Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

I love fantasy that is unique and immersive and yet accessible to people who don't read fantasy. This story is that. You get immersed in the Vietnamese culture and the unique and dying art of heartsoothing, an art which allows people to heal others. Nhika is on the run because of her talent as a 'bloodcarver' because with the ability to heal comes the ability to harm. When she is caught and subsequently purchased by one of the richest families to heal the witness to the patriarch's murder. Suddenly she is caught in a web of intrigue where she is sought after and able to enjoy the better things in life. This also puts her squarely in danger.

The pace of this story was perfect. Not too much world building but plenty of time to understand the healing magic and the history of Nhika's people. The murder mystery is at the center but there is also a great story of finding your place in the world and of course a story of love. Unlike many series of the day, there is an ending and yet a nice open door to book two that won't leave you frustrated.

Read this one if you liked Dana Schwartz's Anatomy series or Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Bloodcarvers are known to be ruthless monsters that can alter your body with just a touch. However, Nhika was taught as a child that bloodcarving (or blood-soothing as she was taught) is for healing and good.

After being arrested for using her magic, Nhika is taken to be sold to the highest bidder, a wealthy young woman buys her. The young woman and her brother are kind and are hoping she can help solve a murder mystery by healing a man who was at the scene. Nhika is given everything she’s never had in her simple life and her attachment to the family grows strong. Initially she is not able to help them but is given a library full of medical books for her to research in hopes to find a way.

Because the Congmis are kind and generous, she finds a contentment she hasn’t felt in years. This helps her study endlessly on the brain and the body systems that provide her with information she’s never known. But also opens her heart to friendships and relationships because these people accept her for who she is.

The classism is a large part of the story and it is portrayed well by showing the two extremes. It also shows the hearts of people, good or bad, regardless of that position.

The science Nhika was researching and how her mind is opened begins a rush of knowledge into her. Then something sinister arises and she’s caught between two choices. This revelation spurs the mystery into another direction while keeping the intrigue high. She has searched for belonging, acceptance and people to love her for who she is. Now she has very difficult decisions to make.

If you’re looking for a unique story filled with magic, strong spirit and found family, you will love this one!

AUDIO REVIEW: VyVy Nguyen was perfect for the voices of teens but also adults. She excelled in speed or intensity in all the right places to add that extra entertainment. My only complaint would be to add more Asian accent to the story but it did not deter my entertainment in any way.

Thank you to Fierce Reads, NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and Roaring Book Press for the beautiful copies!

The Last Bloodcarver is the first in a duology by Vanessa Le, inspired by Vietnam, following Nhika, a bloodcarver. I loved the concept of heart soother, someone who used magic that speaks to body autonomy. The magic system the author has introduced is one of its’ kind, strongly focusing on medical practitioners.
Nhika lives by herself in a city where she sees her kind as a killer more than a healer and so she hides in broad daylight, trying to be one of them. Her lifestyle changes when she is employed by the Congmis siblings to cure their driver who might be the sole witness of their father’s last moments.
The Last Bloodcarver takes a very impressive take on classism and diaspora. Nhika slowly develops a special bond with the Congims siblings and Trin, their bodyguard. Then she meets Kochin, an aide to a well-known physician who is also uncle to the siblings. More than the mystery element of a murder, the world-building kept me hooked. I loved how the author had added some of the most important and relevant topics in today’s time in a fantasy world.
Nhika ‘s guilt and burden of being the sole survivor who is constantly thinking about how to hold on to her legacy and how difficult that can be if she wants to stay alive.
In terms of romance, there is one but it happens so late that honestly, I forgot there was supposed to be one as per the blurb. And it also felt a little insta love types, I didn’t see the shift between the characters at any point. But like I said it felt like such a small part, that I don’t think I need to take my rating down for it. Besides what Nhika lacked in terms of a love story, the side characters, my two sweetheart boys, Andao and Trin, make up for it.

