Bloodleaf had an extremely strong start: the only princess of a kingdom was under suspicion of being a witch and the whole kingdom had Salem Witch Trials vibes. In addition to being accused of being a witch, the princess, Aurelia, also saw the dead, specifically one entity that seemed to appear whenever death was imminent. Where Bloodleaf lost me was Aurelia's journey to the neighboring kingdom, Achleva. There was a lot packed into Bloodleaf, and it felt like some plot lines were shoved to the side to make room for a new conspiracy theory. If the story focused on a young girl on the run and trying to start anew in a foreign kingdom, I may have been more invested, but instead I just felt exhausted in Bloodleaf. I was surprised to see that was a series because it had a nicely wrapped up conclusion. I may pick up the next book to see what adventures await Aurelia and her new friends.

What I Liked
I definitely did a Twitter GIF reaction thread. Hop on in for like 70% gifs of people screaming.

I joke about Aurelia making bad decisions but she's actually just very realistic. I love her relationship with her brother, even through the strain it undergoes. Kellan *heart eyes* and Zan *annoyed heart eyes* are both great possible love interests to read about, even though there is blissfully no love triangle here (YET???). I saw some twists coming but others not so much. I literally cried. Like three times.

I think one of the best things about this book are how real everything feels, and how the descriptions make is feel like an actual place. The magic is mysterious to Aurelia so it remains mysterious to the reader until Aurelia learns it throughout the story. Her development in magic is done SOOO well, as she gradually improves her abilities. The ending is good and ties up the main loose threads, but there is clearly a sequel (a trilogy, in fact) so some things stayed unsolved. I CANNOT WAIT to get my grubby little paws on the second and third books!!!

What I Would Have Liked to See
I feel like it's weird to say "more men being killed" but like... that's for real. I also would have liked to see, and expect to see, more in-depth descriptions of family crests in the sequels.

My Favorite!
The depictions and descriptions of King Domhnall. That's all I have to say.

TL;DR
Princess and blood witch Aurelia must escape danger from all directions to save her life and the lives of those she loves, but when unforeseen magic threatens the entire world, sacrifices must be made.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Bloodleaf . It didn't start off as being immediately gripping, but I found myself slowly spiraling into Renalt and Achleva. I was surprised when I found myself wondering about the characters and what they were doing in my daily life every time I finished reading part of it.

I really liked how Aurelia grew into her own throughout the novel. I also appreciated the relationships that she forged with the other characters, but I definitely liked Zan more. He was just so resourceful, supportive, and unexpected at times.

While the book was quite dark in places, I liked how the importance of love and sacrifice was constantly woven throughout it.

I just want to start by saying I read this in one day. I literally got home from running errands, handed my boyfriend the remote to the TV, and said "Amuse yourself. I need to finish this book."

To be honest, there's nothing super special or shocking about this book. There's a princess. She's Special. She's forced to flee. She meets a handsome man who saves her. They fall in love and die and pretty much destroy two kingdoms. End book.

However, there's just something special about this book. Aurelia is just a captivating character; you can't help rooting for her. While her motives may not be 100% pure, she's been through some shit and you can't help but love her.

There's a few plot twists that caught me by surprise; others I saw a mile away. However, it doesn't take away from the fact that this is just an enjoyable read. If nothing else, I give props to the author for coming to a nice conclusion to the book instead of a cliffhanger (as it appears that there are more to come).

Bloodleaf is a young adult fantasy novel, the first of a trilogy (unless it's a bestseller, which these days seem to indicate multiple books set in the universe). It is a loose reworking of the Goose Girl fairytale in that our heroine, Princess Aurelia, blessed/cursed with the ability to perform magic (blood magic, but she is special, so take that with a grain of salt) after a long, long setup involving the trappings of fantasy/dystopian/whatever is most popular now start of our heroine wishing most heartily for change after someone dies due to the opressive reign of her land she finds herself on the way to a (maybe) more welcoming one. Then she finds herself forced to live as a commoner trying to find her place in the world/maybe get her place back/but does she even want it now that she's seen how others really live? It's very familiar territory and the long slog that's the book due to all the tropes plus clunky writing makes Bloodleaf not only offer nothing new, but nothing particularly special.

First of thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my advanced copy of Bloodleaf.
Now, to start off with: this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Which is why it breaks my heart to state that I almost didn't finish it. The first half of the book was slow and held very little interest to me. I found it hard to keep reading at times. Thankfully I forced myself to continue. The second half is where all the meat of the book is at. Aurelia becomes more realistic as she enters Achlev and so do many of the side characters. The third part of the book had some falls but was still far better than the first part and the ending made up for a lot of the over-comings of the book. Overall, It was a good book, I give it a four star rating because there's nothing between four stars and three and its better than a three star.

