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angiereads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
melomaniaac's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
crazysmoothies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ashleye's review against another edition
4.0
I have read all 4 books of the Ravenspire series and this was probably my favorite. I loved the twisted and dark tale of Cinderella via Blue and her Grandmére. The love of father/daughter plays heavily in the book, which was a heart tug. Blue is probably my most favorite character next to Ari from The Wish Granter. Not a moment was I ever wishing I was reading or doing something else with my time.
perilous1's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
Based loosely on the tale of Cinderella, The Blood Spell is the fourth standalone installment for the Ravenspire series of fairytale retellings.
On the surface, this book is in the same vein as many a dark YA fantasy. The magic system involves fae, wands, and transmutation; with a refreshingly hefty emphasis on the alchemical. On deeper levels, the story explores themes of grief, guilt, self-sacrifice, negative coping mechanisms, abuse, healing… and even touches on aspects of PTSD and suicidal ideation.
This version of Cinderella bears about as much resemblance to the original tale as Redwine’s Snow White retelling. Which is to say… not much resemblance at all. You still get a few key elements—grand ball, glass slippers, mice and pumpkin transfigurations toward the end—but the rest of the content is heavily original. Much like with her take on Snow White, this heroine has a lot more agency than her original namesake. And Kellan (a.k.a Prince Charming) IS indeed charming… but it’s all a diplomatic façade.
It cannot be said that Redwine doesn’t offer a wide variety in her heroines. While not a fighter like Lorelei from The Shadow Queen or Sajda from The Traitor Prince, Blue holds her own in her own way. I don’t think I’ll remember her as one of my favorites from the Ravenspire series. She spent too much of the first 1/3rd of the story a little too sanctimonious and irritatingly judgmental for my tastes. I often felt sorry for her more than I was able to like her. But thankfully she did show a significant amount of character growth and adaptability by the end. I did, however, relate to Blue’s sleep ethic:
“Blue didn’t know what it took to wake up at dawn and be cheerful about it, but whatever it was, she didn’t have it.”
This reader is a big fan of a slow burn romance, particularly a rivals-to-friends-to-lovers transition. The Blood Spell handles this romantic aspect incredibly well—helped by the fact that the hero and heroine have known each other their entire lives. That pre-established relationship, which then undergoes a few massive redefining moments of empathy and revelation, makes for some truly organic feeling chemistry.
At times, the worldbuilding felt a touch contrived. While it helps to have read a few others in this series to get a feel for the range of magical influences across kingdoms, there were still a number of times that supranatural things occurred without prior allusion to them being possible.
Note: I mean this largely in regard to the Blood Wraith and its abilities—as the alchemy side of things was given a good bit of example and foreshadowing. When Hansel and Gretel put in a welcome appearance (and when do we get THEIR story, by the way?!) I expected their expertise to lend more insight to the Wraith’s strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. But their knowledge and advice didn’t seem to add quite enough to the equation. And sadly, the mysterious siblings don’t make a reappearance.
Readers will likely appreciate how well rounded most of the peripheral characters end up feeling. A solid investment is made into fleshing out Blue’s father and grandmother, Kellan’s mother, and even some of Kellan’s would-be bride options. Princess Nessa, Kellan’s mute-yet-sassy younger sister, was easily my favorite side character addition. I sincerely hope she will get her own book or novella at some point in the future.
If you’re a fan of inventive retellings, triumph after tragedy, and snappy verbal sparring between love interests, The Blood Spell may be right up your alley.
Based loosely on the tale of Cinderella, The Blood Spell is the fourth standalone installment for the Ravenspire series of fairytale retellings.
On the surface, this book is in the same vein as many a dark YA fantasy. The magic system involves fae, wands, and transmutation; with a refreshingly hefty emphasis on the alchemical. On deeper levels, the story explores themes of grief, guilt, self-sacrifice, negative coping mechanisms, abuse, healing… and even touches on aspects of PTSD and suicidal ideation.