Once in a while, a book will come along that just surprises the hell out of me in the best way. The Last Bloodcarver is one of those books. The city of Theumas is heavily industrialized, pushing the limits of technology and science. Nhika is struggling to get by, peddling oils and herbs and generally posing as a healer. Thing is? She actually can heal people, reading someone's body with a single touch to diagnose them. Nhika is a heartsooth, in the tongue of her people. The citizens of Theumas, however, fear the abilities she wields, and call her a bloodcarver. The power to manipulate a a body requires only energy and knowledge, and when Nhika has both, she can be deadly. However, she would far rather honor the memories of her lineage, her deceased parents and grandparents, and all the other heartsooths from the island of Yarong that have gone before her. Nhika is the last surviving member of her family, and to the best of her knowledge, the last heartsooth.

When a scam job goes wrong, Nhika ends up in the clutches of The Butchers, a gang of thieves who deal in rare animals. As far as they're concerned, a proven bloodcarver is just that, and they plan to sell her to the highest bidder. That bidder turns out to be a 15-year old girl named Mimi. Nhika is whisked away from Butcher's Row to an elaborate estate and introduced to Mimi's brother Andao, the and informed that they are the children and heirs of one of Theumas' leading tech magnates. Their father has died, and they suspect foul play. Only one man was witness to what happened to Mr. Congmi on the night he died, and that witness is now in a coma. It is with the desperate hope that he might have memories of the death that Mimi and Andao sought out Nhika and her abilities. If Nhika can heal him, he might be able to tell the siblings what actually happened to their father.

Nhika must soon begin to navigate the upper echelons of a society that would kill her for her talents, learning more about medicine and politics in order to blend in at the Congmi estate. How long she can keep her secret when the grounds are buzzing with people? Was Mr. Congmi's death really just an accident? Is that doctor's young aide flirting with her? Will she be able to find peace in her family's traditions when everyone she loved is dead?

Vanessa Le has created an enthralling world in The Last Bloodcarver. Using her own Vietnamese heritage as a background, she's wound magic and history together in an immediately engaging story. This book starts off fast and doesn't let up. This is planned as book one of a duology, too, and I'm already looking forward to the follow-up work.

The Last Bloodcarver is out from MacMillan today. My utmost thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2024/03/19/the-last-bloodcarver-a-review/

3.5 stars

While this was a fine story it didn’t feel fully fleshed out. It needed more world building. It seemed like the story offered pieces of this world but didn’t link them together. There is magic - blood carving which is simultaneously thought of as extinct but also terrifies people. Like the boogeyman. There is technology but at like 1930s level. Rotary phones, X-rays are brand new, and organ transplants haven’t been fully perfected yet. But at the same time there are complex and advanced automatons that do everything for a household or business. I ‘think’ this was supposed to be Vietnamese gas lamp? While this is an interesting mystery, the story telling and dialog was a bit simplistic, so it wasn’t fully engaging and had me skimming through parts. I also dislike the “I’m not telling you things to protect you” trope. If you’re looking for something simple, with a who-done-it premise and a love story, you may enjoy this.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's already out, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Nhika is a heartsooth - or, as the people of Theumas would call her, a bloodcarver. She can alter a human's biology, can heal or hurt with just a touch. After being bought by the wealthy Congmi family, she's tasked with healing the only witness to their father's murder.

I loved the world-building and the blend of science and magic! It was so interesting to read Nhika describing the technical aspects of her powers, I haven't read anything like that before.

I only wish that there had been more development to Nhika and Kochin's relationship. I did like their eventual bond and what brought them together, but the strength of their feelings came on a little too fast for me.

Overall this was a really solid debut and I'm looking forward to the sequel (especially after that cliffhanger)!

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC!

"Maybe, that was all that legacy truly was, remembrance from beyond the grave.
It didn't need to be resounding, and it didn't need to be celebrated; it just needed to be."

