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

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

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

I fell in love with this book from the start. I have read it twice now and happily can say I fought hard to have it on the best books list for 2023.

TW: abuse, blood, classism, death, death of a loved one, grief, infidelity, injury/injury detail, murder, sexism, suicide, torture, violence.

I hate negatively reviewing ARCs, particularly when its a book with such an original concept as this. The idea of a MC getting a second chance at life, to re-walk the path that led to her murder and hope to change the outcome sounded incredible. I would be remiss to ignore how unique this author's story was or how grateful I am that I had a chance to read it.

But I would also be dishonest if I rated this book any higher.

Both subjectively and objectively, this book just did not work. The MC handled everything in the worst, most foolish way possible; to the point that some of the betrayals would have been earned, from how impolite and suspicious she was acting. Due to the lack of flashbacks in the story, we are simply told about the betrayals again and again, whilst watching Mingshin make the worst decisions imaginable.

The romance was... absolutely unpleasant to read about. I hated the comparisons of taming in their relationship, especially considering the fact this is a YA and therefore marketed towards a young audience that may not realize how messed up the dynamic is. I hated that her lips were described as throbbing after he kissed her, which becomes more concerning with the context of his controlling and misogynistic behavior. I hate the fact that she only gains confidence in her looks once his love has changed her.

I also struggled with the writing, as it seemed to jerk between attempting an extremely poetic prose and sentences like, "Is this guy for real?" which pulled me out of the story. Pairing the simplistic, almost... insultingly explanatory writing style with Mingshin's immaturity made this book feel extremely juvenile in all the wrong ways.

As I said at the beginning of the review, I hate leaving negative reviews on ARCs. This was such an incredible concept and I could tell that this story meant a lot to the author, whom I wishing nothing but the best for moving forward. This story just didn't work for my preferences or on a technical level, but I am grateful that I was given the chance to read it.

This book gave me MAJOR c-drama vibes and I loved it.

There's action, romance and magic, and we're thrown into the action right from the first scene. This is basically a sequel to all the stories where the main couple get together, but then he betrays her, and she is out for REVENGE. Filled to the prim with backstabbing and court intrigue, this made for a super fun read and that cover alone makes me want to display it on my shelves!

Overall, magical writing and I loved Mingshin. I need the next book NOW!

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the e-arc!

The moment I read the description for A Bright Heart, I knew that I would end up reading it sooner or later.

The transmigration/past-life regression/reincarnation + revenge plotline is one of my favorite tropes. I've read too many of these stories to count. Both as manhwa/manhuas and as novels.

"Why do you hate me so much?"
"They say without your riches and strategies, I'd never have become King."

The story starts at the end of Mingshin's first life, betrayed by her then lover -- Prince Ren. She gets a chance at revenge when she wakes up a few years into the past. Mingshin moves very quickly to alter the direction of her current life.

I like Mingshin's character. She an independent and revenge driven person, but not to the point where she loses herself. I also also enjoyed Prince Jieh's character. He's a overconfident individual, as you would expect from a spoiled favorite-prince. But I like that he has a soft, devoted, and loyal side that he shows to Mingshin.

The story does have the YA novel elements to it for sure. There's the happily-ever-after-one-and-only love that YA often include. Mingshin get's the Emperor's blessing to be Prince Jieh's official wife despite not holding a noble title. And Prince Jieh is willing to dedicate his entire life and love to her. I don't mind this ending so much, but I do think that Prince Jieh's and Mingshin's relationship should develop more before reaching that point.

Sometimes Mingshin wins a little to easily and predictably, which makes the story less exciting. But maybe that's just because I read this type of novel often. Overall I loved reading the novel and I would recommend this for someone who enjoys:
• second chance lifetime
• revenge
• happily-ever-after love

Thank you NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for the opportunity to read this ARC !

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyUmx6-LExi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

“To win, you must know both yourself and your enemy well.”

What if you could avenge your own murder?

What an exceptional debut novel by @katechenli.author ! I was floored by how amazing and brilliantly done this story was! I’m a firm believer in second chances and this tale was the perfect way to expand on this concept by blending it with the rich, lush vibrancy of Asian culture and imagery, this was hard to put down so I didn’t 😂.

Perfect for YA fans who thrive on revenge plots and tons of thrilling action and drama scenes.

“If I can’t protect the woman I love, what good does becoming King do for me?”