This version of Cinderella bears about as much resemblance to the original tale as Redwine’s Snow White retelling. Which is to say… not much resemblance at all. You still get a few key elements—grand ball, glass slippers, mice and pumpkin transfigurations toward the end—but the rest of the content is heavily original. Much like with her take on Snow White, this heroine has a lot more agency than her original namesake. And Kellan (a.k.a Prince Charming) IS indeed charming… but it’s all a diplomatic façade.
It cannot be said that Redwine doesn’t offer a wide variety in her heroines. While not a fighter like Lorelei from The Shadow Queen or Sajda from The Traitor Prince, Blue holds her own in her own way. I don’t think I’ll remember her as one of my favorites from the Ravenspire series. She spent too much of the first 1/3rd of the story a little too sanctimonious and irritatingly judgmental for my tastes. I often felt sorry for her more than I was able to like her. But thankfully she did show a significant amount of character growth and adaptability by the end. I did, however, relate to Blue’s sleep ethic:
“Blue didn’t know what it took to wake up at dawn and be cheerful about it, but whatever it was, she didn’t have it.”
This reader is a big fan of a slow burn romance, particularly a rivals-to-friends-to-lovers transition. The Blood Spell handles this romantic aspect incredibly well—helped by the fact that the hero and heroine have known each other their entire lives. That pre-established relationship, which then undergoes a few massive redefining moments of empathy and revelation, makes for some truly organic feeling chemistry.
At times, the worldbuilding felt a touch contrived. While it helps to have read a few others in this series to get a feel for the range of magical influences across kingdoms, there were still a number of times that supranatural things occurred without prior allusion to them being possible.
Note: I mean this largely in regard to the Blood Wraith and its abilities—as the alchemy side of things was given a good bit of example and foreshadowing. When Hansel and Gretel put in a welcome appearance (and when do we get THEIR story, by the way?!) I expected their expertise to lend more insight to the Wraith’s strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. But their knowledge and advice didn’t seem to add quite enough to the equation. And sadly, the mysterious siblings don’t make a reappearance.
Readers will likely appreciate how well rounded most of the peripheral characters end up feeling. A solid investment is made into fleshing out Blue’s father and grandmother, Kellan’s mother, and even some of Kellan’s would-be bride options. Princess Nessa, Kellan’s mute-yet-sassy younger sister, was easily my favorite side character addition. I sincerely hope she will get her own book or novella at some point in the future.
If you’re a fan of inventive retellings, triumph after tragedy, and snappy verbal sparring between love interests, The Blood Spell may be right up your alley.
wayfaringbibliomaniac's review against another edition
5.0
REP: disability, PoC | TWs: abuse
So, this was totally not what I expected from a Cinderella retelling, by that made it all the more exciting and entertaining. The connection between Blue and Kellan is so sweet - I enjoyed their enemies to lovers journey.
There were a lot of really well written characters in this story (I'm a sucker for a really interesting character - good or bad) and the world itself is phenomenal - possibly because this is number four in the RAVENSPIRE world. This was my first RAVENSPIRE novel, but everything made sense anyway - it being a standalone. However, I have been told it's better to read the four in order. Hansel and Gretel return, and there's mention of Javan from The Traitor Prince, so I'll have to do some back reading soon!
Now, back to the Cinderella story...I wasn't sure how it was going to be in any way connected, but we do get the evil 'stepmother,' stepsisters, and fairy grandmother. It's really only loosely related as far as retellings go, but enough so that you can see the main elements of the fairytale. My favorite part was Blue's power and inner strength. She is such a wonderful character who would have your back when you need her to be there for you. Her potions instructions to Nessa (Kellan's younger sister; also deaf) border are really sweet. Their friendship was unorthodox, yet beautiful. I loved that Blue learned sign language to be able to communicate with Nessa.
