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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(More of a 3.5)
(I listened to this as an audiobook)
Blue is an alchemist trying to make gold in order to help the poor and mistreated in the land of Balavata, and she must keep her experiments secret to avoid being executed for use of magic. Kellan is Balavata’s prince who must play the political game in order to keep his right for the throne, but he doesn’t want to play the political game. When Blue’s father is murdered, Blue’s property and her freedom are controlled by an “evil stepmother” who forces Blue to continue the golden experiments for quick coin. Now, the only person who can help Blue is Kellan—the boy she’s hated for most of her life.
Khristine Hvan’s performance is alright. She does well with a variety of character voices, however, I do not believe her voice matched with the ethnicity of the characters. Yes, the accents were done alright, but I was not completely convinced.
The writing style was expertly crafted and is reminiscent of the lilting tones of a fairy tale. The plot itself was average. I disliked that there were certain “clues” throughout the novel that the reader and the characters can decipher easily, and yet the characters take until the very end of the novel to piece the clues together. The main two character’s romance was the most interesting part of the novel, which I believe should not have been the focus. I was also hoping that the villain would be less two dimensional and given more depth. The Blood Spell is the fourth standalone installment of the Shadowspire series. I am not certain as to whether reading the previous three novels would have heightened the experience of reading The Blood Spell, but I would let teens know about the series itself if they are interested.
(I listened to this as an audiobook)
Blue is an alchemist trying to make gold in order to help the poor and mistreated in the land of Balavata, and she must keep her experiments secret to avoid being executed for use of magic. Kellan is Balavata’s prince who must play the political game in order to keep his right for the throne, but he doesn’t want to play the political game. When Blue’s father is murdered, Blue’s property and her freedom are controlled by an “evil stepmother” who forces Blue to continue the golden experiments for quick coin. Now, the only person who can help Blue is Kellan—the boy she’s hated for most of her life.
Khristine Hvan’s performance is alright. She does well with a variety of character voices, however, I do not believe her voice matched with the ethnicity of the characters. Yes, the accents were done alright, but I was not completely convinced.
The writing style was expertly crafted and is reminiscent of the lilting tones of a fairy tale. The plot itself was average. I disliked that there were certain “clues” throughout the novel that the reader and the characters can decipher easily, and yet the characters take until the very end of the novel to piece the clues together. The main two character’s romance was the most interesting part of the novel, which I believe should not have been the focus. I was also hoping that the villain would be less two dimensional and given more depth. The Blood Spell is the fourth standalone installment of the Shadowspire series. I am not certain as to whether reading the previous three novels would have heightened the experience of reading The Blood Spell, but I would let teens know about the series itself if they are interested.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The main character is very meek, which isn't my vibe but I should of expected it so that's on me jajaja
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This has got to be one of my favourite retellings. [b:The Blood Spell|35215746|The Blood Spell (Ravenspire #4)|C.J. Redwine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529515958l/35215746._SY75_.jpg|56556797] takes Cinderella, but adds fae, magic and mystery.
We follow Blue de la Cour, who works at her small alchemy shop with her dad, Pierre. Blue has a secret, she has fae blood in her veins that allows her some magic. Not so much, but enough.
We also follow Prince Kellan, a charming and flirtatious prince who is finally coming back home for good to soon take the throne from his mother. Blue and Kellan were childhood enemies, their parents being super close made them spend loads of time as children.
When the signs of dark magic stirs their city and children start to go missing, Blue is worried and Kellan has to prove himself worthy as the future King. With the blood wraith still inciting fear in her forest prison, how will the town survive the ominous tells of another blood wraith attack?
i love Kellan btw
Okay so I can say that I love this book. I found myself relating to Blue, her independence and her overly motherly nature. I love her banter with Kellan, as well as their growing fondness of each other. Although Kellan has to choose a bride soon from one of the royal families, he too has feelings for Blue. This part of the story actually made me cry more than once.
