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wildfaeriecaps's review
5.0
This book was amazing. I love Asagi so very much. This story has more heart than any I've read in a very long time. I felt every anxiety right along with Asagi. Felt the joy of being reunited with a piece of their past, felt the cruel losses, and the momentary periods of peace. This emotional roller coaster is worth every second of anguish and all the tears I shed. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
mxsallybend's review
5.0
An Asian-influenced vampire tale about identity, power, love, and the awkward balance of all three, Bloodlaced was far more emotionally charged than I was prepared for. Courtney Maguire weaves a captivating story that thrives on the strength of its characters and their relationships.
This is often a very dark tale, but that darkness comes from the humanity, not the supernatural. We bear witness to families broken and children enslaved. In a world of slaves and servants, brutal abuse (both physical and emotional) is almost expected, but that inescapable sense of doom isn’t the saddest part of the tale – it’s the tease of what could be, and denial of what should be.
Asagi is one of my favorite protagonists in recent years, “certainly not a woman, but not really a man either” . . . existing on a “sliding scale between masculine and feminine, but neither felt right.” As they tell Mahiro, “I can be a girl. I can be anything you want. I can make it so you won’t know the difference.” At the core of their identity, however, is the role of adopted mother to young Tsukito, and it’s that bond, that relationship lost and found, that forms the heart of the story . . . even as eternal youth and natural aging converge to suggest a different kind of love.
Wrapped around that beating heart is the relationship between Asagi and Mahiro, which is equal parts slavery, mentorship, and romance – and just as awkward and problematic as you might imagine. It’s a brilliantly layered relationship, and I loved how Maguire tugged it in so many different ways, challenging the reader to find where the heart truly lies.
Bloodlaced utterly destroyed me in the final chapters as it explores what it means to be a monster born versus a monster made, but it does leave a glimmer of hope for what’s next.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/10/06/book-review-giveaway-bloodlaced-by-courtney-maguire/
This is often a very dark tale, but that darkness comes from the humanity, not the supernatural. We bear witness to families broken and children enslaved. In a world of slaves and servants, brutal abuse (both physical and emotional) is almost expected, but that inescapable sense of doom isn’t the saddest part of the tale – it’s the tease of what could be, and denial of what should be.
Asagi is one of my favorite protagonists in recent years, “certainly not a woman, but not really a man either” . . . existing on a “sliding scale between masculine and feminine, but neither felt right.” As they tell Mahiro, “I can be a girl. I can be anything you want. I can make it so you won’t know the difference.” At the core of their identity, however, is the role of adopted mother to young Tsukito, and it’s that bond, that relationship lost and found, that forms the heart of the story . . . even as eternal youth and natural aging converge to suggest a different kind of love.
Wrapped around that beating heart is the relationship between Asagi and Mahiro, which is equal parts slavery, mentorship, and romance – and just as awkward and problematic as you might imagine. It’s a brilliantly layered relationship, and I loved how Maguire tugged it in so many different ways, challenging the reader to find where the heart truly lies.
Bloodlaced utterly destroyed me in the final chapters as it explores what it means to be a monster born versus a monster made, but it does leave a glimmer of hope for what’s next.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/10/06/book-review-giveaway-bloodlaced-by-courtney-maguire/
lulureads365's review
3.0
This was a weird one for me.
I didn’t find anything spectacular about this book, but I was still compelled to read and was very captivated by the story. It is rather dark, there is a lot of violence with physical and sexual abuse. The writing is pretty solid and I feel it’s a good start to the trilogy. Will I be reading more? Yes…I’m curious to see how our protagonist, Asagi, grows and develops from here.
I didn’t find anything spectacular about this book, but I was still compelled to read and was very captivated by the story. It is rather dark, there is a lot of violence with physical and sexual abuse. The writing is pretty solid and I feel it’s a good start to the trilogy. Will I be reading more? Yes…I’m curious to see how our protagonist, Asagi, grows and develops from here.
ellelainey's review
3.0
See my blog post for full review.
