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witcheep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I got more out of analysing the characters than from the plot; the plot doesn't offer anything very new to a reader who consumes a lot of fantasy. The magic system is built upon affinities of different kinds of magic and has the potential to be interesting, but unfortunately it is left somewhat vague. The big plot lines are quite predictable, but the smaller nuances and the intertwining of different plot lines is entertaining and at some points even surprising.
In the beginning of the book the main character Ana is an annoyingly naive, impulsive and irrational person who sees the world as black and white, divided clearly into good and evil. She has always regarded the world from the perspective of a vastly privileged aristocratic heir, which skews her thinking. Suddenly Ana is framed for the murder of her father, the emperor. Ana flees to avoid execution, but struggles to change her attitude and view of the world, even when her new position of no privileges forces her to face a whole new side to the world. I almost DNF'd the Blood Heir because how annoying Ana was, especially with her friend May.
Ramson's character is what saved the story for me and kept me reading. He is introduced as a crime lord, but it is revealed that he is actually more like ahenchman, altough high in the hierarchy, and comes from a more morally noble background . His world views include thinking everyone as some shade of gray, the choises and actions defining people rather than them being just good or bad. It is a little disappointing that he isn't written as a properly bad character.
Ana and Ramson don't always get along, but they get friendly with each other in their own ways even if they make mistakes along the way. It is fun reading her and Ana's bickering. Ramson's views on gray morality and defining choises rub on Ana as well, and she begins to try to think for herself a little more (and while doing so, slowly sheds the naivety and impulsiveness a little, yay! ). This impact to Ana is also resiprocated, since Ana makes Ramson question his morality and motivations as well. That is what I enjoyed the most in the book. I always seem to enjoy seeing characters having an impact in each other's way of thinking and acting, especially when it offers both of them something that makes them more contented with themselves.
In the beginning of the book the main character Ana is an annoyingly naive, impulsive and irrational person who sees the world as black and white, divided clearly into good and evil. She has always regarded the world from the perspective of a vastly privileged aristocratic heir, which skews her thinking. Suddenly Ana is framed for the murder of her father, the emperor. Ana flees to avoid execution, but struggles to change her attitude and view of the world, even when her new position of no privileges forces her to face a whole new side to the world. I almost DNF'd the Blood Heir because how annoying Ana was, especially with her friend May.
Ramson's character is what saved the story for me and kept me reading. He is introduced as a crime lord, but it is revealed that he is actually more like a
Ana and Ramson don't always get along, but they get friendly with each other in their own ways even if they make mistakes along the way. It is fun reading her and Ana's bickering. Ramson's views on gray morality and defining choises rub on Ana as well, and she begins to try to think for herself a little more (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault
grinchem's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book's strongest point was character interactions, they were done with a skill and believability that you don't often find. Sometimes that believability includes them being assholes to each other when they're upset. It was an easy read that kept me engaged all the way through. There were twists and turns, and the author did a great job of keeping the stakes high, and then throwing wrenches into the characters plans. The characters learned and grew from their experiences, without their development feeling forced. On the downside, a lot of the framework of the story, character concepts, and world were somewhat generic for the genre, but overall I found the execution of those ideas to be where this book truly stands on its own.
The main character starts out very naive, which can certainly grate on some readers. However, it's reasonable in context given the character's background, and she learns from her mistakes and grows. Neither of the leads were particularly likeable at the beginning, but they were unlikable in a way that's fun to watch, and if you're a person who prefers likable characters, they do grow into that as the story goes along (Ana more quickly than Ramson).
I heard there were concerns about how human trafficking was handled when the novel was first released, but the author pulled the book and made changes. I don't know what the original looked like, but I myself didn't notice any problems in this version. Human trafficking and indentured servitude is prominent in some sections of the story, the characters are appropriately horrified by it, and several characters that have themselves experienced this have their own agency and are not defined by it as characters or for their parts in the story. That said, this is simply my personal perspective, and others may see things that I failed to notice.
The main character starts out very naive, which can certainly grate on some readers. However, it's reasonable in context given the character's background, and she learns from her mistakes and grows. Neither of the leads were particularly likeable at the beginning, but they were unlikable in a way that's fun to watch, and if you're a person who prefers likable characters, they do grow into that as the story goes along (Ana more quickly than Ramson).
