this was unfortunately a disappointing read for me. I don’t think there was a single redeeming quality that I enjoyed.

the world building? nonexistent. couldn’t tell you why our characters have magic that was just a given. also why were these kingdoms at war?? all that was constantly repeated was that emperors always want to go to war to conquer land. which makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want an explanation of why that’s occurring in this specific world and within the context of these characters.

the FMC - genuinely one of the most insufferable people I’ve ever read about. she was always whining about something and you COULDNT WIN WITH HER. she was mad that she had to grow up in the palace and was destined to marry the prince. ok fair enough! so she decides to break the engagement and leave, except her family is exiled alongside her. so now she’s complaining about living in the village and having to go hunt and support her family 😐 GIRL YOU CHOSE THIS. AND THEN she decides to go on some quest to find someone and all her family asks is that she writes to them to make sure she’s ok. and what does she do? NOTHING. the least she could’ve done after screwing them over. and this is just a few examples of similar instances.

the “romance” - it would be a crime to call whatever lovey moments happened in this book a romance. we were told constantly that the prince was in love with her but genuinely what qualities did she have that were lovable?? NONE she was insufferable. and we were always told about their childhood and that’s where their love began, but it’s hard to feel any connection to the characters through just words and not actions. in addition, the back and forth made no sense at all? I made a note that at 56% she said she should tell siwang, the prince, that she missed him and thought about him all the time, but that it would be a lie and that she shouldn’t toy with his heart. BUT THEN 2 PAGES LATER SHE GOES “but the more time we spent together, the more I longed for more.” MAKE IT MAKE SENSE???? and then don’t get me started on the second love interest that gets introduced. he served no real purpose and was such a simp for her in the most embarrassing way.

the writing - no depth at all, I don’t know if this is due to it being an arc and not being fully edited, but there were many issues that took away from the story. lots of repetitiveness and contradictory statements throughout the whole thing.

final thoughts - this is probably one of the most disappointing reads of this year and I don’t think this author is for me.

thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Plot:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters:⭐️⭐️
World Building:⭐️⭐️
Themes:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️.5

This book has been described as a Mulan and Helen of Troy retelling with Vampires. I think the book does deliver on its premise. This book is for people who want a Chinese-inspired romantasy with a strong-willed heroine, a love triangle, prophecies, morally grey love interests, and vampires.

I want to start review with a discussion about the writing. The writing leans purple and, at times, it is melodramtic. I found the writing lovely. However, despite how lovely the writing is, I think it hindered the story because there is more telling than showing, which limits the scope of the story. As readers, we need specific examples rather than a telling of how something is. Additionally, this writing style and the first person POV are conducive for internal monologue, and as such, we spend a lot of time in Fei's head (main character). This may annoy some readers because it takes space away from the story and slows the pacing.

Next, we need to address the characters. The main character, Fei, is prophesied for to be the Empress of Empressess. But this is a fate that she does not want. All she wants is the choice to choose her own life, regardless of how that affects others. And it does have devastating consequences for others because two princes are willing to go to war for her because of her prophesy. She's on a journey to try to undo her prophesy.

I empathized with her and the theme of being able to choose one’s destiny. But Fei’s characterization became quite contradictory. One moment she’s described as good at something and then a few chapters later she’s described as not good. Additionally, her wants and desires in this book were all over the place in this book. There’s very little consistency in her thoughts, and I feel like most of the book is her agonizing and analyzing her contrary thoughts. There’s a lot of overthinking, and it feels unnecessarily tortured. I hope to see in the next book that there’s a grounding of her emotions and thoughts.

The two male main characters are villains, or at least that’s how I see both of them. Their characterization is filtered through Fei’s thoughts, and because she is so contradictory, they become contradictory too. For example, one love interest is doing horrible things for selfish reasons, and through the filter of the wish-washy main character, we’re given the message that he’s “good.” Maybe I’m misinterpreting. It is unfortunate because I was intrigued by the concept of dual villain love interests.

The romances in this story are complicated by Fee’s prophesy. Do the princes love her because of who she is or because of who they believe she will become? One of the romances feels too instalove, and I think it wasn’t believable that he’d go to war for her. And the other romance feels selfishly obsessive. If that's the kind of loves Fei wants, than get it, girl. But, at this point, I am not rooting for either of them, and I do not care who she ends up with. I actually hope she burns both of them down.

