We are all heroes in our own eyes, and monsters in the eyes of those who are different. — Linn

This is another instance of unwarranted hate. It’s sad how Twitter almost crushed the dreams of a promising author who only wanted to retell one of the dark periods in Chinese/Asian history. Overly sensitive influencers disregarded Amélie’s standpoint, accusing her of Black discrimination (and plagiarism). Now that I’ve read the ARC and final manuscript, I feel very indignant. But I’m also glad that the author chose to publish her book in spite of all the drama. If anything, negative publicity is still publicity.

Blood Heir is a fantastical reimagining of Anastasia. Anastacya Mikhailov is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire, a place where magic is feared but exploited. Because of her dark ability to control blood, Ana is forbidden to leave the palace and has a terrible childhood. One day, the emperor dies of poisoning, and Ana is the immediate suspect. Before her execution, she flees the palace dungeon and formulates a plan to clear her name. Surprisingly, the only person who can help Ana is a con man named Ramson Quicktongue. Regardless of their different objectives, the exiled princess and the notorious criminal team up and discover a shocking conspiracy.

This book was anything but anti-Black. In the ARC, the Author’s Note discloses the story’s inspiration: Amélie’s identity conflict as a Chinese immigrant.

Dear Reader,

It took me two years to realize that the monster in the story is me. In my time in the United States, I have never experienced the sense of crushing fear about my identity that I have recently. “Get out of my country, communist!” is only one of the slurs I’ve had screamed at me across the street. What I’ve experienced personally has all amounted to a hyperawareness of my foreignness, my Otherness, and the possibility that because I am different, I am not worthy of belonging.

…Ana’s journey examines how one can internalize hatred and fear, how that can wrap one’s core and turn it into something cruel and twisted. But ultimately, her story is one of self-acceptance, and of the realization that we cannot change who we are nor what we are born with, but we can choose what we do with what we are given.

Ana, who is constantly called a monster, signifies the demonization of the Other, which is a derogatory term that typically refers to people from the East. So from the get-go, the “monsters” in Blood Heir aren’t Black. It’s silly to assume otherwise just because the book was published in the USA. Did the bashers read the Author’s Note? I guess not! No offense, but Blacks aren’t the only long-time victims of racism.

As for the plagiarism issue, some parts of the ARC were indeed similar to The Hunger Games. One of the characters died, and Anna sang a nursery rhyme and buried them in lots of flowers. However, the final edition had a different version, probably just to please the haters online. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that Amélie was guilty of plagiarism. Haven’t you guys heard of the words “trope” and “cliche”? If using tropes and cliches were grounds for plagiarism, what would happen to the YA genre?

Now that I’ve refuted the major allegations, it’s time to discuss my actual reading experience. Ironically, I buddy read this book with an influencer. But he wasn’t part of the controversy; I think that he did his best to avoid it. Hahaha. I’ll call him JG for anonymity’s sake. JG and I read Blood Heir for almost a month, and we updated each other regularly on Instagram. It was a cathartic process because I had complaints about daddy-hating Ramson and his slow-paced backstory. Moreover, I needed someone to talk to whenever someone died. Dear Amélie, how could you be so heartless!? LOL

Ana’s blood magic wasn’t new to me because I was familiar with bloodbending in Avatar: the Last Airbender. However, I liked Ana’s active compassion for the oppressed. When she witnessed the corruption outside the palace walls, she promised to do everything in her power to stop it. Also, Ana’s facade of coldness made her vulnerability more remarkable. She genuinely loved her family even though they had failed to protect her. Finally, I loved that she never gave in to her growing feelings for Ramson; there wasn’t a single kissing scene in this book! ❤

JG and I had two favorite protagonists, but I can’t tell you their names because neither of them survived! All I can say is that both of them were very dear to Ana. I expected their demise because a happy ending would be unrealistic. Still, it hurt to see the author confirm my suspicions. If another beloved character dies in the sequel, I might send a love letter to the author. xD

The best part of the book was its colonial discourse. As an Asian reader, I found it very relatable. If you Google “slavery in the Philippines,” you’ll learn that “modern slavery” (e.g., human trafficking and debt bondage) is prevalent in my nation. Many countries in Asia have the same problem, so novels that seek to address it are more than welcome. Slavery is a global dilemma, and the habit of “Othering” makes matters worse.

