This did not hold my attention. The writing is flat and the character seems very much like a Feyre clone. Not recommended for library purchase.

What if you have the opportunity to undo the mistakes you have made in your other life?

Driven by passionate love, Mingshin had once outsmarted the rival prince-brothers of her supposed true love Ren to support the young prince, only to be betrayed by him. Dying and desperate, she wished for a second chance and had her prayers granted, unexpectedly uncovering that a more sinister machine was working in the shadows and posing to be a more dangerous adversary. Now that she has greater allies, with one of them happening to be the crown prince she had ridden off in the previous life, she must stop any destruction to the kingdom before it's too late.

Through the narrative of A Bright Heart, Chenli writes a tale of salvation and retribution—Mingshin, as it's told, had used her brilliance to support the wrong prince and paid a hefty price, and it's revealed that the betrayal is the ultimate domino effect of the numerous misfortunes she experienced; her parents dead, her family's business seized, her attendant and bodyguards missing. Her journey of retribution is to find justice for her family and loved ones who become the unfortunate sacrificial lambs of her previous mistake, and to seek salvation to grow from the naivete and weak heart she maintained in her previous life.

I appreciate how analytical Chenli is in constructing every scheme Mingshin produces throughout the novel. She takes the time to briefly explain the strategy that the protagonist utilizes in her previous life, and how she would counter it in her current time. It provides a detailed outlook on the differences between past-Mingshin and present-Mingshin in working around the brutal political race for the throne; the past-Mingshin is motivated by her love for the youngest prince, whereas the current one is moved by the development of self-perseverance. While the past self has a dominant sense of innocence, which inherently alludes to her gullible and rose-colored view of Ren, Chenli has never insisted Mingshin to be a witless person—in fact, excluding the whole betrayal, to see that Mingshin succeeds both times in her grand scheme to the top reinforces her acute strategic mind.

As a main character, Mingshin proves to be a formidable addition to the strong female character category, although she has characteristics of her own; she is privileged because of her status as part of a merchant family, but not a secret royalty like most fantasy female characters are. She is also not physically powerful because of years of physical training or occupation related to stealth and battles, but she learns enough to defend herself when she needs to. Much like Luella from Elise Kova's A Deal with the Elf King, Mingshin's strength comes from her mind and wit, which makes her character no less interesting than the usual roster.

Yet, despite her analytical and strategic mind, Mingshin is never unnecessarily cruel, even towards people who are potentially harming her or her loved ones. She only reverts to violence when it has to be that way, but most of the time, she embodies the message of having a kind heart that is emphasized in the novel.

Jieh, on the other hand, is a character that I find to be conflicting as a love interest and the other main character. He represents the perfect idea of the oldest child, the crown prince; ambitious, arrogant, and cold, but has his moments of softness and empathy. He is the immaculate contrast to Mingshin's personality, yet I wish there is more oomph to his characterization in the lesser screen time he has. There are times when I find him acting distant and hollow, as if he is the odd one out of the group, and those are the times when he is easily eclipsed by the supporting characters.

His saving grace is his chemistry with Mingshin, which is one of the most entertaining aspects in the novel. The couple is not one of the enemies-to-lovers relationships, but their interaction strongly resembles a relationship that starts off as strangers to reluctant allies, then lovers. His back-and-forth rapid-fire communication with Mingshin cracks his cold-faced persona and allows his more jovial nature to shine, which insinuates a compelling similarity between Jieh and Mingshin, especially in mindset. As a result, Chenli manages to persuade the readers to see that Mingshin's budding relationship with Jieh is a much better choice than her past romance with Ren in her previous timeline.

The supporting characters hold their ground and ascertain they are not easily dismissable; each has a role that contributes heavily to the plot, particularly in Mingshin's secret quest to take down Ren. Most notably is Yunle, the youngest child and only daughter of King Reifeng, who is not only a highly skilled princess in politics and combat, but she is also granted a backstory that puts her as a parallel of Mingshin. Her friendship with Mingshin motivates herself to implement a similar tactic to make herself shine and breaks through the sexism heavily rooted in the kingdom's government.

Moving on, my only other criticism, aside from Jieh, goes to the plot twist surrounding Mingshin's heritage. Although the reveal directly relates to the climax, I find that it doesn't do much to her character development in the sense it doesn't make her 'special', which I believe to be the intent, as she is already one with or without the revelation. I would've preferred that the twist has no personal relation to Mingshin per se because it will keep the mystery intact until the sequel (should there be one), and I believe it will create a grander and more treacherous path for Mingshin to maintain her triumph for the unknown forces she has to face.

