Review: Blood Heir Amelie Wen Zhao

Synopsis:

This hot debut is 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.

My Review:

5/5

I honestly really enjoyed this book. Such rich worldbuilding and a very dynamic plot. Ramson is honestly amazing and I really loved Ana. I’m a huge fan of the animated Anastasia movie and this fresh take on the Romanov family was really cool. I couldn’t put this down!

Of course I did want to touch on the controversy surrounding this story, I did get the chance to read one of the original ARCs and I did not see what those who took this story out of context saw. Some of the points did happen in that Ana does go to save her friend who gets killed, but that happened towards the end of the book. The whole drive during this book was to SAVE that friend, not what critics were claiming. So anyway, read this book for yourself it comes out November 19th. I have my copy pre-ordered!

Me re-reading the ‘critiques’ of this book

About the Author:

Amélie Wen Zhao is a Paris-born Chinese national who fell in love with stories since she was old enough to hold a book. Raised in an international community in Beijing, she had the opportunity to grow up steeped in the values and teachings of three different cultures. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Les Misérables, and Wuthering Heights were among her favorite works.

It wasn’t long before she wanted to tell her own tales. After graduating from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business in 2014, Amélie began working as a finance professional by day, and writing by night. Her young adult fantasy trilogy, BLOOD HEIR, debuts in 2019 from Delacorte Press / Penguin Random House.

Amélie hopes to empower young readers with messages of acceptance, strength, and love through her works, and to continue to push the boundaries of young adult literature by exploring new, cross-cultural themes.