The world is heavily Chinese-inspired, and I enjoyed the additional touch of Chinese proverbs. The Vampires, however, keep the the lore of the West (ex. sun is bad). I think the World-building needed more explanation and expansion. However, I do understand that because that first-person perspective can often make world-building seem info-dumping, but I would have wanted more. I want to know more about the magic system and Fei's magic, specifically how and why it works.

Despite my criticisms, I think this story has potential, and I hope the next books in the series will expand on the world-building and characterization. I am very willing to give the sequel a chance when it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an eARC to review.

Ughhh how do I feel about this… I debated between 2 or 3 stars but ultimately, she’s a 2. The plot had promise, then felt undeveloped and underwhelming. At first I thought maybe it’s because it’s YA, but after a while I just realized the FMC was kind of annoying and unoriginal. I am interested to see how the next book may change my thoughts on this series (if I read it lol).

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!

2.5-3/6
Decided to do this review a different way and made it a running commentary as I was reading… So there WILL be SPOILERS!
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!



Another book where the pampered princess doesn’t want the pampered life, even though she acknowledges multiple times in the beginning that no woman can live a “free” life, they’re all pawns of their fathers, then brothers, and then husbands. So unless she decides to live as a boy (somehow) she’ll never be free. Even though she is part of a prophecy that would make her husband the greatest emperor and to unite the kingdoms. One would think she would have a little more freedom than some others, but she just meekly goes along with what everyone else tells her, never rocking the boat. Also, for someone who “doesn’t know her parents” and has “stilted small talk” with them, she certainly has a lot to say about the advice her father supposedly gives her. Haven’t seen him talk to her at all so far.
.
The Chinese phrases used in the story are usually translated so I can understand in English, but there was one that wasn’t and it made me wonder if it had been used before, but because I can’t read them, my eyes just glazed over it.

And suddenly, a Mulan retelling?!?
And now a love SQUARE???
Square averted. Mulan discovered immediately
One minute the prince never drinks wine because he didn’t want to lose control, and he only drank if someone tried to force Fei to drink. And the next “we used to steal the plum wines as children”. Is this not the same thing? Is plum wine not real wine?

Triangle averted (I think?)
Triangle restored???????
“He’s not telling you things” trope
Red string of fate????
One bed trope

Mistakenly read the first line of another review… this is a series? Or will be? Thank goodness, cuz I’m at like 85% and idk how everything is gonna get wrapped up in so few pages lol

I just want to say, both princes indulge Fei way too much and yet not at all. Siwang just straight up ignores her advice and blames Fei for starting this war to “be worthy of her greatness” aka the prophecy, but she never asked that of him. And Yexue just goes along with her cuz he thinks it’s fun or something cuz he has supernatural powers that make most things trivial. He’s super fast and has healing abilities that heal him in seconds, how the hell you think you’re gonna kill him? -eye roll emoji-

The epilogue was a waste… it was two lines, just make it be the last two lines of the final chapter….

Finished the book. Final thoughts:
So the ending is left ambiguous, open to a sequel, but also “complete”.
Overall it was a quick read (I probably could have read it in 2-3 sittings had I not been distracted constantly).
This will not be a buy from me. And while my arc had mistakes, (multiple sentences or paragraphs being reused not even a page later) the story and the characters felt shallow. There was one intimate scene that was vaguely written (compared to an adult book, since this is YA I think). I wanted to like it, but it didn’t really live up to my expectations.

Fei was born with a mark on her forehead that sealed her fate.
She was destined for greatness in a world where its men who get all the glory.

When she was born a prophecy was told that she will be the “empress of all empresses” so the current emperor of Rong decided to take her for his son and change the prophecy to his son being the “emperor of all emperors.”

All Fei wants is to be free to be a person, and not a symbol, pawn, wife. She plots to win the annual Beiying tiger hunt and use the wish granted to the winner for freedom.

Instead in the snow covered mountains she finds Yexue, the exiled prisoner prince of Lan dying. She saves his life and sets fate on a new track.

With her selfless choice Rong and Lan go to war. Fei is torn between choosing Siwang, the son she was promised to, and Yexue the one she saved. All she wants is herself.

I love that the ending isn’t what you’re expecting. I love that this isn’t actually a romance, it’s a story about a woman fighting to be seen as a person.