Putting aside my minor critique, I really like this novel! A Bright Heart is an excellent addition of Asian-inspired fantasy novels for any fantasy enthusiast, especially those who love strong female main characters, homage to the author's culture, and a slow-burn romance with the characters starting as enemies. I can't wait to read the sequel of this book and hopefully, see the characters reaching a happy end.

The premise of "A Bright Heart" is really cool! A woman is killed and is transported before pivotal events in her life occured to try to change her fate. I haven't seen this plot in traditional publishing before, but I have seen this reincarnation trope a lot in anime, manga, and light novels. The inner voice of Shin'ar, the main character, is reminiscent of the narration in light novels particularly, with a lot of telling what she's feeling to the reader and not showing. I wasn't a big fan of this, but this would be a good book for anyone coming from those genres!

4.5 ⭐

I enjoy this more than I thought I would!!! Imo, this BOOK DESERVES MORE HYPE. WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?!
It has such a gorgeous cover and the story inside lived up the expectation.

The story followed Shin'ra who died in her first life due to treachery. However, magic took over and she has given a second chance in life. Going back to her past two years prior, she tried to make it right at whatever it takes

Will she be able to alter her destiny? What will the consequences be of having such a great magical power? Will she be ever feel safe???

I love how fast paced and straightforward this book is. The plot is solid and the characters are well written.

I love the character's development also. I root the clever cunning FMC who knows what to do.

I didn't expect I will be swoon by the romance but oh man.... The ✨kisses✨are so well written and sweet and tender yet passionate.

I kinda need Kate Chenli adult fantasy lol 😭😭😭😭

If you're into kingdom fantasy, with black magic and spirit, princes and princesses, seizing throne, brothers who tried to outdo each other, romance, and kingdom politic ladden with betrayal, give this book a go

From its first page, A Bright Heart throws you right into the heart of the action and instantly sets a fast pace that doesn’t let up throughout. This made for an action-packed read. Without a moment to breathe, I did find myself a little lost at times. I can’t say I found the plot to be anything strikingly new to the fantasy genre but it was nevertheless a fun read with an interesting cast of characters.

A very easy read, i binged this in a day.
I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to the release of the next book.
This gave definite historical c-drama vibes which I absolutely loved. And starting out with the main character being murdered and coming back for revenge made me immediately love root for her in every aspect!

Gorgeously written, so unique and brims with love and adenture. A fantastic story with a bold and brave heroine!

This book was absolutely magical! The world building, the characters. From the moment I started, I knew it was going to be something special. We are so happy we get to work with this title!

In this debut YA novel inspired by classic Chinese themes, a young woman named Mingshin is given the chance to avenge her own murder and change the course of her destiny. After outsmarting three princes to help the man she loves become king, Mingshin is betrayed by him and left to die in a pool of her own blood on the palace steps. With a second chance at life granted by the gods, Mingshin must navigate court intrigue, dark magic, and her own heart in order to prevent the catastrophe of her past and find a way to trust and love again.

I really enjoyed the concept of this novel! I love stories that include time travel, or redoing events that already happened. The beginning of the novel was such a strong starting point and I really thinks it helps the reader to like Mingshin as a character and want to root and support her. I enjoyed reading the novel and following along with Mingshin as she tried to change her fate. Also, her love interest was swoon-worthy and I really liked the relationship at play.

I'd recommend A Bright Heart to anyone who wants to read a book based on Chinese tropes, where a strong female character is avenging her own death.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

I was so intrigued by this book as soon as I heard the plot. A plea to the Gods to turn back time so the MC could avenge her own murder that was done by the alleged love of her life? Sign me up! However, it didn’t deliver as much as I was hoping. It was a little lacklustre, the MC wasn’t particularly likable, both naive but quite arrogant at points that left me frustrated. Her second love interest came across as misogynistic, literally wanting to control and tame her, and were meant to find that hot. Nope not me, I like a love interest that happily rides into battle with their love and has their back. The story flowed well enough, I read it fairly quickly so there’s that. Honestly it kind of felt a bit like a K-Drama with time travel and Gods. I think this will appeal to plenty of people but it hasn’t captured me enough that I’d be keen on reading any sequels. Thank you to NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are mine alone.

What a joy to read! Chenli does a great job of taking us along for the ride of the revenge plot. At first it was jarring to read a book with very little descriptions but it very quickly became enjoyable.

I enjoyed the characters, they are well written and are actually interesting. I wish there was a bit more clarity given to the reader about how the magic system works but I also love the idea that magic doesn't have to follow rules.

A Bright Heart was exactly the kind of book I needed when I was a teen reader: equal parts romantic and action-packed with a strong-willed FMC and a dash of magic. But while I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I couldn’t help but feel just a *little* unsatisfied in the end.