Blood Heir was one of the most thought-provoking books I read in 2019. It didn’t always please me, but it was worth my time and money. I sincerely hope that book two will have a basher-free publication next year.

First of all thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I am at a lost of words. This book was amazing and filled with action on every page. I did not know going into it that it is a re-telling of Anastasia Nikolaevna. I couldn't put this down, with all the action at every corner you wanted to find out what was happening. I had so many different emotions during this ride. It made you laugh, cry and get excited when a character triumphed or turned the corner in their life. I can't wait to continue this journey and I hope Ana helps right all the wrongs.

For some reason I just couldn’t get that invested in this book. It started off strong but I just kind of lost interest as it went on. I do think a lot of people will love it, it just wasn’t for me

I've been reading this book for months yet I can't get past the 30% mark. I'm not sure if it's the author's writing style or my lack of a connection with the main character, Ana.

This book is told from two different points of view, Ana and Ramson (although, my mind read his name as Ransom lol). I find Ramson to be intriguing even though he's the stereotypical brooding, bad guy character. Ana, on the other hand, doesn't rub me the right way. I can't quite pinpoint why or express in words why I don't connect with her.

Honestly, my biggest issue with this book is that it doesn't really bring anything new to the table in terms of YA Fantasy. Nothing was jumping out at me, demanding my full attention. I could easily put this book down--for weeks--without having the teensiest inkling to pick it back up to see what happens next.

That being said, I do plan to finish this book at a later date. I want to see what happens and possibly even read the sequel.

I should have read this months ago, but then I got distracted by some library books that I had been pining after. I should have just stuck with this. Holy smokes. While the writing at times was just meh, it kept me intrigued the whole time.
In a world where people who have an affinity to air,fire,flesh,earth,fear,mind control, and even the blood, there is a little something for everyone. Ramson was snarky and smart. Ana an Affinite who has the power to control you with your blood and can bleed you dry in seconds. May, sweet caring May. Yuri the kitchen boy, turned rebel who has an affinity for fire. Linn who can control wind. I loved a lot of characters in this book. There were a lot of evil shenanigans to be had by all, some real evil disgusting people. I cannot wait for the second book in this series.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I love this book for it was not gory but it was full of action and drama. There two very powerful point of views. I like that it a world that was easy for my to fall into and just get completely lost in the story and pulling for the characters in their struggles on their journey. I will have to look into the other two books in this trilogy.

I can't wait to dive into this book. Even though it surrounds controversies. I still want to read it. Setting aside all reviews coming from other reviewers.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
A Princess is said to be dead, but she really isn’t and ran in a time of betrayal. She is looking a fugitive to help her. Once found, they go on a quest to find who killed her family. Once on the quest, they see first hand about slavery.
There is action, betrayal, treason, and great chemistry between the two main characters.
The reason for four stars is because I felt like something was missing, but at the same time too long of a book. It did have great world building and character building though.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. So I stayed away from this one for a bit due to controversy surrounding it initially, I wanted to go into this without all of the mess surrounding it smudging my view. I’m so glad I did, I really really enjoyed this one, the world building was fair, phenomenal in some portions. It’s the relationships and the shifting between loyalties along with the general plot that really gives this one power. I can’t wait to read the next one, the ending gave you completion with expectation of more to come, which leaves you without the feelings of rage waiting for the next installment. Excellent, great way to start my new year!

Blood Heir is the first in a brand new series, perfect for fans of The Grisha Trilogy.

Anastacya or “Ana” is a princess accused of murdering her father, the king. She has a dangerous gift, and is now on the run to avoid imprisonment and most likely death. Along the way, she meets another on the run and together they work together to try and destroy a slave trade and help others in hiding.

Ana was such a strong character. Her strength came not only from her power, but also from her fears and how she would overcome them. But Ana was such a flawed character, and one thing I LOVED about her was her fear of herself and of hurting those that she loved and making them fear her.

The writing was also wonderful. It was pretty and flowy, but also easy to understand and to read.

We begin as Ana is trolling a prison looking for a specific prisoner to help her clear her name. Desperate to keep her Affinity (magic) hidden from the guards, Ana spends a lot of time telling us she’s trying to keep it under control.