Bloodleaf is a debut fantasy novel that contains a trope we have seen a lot of (princess fighting to get back/save her kingdom) but does it pretty effectively within an interesting world and magic system. I really enjoyed my reading experience with it and while it falters in a few places, I think it is a strong debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Bloodleaf follows Princess Aurelia who sees ghosts and must hide the existence of her magic because it is punishable by death. A religious/political organization seeks out witches and executes them, but Aurelia just needs to hold out until her political marriage to the heir of a kingdom that accepts magic. Events force her to flee and hide her identity, but she becomes entwined with dark and violent machinations that are political and magical.

This was an enjoyable story with an well-developed where the stakes are high and things become quite violent. We get some history of how the two kingdoms became what they are with some interesting consideration of how mythology and history may be written in different ways to serve the goals of those in power. I liked Aurelia as a character and appreciated the fierce love she shows for her younger brother, her bravery, and her willingness to sacrifice. There is a big reveal near the end of the book that I saw coming from very early on, but that didn't really detract from things for me.

Certain plot points and explanations later in the book felt a little fuzzy and underdeveloped, and I wanted to ending to do something a bit more novel. But overall, I enjoyed Bloodleaf and I look forward to seeing how this author continues to grow. There is a lot to like here! I received a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book captivated me from page one. I loved the unique characters and the mesmerizing plot. Something's were a little transparent while other things had me screaming, "NO WAY!" Highly recommend

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free copy in exchange for an honest review*

Bloodleaf is a retelling or the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale of The Goose Girl but with a twist. In the original, there’s a princess who’s sent off with a servant to go to a neighboring kingdom. The servant refuses to serve the princess and eventually, makes the princess swap roles with her lest she tell the Queen that the princess lost a special charm she was given. The princess then is assigned to herd the geese and after a while the plot is discovered and she is elevated back to her place as princess and the servant is punished.

Bloodleaf takes a different approach. The princess, Aurelia is a witch and lives in a kingdom where magic is forbidden and could land one in prison or dead. So she runs away. Honestly, thinks take a bit of a turn toward “The Prince and the Pauper” as Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in order to avoid being caught by this looking for her.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but let’s just day that book 2 has its work cut out for it.

There is mention of r*pe and self-harm, so do be careful when picking this one up.

Princess Aurelia of Renault is having a hell of a time - for one, everyone thinks she’s a witch, a crime punishable by death in her country. Even being accused of being a witch is enough to get you hanged by the neck until dead. Or burned. Seems like the preferred method in Renault is hanging, but burnings work, too. Everyone in Renault, even the royal family, lives in fear of the Tribunal, a shady organization that apparently has jurisdiction over witches and seems to possess absolute power. The public is on the side of the Tribunal (witches = bad), so the fact that Aurelia is rumored to be a witch isn’t exactly great.

The fact that she is, indeed, a witch, is even worse. Aurelia is a blood mage - she can see spirits of the dead and do magic with her blood. Anyway: Aurelia has to keep her witchy-ness secret re: regular hangings and burnings. Aurelia has been engaged to Prince Valentin of the neighboring kingdom of Achelva since infancy. Things look a bit better for witches in Achelva, which sounds great, but Valentin himself? Not so much. Valentin is rumored to be a weak and infirm invalid who rarely ever leaves his rooms. The current king of Achelva, Domnhall (no relation to the beautiful, red-headed Domnhall Gleeson) is the worst. He’s basically Donald Trump in everything but name. So Aurelia isn’t overly thrilled at her upcoming marriage, but she’s eager to get the hell out of Dodge before people catch on that she’s a witch, holding out to the hope that, in uniting her country with Achelva and becoming a queen, she can lessen the influence of the Tribunal and make things better for her fellow witches.

That’s all well and good, but just as Aurelia is getting ready to head off to Achelva, the Tribunal stages a coup - Aurelia’s mom, the Queen, is captured, while Aurelia and her little brother Conrad, the future king of Renault, just barely manage to escape. Things get even worse when the people who helped Aurelia escape Renault turn on her. They take Conrad and head off to Achelva with an impostor posing as Aurelia, while the real Aurelia just barely manages to escape being murdered.