I heard there were concerns about how human trafficking was handled when the novel was first released, but the author pulled the book and made changes. I don't know what the original looked like, but I myself didn't notice any problems in this version. Human trafficking and indentured servitude is prominent in some sections of the story, the characters are appropriately horrified by it, and several characters that have themselves experienced this have their own agency and are not defined by it as characters or for their parts in the story. That said, this is simply my personal perspective, and others may see things that I failed to notice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Slavery, and Violence
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I was expecting this book to be right up my alley, given that it's a magical retelling of Anastasia Nikolayevna's story (the last duchess of Russia) written by an Asian author. I was aware of the prior controversy surrounding this book and while I'm all for sensitivity readers and calling out racist representation when we see it, I didn't think the initial claims were substantiated. When Zhao pushed the release date out and reworked the draft, I was excited to read it (and here I am 4 years after the release).
Unfortunately, this book was a huge letdown simply because it was such a generic fantasy that I was hardly motivated to finish it. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with it, but I found the plot to be painfully predictable as someone who reads a lot of fantasy. The characters so perfectly fit into stereotypes that I knew who would live, who would die, how certain conflicts would be resolved, etc. From reading other reviews of this book, Zhao wanted to shed light upon the issue of human trafficking, but I didn't get any of that from a generic "magical people are enslaved and oppressed" storyline that is already rampant in fantasy stories. It's not bad, per se, but I have no desire to read the 2nd book. It's honestly kind of funny to me that this book was so mired in controversy when it's otherwise so entirely forgettable.
Unfortunately, this book was a huge letdown simply because it was such a generic fantasy that I was hardly motivated to finish it. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with it, but I found the plot to be painfully predictable as someone who reads a lot of fantasy. The characters so perfectly fit into stereotypes that I knew who would live, who would die, how certain conflicts would be resolved, etc. From reading other reviews of this book, Zhao wanted to shed light upon the issue of human trafficking, but I didn't get any of that from a generic "magical people are enslaved and oppressed" storyline that is already rampant in fantasy stories. It's not bad, per se, but I have no desire to read the 2nd book. It's honestly kind of funny to me that this book was so mired in controversy when it's otherwise so entirely forgettable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking, Torture, and Slavery
singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book has a great concept: a crown princess, accused of treason, has to work together with a crime lord to prove her innocence. The people in this world are divided into two categories: those who have no magic, and those who have magic - an affinity to a certain element. The main character - Ana - has no idea what life is like for those living with magic in her kingdom, and how her chosen companion, conman named Ransom Quicktongue plays into this status quo.
The main characters are exactly as you would expect them to be: a wilful princess and a silver-tongued criminal. As the story progresses, we get more and more glimpses into the past that shaped these characters into who they are today. Other than the two main characters, there’s a host of other characters, who all have a role to play in the story.
The story started strong with an interesting, action-packet setup. Unfortunately, I soon became tired of the structure of action packed chapters followed by slower chapters about the characters’ past. That was not the only thing I grew weary of, since these two can’t seem to stay out of trouble for two seconds. The author tried to pack so much action and so much emotion into every possible scene, especially towards the end, that it became tiresome.
I’m afraid that despite the interesting concept, the story tried to do way too much and piled on obstacle after obstacle. With better pacing and allowing the characters more time to breathe in the present timeline, this story could have been improved.
The main characters are exactly as you would expect them to be: a wilful princess and a silver-tongued criminal. As the story progresses, we get more and more glimpses into the past that shaped these characters into who they are today. Other than the two main characters, there’s a host of other characters, who all have a role to play in the story.
The story started strong with an interesting, action-packet setup. Unfortunately, I soon became tired of the structure of action packed chapters followed by slower chapters about the characters’ past. That was not the only thing I grew weary of, since these two can’t seem to stay out of trouble for two seconds. The author tried to pack so much action and so much emotion into every possible scene, especially towards the end, that it became tiresome.
I’m afraid that despite the interesting concept, the story tried to do way too much and piled on obstacle after obstacle. With better pacing and allowing the characters more time to breathe in the present timeline, this story could have been improved.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, Torture, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Murder, Slavery, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury
grace_yin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Sexual violence
ghostlyprince's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Trafficking, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, and Torture
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual violence and Confinement
whatthefridge's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beginning was really strong, but somewhere towards the middle it began to drag for me. I struggled to finish the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Torture
gingerale06's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
booknerdbetty's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Blood
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
this seemed fun but it was honestly a chore to get through. It contained some promising elements, interesting tropes etc... The writing wasn't terrible but it still failed to deliver somehow? A few too many clichés, and some of the emotions didn't feel raw enough to me. Somehow I never connected enough to the mc to care about her grief and pain so it didn't struck any chords with me. I could easily call the plot twists as well so it didn't keep me on the edge of my seet. Maybe I'm just not the right audience for this (anymore)?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Death
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Vomit