3.5

All her life, Fei has been shackled by a prophesy delivered at the time of her birth. She was to become the Empress of All Empresses. Determined to that power come to the kingdom, the Emperor takes Fei and raises her at the palace alongside his son. Though the two grow up to be close friends, Fei doesn't want to marry him. Desperate for a way out of their engagement, Fei decides to hunt a white tiger and earn her freedom with a wish. Only she wasn't counting on Yexue, a prince from a rival kingdom.

Read if you like:
-Prophesy
-Vampires
-A Woman Fighting Against a Man's World
-Fate
-Seers

I really enjoyed The Nightblood Prince. It was prophesy meets Mulan meets vampires. All at once both new and familiar. However, it was long and the pacing was off. So much of what I wished would have happened between 1/3 and 1/2 way through the book wasn't happening until the final third. And I'm guessing this is going to at least be a duet based on the ending. There is more to the story and I'm interested to see how it all plays out.

I loved this!

It really felt like a cdrama. The pacing was so strong and it didn't linger in one frame of thought for very long before shifting to the next plot. I'm a big fan of Molly X. Chang's other work, so it made sense this would also be right up my alley.

I'm a sucker for a love triangle and this one was no different. I have a very clear choice for who I want to win, but it felt balanced and developed enough that I might be able to be swayed the other way eventually. Knowing that this is a trilogy makes me have a lot more patience here in book one.

There are vampires. That's all you really needed to tell me.

Highly recommend. Can't wait for more.

2/5 stars

(Heads up, some spoilers ahead!)

This one hurts.

I've been looking forward to The Nightblood Prince since the author announced it in May of last year, following along excitedly as fanart and snippets were posted online, and ecstatic when I was recently approved for the ARC.

Unfortunately, it did not live up to any of my expectations.

Clocking in at just under 300 pages, The Nightblood Prince feels super rushed, and everything suffers for it, including pacing, plot, and characterization. Too much was crammed into too short a run time, and it feels like two or three books mashed into one. I really think it could've worked had everything been far more fleshed out, and had there been more showing than telling (which is my biggest gripe with this book). POV main character Fei is constantly telling us what's happening instead of us seeing it play out on the page, and insists on repeatedly saying things like "Siwang loves me" while only backing it up with "because he used to do xyz for me," or stating where she traveled but not doing much to describe the surroundings, leaving me to poorly fill in the blanks. I was also deeply annoyed whenever Fei would state in the first half of the book that "Siwang is a villain" when at best, Siwang is a jackass with delusions of grandeur (ending notwithstanding).

I also feel like the book failed to deliver on the things I was most excited for, which were "Helen of Troy meets Mulan" and the double-villain love interests. While the Mulan aspect is there and I enjoyed the pieces given of it, again, it isn't nearly as fleshed out as I wish it had been (I especially loved her comrades in the war camp, and was disappointed not to get more of them), and ends up feeling far too separate from the rest of the story. As to Helen of Troy, I guess technically for a few pages, but she isn't stolen away by rival love interest Yexue, and the war was started for other reasons than Fei being both princes' love interest).

Speaking of, in regards to the love interests: because I already had preconceived notions before reading, I'd decided which one to root for, and naturally, I chose the vampire. Which is why I was disappointed that we had only a handful of pages with him at the beginning, and then didn't see him again until 65% through. His character, like the rest of the book, felt rushed and forced. I tried so hard to root for Yexue and Fei and ended up just not caring in the slightest by the end. Speaking of forced, the relationship between Fei and Siwang was even worse. If there was any actual feelings Fei had for Siwang besides general affection before she suddenly decides she's in love with him midway through, it wasn't detailed well enough for me to pick up on it.

There's so much more I could rant about, but here, have some things I actually liked:

•Fei's sister
•Fei being spiteful and learning archery
•the eff-the-patriarchy tone and vibes
•quotes like "If l knelt at your feet like a loyal servant and begged with all the love and devotion my mortal heart has to offer, would you stay?"

Overall, this had some gems in it, but ultimately was very rushed, cluttered, and suffered from an overabundance of telling vs showing.

There are threads left open for a sequel, but honestly I'm okay without one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free digital ARC for my honest review!

4.25/5 stars

Twilight x Mulan is CRAZY and I ate it UP.

Okay, it’s not really twilight but it’s a love triangle and has vampires so therefore I’m instantly getting Twilight vibes (in the best way possible).