Then we have the side characters who I simply adore. I love Jacques, even if he had such a small role. His short interaction with Kellan made me smile, and the only thing I wished were different of this book was that Jacques should've had more dialogue.
I also really enjoyed reading about Lucien, the boy who delivered Blue's shop orders after Ana goes missing. He's such a sweet boy, much like Kellan's little sister, Nessa.
[a:C.J. Redwine|4864634|C.J. Redwine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322069849p2/4864634.jpg] did an amazing job here. The characters were great, I found myself enjoying their personalities a lot. One thing was probably the world-building. I would've liked to know more about Blue's mother, and what happened when the blood wraith was on her murderous rampant across the town.
I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read the other installments in this series.
We follow Blue de la Cour, who works at her small alchemy shop with her dad, Pierre. Blue has a secret, she has fae blood in her veins that allows her some magic. Not so much, but enough.
We also follow Prince Kellan, a charming and flirtatious prince who is finally coming back home for good to soon take the throne from his mother. Blue and Kellan were childhood enemies, their parents being super close made them spend loads of time as children.
When the signs of dark magic stirs their city and children start to go missing, Blue is worried and Kellan has to prove himself worthy as the future King. With the blood wraith still inciting fear in her forest prison, how will the town survive the ominous tells of another blood wraith attack?
i love Kellan btw
Okay so I can say that I love this book. I found myself relating to Blue, her independence and her overly motherly nature. I love her banter with Kellan, as well as their growing fondness of each other. Although Kellan has to choose a bride soon from one of the royal families, he too has feelings for Blue. This part of the story actually made me cry more than once.
Then we have the side characters who I simply adore. I love Jacques, even if he had such a small role. His short interaction with Kellan made me smile, and the only thing I wished were different of this book was that Jacques should've had more dialogue.
I also really enjoyed reading about Lucien, the boy who delivered Blue's shop orders after Ana goes missing. He's such a sweet boy, much like Kellan's little sister, Nessa.
[a:C.J. Redwine|4864634|C.J. Redwine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322069849p2/4864634.jpg] did an amazing job here. The characters were great, I found myself enjoying their personalities a lot. One thing was probably the world-building. I would've liked to know more about Blue's mother, and what happened when the blood wraith was on her murderous rampant across the town.
I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read the other installments in this series.
NEW FAVOURITE BOOK ALERT
THIS IS EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
AND WITH A GOOD DOSE OF LOTS OF CURLY HAIR
SO MUCH SEROTONIN I THINK ILL BURST OPEN
THIS IS EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
AND WITH A GOOD DOSE OF LOTS OF CURLY HAIR
SO MUCH SEROTONIN I THINK ILL BURST OPEN
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars. This was a very unique take on Cinderella, and I really enjoyed reading the novel. It reminded me a lot of the Rigel Black series — especially the main character Blue and her love for all things alchemy.
C.J. Redwine’s writing was beautifully whimsical, and each perspective and character added something new to the story (even the “step-mother’s” POV - (though she’s not really a step mother)). I also liked CJR’s take on the relationship between the prince and Cinderella. Instead of portraying the two as complete strangers like the more traditional story does, Kellan and Blue share a deeper history. Because their parents were friends, the two grew up together despite their mutual dislike for one another. I liked seeing their relationship grow and change throughout the novel as they faced grief and their evolving responsibilities, and the scene with the glass shoe was adorable.
C.J. Redwine’s writing was beautifully whimsical, and each perspective and character added something new to the story (even the “step-mother’s” POV - (though she’s not really a step mother)). I also liked CJR’s take on the relationship between the prince and Cinderella. Instead of portraying the two as complete strangers like the more traditional story does, Kellan and Blue share a deeper history. Because their parents were friends, the two grew up together despite their mutual dislike for one another. I liked seeing their relationship grow and change throughout the novel as they faced grief and their evolving responsibilities, and the scene with the glass shoe was adorable.