I buddy-read The Last Bloodcarver with my best friend this weekend and we had a really fun time with it, EVEN if that ending left us clutching our pearls, with our sanity hanging by a thread.

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le is a Vietnam-inspired, silkpunk fantasy set in a technocratic city-state that follows heartsoother Nhika, who may very well be the last of her kind. Vilified and feared for their ability to alter human biology with just a touch, Nhika's kind are referred to as bloodcarvers, seen as monsters that kill for pleasure rather than gifted healers. When Nhika gets caught after hiding her identity for so long, she's forced to use her abilities to heal the last witness to a high-profile murder. As she delves into high society to pursue the investigation and is faced with a terrifying evil, the key to her survival comes with a price: embrace the monster that the city fears or risk endangering the future of her kind.

This book navigates topics like classism, racism, the diaspora experience, generational trauma, but most of all, the preservation of culture, knowledge and legacy. It was heartbreaking, yet so beautiful, seeing how Nhika longed for a homeland and a culture that she never got the chance to fully experience, how she clung to that connection to the family she lost. I especially loved how she continued to treasure, nurture and protect her gift of heartsoothing, despite living in a place where something so precious and integral to her being is condemned and vilified.

I was hooked on this story from beginning to end. It was fast-paced, the world-building was easy to understand, and it had a great cast of characters. I adored the magic system and the fact that while it is based on science, it relies upon empathy. As always, I loved the found-family aspect, and we even got a delicate, budding romance towards the end that I hope we get to see more of in the sequel.

I’ve started and deleted this review several times, because nothing I write seems to really do this book justice! It’s the first in a YA fantasy duology with Vietnamese mythological roots. It covers so many big ideas like colonization, “otherizing,” legacy, and ethical use of science and medicine - all while telling a fascinating story with a badass FMC at the center of it all (my favorite kind of main character).

Nhika as a special gift of heartsoothing - also referred to as bloodcarving by Theumas, the reigning territory - which is illegal and has been thought to be eradicated from the population. Her love for her gift and for her ancestors who passed it down to her is paired with her shame and fear of being found out and exploited by others as well as loneliness from having to navigate heartsoothing and life on her own. She finds herself pulled into a mystery and is able to share her secret with a few individuals, but she’s constantly reminded that her worth to them is contractual and is a result of what she can do for others, not for who she really is.

I loved pretty much everything about this book! My least favorite aspect, to the surprise of absolutely no one, was the romance that blossoms. I also got bogged down in some of the medical terminology, but I just skimmed those paragraphs and was able to still enjoy the story.

The plot, characters, and setting are all deeply layered and beautifully written. I absolutely adored Le’s prose in this book and have so many highlighted passages! And the ending - OMG. I will absolutely be reading the second book in this installment and would recommend this to anyone who loves Young Adult books, fantasy, romance, and/or mysteries!

What a stunning and unique debut novel from author Vanessa Le - full of healing magic, a caste country heavily influenced by Vietnam and the East, and a mystery that captivates the reader until the last pages.

Nhika - who inherited the magical healing properties of heartsoothing or bloodcarving - is orphaned in the country her family fled to. Left to fend for herself, she works as a healer - but during an appointment gone wrong, she’s captured and sold on the black market to a wealthy family desperate for answers.

The story follows Nhika’s search for their answers, while she continues to grow in her understanding of her own gifts. There’s also a smidge of enemies to lovers, in a perfectly written YA way, in which Nhika is forced to make the ultimate choice.

The characters are complex, the world is rich in detail, and the slightly horrific plot isn’t predictable. Win, win, win.

The Last Bloodcarver is absolutely brilliant. Vanessa Le bringing in Vietnamese inspiration and contexts to the story brings forth a rich world as yet unexplored in this sort of fantasy setting -- but is clearly ripe for it. Le's writing is brilliant, balancing the romance and fantasy elements well while keeping the stakes high throughout the novel. I absolutely loved this one!