What a a fantastic read though. Easily my favorite Mulan retelling that I've read so far! In general, I think I am long past my addiction to love triangle’s but boy did I eat it up in The Nightblood Prince by Molly X Chang.

Fei is a powerful yet empathetic FMC. I absolutely loved being in her head. She had so much put on her plate, being prophesied the day she was born to unite the empires. She feels this intense weight while also desiring to having a say in her own destiny. I really appreciated the balance she brought between protecting others, fighting for what she wants, and understanding that she holds a great power that will affect the entire empire.

As we were getting towards the end I was panicking about how we would wrap things up in time. Imagine my surprise when I found out it is not a standalone! Thankfully, the storyline was very much so adequately concluded in a satisfying way, so I didn’t feel like I was left hanging, but I’ll still definitely want to pick up the second book when it comes out. Hopefully there will be more information on it’s release day soon!

Fei is said to be at the center of a prophecy, to be the Empress of all Empresses. However she wants more than that, rather than being someone else’s wife, unable to truly be ‘free.’ She decides to take fate into her own hands to hunt a mountain lion so the Emperor (based on tradition) would grant her a wish and she’d have her betrothal annulled. But soon war breaks out and the ‘prince’ she saved in the mountains now leads an army of ‘demons’ against her people and her former betrothed.

This is my first book by the author and I really enjoyed her prose. It was easy to get hooked into the story and want to know what would happen next. Details/descriptions of locations, actions within the plot, growing relations with others felt realistic, had me feelings emotions throughout so— always cool as a reader.

Now I’m personally hoping Fei doesn’t end with either of the love interests (not a fan of love triangles) and is able to girl boss her way to help her people. She deserves SO much more than society keeping her down due to being a woman. I’m really excited to see where this series goes!

The Nightblood prince captivated me from the start. A rich story filled with turns and strong characters. Molly X Chang does it again, and I will pick up anything she gives me.

I was very excited to read this book because I had read To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods and very much enjoyed that book. I follow Molly X. Chang on her social media platforms and the teaser images and cdrama inspo posts have enticed me to eagerly anticipate this book. I was drawn to the thought of being able to read a culturally rich, emotional and politically complex story. I was craving something like a cdrama.

This book fulfilled only a portion of those desires. I was not able to connect with this book mainly due to the characterization of the FL. Fei was very unlikable and it was difficult to root for her. I could empathize with her feelings of being trapped by the prophecy that basically dictates the trajectory of her life. However, her actions are rooted in selfishness and frequently put the people she loves in danger. Which contradicts Fei's goal of wanting to protect everyone. Then there is her inability to empathize with people who are just as trapped by fate and external factors out of their control and she paints them as villains in her mind.

I think that because of Fei's inability to connect with anyone this books lacks so much in the romance aspect. She's so detached to anyone and anything. It seems like the only people she cares about are her family, and even then there's a significant level of detachment there too. So when these two male leads are present and competing for her favor, there's no real tension or excitement of two people connecting. There is no "getting to know each other" phase because one already knows her inside and out and the other one is more like a villain that only appears once in the beginning and then again after the 70% mark in the book. And most of that time in between, Fei doesn't have any positive feelings towards Yexue.

There isn't much of a plot here either. I'm not really sure if any of the character's motivations mean much to the story or are even part way fulfilled by the end of this book. The ending has me believing Chang has a sequel in store for this story. I felt very unsatisfied with unresolved conflicts.

I'm not sure if I'm even willing to read the sequel. However, I do not think Molly X. Chang is a bad writer. I will still be looking forward to her future work in To Kill These Monstrous Gods.

If you love prophecies and vampires, this is a good one for you! Fei is betrothed to the future king, Siwang whose father believes this marriage will make Siwang the emperor of emperors because of the prophecy involving Fei. The men around Fei have always made decisions for her and she knows being empress will not provide the freedom and autonomy she deserves.
This was fast paced and had plenty of action. I loved Fei; she was the strong FMC we love. She finds her voice and starts making her own decisions. Neither Yexue nor Siwang deserve her and I kept hoping for a third guy to show up but maybe in the next book?

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC!

I really enjoyed Molly X. Chang's debut novel, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, so I was thrilled to be able to read an arc of this book. I'd even say that I might have enjoyed The Nightblood Prince more than her debut.