There is, perhaps, too much backward information at the beginning of Blood Heir. Her father is dead but we didn’t see him die, she’s on the run because people think she did it, but we’re not sure why, she somehow knows this prisoner will help her, but we don’t know who he is.

I was certainly intrigued by the action of the opening chase scene but it wasn’t enough to keep me going with all my questions.

The other reason I put it down was the way the writing flipped. Some parts were very well written. They felt perfect for a YA audience. But other parts felt overly informative and talked down to the reader. Basically, I don’t need a description for a sword so much as I do for the magic system.

I ended up not finishing.

My Rating: DNF

I loved this book! I was so excited for the book. I don't know why it took so long for me to read it but once I did, it was awesome! The story and the heroine are everything I wanted them to be. I couldn't have asked for a better story!

Blood Heir is a solid YA Fantasy that hooked me right from the beginning and I'm so glad I finally read it! Honestly, if you're not willing to give this book a chance because of all the drama that happened before it was edited and published, then it's your loss. Even though I had an e-ARC, I chose to listen to the audiobook. Sometimes I read along so I saw some of the changes that were made.

In Blood Heir, we follow two flawed characters, Ramson and Anastacya. They were so interesting and I just wanted to know more about their past, and I wanted to see them evolve. The exiled princess, a blood affinite presumed dead, and the criminal, betrayed, held in a cell. They quickly find out that they can work together to get revenge from the people that wronged them. I loved them both. The slow-burn romance was breathtaking and I wanted them to just KISS! This book also had some sad moments that made me cry.

I can't wait to read the sequel, Red Tigress!

(Thank you for giving me an ARC via Netgalley)

The Blood Heir is a compelling story based on oppression, prejudice, and overcoming familial expectations. Ana is known to the world as a blood witch and seen as a monster. Her family even kept her hidden away from the rest of the world until one day she escapes and attempts to prove everyone wrong. Affinites are people who have powers and are condemned to a terrible life or are used as puppets. Seeking revenge for the death of her family, she finds a stranger along the way who is seeking to destroy the same person. But maybe something more evolves out of what they both share.

"It is up to us to fight our battles in this world."

As many of you know, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the novel. In my opinion, it was totally uncalled for and I think the author did a great job of depicting the harsh realities of oppressive lives. Did those people even read the book?! If you want to call this “racially insensitive” then please explain to me the mass killing of people in Poland (my mom immigrated from there when it was still under communist rule and it actually wasn’t even a country on a map at one point), or any other example of oppression. It affected every race, not just one. We all know those times were bad for those involved, but the author luckily stayed true to her vision and published the novel. She was unveiling the truth behind oppression, not condoning it. The bullying of people’s free speech needs to stop. This criticism was totally unwarranted. Rant over.

"But perhaps all monsters were heroes in their own eyes."

I loved Ramson, the world-building, the deception, and the justice that was conducted in the story. The novel was great, but I find myself looking back and not feeling this novel to be super memorable. But I want it to be because I did enjoy reading it.

The Blood Heir was a moving, unpredictable story about the struggles facing people in oppressive countries. Reader who love a slow-burn romance, deception, and a twisted plot will love The Blood Heir.

"Your Affinity does not define you. What defines you is how you choose to wield it."

I know there were a lot of issues with this book but I enjoyed it. I wouldn't let the opinions of others define what I read. Shame on those who did because it was a good book, especially for a debut.

First of all, I love retellings...but a dark retelling...count me in! Ana has blood magic. Hello....that is the coolest magic ever! She is a kick-ass character who can control or kill people with their own blood. She doesn't even need to touch them. This book is loaded to the brim with death and betrayal.

Each character, even the side characters were well thought out and I love so many of them...especially Ramson. I could go on about the great storyline, etc. but I think you need to stop letting other people choose what you read and make your own decision.

Review
Blood Heir is the first book in Amélie Wen Zhao’s debut fantasy series with a Russian-inspired setting and is a loose retelling of Anastasia. Here Affinites, people with a magical affinity to certain elements, are both feared and prized for their abilities, are trafficked within the Cyrilian Empire—exploited for their gifts. It is about a girl who, despite her fears chooses to fight for their freedom and learns to accept herself along the way.

Crown Princess Anastacya Mikhailov is secretly a blood Affinite able to influence others physically. Sheltered from the outside world, she lives life sequestered, rejected by her father and taught to fear her powers.

