(Blood Heir Trilogy #1)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
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.
Overall Thoughts
I enjoyed this book from the very beginning, which involves a hectic escape from prison with loads of blood, and gore and death, but in a really cool way! The MC, Ana’s memories are mixed into the first few chapters and throughout the book, which I really liked. I always loved the Anastasia myth, so I really enjoyed the elements of it in this story. The old timey Russian setting was fun as well. All the descriptions of snow and freezing rivers made me feel very cozy here in Australia. I love the characters in this, and the magic is really cool. It also deals with some pretty grim themes like prejudice and human trafficking. I have to say I’m a little disappointed that Ana didn’t just go nuts with her magic at the end and kill all the bad guys for an instant win, but I guess that would have been a bit too easy, and also bloody. I’m looking forward to some more bloodshed and twisty plots in the sequel!
World
The magic in this is cool, with some people who are born Affinites - those with special affinities to certain things. Like blood. The MC is basically a blood-bender, and there are a few other characters that would have fit in to Avatar very well. Hey, I’m not complaining one bit! I love the Avatar cartoon. There’s even an airbender, oh sorry, air Affinite in this who is a super assassin, and she’s awesome! There’s also May, a young girl who is an earth bender/Affinite. She can throw dirt around, but also make flowers bloom. Take that Toph!
“This world was neither just nor kind nor good, and you chose to keep fighting or to surrender.”
Ana, who lived a sheltered life in the palace (or rather she was locked away) is rather abruptly introduced to the real world full of corruption and exploitation. She was sheltered from it in the palace, even though she was treated badly herself (it’s just not acceptable for a princess to be an Affinite so they tried to get rid of it by poisoning her, duh). She had this idealistic view of the world outside, and of her father’s Empire and she simply couldn’t believe that her father would allow people to be treated so horribly, or allow his army to be so corrupted - they were supposed to protect people. She quickly realises the truth when she and May become targets of Affinite traders, and she doesn’t have the palace walls or a crown to protect her. No matter what, Ana is determined to fight for justice.
Characters
In a world where Affinites are hated and feared, Ana even has to fight her own prejudice against herself. She sees herself as a monster because she has internalised the hatred and fear of those around her. Plus her power is pretty gnarly. Her experiences lead to her finding self-acceptance, and the courage to fight for others, as well as the understanding that it is our choices that make us either humans or monsters.
“The man he’d become believed that there was no good or bad; there were only various shades of gray.”
Ramson Quicktongue, you sly scoundrel. I really enjoyed this morally grey character. Ramson is a conman and criminal mastermind who told himself he wasn’t evil because he wasn’t trafficking Affinites himself. However he comes to realise that standing by and watching it happen was just as bad, and with Ana’s help, chooses to do the right thing. I think the split POV works really well for this book too. I’m a fan of seeing both sides of a relationship. I love Ana and Ramson! They are so good together, equally intelligent and witty. I did wish there was more romance, but I’ll wait to see how their relationship develops in book 2, Red Tigress.
Themes
This book has the ‘I have monstrous powers but I’m not evil’ trope. I like it in this book, because she does have a really monstrous power. She kills people. Bad guys, but still. She can control blood, and when she uses her power on people they usually end up bleeding to death, or choking on their own blood or dieing in some other horrible way. She also can’t control her temper very well, which makes for a volatile mix.
“There is good and bad in everything, Ana. And it is the good of this world that makes it worth saving.”
The book also covers the very real problem of the exploitation of migrant workers and human trafficking. People moving to a new land in hope of a better life are cruelly deceived and forced into indentured servitude. The ordinary people don’t care because they’re either making a profit from it or are just happy that it’s not happening to them. It’s really sad that things like this happen even in modern wealthy countries. The author wanted to highlight this societal complicity through her book. The story also draws on her multicultural upbringing and her heritage. I thought it was done in a really great way that shows the stark reality but focuses on giving hope and the will to fight for what you believe in.
Pre-order book 2 Red Tigress now!
Happy reading!
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