I would definitely consider this a 5 star book if it was a bit longer to cover all the missing details.

I was provided an ARC for honest review. The story revolves around a FMC that’s been part of a prophecy her entire life essentially tying her to a prince and she wants nothing more than to have her freedom and live above the expectations of her being the empress. Part of the story has some Mulan vibes with more fantasy and as you can tell from the cover there’s a love triangle, which is one of my least favorite tropes. At the end of the book you honestly aren’t rooting for either of the men. The authors writing style is a bit on the stiffer side, but it was still well written and a fast paced read. The ending doesn’t really leave you super eager for the next book, but is set up in a way that you expect the story to continue.

The Nightblood Prince is a fast paced and engaging fantasy.

Fei was born with a unique birthmark and a prophecy marked her as the future "empress of empresses." Betrothed to Siwang, the son and heir of the emperor, she grew up in the palace, stifled by court life and wishing for her freedom. When an incident with the mysterious and dangerous Prince Yexue ends her betrothal, Fei gains her freedom but also loses her status. She seeks out the stargazer who first issued the prophecy, hoping to end her visions and change her fate. But war descends on the land, with Siwang and Yexue leading their armies, both hoping for victory. And Fei is caught up in the middle of two princes, with her fate still unescapable.

I really enjoyed this book! There was a lot going on in this story. We have a love triangle, a vicious vampire army, a mysterious prophecy, forbidden magic, and a bit of a Mulan-inspired storyline with Fei going to war in her father's place. But it all magically works together in this intricately woven tale. I also enjoyed how the story bounced between visions and the present, as we begin to learn more about the fate Fei hopes to avoid. I did think the early part of the story was a bit confusing, as there were a lot of moving parts and I wasn't fully following Fei's decision making - but as the story progressed, I had a few "ooohhh" moments of clarity that brought it all together for me. I was completely sold by Part 2, and fully invested in the story. I am super intrigued by both Siwang and Yexue - they both have interesting motivations, and they are portrayed as a hero and a villain, but the lines of which character is which is blurry, and I went back and forth many times throughout the story on who was really on Fei's side. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to the next one in this series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

✨I'd like to start with a heartfelt thank you to the author, Molly X. Chang, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for the privilege of being able to read a digital copy of The Nightblood Prince. I will share my review to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads upon release. ✨

From the moment I saw the stunning cover art and sprayed edges, I was captivated and wanted to know more about the book. The illustrations of the characters, full of mystery and allure, hints at the complex relationships and magical tension within. The ethereal color palette and intricate design perfectly set the stage for the lush and powerful story inside. And yet, nothing could have prepared me for how thoroughly I’d fall under its spell!

As a lover of romantic fantasy with rich worldbuilding and high-stakes political intrigue, The Nightblood Prince delivered everything I craved—and more. The story follows Fei, a young woman raised as a political pawn, groomed to marry Crown Prince Siwang and fulfill a prophecy. But when she crosses paths with Yexue, the darkly enchanting prince of a rival kingdom, Fei’s carefully scripted destiny unravels.

Fei's decision has consequences further than just her love life - and she must face a choice between her family duty and a predetermined destiny, or a life with more independence but forever burdened with loss. The growth Fei shows throughout was one of the best parts of this novel - we as readers get to watch her transform from a more naive pawn to a woman challenging the power of empires. The love triangle between the main characters kept me intrigued and turning pages, but in the end I was surprised at how well the whole story came together.

There were moments throughout that I felt could've been edited out, as they were repetitive thoughts and not really new material that needed to be added, but minor quibbles in an otherwise addictive, emotionally charged story. Overall, I really, really enjoyed The Nightblood Prince, and I can't wait to read more from Molly X. Chang.

If you liked her previous work, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, or if you like Sue Lynn Tan, RF Kuang, or Kylie Lee Baker, you'll probably love this one, and I would totally recommend! Young Adult/Adult reading level/content (ages 16 and older).

Main themes & tropes:
🖤 morally gray love interests
🌠 main character growth
👑 systemic oppression/patriarchal society
🔮 prophecy
⚔️ political tension
🩸vampire magic!
💘enemies to lovers
🔥 single bed/forced proximity
🖋️ set up for sequel!