“You are not a monster, Sistrika. Your Affinity does not define you. What defines you is how you choose to wield it.”
When her father, the Emperor, is murdered it shatters her from her protected world and sets Ana on a quest that will change her life and perspective beyond the palace walls that once held her hostage.

Framed for his death, Ana fleas court in search of the one man cunning enough to help restore her name—crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson Quicktongue has his own dark agenda for aiding her.

Only Ana is not a typical Princess and while together they battle their way through plots and ambushes, the world around them is rising up in revolt. What starts out as revenge becomes much more—the very fate of her kingdom and its people.

“The Ana of a year ago would have valued honor and faced her enemies head-on. But then, she supposed, in a world of con men, crime lords, and cutthroats, there were no rules to the game. You only played to win.”
My favorite part of the book is probably the first half where we really get a good look at the terrible price Ana has endured and the ramifications of her powers when she chooses to use them—even when she believes it is for the greater good.

What I took away most from Blood Heir was that the author wanted to tell a story about the horrors subjugation and the power of self-acceptance. Zhao simply chooses a fantasy world setting to deliver it.
Choosing a heroine— a sheltered, teen-aged girl who lives in constant fear, demonized because of her powers. A girl who learns to accept herself despite being told that her very nature makes her a monster.

There’s a message of hope and of self-acceptance that can only be realized by reading her whole story-arc.

In the End
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I thought the pace sometimes uneven and perhaps the drama of Ana constantly being thrust into danger could have been better, but the story gave me feels and a message to ponder.

Ana’s interactions with Ramson, the growth and changes in their perspectives, are well-done and the murder mystery kept me intrigued. I’m interested in seeing how the series progresses and glad Zhao choose to publish Blood Heir.

Ana is an affinity.she can take control of people's blood to cause injury.she has yet to learn how to use her power to save people .She is a future ruler of her kingdom. Until her father dies and she is framed for the murder.i liked Ana's journey with the command to show the truth to the people.Ana loses a lot in the quest for her name to be cleared.I can't wait to finish the series

My anticipation for “ Blood Heir” had been building since seeing it floating all around social media, book clubs, and more. I was very disappointed to hear that it had been pulled but so glad that the author/ publisher changed their minds and released it. It is important for me to note that this is a review of the book prior to it being pulled due to the controversy.

“Blood Heir” used a lot of tropes found in YA Fantasy today. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. It was a fun, fast paced read I really liked the alternating point of views. Ana fell a little flat to me. I was indifferent to her for the most part. Loved Ransom. Also, the author did a great job with the setting. There were some instances that the story jumped around a little bit. Kind of saw some of the twist coming but again, that may be due to my love of YA Fantasy. Overall. I liked this book. In the future, I would like to read the updated copy to see what has been changed/ added.

Actual Rating 3.5 stars

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This world—this beautiful broken world that harbored so much of the gray—was the only one they had. And it was one she would continue to fight for.”

A book I had no idea I would love as much as I did! Main characters were easily great to love and I cannot wait for the next one!

3.5 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

I wasn't too sure about the plot of this book when I started reading, but was quickly won over by the main characters, Ana and Ramson. The worldbuilding is pretty slim and the character development is slow, but the storyline moves quickly and soon I was sucked in. Don't get me wrong, most of the story is the same YA storylines we are familiar with, and there are the usual bad guys and traps the main characters have to wiggle out of, but it is still an entertaining read. I liked it enough that I will read the next book in the series.

Ana is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire. Her life should be wonderful, but she has a dark secret - she's an Affinite. She has an affinity for blood and can control the blood in another person's body. Affinites are reviled in the kingdom, which is why Ana has been kept behind the palace walls for years. When her father is murdered, Ana is accused and arrested. She escapes prison with the help of a sympathetic guard and is determined to find her father's true killer and clear her name. But, she needs the help of the must cunning thief and con man in the kingdom, Ransom Quicktongue.

Ransom was the second in command of a powerful criminal enterprise, but was betrayed and imprisoned. Normally he'd never dream of helping Ana, but he has his own reasons for aiding her on her quest. The duo set out to achieve both their goals, but doing so won't be easy. It will take all of their strength and skill to make it out alive - let alone be successful.

As I said before, this is an entertaining book that I recommend you read.

I was given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.