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yazthebookish 's review for:
When Wishes Bleed
by Casey L. Bond
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Wishes Bleed is a book that offered more than what the synopsis hints at and it took me through different turns as the story developed which did its job at keeping me hooked.
I was in the mood to read a book on witches and magic and to me, this book delivered it.
Apparently, the plot is a mixture of Cinderella and The Hunger Games and the elements from both these are notable in the story.
The main plot focuses on Prince Tauren's death omen which was revealed when he snapped the wishbone given to him at his request by Sable, a witch from sector 13 and the only representative of House of Fate. Sable receives an invitation from the castle to join twelve other girls each representing their sectors to win the heart of the prince and become his wife and future queen. Unlike the other girls, Sable's presence is to ensure Prince Tauren's safety and evade him from his deadly fate.
I'd also say that the plot is multi-layered and other events kept popping up which added more to the story and kept me entertained.
I liked Sable as the main heroine of the story, she is a calm, collected and determined girl whose life is led by Fate, for she known as Daughter of Fate and her goal is to claim and restore the House of Fate as it's rightful heir. House of Fate is one of the five houses in the circle each represented by priests/priestesses and witches both male and female. There is House of Fire, House of Water, House of Wind and House of Earth. All the witches live in Sector 13 also known as The Gallows.
I really liked Sable's interactions and friendship with Brecan, a male witch from the House of Wind and Mira, a witch from the House of Water. I was glad to see that they had a role to play in the story rather than be kept as background characters.
Moving on to Prince Tauren, the main love interest, I felt that he was a little underdeveloped but I did eventually like him and I liked their dynamic as a couple because Sable wasn't reliant on him and took the role of the protector rather than vice-versa. My main concern was I knew the book had insta-love trope but I'm glad it started out as insta-attraction and that gave some decent development to the romance which still did not sweep me off my feet but I liked some of the sweet moments between them. But I must admit that their chemistry is a little lacking.
The world-building is another aspect I enjoyed about the book but I also had isssues with. I liked the imagery the author described throughout the book, it gave way for my mind to imagine the setting of the story. The Nautilus kingdom is made up of 13 sectors spiraling out in the same manner as the shell and each sector had its own speciality. The first four sectors are the core sectors, sector 5 and 6 are the arts, sector 7 and 8 are the industrial sectors. sector 9 to 11 are the farmlands, sector 12 is the timber sector, and finally sector 13 is The Gallows the home to the witches.
On the other hand, I was confused about what type of setting it was because it is a Kingdom but is it a modern Kingdom? a fantastical industrial setting? There was sudden mentions of cameras, showers or jeans, sundresses and tuxedos. So I found that it left me confused and trying to form a solid picture of the world.
But I have to say if you enjoy witches and magic, this book pulls it off in a unique way. Each witch's magic has an affinity based on their houses. There's more mystery and intrigue with the way the magic and witchcraft works and I'm most of all intrigued with Fate as an affinity of its own. Fate gives Sable the ability to look into the future and read people and I find that to be very interesting and a fun aspect.
And oh that cliffhanger at the end renewed my excitement of the sequel. I'm definitely following this book onto its second story.
When Wishes Bleed is a book that offered more than what the synopsis hints at and it took me through different turns as the story developed which did its job at keeping me hooked.
I was in the mood to read a book on witches and magic and to me, this book delivered it.
Apparently, the plot is a mixture of Cinderella and The Hunger Games and the elements from both these are notable in the story.
The main plot focuses on Prince Tauren's death omen which was revealed when he snapped the wishbone given to him at his request by Sable, a witch from sector 13 and the only representative of House of Fate. Sable receives an invitation from the castle to join twelve other girls each representing their sectors to win the heart of the prince and become his wife and future queen. Unlike the other girls, Sable's presence is to ensure Prince Tauren's safety and evade him from his deadly fate.
I'd also say that the plot is multi-layered and other events kept popping up which added more to the story and kept me entertained.
I liked Sable as the main heroine of the story, she is a calm, collected and determined girl whose life is led by Fate, for she known as Daughter of Fate and her goal is to claim and restore the House of Fate as it's rightful heir. House of Fate is one of the five houses in the circle each represented by priests/priestesses and witches both male and female. There is House of Fire, House of Water, House of Wind and House of Earth. All the witches live in Sector 13 also known as The Gallows.
I really liked Sable's interactions and friendship with Brecan, a male witch from the House of Wind and Mira, a witch from the House of Water. I was glad to see that they had a role to play in the story rather than be kept as background characters.
Moving on to Prince Tauren, the main love interest, I felt that he was a little underdeveloped but I did eventually like him and I liked their dynamic as a couple because Sable wasn't reliant on him and took the role of the protector rather than vice-versa. My main concern was I knew the book had insta-love trope but I'm glad it started out as insta-attraction and that gave some decent development to the romance which still did not sweep me off my feet but I liked some of the sweet moments between them. But I must admit that their chemistry is a little lacking.
The world-building is another aspect I enjoyed about the book but I also had isssues with. I liked the imagery the author described throughout the book, it gave way for my mind to imagine the setting of the story. The Nautilus kingdom is made up of 13 sectors spiraling out in the same manner as the shell and each sector had its own speciality. The first four sectors are the core sectors, sector 5 and 6 are the arts, sector 7 and 8 are the industrial sectors. sector 9 to 11 are the farmlands, sector 12 is the timber sector, and finally sector 13 is The Gallows the home to the witches.
On the other hand, I was confused about what type of setting it was because it is a Kingdom but is it a modern Kingdom? a fantastical industrial setting? There was sudden mentions of cameras, showers or jeans, sundresses and tuxedos. So I found that it left me confused and trying to form a solid picture of the world.
But I have to say if you enjoy witches and magic, this book pulls it off in a unique way. Each witch's magic has an affinity based on their houses. There's more mystery and intrigue with the way the magic and witchcraft works and I'm most of all intrigued with Fate as an affinity of its own. Fate gives Sable the ability to look into the future and read people and I find that to be very interesting and a fun aspect.
And oh that cliffhanger at the end renewed my excitement of the sequel. I'm definitely following this book onto its second story.