This book had everything I love about a book. The magic system, the characters, the romance and the found family dynamic had me sobbing, overall it was such an amazing story. BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR THE SECOND BOOK, I NEED IT NOW, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. Anyways this was a five star read! Biggest thanks to the publisher, and netgalley for sending this my way.

Nhika is a bloodcarver. She can alter human biology with just a touch, to heal or harm. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure.

When she is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she's captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder. When she meets an alluring yet entitled physician's aide, Ven Kochin, she’s forced to question the true intent behind this murder. In a society that outcasts her, Kochin seems drawn to her while also pushing her away. He's not who he says he is. Will she have to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears to save herself and the ones she's vowed to protect?

Have you finished a book and feel you NEED to read the next one immediately? That's what happened when I read The Last Bloodcarver. I even started to feel that way while still reading. The Last Bloodcarver, coming March 19, is the first in a Vietnam inspired fantasy duology. This is a debut novel by the way.

It's so good! So different! Nhika is not your typical fantasy heroine. No one expects her to save everyone, including her. That may just be what she ends up doing though. Nothing in her life has been fair. She has only had her skills to rely on. It hasn't gained her any friends. Or love.

The magic system is unique and is more of a science, according to Nhika anyway. Descriptions of pathways through the body are detailed but lovely. There are also some gruesome, brutal scenes.

The Last Bloodcarver is also a mystery. I enjoyed watching the characters try to solve it. Speaking of the characters they are all interesting and great in their own way. Poor Hendon. I was holding my breath for the last chapters, worried at every step the characters took.

There isn't enough space here to declare all the things I loved about this. If you love fantasy or mysteries add this to your list! Thanks to @fiercereads for the giveaway win!

Thank you NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the ARC of The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le. I never thought my few semesters of anatomy and neuroanatomy would come in handy while reading a fantasy book.

The Last Bloodcarver follows Nhika who believes she is the last of her kind. She is a bloodcarver or heartsoother and is able to heal disease and injury in individuals as well as cause them harm. This book will definitely give you an education on the different systems within the body and how the smallest change can have a large impact on one's health. Nhika as a bloodcarver lives her life on the edge of society and at risk of being arrested. After being captured by thugs and then sold to a wealthy family she seeks her freedom by helping them.

All of the characters in this book are well developed and you connect with them all. Nhika and Kochins push and pull was really well done. You spent a bit of time trying to figure out how these two could ever grow to love each other but once they do there is no question how they feel about each other.

There is an overall mystery within this book which is the death of the head of the Cogm,i family. His children have asked Nhika to help heal his driver in order to find out who murdered their father. This mystery keeps you engaged and keeps you guessing as to who could be the culprit. On top of that the process of healing the driver is really interesting to read.

The book ends on a huge cliffhanger that has me dying for the second book. Having to wait a year is pure torture. You should definitely add The Last Bloodcarver to your TBR.

This was a fabulous debut!
The Last Bloodcarver is a Vietnamese inspired fantasy that has the most unique magic system.
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Nhika had blood carving abilities. She can alter human biology by just her touch. She has the ability to heal or kill. Myth has given her the name, bloodcarver, but Hearthsooth is a name chosen by her people.
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After there is a death in the Cogmi family, Nhika is called on for her healing abilities.
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This YA fantasy has mystery, found family, a dash of romance. and an amazing magic system. I can't wait for book 2!
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Also, this cover must be mentioned. It's stunning!

Thank you to Netgalley and Roaring Book Press for the opportunity to read this book!

Nhika has a special type of magic that is almost gone from the world she lives in. With a single touch, she can alter a person’s biology to heal them or kill them. She’s known as a bloodcarver, and when she is finally captured, she is sold to the highest bidder. Nhika finds herself with a wealthy family where she spends her time attempting to heal the only witness to a murder, reading medical texts, and diving into mysteries.