Full Review
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
~
Bloodlaced (Youkai Bloodlines, 01) by Courtney Maguire
★★★☆☆
314 Pages
1st person POV, one character
Content Warning: [ON PAGE] slavery, sold into service, violence, blood/gore, transphobia, physical abuse, self-harm, poisoning, blood exchange, forced turning, mental health
[OFF PAGE] rape, child abuse, sexual abuse
I had a lot of thoughts while reading this book, and it's hard to put them into order, so bear with me.
I was intrigued by the blurb, and eager to start, fascinated by the world woven within the first 20-30% of the novel. I found Asagi to be a non-binary person, with strength, resilience, and fire.
And then, unfortunately, it began to go downhill.
~
WRITING
I felt there was a disparity between the moving, eloquent way the first 30% of the book was written, and what came after. For me, the story began as a slice-of-life through Asagi's experiences in the household, their life with Tsukito, and the budding romance with Yutaka. I could have happily read that entire book without complaint.
Instead, while the 30% sets the scene of why and how everything that follows occurs, I felt it was unnecessarily long. If this was just setting-the-scene, then why take so long? Cut out the romance with Yutaka – who doesn't appear again after 30% until he's conveniently whipped out for the final 90% – and cut out some of the slice-of-life scenes. Or, start the story with Asagi entering the new household and limit the number of violent scenes that followed. It would still have been important, still explaining the why and how of what came after, but it wouldn't have taken so long or set me up for a story that never happened. Especially since most of the characters never resurfaced again, after 30%.
In a similar vein, events mentioned as having great significance in the blurb, take forever to happen. It takes 50% for the poisoning and change. 55% for Tsutaki to even be mentioned again. And at 62%, there's an inexplicable 12 year jump between paragraphs. It's not even split into a separate scene or chapter, just dropped into a paragraph that “twelve years passed”.
I feel like characters were forgotten about, until it became convenient to the plot. After their separation at 30%, Asagi didn't mention, think about, or grieve for Tsukito or Yutaka after their first day within the Mahiro household until well after the 50% line. It felt like Asagi had forgotten everyone who ever came before. Like moving to a new household was a clean slate, and their life before stopped existing or didn't matter anymore. After the intense bond between all three characters, that made me want to continue the book in the first place, it felt wrong to have forgotten about them until nearly 50% of the way into the book.
Despite this being a historical fantasy novel, set in 19th century Japan, there is a constant and jarring use of modern speech that didn't make any sense. When you've gone to so much trouble to create an intricate world of historical Japanese lore, why on earth would you use words like “mom”, and “downright bitch”. Even the first word of the blurb 'Kanjin' is never explained throughout the novel, or ever even used within the story, yet it's given such prominence in the blurb.
Despite four pages of Japanese glossary, the simple term 'bun' is used instead of 'odango', and Goshjin-sama is used when a simple 'master' would have been a suitable replacement. Honestly, I got so sick of checking the glossary words that I gave up, well before halfway. I skimmed over the Japanese terms, because it didn't make a difference. Half of them were self-explanatory in general terms – food, clothing or swearing – and it was so laborious to jump out of the story to find out what it really meant, that I stopped caring.
There is a complete disparity of language use that often knocked me out of the historical feeling of the novel. I can't help feeling that what this book needed was another editor, or an Alpha reader, who could pinpoint all of these problems and remind the author to make up their mind. You either write a historical novel with historical phrasing/words, or you write a contemporary fantasy in your own world, so that you can use modern speech whenever you want. Don't mix the two when it doesn't fit.
The novel is called Bloodlaced, and the series is called Youkai Bloodlines...yet, I don't see why. The Youkai aspect of the novel doesn't enter into existence until 50%, and even then, it's not even a secondary plotline. I expected a storyline very strongly Youkai-centric, exploring how Asagi dealt with the change, with the strength it would give them, and perhaps the freedom it would give, to make them set off after Tsukito and reclaim their 'son'.
