A review by melanie_books
The Blood Spell by C.J. Redwine

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."