It's a tightly plotted, faced paced political fantasy with a great badass heroine. Fei has her own moral compass and her own agendas. Despite the fact that this novel was marketed as a love triangle, that's kind of an underlying subplot while the main character runs around getting stuff done. I loved her character and how brutal and uncompromising she was in achieving her goals. Fei is also a very empathetic protagonist, but that doesn't mean she's not ambitious too, which I appreciated.

The male love interests are the ones who center all their actions around winning her hand (I think I'm rooting for the wrong guy in this triangle, but I guess that's okay) and she's like, "I care about you both, but I don't have time to deal with that right now, leave me alone."

And then she goes and saves everyone. The Nightblood Prince is a very feminist, very angsty novel that kind of reminded me of one of my other favorite young adult trilogies, The Winner's Curse series by Marie Rutkoski. It really highlights the futility of war and how despite what the people in charge may say, none of them wage it out of care for their people. They do it to amass power and don't care about the causalities.

* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review

"I can make you happy, Fei. I know I can. If you just give me the chance, I can make you love me. Tell me what you want, and I'll do it. I'll change everything about me, about this country, about this world until it pleases you... Until your heart matches mine in love, even if only a fraction." - Prince Siwang

✨ A Prophecy. A Choice. A Love That Could Rewrite Fate. ✨

✨ BLURB:
➡️ A prophecy. A hunt. A choice between two princes. Raised to fulfill a destiny she never asked for, Fei seizes her one chance at freedom, and ends up entangled with a beautiful, dangerous prince who could unravel everything. With fate closing in, love and power are on the line in this lush, blood-stirring fantasy full of magic, myth, and a heroine who dares to choose her own path.

✨ MY THOUGHTS ABOUT IT:
➡️ It started as an intriguing and promising read, but as I kept going, my expectations began to slip. This book had so much potential, especially with the addition of VAMPIRES, but I struggled to visualize the setting. I was hoping for rich, immersive world-building, which left me disappointed. There was also an overwhelming amount of information, and the character names were difficult to remember. I didn’t think the inclusion of untranslated Chinese phrases added much, as most readers wouldn’t be able to understand them.

➡️ That said, I’d still recommend this to fans of defying destiny, fallen goddesses, prophecies, political intrigue, love triangles, and vampires. What kept me going through it all was Prince Siwang—MY SIWANG! While I shipped Fei with Prince Yexue for their sizzling chemistry, I’m absolutely obsessed with Siwang and his fierce loyalty and unconditional love for Fei.

➡️ A huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for giving me the chance to read this captivating tale of Fei, Siwang, and Yexue.

✨WHAT I LIKED:
📌 Siwang’s deep obsession with Fei. (He would literally sacrifice himself for her)
📌 Fei defying her destiny and giving everything to forge her own path
📌 The sizzling chemistry between Fei and Yexue!!!
📌 Yexue constantly saving Fei like a dark, magical knight!

✨TROPES:
📌 Slow - Burn Romance
📌 Love Triangle
📌 Chosen One
📌 Defying Destiny
📌 Political Intrigue
📌 Fated Mates
📌 Morally Gray Love Interest
📌 Sacrificial Love
📌 Strong FMC
📌 A Subtle Hint of Spice

Two princes. One prophecy. A fate she can't escape.

Raised to marry the Crown Prince and fulfill a prophecy, Fei has always lived under others' control. When she sets out to hunt a legendary tiger and claim her freedom, she meets Yexue — a runaway prince with dangerous magic. Caught between two princes and plagued by nightmares of bloodshed, she discovers that the stars might be more inescapable — and more irresistible — than she ever imagined...

This book broke my brain — in the best possible way — because of my silly urge to fit it into familiar patterns shaped by reading too much romantasy. Every time I tried to fit it into the patterns I’d built up from reading similar books, they cracked apart. The story gave me strong Chinese drama vibes, with deeply emotional war scenes — and a burning wish that these horrors would stay confined to the page, never becoming someone’s real experience, caused by power-hungry tyrants feeding their egos at the cost of innocent lives.

The author calls both princes villains, but to me, only one of them truly is. (I want him to live a long life — and spend all of it atoning for things that can never truly be atoned for.) The other is more of a morally grey character. The difference is: one listens and is willing to yield; the other is completely ruled by his wounded ego. I won’t name names — I’ll let you decide for yourself who’s who.