The thing I loved most about A Bright Heart was how unabashedly it leaned into traditional Chinese palace drama tropes. Everything, from the resurrection magic to the warring princes vying for the throne felt pulled straight out of my favorite Chinese dramas. Chenli does a fantastic job encapsulating that palace drama essence and distilling it down to a YA audience, and while the writing itself was not the most sophisticated or flowery, it successfully conveyed all the right imagery and vibes. C-drama lovers, particularly teen ones, will absolutely eat this book up–I certainly did!

Along these lines, I think most of my enjoyment of this book derived from just how much I vibed with its palace drama inspiration and source material. My love for dramas aside, A Bright Heart has all the hallmarks of an up-market YA fantasy book: a fierce and intelligent FMC, a charming and slightly rougish love interest, and plenty of action. While I think this book leaned a bit too generic for readers looking for a more innovative and unique take on Asian fantasy (like Joan He’s Strike the Zither), I think it’s perfect for the teen reader. A Bright Heart nails the “YA” part in YA fantasy by throwing in tons of familiar fantasy elements and court politics without making them overcomplicated or too complex.

However, the “YA”-ness of this book was also its biggest pitfall for me. I’d had A Bright Heart marketed to me as an epic Chinese fantasy, so with buzzy language like that, I’d anticipated something more upper-YA or crossover. However, A Bright Heart is firmly lower YA. There’s nothing wrong with this–I know when I was a “true” YA/teen reader this would have been one of my favorite books of the year–, but I think my expectations were unfortunately distorted by the marketing. While the book hit all the YA fantasy plot points, I was constantly left wishing for more complexity in both the characters and plots. For as smart as Mingshin (FMC) is, everything just seemed too convenient at times. This is definitely more of a “me” issue, and I know that younger YA readers will love this book to the extent that I wanted to.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book; it definitely satisfied my craving for Chinese palace fantasy. While some aspects left me wanting just a little more, I know that for the right audience A Bright Heart is the perfect book for them!

3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4!
Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co for the e-ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This has a great hook (the main character dies in the first chapter!) and refreshingly features a main character who is just plain. Not plain-but-really-add-some-lipstick-and-zowie-she's-gorgeous. Mingshin is and remains plain throughout the whole book. Mingshin knows that her mind is her strength, and she wields it as a weapon. Unfortunately, many of the plot elements introduced later in the story don't have a resolution. The ending feels like it is setting up a sequel, but I don't see anything planned. I wish the plot had been tightened up a bit so that the story could neatly wrap up in one volume.

This was such a solid debut, and I am baffled that no one is talking about this book.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I knew I just HAD to read it. The premise is that of some of my favorite manwhas. Our FMC is betrayed in the first chapter and then wakes up 2 years in the past for revenge? YES PLEASE! I eat that sh*t up every time.

Barring that, this was also such a solid YA debut, with vivid Chinese inspiration, and a good cast to boot. I hope this book finds its audience soon, because is seriously needs more love!

While I didn't outright dislike this book, I was disappointed reading it. In fact, I almost DNFed it after the first few chapters. The writing style was this book's biggest downfall; the writing was amateurish and sometimes felt very awkward to read. I liked Mingshin for the most part, she made smart decisions and didn't annoy me. Eventually, I started rooting for the romance between Mingshin and Jieh and I liked all the friendships.

The pacing of the story was fine but the world-building could have used a little more work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Union & Square Co. for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Mingshin has made many sacrifices to get the Prince Ren to the throne in this Chinese historical fantasy. What she doesn't expect is to be betrayed the one she loved. In her final moments, she is brought back in time before she has made many sacrifices. Mingshin decides to ally herself with a Ren's enemy, Prince Jieh this time for the sole purpose of revenge. She soon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life though, and it becomes a race against other forces at work. This was a fun fast-paced read for me that may be a great reading recommendation for those who enjoy mangas, manwhas, and webtoons! Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC.

This book wasn’t bad! It just wasn’t for me and I didn’t enjoy it, but I would recommend it to someone who wants a Chinese mythology fantasy about a badass FMC. This was an awesome debut novel and I will be reading more from this author!

I am so sorry to say this, but there is not one single thing to like about this book. Violence, misogyny, a shrinking violet main character, whiplash between dramatically different writing styles. It seems like two different people wrote this book and then just randomly mashed their sentences together.

What an immersive book. The words were whimsical and it felt like you were placed right into the story

Kate Chenli's A Bright Heart is a good revenge story with lots of court intrigue to enjoy and a great romance.

3.5/5