Instead, what I got was a very weak plotline that never explored what Youkai meant. There was NO worldbuilding around the Youkai at all. It felt like the moment it was mentioned – the word in the glossary implying 'supernatural being' in folklore – as long as the author mentioned a blood exchange, there was no more explanation needed. Except, there was. I wanted, and expected, a unique take on vampires, or a creature from Japanese folklore that I was unfamiliar with. I was excited for the journey I'd take, learning all about the background, the history, the world of this creature, and...it never came. I got nothing but “we need blood”, and I was expected to fill in the blanks.
Even then, once Asagi was turned, the only “vampire” or Youkai aspect of the story that ever mattered was the bloodlust. There was apparently nothing more to the Youkai than a change of eye colour and a lust for blood, which was...beyond disappointing.
The Youkai plot was so lacklustre, I felt it came not second or third to the Asagi slice-of-life scenes, but barely on the radar of the story's plot, until around the 80% mark. The story was more interested in forcing Asagi and Mahiro together, reuniting Asagi and Tsukito, and exploring Asagi's deep-seated mental health issues, than it was addressing the MAIN PLOT of the blurb, and the very thing that gave the story it's title and series title. It was shoved so far into the background that it felt more like a character quirk than a plotline.
~
OVERALL
I was deeply disappointed that a character with so much potential as Asagi was ruined by a weak plot, and a strangely unaccountable personality change, halfway through the novel. The fact the author couldn't even keep straight in their head what pronouns to use meant that Asagi – while being certain of their non-binary status – was never treated with the respect they deserved, even by the author.
The story is full of angst surrounding Asagi and their life as a slave, but what really disappointed me was that even after they became Youkai, they still behaved like a slave and like a victim. Despite the freedom Mahiro gave them, the elevated position, his love, a shared life, Asagi held tight to being a victim and never allowed themselves to be anything more.
While the story was interesting, and I LOVED the first 30%, it quickly tailspinned out of control, into something that not even the blurb anticipated. The story dragged in between the pivotal moments, filled with too many slice-of-life scenes and not enough progressive plot. There was little to no chemistry between Mahiro and Asagi, and what did exist was quickly snuffed out by Asagi's toxic idea of love and relationships. There was a mountain of dead space, and scenes that had no importance to the plot but were given far too much space.
It's a story that took a long time to go nowhere. The only action happens in the last 90%. The only meaningful moments happen in the first 30%, and – personally, in my honest opinion – everything else that happens between 30-90% is just filler. It's justification for what ends the story.
It could have been fantastic, and Asagi had so much potential to be an incredible non-binary central character in a novel that took a whole new spin on vampires/demons, with a heartwarming parent-son dynamic at heart...but the author tried too hard to inject romance where it wasn't needed, and didn't feel natural.
By changing Asagi's personality, halfway through, they lost the magic of who Asagi was, turning a strong, resilient character with a lot to lose and fight for into someone cold, bitchy, pampered and erratic. Increasingly emotionally unstable, there was no way there was ever going to be a happy ending for Asagi and Tsukito. Asagi simply couldn't allow it into their mindset. To them, they were sold into slavery as a child, and they would always – at least in their own mind – be a slave. They left no room in their mind or heart to be anything else, no matter who came along or what happened.
For me, the real victim of this story for Tsukito. If Asagi had taken one second to truly protect him in the early 20% of the book – running away and/or keeping their distance, because they KNEW they were the target of the master's anger – Tsukito's story would have been different. If Asagi had just listened to him, after their reunion, or asked Mahiro – who professed to love him profoundly – to find a way to bring Tsukito into their home without treating Mahiro like a villain, Tsukito's story would have ended completely different.
Then, to top it off, the book ended at 93% to give a sample preview of someone else's book. Who does that? I could understand if it was a preview of Book 2, or another of the author's works, but to waste so much time on someone else's book was annoying. I didn't get a complete ending to THIS book. I got a rushed, incomplete and convenient ending that tied up the loose ends without being satisfying...all so that an unconnected preview could use that space instead. *sigh*
Truly disappointing.