I desperately want to read the next two books in the trilogy — and I’m also a little scared to. Right now, I’m actually hoping the author doesn’t pair the heroine with either prince in the end. In this case, I might even be okay with an open ending.

Tropes:
— a prophecy the chosen one
— for the C-drama girlies
— touch her and die
— she’s not afraid to defy the gods
— double villain love interest
— love triangle (I usually don’t like this trope, but it didn’t bother me in this book)
— enemies to lovers
— royal court intrigue
— magic and monsters
— a powerful FMC breaking the mold
— slow burn

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for allowing me access to an ARC. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I’d never read a Molly Chang book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I can’t wait for book 2!

I love the spin that the story took on the “chosen one“ trope. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil anything.

Fei was an enjoyable main character. She was strong and brave but not invincible. She felt real and relatable. She had good character development throughout the book and I loved seeing her figure out who she wanted to be and what she wanted her life to be like.

The romance had me in constant whiplash. I kept going back and forth between the two male leads and couldn’t decide which one was “good.” I appreciated how Book 1 ended and hope to see both men have more character development in Book 2. Both male leads are sort of terrible (i.e. hiding info from Fei, taking away Fei’s choice, treating Fei like an object, etc.), but one of them seems redeemable and capable of change (I won’t say which one). While the story was technically a love triangle, I didn’t find it annoying or like a stereotypical love triangle.

The world-building was fun. I love fantasy/historical C dramas and the book felt like one. The book had the perfect balance of plot and romance. Enough romance to keep me engaged, but enough plot that I felt like stuff was happening in the story.

The Nightblood Prince follows the story of a prophesized empress to unite the land and two princes and Kingdoms that want her. When Fei was born, it was said that she would become the Empress of all Empresses. The Emperor where she was born, then moved her into the palace and she was betrothed to Prince Siwang. From the time she could remember, she wanted to be more than her prophecy and was always looking for a way to beat it and the magic she hides from the world.

I really enjoyed the writing of this book, and the way the relationships were portrayed, not only between the main characters, but also Fei and her family. I appreciated the growth that Fei goes through as she realizes that her prophecy and what is expected of her doesn’t just affect herself, but also those that she loves. One of my favorite quotes was “I didn’t want to be the water that reflected his light. I wanted to be the light itself”. As the story progresses, she realizes that nuance of what it means to be human and ways that she can step into her own power.

The pacing of the book was very well done, and I was excited to keep reading it. I appreciated how this book wrapped up, and will definitely pick up the sequel when it releases.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this might hit well for the earlier YA age bracket or those who are happy to absolutely ignore any politics in a...book that involves diplomacy and war.

You also have to never question why Fei would long for a life outside of the palace or a life she has control over other than of course she would because feminism. We know she's prepared to do this dangerous hunt and possibly die for a chance to be freed from her engagement (to a man who we're told over and over she loves, but honestly every time she thinks about him, I don't get any sense of that. It's not the dedication and just not seeing all sides of him, it's the "this person sure was here my whole life". There's no emotional conflict in her decision to leave), but when did this start? What made her realize that despite being told she had everything and was the luckiest, that she wasn't? It's just the start of everything being told to us and not shown, so there's no connection or depth or any of her actions. We cheer her on because she's A Strong Female Character, but the narrative folds itself around her to support that, but we don't really /feel/ for why she's making these decisions, what her motivation is. This is especially clear in the "going to war in her father's place" section - where did this dedication come from? She saw her father maybe once a month growing up??? And we know nothing about what transpired or any emotional weight to her parents' visits - she was brought to the palace as an infant, so what is this parental love rooted in? Other than "good filial daughter". Except right before this, she'd been gone for a while (either 6 or 11 months, it's very unclear) basically immediately after getting her family exiled, so?????

