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marydrover 's review for:
The Blood Spell
by C.J. Redwine
This is the last currently published book in the Ravenspire series, and I am so sad. I want more now! My review for The Shadow Queen, The Wish Granter, and The Traitor Prince are all linked. Now, these are marked as standalones, and you can read them without having read anything else, but I definitely recommend reading them in order because there are Easter eggs for each of the different tales. The Blood Spell is a Cinderella retelling, and while all the expected parts are there–the evil stepsisters (kind of), the awful stepmother (definitely), the glass slipper (it’s so cool), the fairy godmother and the pumpkin turned carriage–Redwine’s version of these fairytales are always much darker, much more imaginative, and much more feminist.
After sixteen years of Balavata’s blood wraith trapped and caged, children are starting to go missing again, strange and fatal spells are starting to resurface again, and there is a wicked plot to destroy the royal family. Blue de la Cour, alchemist and commoner, has no time for the crown prince or his antics. She’s too busy trying to figure out how to rehome all of the orphaned street kids, tutor the mute princess while still keeping her safe, and keep her shop afloat.
Man, this was good. It was so dramatic, as they always are, but in a really good way. There was one super adorable scene where our Cinderella characters are present, the royal family from the Rumpelstiltskin story have arrived to visit, and Hansel & Gretel are just docking their ship. Plus, Kellan, crown prince of Balavata, had a very small role in The Traitor Prince as Javan’s best friend and roommate, so it was really awesome to see him again. Even outside of the characters, whom I am going to love every time, Redwine twists this complex and compelling plot, taking a pretty standard, white fairytale and just dumping it on its head. And after making it diverse and engaging, she also gives us a damn good story. I get all warm inside at the expected fairytale parts and equal parts terrified and awed at all the unexpected parts. This is truly one of my favorite series, and I can’t wait for the next one.
After sixteen years of Balavata’s blood wraith trapped and caged, children are starting to go missing again, strange and fatal spells are starting to resurface again, and there is a wicked plot to destroy the royal family. Blue de la Cour, alchemist and commoner, has no time for the crown prince or his antics. She’s too busy trying to figure out how to rehome all of the orphaned street kids, tutor the mute princess while still keeping her safe, and keep her shop afloat.
Man, this was good. It was so dramatic, as they always are, but in a really good way. There was one super adorable scene where our Cinderella characters are present, the royal family from the Rumpelstiltskin story have arrived to visit, and Hansel & Gretel are just docking their ship. Plus, Kellan, crown prince of Balavata, had a very small role in The Traitor Prince as Javan’s best friend and roommate, so it was really awesome to see him again. Even outside of the characters, whom I am going to love every time, Redwine twists this complex and compelling plot, taking a pretty standard, white fairytale and just dumping it on its head. And after making it diverse and engaging, she also gives us a damn good story. I get all warm inside at the expected fairytale parts and equal parts terrified and awed at all the unexpected parts. This is truly one of my favorite series, and I can’t wait for the next one.