I'm currently of two minds as to whether I want to read Book 2 or not. The blurb says it's about different characters, so should be a standalone in the same world, but...then again, the blurb for this book promised me a story it didn't deliver, so....who knows.
~
Favourite Quotes
“All fighting ever gets you is broken bones and bloodied noses and scars so deep they bleed into your soul until you learn to stop fighting.”
“He'd tried to weaken me, but instead he'd created something androgynous and otherworldly. Something he couldn't touch.”
Full Review
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
~
Bloodlaced (Youkai Bloodlines, 01) by Courtney Maguire
★★★☆☆
314 Pages
1st person POV, one character
Content Warning: [ON PAGE] slavery, sold into service, violence, blood/gore, transphobia, physical abuse, self-harm, poisoning, blood exchange, forced turning, mental health
[OFF PAGE] rape, child abuse, sexual abuse
I had a lot of thoughts while reading this book, and it's hard to put them into order, so bear with me.
I was intrigued by the blurb, and eager to start, fascinated by the world woven within the first 20-30% of the novel. I found Asagi to be a non-binary person, with strength, resilience, and fire.
And then, unfortunately, it began to go downhill.
~
WRITING
I felt there was a disparity between the moving, eloquent way the first 30% of the book was written, and what came after. For me, the story began as a slice-of-life through Asagi's experiences in the household, their life with Tsukito, and the budding romance with Yutaka. I could have happily read that entire book without complaint.
Instead, while the 30% sets the scene of why and how everything that follows occurs, I felt it was unnecessarily long. If this was just setting-the-scene, then why take so long? Cut out the romance with Yutaka – who doesn't appear again after 30% until he's conveniently whipped out for the final 90% – and cut out some of the slice-of-life scenes. Or, start the story with Asagi entering the new household and limit the number of violent scenes that followed. It would still have been important, still explaining the why and how of what came after, but it wouldn't have taken so long or set me up for a story that never happened. Especially since most of the characters never resurfaced again, after 30%.
In a similar vein, events mentioned as having great significance in the blurb, take forever to happen. It takes 50% for the poisoning and change. 55% for Tsutaki to even be mentioned again. And at 62%, there's an inexplicable 12 year jump between paragraphs. It's not even split into a separate scene or chapter, just dropped into a paragraph that “twelve years passed”.
I feel like characters were forgotten about, until it became convenient to the plot. After their separation at 30%, Asagi didn't mention, think about, or grieve for Tsukito or Yutaka after their first day within the Mahiro household until well after the 50% line. It felt like Asagi had forgotten everyone who ever came before. Like moving to a new household was a clean slate, and their life before stopped existing or didn't matter anymore. After the intense bond between all three characters, that made me want to continue the book in the first place, it felt wrong to have forgotten about them until nearly 50% of the way into the book.
Despite this being a historical fantasy novel, set in 19th century Japan, there is a constant and jarring use of modern speech that didn't make any sense. When you've gone to so much trouble to create an intricate world of historical Japanese lore, why on earth would you use words like “mom”, and “downright bitch”. Even the first word of the blurb 'Kanjin' is never explained throughout the novel, or ever even used within the story, yet it's given such prominence in the blurb.
Despite four pages of Japanese glossary, the simple term 'bun' is used instead of 'odango', and Goshjin-sama is used when a simple 'master' would have been a suitable replacement. Honestly, I got so sick of checking the glossary words that I gave up, well before halfway. I skimmed over the Japanese terms, because it didn't make a difference. Half of them were self-explanatory in general terms – food, clothing or swearing – and it was so laborious to jump out of the story to find out what it really meant, that I stopped caring.
There is a complete disparity of language use that often knocked me out of the historical feeling of the novel. I can't help feeling that what this book needed was another editor, or an Alpha reader, who could pinpoint all of these problems and remind the author to make up their mind. You either write a historical novel with historical phrasing/words, or you write a contemporary fantasy in your own world, so that you can use modern speech whenever you want. Don't mix the two when it doesn't fit.