As mentioned, the politics are...a mess. I have no sense of timeline for when empires and lands changed hands, how old certain grievances are, much less how easily loyalties are swayed or what sense the peoples of the borderlands in particular is regarding who they support. The narrative seems to want it both ways - that Fei can comment that the villages have seen so many flags, they're so far from capitals, what do they care, but then also be swayed when they smile at Yexue and think of him as a benevolent ruler. It also feels like a very hollow statement, since we then spend the next two parts fighting and Fei trying to decide which side she supports. Only to get really mad at Siwang when he won't sign a treaty that...basically is a surrender? Of course he's not going to and become a tribute state and pay taxes when he thinks he has a chance of winning? It's presented like he's ignoring peace for a fruitless battle, but we haven't seen any of that; the last battle on-page he won, and with unfavorable terms that basically dissolve his dynasty and empire, why is the focus on him not signing it, rather than him not sending back his own version of a treaty? It's all just bad and confusing for a book that wants to have a love triangle between two warring countries and absolutely cannot pull off that dynamic.

Speaking of which, both love interests are also not great. Fei, go run away with Ping. Your magic sight is a deus ex machina anyway, just go do your own thing - neither country has any reason why you should feel dedicated to them.

This was great I cannot wait for the next book! The magic system.was so unique, I felt emotionally connected to the characters and couldn't wait to find out what happened next, really enjoyed my time with this, I love the writing style it's easy to digest without being too simplistic, I'm looking forward to the next book however I do think this could of been just one book, it felt a little dragged out in some places but overall I loved it!

★ ★ ★ ★.25

Thank you to RCH and NetGalley for the ARC! This book was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and did not disappoint. ‪‪❤︎‬

Fei is a courageous, determined woman in a world full of men who think themselves superior. She's also put on a pedestal due to a prophecy that believes she will become the empress of all empresses, but she wants to write her own fate-- her own story. I found her strong-minded self to be really compelling, and the entire time I was like "Yess girl, put these men in their place, MMHMM."

This book is definitely more focused on the romance rather than the fantasy lore. I wish there was a bit more depth with the world-building because it was really enjoyable already, especially with including vampires into an Asian fantasy. The romance I wasn't really all there for, and that's because both of the male love interests were controlling and claiming. Makes sense, given in this story it's men who are running the show, but for a love interest I honestly don't think either of them deserve Fei. Do I lean towards one over the other? Definitely, so I can't wait to see what will happen between them!

I'm excited to see how the politics and romance play out in the next book, with how high the tensions are and the secrets that had begun to unravel. I definitely will be buying a physical copy and overall, really liked this book! ❤︎

This was my first experience with Molly X. Changs' work and I must say that I have a new author to add to my 'amazing authors' list! I really loved this story. The writing style is beautiful and immursive, and it makes you feel emotionally connected to each of the main characters. I love that the male love interest is who Fei picks and not just someone who was picked for her. (im trying to not give any spoilers away, sorry if im being too vague). The adventure that you go on in this book is just magical and I enjoyed every minute of it! I can't wait to get this stunning hardcover when it releases!

The world and magic system is interesting. I felt that a lot of information was held back…maybe for book 2?! But either way i think some more was needed in this one. The men were a smidge toxic if one died off i wouldn’t be horrified… BUT it also made for some interesting book drama and twists.

A thrilling and sweeping adventure where a girl tries to navigate destiny and fate. Fast paced with steadily increasing stakes which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Mulan-esque moment brought me more joy than I would've expected. I also enjoyed the incorporation of Chinese (this is my first novel by Molly so I don't know if there are similar moments in her previous books). Such a fun read.

I’d like to preface my review by saying that i absolutely adored our protagonist, Fei, and the world Molly X. Chang has created! Our two male love interests? Not so much. Hopefully they get some better development in the second book and gain half the sense the woman they love has!

Fei has always been trapped. Destined from birth to marry the crown prince and become the Empress of all Empresses, her life has never been her own. While postponing her nuptials and hiding the visions of the future that plague her, she’s slowly began to formulate a plan to cement her escape. At the next hunt, she’ll capture a rare tiger, one that will force the emperor to grant any wish. But when her pursuit of the tiger ends in her saving the ward from the enemy state Yexue, things get a little bit too complicated. Before she realizes it, Fei is torn between Yexue and her betrothed Siwang, and the two sides of the war these men begin. Can she follow her heart? Or will she be forced to yield to the prophecy hanging over her head?

I love a protagonist who is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to reach her goal, who takes matters into her own hands, and rises above the societal expectations of women. Fei matches this criteria precisely. She’s feisty, she’s smart, and although she isn’t good at things immediately, she does not give up.

The Trojan War meets Vampires and Mulan in this stunning beginning to a new duology, and it releases July 1st! Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House/Underlined for the e-arc!

Review will be up on socials soon!