✨4.2/5 stars!✨

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

My Unhinged and Messy Thoughts
This is being marketed as a YA fantasy, however, there is very adult content in it. There is spice and I found it jarring due to the fact it is being included in the YA sub for Fairyloot. Also, the characters are a bit older than the typical YA characters. Otherwise, the story was fantastic. There is a Mulan moment, if you liked that movie! I thought the concept was very unique and the writing was well done. I did find the random Chinese in it to be an odd choice though.

In Conclusion
As this does end in the middle of a story, I will be sure to pick up the next one!

This book had a really intriguing start, and I was excited to see where the story would go. The premise, especially the backdrop of war, caught my attention early on. As the plot progressed, it leaned more into political intrigue than I expected, which isn’t really my preference. I also struggled to connect with the love interests, and found myself hoping Fei would have a bigger moment of growth or revelation that never quite came. It felt more like a setup for a future installment than a complete arc on its own. While it didn’t work for me personally, I can see others enjoying it—especially if you like slow-burn political tension and character-driven plots.

The conflict between duty and desire to be free and independent shines throughout this story that is essentially what if Mulan had to choose between Li Shang and Shan Yu, oh, and Shan Yu just so happened to be a vampire. It’s a lot more complex than that, but it gets the gist of the vibes down. Each time I picked this up I didn’t want to stop reading and only did so because I had to work or no longer could read at the time.
Fei is a fantastically smart and strong FMC and knows that both men that are vying for her heart and her hand in marriage are not what she needs to keep her independence. I am really hoping she keeps her fierceness as the story develops and nothing drives her into either of their arms as neither man is quite as good as they would like to present themselves.

I really enjoyed To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, but I think I fell for this story even more.

4.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to @getunderlined @randomhousechildrens for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Such a wild, whirlwind novel!

This book was honestly not at all what I was expecting. Several things were at play in this book. There was the two love interest, forced proximity, morally grey vibes, and some other tropes sprinkled throughout. I definitely think this book had some very strong points, but it wasn't without its faults.

I thought the pacing was fairly consistent which was refreshing. I also really enjoyed the Mulan vibes, mainly cause I wasn't expecting it. Fei was a very intriguing character to follow. She was very much out of the mold, and she seemed to change and grow dynamically throughout the story. Where we left her character in the end makes me very excited to see what we will see from her in the next book. She was fearless, and her growth and maturity really captivated me into her story.

However...the love "triangle" was not for me. Mainly cause once again, it's not a true love triangle. Option one was very meh to me. He was giving Gale from the Hunger Games vibes but more in the sense of thinking he "deserved" her love if that makes sense. Now don't get me wrong, both of the love interests had their flaws. Neither of them are stellar options. They both have this trait of "claiming" Fei and that was giving me the ick. I was almost rooting for her to pick herself if it came down to it. But as for option two, if I had to pick one or the other, I would pick option two. He was the more morally grey, book boyfriend material. But he still wasn't giving me the energy to like 100% back him. I'll be interested to see how it plays out in the future books. But even more so, I'm wanting to know more about Yexue and the vampires. I still have so many questions about that, and I can't wait to read more.

Overall, this book was fun. It was an easy read, and I found it enjoyable and easy to understand. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a fantasy book that gives the vibes of Mulan, Helen of Troy with a twist of vampires.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC

4/5 Stars

The Nightblood Prince started out a little slow but as we got further into the plot, things really picked up. All of the characters are compelling and interesting, though I definitely wish we had more of Yexue and his dramatic sass. There were a few choices I wish we got more context around but my frustrations were eased towards the end of the book as we see certain dynamics change.

The political aspects were interesting to see through Fei's eyes and how she navigated everything that was thrown at her, and what she inserted herself into. I assume there must be a second book in the works (or at least I really hope there is) and I am very intrigued and ready for the next part of the story.

This is a fantasy romance about a woman who yearns to control her own destiny despite the prophecy that has defined her life. She is torn between two princes trying to understand how the prophecy could lead to massacre of her people or peace. The story contains powerful discussion on the impact of war and women’s role in society.

I enjoyed the storyline. I found the fantasy elements interesting and fun. There are a few character interactions that were unbelievable that took me out of the story example: a tyrannical emperor who lets her out of an engagement after being asked by his son twice . Overall, these didn’t stop me from enjoying the novel. The romance is appropriate for mid-/ older- YA.