The novel is called Bloodlaced, and the series is called Youkai Bloodlines...yet, I don't see why. The Youkai aspect of the novel doesn't enter into existence until 50%, and even then, it's not even a secondary plotline. I expected a storyline very strongly Youkai-centric, exploring how Asagi dealt with the change, with the strength it would give them, and perhaps the freedom it would give, to make them set off after Tsukito and reclaim their 'son'.
Instead, what I got was a very weak plotline that never explored what Youkai meant. There was NO worldbuilding around the Youkai at all. It felt like the moment it was mentioned – the word in the glossary implying 'supernatural being' in folklore – as long as the author mentioned a blood exchange, there was no more explanation needed. Except, there was. I wanted, and expected, a unique take on vampires, or a creature from Japanese folklore that I was unfamiliar with. I was excited for the journey I'd take, learning all about the background, the history, the world of this creature, and...it never came. I got nothing but “we need blood”, and I was expected to fill in the blanks.
Even then, once Asagi was turned, the only “vampire” or Youkai aspect of the story that ever mattered was the bloodlust. There was apparently nothing more to the Youkai than a change of eye colour and a lust for blood, which was...beyond disappointing.
The Youkai plot was so lacklustre, I felt it came not second or third to the Asagi slice-of-life scenes, but barely on the radar of the story's plot, until around the 80% mark. The story was more interested in forcing Asagi and Mahiro together, reuniting Asagi and Tsukito, and exploring Asagi's deep-seated mental health issues, than it was addressing the MAIN PLOT of the blurb, and the very thing that gave the story it's title and series title. It was shoved so far into the background that it felt more like a character quirk than a plotline.
~
OVERALL
I was deeply disappointed that a character with so much potential as Asagi was ruined by a weak plot, and a strangely unaccountable personality change, halfway through the novel. The fact the author couldn't even keep straight in their head what pronouns to use meant that Asagi – while being certain of their non-binary status – was never treated with the respect they deserved, even by the author.
The story is full of angst surrounding Asagi and their life as a slave, but what really disappointed me was that even after they became Youkai, they still behaved like a slave and like a victim. Despite the freedom Mahiro gave them, the elevated position, his love, a shared life, Asagi held tight to being a victim and never allowed themselves to be anything more.
While the story was interesting, and I LOVED the first 30%, it quickly tailspinned out of control, into something that not even the blurb anticipated. The story dragged in between the pivotal moments, filled with too many slice-of-life scenes and not enough progressive plot. There was little to no chemistry between Mahiro and Asagi, and what did exist was quickly snuffed out by Asagi's toxic idea of love and relationships. There was a mountain of dead space, and scenes that had no importance to the plot but were given far too much space.
It's a story that took a long time to go nowhere. The only action happens in the last 90%. The only meaningful moments happen in the first 30%, and – personally, in my honest opinion – everything else that happens between 30-90% is just filler. It's justification for what ends the story.
It could have been fantastic, and Asagi had so much potential to be an incredible non-binary central character in a novel that took a whole new spin on vampires/demons, with a heartwarming parent-son dynamic at heart...but the author tried too hard to inject romance where it wasn't needed, and didn't feel natural.
By changing Asagi's personality, halfway through, they lost the magic of who Asagi was, turning a strong, resilient character with a lot to lose and fight for into someone cold, bitchy, pampered and erratic. Increasingly emotionally unstable, there was no way there was ever going to be a happy ending for Asagi and Tsukito. Asagi simply couldn't allow it into their mindset. To them, they were sold into slavery as a child, and they would always – at least in their own mind – be a slave. They left no room in their mind or heart to be anything else, no matter who came along or what happened.
For me, the real victim of this story for Tsukito. If Asagi had taken one second to truly protect him in the early 20% of the book – running away and/or keeping their distance, because they KNEW they were the target of the master's anger – Tsukito's story would have been different. If Asagi had just listened to him, after their reunion, or asked Mahiro – who professed to love him profoundly – to find a way to bring Tsukito into their home without treating Mahiro like a villain, Tsukito's story would have ended completely different.
