Blood Heir
Ratings11
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings11
Average rating3.7
The first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father's murder. In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls. When Ana's father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father's murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue. A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all. “Cinematic storytelling at its best.”—Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back “Zhao shines in the fast-paced and vivid combat scenes, which lend a cinematic quality that pulls readers in.”—The New York Times Book Review “Zhao is a master writer who weaves a powerful tale of loyalty, honor, and courage through a strong female protagonist. . . . Readers will love the fast-paced energy and plot twists in this adventure-packed story.”—SLJ
Series
2 primary booksBlood Heir Trilogy is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Amélie Wen Zhao.
Reviews with the most likes.
The basic premise of Blood Heir is very familiar - a world where magical people are persecuted and controlled by people who fear them. This is not a particularly new or original concept. However, Blood Heir is an exceptionally well written example of this trope. Amelie has a very engaging writing style that draws you in a pleasant way. The world she has built is richly realised with the characters and places given some interesting depth. Whilst the story deals largely in tropes, they are all very well executed ones and together form a pleasing whole.
This was underwhelming for me. I really liked the magic system and the different powers characters had but I found the story lacking and was not able to really connect with the characters.
It's a good story. So, I read this book because of the L.L.McKinney vs. Amélie Wen Zhao issue. I read [b:A Blade So Black 36952594 A Blade So Black (Nightmare-Verse, #1) L.L. McKinney https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524085521l/36952594.SY75.jpg 55014241] first simply because it was published first. I liked it better. They are not quite comparable, though, as that one is more urban fantasy happening in modern day USA, and this one more classic fantasy, happening in an imaginary world somewhat based on Russia. I didn't find anything racist in this book, but I also read an edited version, as Amélie held this book back about a half a year to check the racism due to the “issue”. I don't think there was any racism in that book either, one must remember that L.L.McKinney is a USonian black woman, who would naturally read any reference to slavery from the USonian black slavery POV, when Amélie Wen Zhao is a Chinese born woman, who is clearly talking about the serfdom going on in Russia and China. But, I am a white European woman from a country where there was no slavery. Anyway, this book is not racist. I think it was slightly too long. The journey from 2/3 to 3/4 was painful to read. But, I didn't DNF it.I even want to read the next book, so even though that last third was tedious and boring, it's not a bad book. I liked the concept, ideas, plot, solutions, but I have some problems with how the characters behaved and thought. The constant “I'm a monster” thinking was aggravating. OK, so you are a monster. Define what being a monster is. Use your affinity in a way that you can achieve what you want to achieve. One can use weapons in many different ways. Learn to use it, learn to control it, learn to control your own blood, and create a barrier against the poison or something. Geesh! That she can't decide whether to trust people or not, trusts everyone and then starts distrusting them and then goes back to trusting them... I hate it that she killed always the wrong people. And then there was that movie fighting, all the attacks happen one on one, orderly and everyone waits nicely until its time for them to make the move. Uh. It was just too... convenient. But - it was still a good story.Oh, and “Who is he?”“It's a long story”No, it's not. “He's a fear Affinite, working for the empress usurper and Kerlan, his name is Vladimir Sadov”. Very short story, gives enough information and explains everything.Nice that it wasn't instalove, but focused more on the friendship and other human relations instead of love. Of course they love each other, but they didn't do what they did because of that. That was just kind of bonus. I like that. I like the effort to create depth to the characters even when it didn't work too well. I have high hopes about the next book. There are some things here that remind me a lot of [b:Children of Blood and Bone 34728667 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) Tomi Adeyemi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516127989l/34728667.SX50.jpg 55911580], except this one is better.