✧ Thank you to Netgalley, and Molly X. Chang for providing me with an ARC of this novel and giving me the opportunity to review it honestly! ✧

⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars

—

<i>”Empires rose, and empires fell. Life bloomed, then life withered. Nothing was eternal. Not even the greatest dynamics the continent had ever seen.”</i>

<b>summary:</b>

<i>The Nightblood Prince</i> centers itself around a girl who was blessed by fate at birth to be the empress of all empresses, cursed to only be destined to be the wife of the emperor or all emperors. The will of the fates have hovered above Fei her entire life, which has only ever resulted in her confined lifestyle. Found as a baby by the Emperor and taken from her family so that his son could be destined to be the emperor from the prophecy, she has only ever known life within palace walls.

Raised in the palace completely alone, beside the companionship of her intended, the crown prince of the most powerful empire in their known land. Siwang dotes on her, as her only friend in the kingdom, no one has ever seen a prince dote on a girl as much as he dotes on Fei, but he is not able to grant her greatest wish. Despite all his kindness, the prince is known to have a darker side to him, possessive and protective of Fei. Her position frightens those around her, other members of the palace either deem her unfit to be the empress, or they are too scared of retaliation from the crown to get close to her. Selfish and at times cruel, Siwang knows his lot in life, and intends to see it through so that he may complete the prophecy as his father always intended for him.

Being the most powerful empire in their kingdom does not change the desire for rebellion; as upset rises in the neighboring kingdom, Fei becomes restless to gain her freedom and attempt to escape the bloody visions that she has been having every night when she lays her head down. When the opportunity to gain the Emperor’s wish, she does not hesitate, but when she runs into the captive prince from the rival kingdom during his own escape, everything as she knows it starts to shift. Shocked by the similarities between herself and the strange magic that Yexue possesses, she knows that the future will not be as certain as she was wishing it would be when she is finally able to leave.

Two kingdoms, two princes, and a prophecy that Fei can’t seem to outrun no matter what she does.

<b>notes:</b>

<b>slight spoiler talk!</b>

Let me start off by saying that I generally enjoyed this book, it was a quick read with some fun characters. The descriptions of the land and the visions could have been done a bit better but no glaring issues, with scenes cutting in and out of what was reality and what Fei had seen with her sight into the future. I am hoping that the relationships in this story will be flushed out a bit more in the books to come (fingers crossed). This story reminded me a lot of others I have read/watched in the past, which is probably why I enjoyed parts of the story, but because of that a lot of it felt like deja vu of things I have already experienced. There’s one scene that is essentially a direct copy and paste of Mulan leaving for the war, completely obvious it was going to happen, but sure.. Go right ahead.

Rich culture, mythology, and story telling that I want more of! More depth more explanation into those things and really tying them into the story at every turn, you could certainly feel it in every scene already I am just greedy and want even more of it because I enjoyed it so much.

There were certainly some errors and some pieces of dialogue that felt unnatural, moments where emotions cut corners and became brash very quickly without natural build. This story fell victim to repeating dialogue, there were some scenes where it felt like entire sentences were completely copied and pasted later down the page, which is completely frustrating but I can give the benefit of the doubt.

The magic system is fun, the comparison between Fei And Yexue I found to be compelling, as her magic is based in visions of the fate of others, and Yexue comes in and seems to be able to bend fate to his own will with his own magic. Fei is sort of wishy washy about her feelings, and seemed to contradict herself quite a lot when it comes to her thoughts and actions about these men.

I don’t know if I care for either of the princes, they are both incredibly selfish/vain even if their words are saying something different. Their actions are consistently self serving, even when Siwang says that he acts for Fei. Both are controlling and uncaring about the opinions of others — when it comes down to it, they will be self serving at every turn. Naturally, I root for the polar opposites, but I haven’t read a story with a love triangle in a while, so I am interested to see if it is indeed going in that direction or if we are going down a course that will take me by complete surprise! The writing and relationships need to be flushed out, and the actions of the men need to change if I am supposed to truly root for either of them in the long run. I think both have a lot of potential for me to root for one or the other! (But I know who I will be rooting for in the end.. sorry!)

When all is said and done, not a ton happened, at least no major resolution to anything that happened, but it’s the first book of a series so that can get a pass as it’s a lot of set up for the rest of the story.

Incredibly quick book, really easy to digest, and I will await the next few to read those as well!