Then, to top it off, the book ended at 93% to give a sample preview of someone else's book. Who does that? I could understand if it was a preview of Book 2, or another of the author's works, but to waste so much time on someone else's book was annoying. I didn't get a complete ending to THIS book. I got a rushed, incomplete and convenient ending that tied up the loose ends without being satisfying...all so that an unconnected preview could use that space instead. *sigh*
Truly disappointing.
I'm currently of two minds as to whether I want to read Book 2 or not. The blurb says it's about different characters, so should be a standalone in the same world, but...then again, the blurb for this book promised me a story it didn't deliver, so....who knows.
~
Favourite Quotes
“All fighting ever gets you is broken bones and bloodied noses and scars so deep they bleed into your soul until you learn to stop fighting.”
“He'd tried to weaken me, but instead he'd created something androgynous and otherworldly. Something he couldn't touch.”
ladyfives's review
4.0
"Well, I've seen the effect of your common good. I've seen it spill blood and break bones. I've seen it torture and rape. Your common good doesn't apply to people like me."
This cover made this book an insta-buy for me. I’m literally obsessed with it.
As for the book itself, it kept surprising me. I think I’ve just been reading a lot of indie that plays by the rules (nothing wrong with that)—but this book kinda felt more like what I expected the wild world of indie to be. That is, taking odd risks, a bit charmingly off-kilter, and super queer, haha. I never quite knew where it was going, and that fit its vibes of being a dark little character study.
Bloodlaced is a fairly slow (& pretty dang grim) story, exploring difficult themes such as sexual abuse, abuse of power, motherhood, envy, love, and of course gender. Sprinkle in a few vampire-like youkai and many lavish descriptions of kimonos, too. (And maybe have Google ready for the tons of Japanese terms & phrases used.) If you’re expecting a fantasy-filled paranormal drama, look elsewhere. Here the youkai speak more to Asagi’s inner pain and the politics of powers over others than any Buffy-like action, and therefore come in pretty late in the story.
Quick note about Asagi’s gender—it’s left very ambiguous because of the lack of vocabulary, communities, etc., and even Asagi’s nebulous understanding of herself. She refers to herself as “magic.” Even the summary refers to her as “he” when in the book, Asagi seems to favour “she.” After pretty much only reading gender-focused books that come prepackaged with rigid definitions and a tendency to be ultra-careful about not saying anything bad whatsoever, I admit I appreciated this. Still respectful of Asagi and yet had wiggle room to discuss the topic depending on how Asagi felt about it.
I can never wrap up reviews. anyways chef’s kiss @ that cover
elliemaiblogs's review
4.0
This story was not what I was expecting and I loved every second of it. From the get go I was so intrigued about the culture in this book and I instantly loved Asagi and Tsukito. It’s such a sad story but this is another reason why I was so hooked, I couldn’t help but read on and hoping that Asagi and their companion would be safe.
The Japanese style setting was absolutely fascinating to read about, I could really picture the buildings and the fashion. Sometimes it was hard to read because the story could get really dark. There is a lot of sensitive subjects throughout including sexual assault, slavery and abuse, so I would just keep that in mind before giving it a read.
I admire Asagi so much, especially everything they put themselves through to help others first. As they identify as genderless they already getting attacked by others but they would instantly stand up for anyone even if it means getting punished. This also makes it so hard to read as they are utterly selfless and everything they go through is awful. The other characters we meet throughout the book were all so realistic with a lot of detail. I felt wary of certain characters at first but I ended up loving them because they were generous and you could just see them wanting to do good. This was so good to see, especially with the book being quite dark.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I am not a massive vampire book lover, yet I have been getting more into it over the year. It didn’t click for me that the demon first mentioned was a take on vampires but I just love Maguire’s take on the way vampires are. I ended up flying through this book because it was incredibly easy to delve into.