Something we soon discover is Blue has magic. She's something of an alchemist in her fathers apothecary shop, but her alchemy is more advanced thanks to the Fae blood that runs in her veins. She gets that from her mother's lineage - so, yes, Grandmere also has magic. When a seedy character gets into some trouble after realizing Blue may be able to create gold, some really sordid events are set in motion. Also, magic has been outlawed since the town discovered there was a blood wraith in their midst that had been feeding on the blood of children. It was Blue's mother who locked it away.
Finally, Kellan, our prince of the land. He's an interesting character. He has his flaws and a few haunting memories, but also a really good heart. When he returns home from boarding school, all he wants is to get out again, but it's time for him to grow up, choose a wife, and be the king. He knows he won't get to choose someone based on love, but rather needs to choose someone who will be able to give the kingdom a good alliance. So, one of the main families of the city would have to do. He becomes a major part of uncovering what's happening to the girls and who's taking the homeless children, as well as keeping Blue safe from her new guardian. A regular knight in shining armor ...swoon.
I was completely engrossed in this story start to finish and will definitely be reading the others. Definitely a FIVE STAR read for me.
So, this was totally not what I expected from a Cinderella retelling, by that made it all the more exciting and entertaining. The connection between Blue and Kellan is so sweet - I enjoyed their enemies to lovers journey.
There were a lot of really well written characters in this story (I'm a sucker for a really interesting character - good or bad) and the world itself is phenomenal - possibly because this is number four in the RAVENSPIRE world. This was my first RAVENSPIRE novel, but everything made sense anyway - it being a standalone. However, I have been told it's better to read the four in order. Hansel and Gretel return, and there's mention of Javan from The Traitor Prince, so I'll have to do some back reading soon!
Now, back to the Cinderella story...I wasn't sure how it was going to be in any way connected, but we do get the evil 'stepmother,' stepsisters, and fairy grandmother. It's really only loosely related as far as retellings go, but enough so that you can see the main elements of the fairytale. My favorite part was Blue's power and inner strength. She is such a wonderful character who would have your back when you need her to be there for you. Her potions instructions to Nessa (Kellan's younger sister; also deaf) border are really sweet. Their friendship was unorthodox, yet beautiful. I loved that Blue learned sign language to be able to communicate with Nessa.
Something we soon discover is Blue has magic. She's something of an alchemist in her fathers apothecary shop, but her alchemy is more advanced thanks to the Fae blood that runs in her veins. She gets that from her mother's lineage - so, yes, Grandmere also has magic. When a seedy character gets into some trouble after realizing Blue may be able to create gold, some really sordid events are set in motion. Also, magic has been outlawed since the town discovered there was a blood wraith in their midst that had been feeding on the blood of children. It was Blue's mother who locked it away.
Finally, Kellan, our prince of the land. He's an interesting character. He has his flaws and a few haunting memories, but also a really good heart. When he returns home from boarding school, all he wants is to get out again, but it's time for him to grow up, choose a wife, and be the king. He knows he won't get to choose someone based on love, but rather needs to choose someone who will be able to give the kingdom a good alliance. So, one of the main families of the city would have to do. He becomes a major part of uncovering what's happening to the girls and who's taking the homeless children, as well as keeping Blue safe from her new guardian. A regular knight in shining armor ...swoon.
I was completely engrossed in this story start to finish and will definitely be reading the others. Definitely a FIVE STAR read for me.
allygrove's review against another edition
5.0
This is my second Cinderella retelling in two days and I think its one of my favorites. It has a very fairytale feel; evil violence, family secrets, magic and true love. Because I'm a mushy hopeless romantic at heart it was the best.
_camk_'s review against another edition
3.0
This is a nice retelling. I haven't read the other Ravenspire books but I might do and as they are stand alones, there shouldn't be an issue.
Blue is a strong likable lead and Kellan is a prince actually worth swooning for.
Blue is a strong likable lead and Kellan is a prince actually worth swooning for.