— Review posted to Goodreads

Really liked the book. Really enjoyed the chinese proverbs in the book. Did not enjoy the Mulan retelling as much as it is a common trope right now.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang is a first person-POV YA fantasy inspired by Imperial China that reads like a C-drama. As a baby, Fei was predicted to become the empress of all empresses, which leads the emperor to engage her immediately to his son Siwang but there’s another prince who is competing for her hand, Yuxue.

I know the marketing for this is Romantasy, but I did not get Romantasy from this. Most of the development of feelings seems to happen either off-page or is already established and we go for very long stretches without seeing either of the love interests. I think this is more of a C-drama in book form that, yes, part of the plot is driven by romantic rivalry, but isn’t really seen on page in the way that I expect of a Romantasy. I find this to be similar to Molly X Chang’s previous book, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, where a romance does exist, but the actual story itself is more interested in being deeply introspective and exploring a specific character within a situation rather than the romance. In my book, that is not a Romantasy, it is a character-driven fantasy.

Also like To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, this feels more like a prologue book with a lot of set-up. Because we don’t yet have the sequel to TGUWG, I’m not sure what the pay-off is going to be like in the second books, but I feel I have a strong idea of what first books in a series look like for Molly X Chang. I think if a reader really enjoys her writing style, The Nightblood Prince is going to satisfy them. If a reader didn’t enjoy her style in TGUWG or the prologue book feeling, I would give this a pass.

This moves at a fairly slow pace in terms of story but is a reasonably quick read. Multiple chapters are only a few paragraphs long and at 60 chapters long, it is pretty easy to get through in a couple hours. It’s a short read for readers who like a slower feeling to their books.

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy that has deep character introspection and fans of C-dramas looking for a YA fantasy that is also a character study

⚔️The Nightblood Prince⚔️

After really enjoying Molly X. Chang’s debut last year I was excited to get an opportunity to read an advanced copy of her upcoming book, The Nightblood Prince! This is the first book in what I’m assuming will either be a duology or a trilogy.

The Nightblood Prince was a book I was easily drawn into. Fei is a strong female lead who although she was raised to fulfill a prophecy, she decides to try to claim her freedom and forge her own path. She was a character I could easily find myself rooting for. There is a bit of a love triangle but it isn’t over the top and worked for the story. The romance aspect of the story was on the lighter end of the scale in my opinion. Both princes are quite morally grey and are villain’s in each other’s stories. I found Siwang to be kind of boring, and found Yuexe far more interesting.

I liked that I found the story fairly unpredictable and it broke away from the cookie cutter that I’ve found present in a lot of the “romantasy” I’ve read lately. I was quite pleased with how it ended and am curious to see where it will go next.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to what will come next!

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse & @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Nightblood Prince is out on July 1st!

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐

This book fully had me in a chokehold. It’s giving royal court drama, forbidden magic, war, monsters, and a prophecy that never lets anyone breathe. I’m usually not a love triangle girlie, but it actually worked here — probably because both love interests are villains in different fonts. One’s wounded ego personified, the other is morally grey with just enough mystery to make me feral (if you know, you know). Fei is such a powerful main character — constantly pushed around by the world but never backing down, not even from the gods. That said, this is very much a first book energy situation. It builds a lot, hints at a ton, but leaves you knowing there’s way more to come — especially with Yexue and the whole vampire situation. I’m stressed, intrigued, and absolutely coming back for more.

This book disappointed me.

Going in I was expecting a gripping fantasy with tension—because what’s a love triangle without tension? I usually eat up love triangles despite majority of the book community hating it, but a love triangle where both of the men are idiots, possessive, controlling, lack critical thinking skills aren’t my thing.

98% of this book is repeated conversations just in different places. All of part 1 was just Fei going on about how the men are so controlling and at first I was like “Okay, hope the men get what they deserve at the end!” Basically, thought the men would get justice for being sexist when instead we get Fei falling for a guy who also wanted multiple women and a man who literally controlled her feelings about him. Also, both claim they waged the war (because of courts they have to be enemies on opposite sides of a war) because of Fei when all she asked was for them to stop fighting. They’ve killed hundreds but when Fei asks for them to raise the white flag of surrender they say they’re fine with literally doing anything but what she wants? No.

No idea how these men survived the Earth so long but hope Fei doesn’t end up with either of them.