Overall, I love the culture, the characters, the story and just the overall feeling this book gives you. I feel like I really know Asagi and I just love it when a book does that. It is one of the saddest books I’ve read in a while and it’s hard to think about anything else after reading, this is definitely one of those that will stay with you.
The Japanese style setting was absolutely fascinating to read about, I could really picture the buildings and the fashion. Sometimes it was hard to read because the story could get really dark. There is a lot of sensitive subjects throughout including sexual assault, slavery and abuse, so I would just keep that in mind before giving it a read.
I admire Asagi so much, especially everything they put themselves through to help others first. As they identify as genderless they already getting attacked by others but they would instantly stand up for anyone even if it means getting punished. This also makes it so hard to read as they are utterly selfless and everything they go through is awful. The other characters we meet throughout the book were all so realistic with a lot of detail. I felt wary of certain characters at first but I ended up loving them because they were generous and you could just see them wanting to do good. This was so good to see, especially with the book being quite dark.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I am not a massive vampire book lover, yet I have been getting more into it over the year. It didn’t click for me that the demon first mentioned was a take on vampires but I just love Maguire’s take on the way vampires are. I ended up flying through this book because it was incredibly easy to delve into.
Overall, I love the culture, the characters, the story and just the overall feeling this book gives you. I feel like I really know Asagi and I just love it when a book does that. It is one of the saddest books I’ve read in a while and it’s hard to think about anything else after reading, this is definitely one of those that will stay with you.
emhamill's review
5.0
Youkai Bloodlines: Bloodlaced by Courtney Maguire is an anime-flavored vampiric delight. 4.5 stars
I was intrigued by the premise when I was approached to do a read and review for this book, and I am so happy I did. The story was a fresh enough take on bloodsuckers to keep my interest, and I became completely invested in Asagi’s journey.
Asagi identifies neither as male nor female but treads a “sliding scale between masculine and feminine” (Chapter 20, “Arrangements”). A household slave and someone with male anatomy, who presents as female, Asagi has been the victim of assault and abuse. When she and a child named Tsukito are sold to a new, monstrous master with an eye for young boys, Asagi throws herself between the man and the child she has come to love like a son, taking the abuse to spare the child. This is noticed by one of her master’s guests, who ‘rescues’ her from the brutal position by purchasing her service after she is badly injured.
The new household is nothing like the old one—the servants are happy, well-fed, and devoted to their master. Mahiro is kind and generous and expects nothing from Asagi but her company. Too good to be true, she thinks, and she is right: Mahiro is a Youkai, a supernatural being who feeds on blood. There is a fine line between human and monster—so delicate that Asagi finds herself coming to care for Mahiro, but misunderstandings, jealousy, and an act of desperation soon drag Asagi across that line. Her life will never be the same.
This story was completely enjoyable, and each character is painted in fine detail. It employs many well-used vampire tropes, but the imperial Japanese setting and the wonderful characters make them seem new. It was a quick read and I’m glad to see that there will be more books coming in the Youkai Bloodlines vein.
I was intrigued by the premise when I was approached to do a read and review for this book, and I am so happy I did. The story was a fresh enough take on bloodsuckers to keep my interest, and I became completely invested in Asagi’s journey.
Asagi identifies neither as male nor female but treads a “sliding scale between masculine and feminine” (Chapter 20, “Arrangements”). A household slave and someone with male anatomy, who presents as female, Asagi has been the victim of assault and abuse. When she and a child named Tsukito are sold to a new, monstrous master with an eye for young boys, Asagi throws herself between the man and the child she has come to love like a son, taking the abuse to spare the child. This is noticed by one of her master’s guests, who ‘rescues’ her from the brutal position by purchasing her service after she is badly injured.
The new household is nothing like the old one—the servants are happy, well-fed, and devoted to their master. Mahiro is kind and generous and expects nothing from Asagi but her company. Too good to be true, she thinks, and she is right: Mahiro is a Youkai, a supernatural being who feeds on blood. There is a fine line between human and monster—so delicate that Asagi finds herself coming to care for Mahiro, but misunderstandings, jealousy, and an act of desperation soon drag Asagi across that line. Her life will never be the same.
