one of the best out of the series. I even like it better than the first book, The Shadow Queen. Buku ini lebih terasa emosional. Penggambaran emosi karakternya lebih jelas. Terutama bagian ketika keluarga Blue terbunuh. I almost cried on that scene.

Pertanyaan selanjutnya adalah apakah akan ada buku berikutnya? Karena kalau meihat peta dunia Ravenspire series ini, masih ada beberapa tempat atau kerajaan lain yang belum menjadi lokasi cerita baru seperti contohnya Morcant, Island of Ichil, Valle de Lume, dan Llorenyae. Karena The Blood Spell baru terbit tahun 2019 ini, hopefully by next year sudah akan ada buku baru ya dari seri ini.

amybraunauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

Just when I think I can't love the RAVENSPIRE books anymore, a new one comes out and proves me wrong! Cinderella retellings were never my favourite, but I will happily make an exception of my dear, beloved Blue!

The story had a great setting and new, fantastic characters. Each one was complex, even the villain, who nobody would disagree was the definition of wicked, had a sympathetic motivation for her actions. The plot moved at a good pace and I never felt bored, especially when the climax began and Blue turned out to be an even greater hero than I could have imagined. This story is also very heavy on romance, and I mention that only as a note. I have no complaints about it and definitely felt my heartstrings being tugged a little bit.

Blue is a wonderful lead character. She's sweet and strong and brave, even if she likes to follow the rules to a T. In contrast, Kellan is quite complicated, and not entirely the reckless prince he makes himself out to be. He has a big heart, and his chemistry with Blue is one of the things that made me adore the final few pages so much. I also have to sing the praises of Kellan's deaf sister Nessa, who is one of the most adorable little girls in fiction.

This truly did read like a fairytale, and is a far cry from the Disney classic. It is a lot darker with a ferocious monster and Blue's relationship with her adopted guardian is not a pretty one. I truly enjoyed the way magic was used in this story however, along with the winks at the classic.

I adored this story and am already waiting for the next RAVENSPIRE book. I can only imagine which fairy tale will be next! A must read if you like classic retellings, strong young woman, charming princes and princesses, and a giant heap of opposites-attract romance!

P.S.: When are we going to get a Hansel and Gretel story? They might only make cameos, but I love that duo and want more of them!

melanie_books's review against another edition

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4.0

Kellen returns to his home country of Balatava to face a betrothal to a daughter from one of the head families before he can ascend the throne. As he enters the political arena, he feels pressured and stifled by the games he has to play. He's also annoyed at Blue, his childhood nemesis, who is immune to his charms and keeps reminding him of his supposed shortcomings. Blue is a gifted alchemist whose family has always been close to the royal family though that doesn't mean that she is afraid to chastise the crown prince. But when her father is murdered, she learns that the prince may not be as irresponsible and irritating as she always thought.

I think that this was the best of the series. I'm not a huge "enemies to lovers" trope fan but I liked it in this context. The fact that they had this long history made the progression of enemies to friends to lovers more enjoyable. Blue & Kellan were great individually too: Blue was so selfless and continually thought to help and serve those around her. Kellan knew that for the good of his kingdom, he must put his own desires aside and as willing to do so without question. The Cinderella element of the story was subtle but well done.

Overall, I liked this series - the retellings we not overdone and the characters were given a lovely "freshening up."

bookfrog508's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was so much fun!  I loved the characters so much, and when I started to see the Cinderella storyline coming together I got even more excited to see how the author would spin it.  CJ Redwine is so clever and I can see how much thought was put into this wonderful book!

momoyoon's review against another edition

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5.0

ravenspire has become one of my favorite series in like,,,, three days, hi

flowersofquiethappiness's review against another edition

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3.0

Now that was just a lot of fun! I’d forgotten how much I love CJ Redwine stories. The adventure, the sweet romance bits, the fairytale nods, the courageous characters….so much fun!

psinghjagpal3's review against another edition

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4.0

All of CJ Redwines farie tale inspired books are amazing. The last of the standalone series delievers just as the rest. If you read all of them in order, then you have met Kellan briefly in the Traitor Prince. As Jivans best friend Kellan is the charming youth that always swoops a girl off her feet.

Heres the reason why you should read the series:

If you didnt see the cover it would be hard to know that Redwine is deciding to retell the tale of Cinderella. Even I had a hard time figuring out is it Cinderella, or Beauty and the beast? And i love the fact that you dont know which tale it is, because it gives you more time to guess where the story is going. Redwines's retelling always encompass more than one story elements so I loved this book even more because i had to figure out which elements she was retelling from the classic tales.

If you like diverse characters who are completely different than their fairy tale verison, then definitely get ready to meet Blue, Dinah, Kellan and Nessa.

Blue de la Cour is just your average alchemist with magic, thinking of ways to help the poor. She lives a simple life with her Papa, trying to make a living for herself. She has her entire life planned out but things spur into motion when she tries to turn lead into gold.

The faint reminesce of gold catches the eyes of Dinah who wants power and finds a way to get it by using Blue. Dinah accomplishes this by the only way she knows how, with savage, brute, unrelentless wit. She finds a way to make Blue do the things she wants. Dinah makes the story twist, turn and dips allowing your heart to sway every single time she tries something new.

The crown prince Kellan, after graduating from boarding school he is ready to navigate the poltical dangers of Balavata. Hes ready to charm every single girl to find the one who has to be his queen. Yet, he finds love in the most unexpected places with the most unexpected person.

Nessa, the lovely princess who is unable to speaks, signs and Redwine finds a way to encompass this in her book. Nessa a character that isnt just a side character plays the role of saving her friend. But also trying her best to do whats right. She is the one to spur help into motion and that is beyond amazing. Bonus: I love seeing fierce love shared between the two siblings.

And to make the story more fascinating, the terrible echo of the Blood Wraith that you hear everywhere. The echos in the bells that the creature still survives after 15 years. But how? Isn't it suppose to be locked away for good? Locked away to starve? Only time will tell.

im211's review against another edition

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Kellan is HERE! I missed him in [b:The Traitor Prince|35068678|The Traitor Prince|C.J. Redwine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497973960l/35068678._SY75_.jpg|56364120] !
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