I really enjoyed the world building and magic system. The way that Nhika’s heartsoothing intermixes with biology is really interesting and unique. Nhika was a strong female character and wasn’t afraid to do what she needed to in order to keep herself safe. Her character could have used a little more emotional depth, but she was definitely powerful.

The romance piece felt pretty rushed - it was almost instalove. It’s really just a subplot so it didn’t overtake the story, but the pacing of the romance felt a bit off. The ending also felt rushed. So many dramatic things happened in the last few chapters. I’m pretty sure my jaw was on the floor and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the ending!

Overall, this is a great YA read and I’ll definitely grab the next book in this duology to see what happens. This is Vanessa Le’s debut which is so incredibly impressive!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book exceeded any and all expectations that I had for it. Usually, I read fantasy because of the romance in it but this book piqued my interest because of the fantasy of it. I mean someone that has the power to heal or hurt with just a single touch? It sounded super cool and I couldn't wait to read it.

I thought all of the characters were really well written. Each of them had their own personalities and it was written in a way that you could tell Vanessa Le cared about each character, they weren't just someone that she put in the book and then forgot about. Each person had their own backstory and you got to learn each one throughout the book in a thoughtful way.

Also, the world-building was amazing. I felt like I understood everything and could picture every scene in my mind because of all the descriptions that we were given. But it wasn't too much information where it felt overloaded.

The only thing that I didn't really like in this book was the love story. There was nothing written about it in the first half of the book, and then there was a little bit of "Oh I think he's cute" and then all of a sudden, they were saying "I love you". I think the romance part of it was definitely just a subplot and not supposed to be the whole book but I still think it could've been done better.

Thank you kindly to Netgalley for providing me with the eARC!

Rating 3.5 stars

The Last Bloodcarver is an emotional tale about loneliness, found family, and love, all within a world heavily inspired by Vietnam and the history of colonization the country has faced, and the story itself revolving around a young girl looking to find her own place in a world that doesn't want her,

I was intrigued by the premise immediately, being a Southeast Asian myself and a fan of murder mysteries, feeling that this book would be a fun time and would bring much needed literary representation to a population not often portrayed in popular media.

While the gift of healing is nothing new in literature, I did enjoy the author's take on the idea, mixing magic with science and including an abundance of medical terminology. Vanessa Le doesn't shy away from the gore and details, and I found it helped cement the scientific nature of heartsoothing and grounded the magic to something almost more realistic. I also found the worldbuilding to be well-done. and I felt the author's more organic exposition as opposed to info dumping to be refreshing, allowing the reader to experience the world of Theumas rather that being told of it.

While I found the book well-written with a flowery language I typically enjoy, I found myself struggling to stay engaged with the book. The pace was tad bit slow, and I felt as if the story didn't really pick up until over 2/3rds of the way through. While there are certainly events happening in the book, I didn't find the plot moving forward at all until the last 120 pages. While at times I don't mind books with slower plot developments, there will usually be other aspects such as character development or the romance to lean on to keep me captivated, which this book lacked for those earlier sections. I did like Nhika's character and her journey, but found her romance with Kochin to be sudden and underdeveloped, and I found myself wondering if she truly loved him for him or because of what he was.

I will most likely be reading the sequel, and I really do look forward to how Kochin and Nhika's story will continue.

I'll keep this short and sweet—I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot was creative and propulsive, the worldbuilding vivid and integral, the characters flawed but likable, and the ending made me want MORE. I don't typically read YA fantasy, but I am glad I made an exception for this one.

Read The Last Bloodcarver. It will be time well spent.

This year has been full of fantastic debuts and The last bloodcarver was no exception!! I loved this YA fantasy steeped in Vietnamese mythology and a unique medical magical healing system that sees two of the last heartsooths banding together to fight an evil doctor who wants to use their power for his own ends. Action packed with great dialogue and a killer romance, I can't wait to see how this duology ends. It was also amazing on audio narrated by VyVy Nguyen. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!