This story was completely enjoyable, and each character is painted in fine detail. It employs many well-used vampire tropes, but the imperial Japanese setting and the wonderful characters make them seem new. It was a quick read and I’m glad to see that there will be more books coming in the Youkai Bloodlines vein.
nightingfae's review
4.0
Originally published on nightingfae's blog
GIVEAWAY Head to my blog to have the chance to win an e-copy of this book!
I started reading Bloodlaced a bit blindly, I didn't know what I was going to find in it, so I had no expectations, honestly, plus I was in a huge reading slump so I had to force myself to start it, but I'm glad I did, because it has taken me out of that awful reading slump. And I think that would be more than enough for you to go and read it, because there are few books that will help you get over a reading slump. But I want to give you more reasons to want to read it, so I'll go on.
First things first, Asagi, the main character, is the is the spitting image of a non-binary person, though the author herself treats Asagi as a he/him, so I'm going to follow her steps. Now, if you're into vampire books you're going to enjoy Bloodlaced, because that's basically the base of the story. Though I really liked the fact that Asagi becoming a blood-drinking demon is just another complement to the story. You read his story, what he lives, what he feels, but him being a youkai doesn't affect his life more than being a slave did. What I'm trying to say is that by experience and time he learns to live with it, though his past acts will end up coming back to him.
What I really enjoyed about this book is that it's set in the 19th Century Japan, when Tokyo was still called Edo. I've always liked Japan's history and culture and it was really interesting to read a book placed there. Also, Courtney Maguire used a lot of Japanese terms and expressions throughout the book, luckily there's a glossary at the end of the book with all the words and their meanings. It's interesting and helps you feel more immersed in the story.
And finally, I'm not going to lie, this book was a crude, rough and hard read. It talks about rape, slavery, violence and self-harm among other things. But it has rays of hope and love, too. So it shows us that life, as raw and brutal as it may seem, is also filled with joy and good moments, which we have to hold on to so we don't lose our way.
Thanks to Let's Talk! Promotions and Psst... Promotions for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
GIVEAWAY Head to my blog to have the chance to win an e-copy of this book!
"People are afraid of what they don't understand. And weaker men want to destroy the things they fear."
I started reading Bloodlaced a bit blindly, I didn't know what I was going to find in it, so I had no expectations, honestly, plus I was in a huge reading slump so I had to force myself to start it, but I'm glad I did, because it has taken me out of that awful reading slump. And I think that would be more than enough for you to go and read it, because there are few books that will help you get over a reading slump. But I want to give you more reasons to want to read it, so I'll go on.
First things first, Asagi, the main character, is the is the spitting image of a non-binary person, though the author herself treats Asagi as a he/him, so I'm going to follow her steps. Now, if you're into vampire books you're going to enjoy Bloodlaced, because that's basically the base of the story. Though I really liked the fact that Asagi becoming a blood-drinking demon is just another complement to the story. You read his story, what he lives, what he feels, but him being a youkai doesn't affect his life more than being a slave did. What I'm trying to say is that by experience and time he learns to live with it, though his past acts will end up coming back to him.
"All fighting ever gets you is broken bones and bloodied noses and scars so deep they bleed into your soul until you learn to stop fighting."
What I really enjoyed about this book is that it's set in the 19th Century Japan, when Tokyo was still called Edo. I've always liked Japan's history and culture and it was really interesting to read a book placed there. Also, Courtney Maguire used a lot of Japanese terms and expressions throughout the book, luckily there's a glossary at the end of the book with all the words and their meanings. It's interesting and helps you feel more immersed in the story.
And finally, I'm not going to lie, this book was a crude, rough and hard read. It talks about rape, slavery, violence and self-harm among other things. But it has rays of hope and love, too. So it shows us that life, as raw and brutal as it may seem, is also filled with joy and good moments, which we have to hold on to so we don't lose our way.
Thanks to Let's Talk! Promotions and Psst... Promotions for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
aliteraryescape's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75