Now stuck in Achelva with no money, no friends, no papers, nothing, Aurelia has to do her best to survive. Then a handsome stranger called Zan steals her horse. Well, he tries to pay for it after the fact, but still. The only thing Achelva has going for it is that Aurelia can now practice her blood magic without fear of immediate hanging and/or burning. But there’s still the fact that the Tribunal still has her mother hostage back home, and Conrad is in the hands of the impostor and her Tribunal-loyal father. Plus there’s something weird happening within the walls of the city-state of Achelva. Old magical protections seem to be failing and Zan is determined not only to find out why, but also find a way to stop it. When he learns that Aurelia (now calling herself Emilie) is a blood mage, he offers to teach her how to use her power in order to save his country. Can Aurelia manage to save her family and Achelva and Renault from the grips of the Tribunal without dying a horrible death?

Good luck with that, Aurelia/Emilie!

Sometimes its hard for me to be objective about books that I enjoy. If I like a book, I’m willing to forgive most of its flaws, embrace the story and roll with it. For the most part, the books I review here on this stupid tumblr blog are books that I’ve liked. I don’t really want to waste my time slogging through a book that I don’t like. Life’s too short, if I don’t like something, I’m not going to read it. If I like a book, I’ll finish reading it, even if it takes me a while.

Bloodleaf is one of those books where I started reading and then would not stop. I remained at the gym for an extra ten minutes just so I could finish a chapter. I was ready to hiss at anyone or anything that would stop me reading. Needless to say, I enjoyed this book a lot. It has its flaws typical to YA fantasy (mostly just some weak characterization and worldbuilding) but once I got going I really didn’t care. I went into full YA Fangirl Mode. And once I enter Fangirl Mode it’s difficult to convince me not to like or enjoy something.

Plus there’s a bunch of not-so-subtle Donald Trump references to the regent of Achleva, who is definitely a Trump-type. One of the characters even refers to him, sarcastically, as a “stable genius.” Another character tells him, very publicly: “Facts is facts. Wishin’ ’em false and declarin’ ’em fake don’t make it so.”

Heee. I see what you did there, Crystal Smith. I see what you did there! And I very much enjoy it.

So if you’re looking for a strong, female-led YA fantasy novel featuring blood magic and the occasional witch burning, Bloodleaf is the book for you.

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith
3⭐️

Thank you tell NetGalley and HMN teen, for an E-arc in exchange for a review.

I found this book very entertaining! A retelling of The goose girl, with a touch of some twists. The beginning of the book is a great introduction into the world and princess Aurelia, who must keep her blood-mage magic hidden while in Renalt. A kingdom she was born for, being the first female born into the crown in 200 years, Princess Aurelia has to figure out if she’ll let the past define her future or take it into her own hands.

To try to save Princess Aurelia’s life she intends on marrying Valentine, the prince of Achelva; a prince known for being unwell, and cruel. I love the perfect blend of magic, romance and action. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes easy fantasy reads!

Bloodleaf was entertaining! The protagonist Princess Aurelia must hide her blood-mage magic in Renalt where anti-magic fervor reigns. Following a coup attempt, Aurelia assumes a fake identity and escapes to Achelva, the kingdom of her betrothed. Staying away from the palace, Aurelia joins forces with a young noble Zan to use her magic to save her own country and Achelva.
I found Bloodleaf's magic system fascinating and really liked Aurelia as a heroine. I also really liked Aurelia's relationship Some elements of Bloodleaf are trope-y and the biggest twists weren't very surprising. The ending made me think it was a standalone, but it's the first of a trilogy. It will be interesting to see how Aurelia's story continues.

[3.5 stars...I received an ARC from NetGalley for review.]

I was completly and utterly compeled by this book! It was very good. I had no expectations and I loved it. I loved aurelia, the lost princess, I loved all the other unexpected heroes of this book where everyone can surprise us by showing the worst and then the best side of them. It was all worth it!

This book was good but I could not get through it. It just was dull enough that my desire to read it wasn't there at all. Its unfortunate but at least the writing was decent.

I enjoyed reading this book. Of all the types of books I can read, retellings are may favorite. I never read the Goose Girl so I went into this one blind. I found the characters interesting and well developed and the plot twists kept the story interesting. The pace of the book was good and the components (magic, action, romance) had a good blend, I look forward to what happens in the next book!

I started this book already with a chip on my shoulder. I've been reading A LOT of fantasy back to back to back and just thought to myself, 'ugh this is going to blend in with the rest of them'. I was almost even dreading starting it because of my slump. Boy was I wrong! I couldn't put it down and read it within one day.

This story was extremely compelling and was fast-paced with a lot happening. I hate when stories get bogged down and I feel like we go chapters of characters just TALKING about what to do. There's a lot of action in this book and I didn't find myself skim reading at all. Aurelia, the female lead, is overall very likable and well-developed for a character. I do feel like the supporting characters could have been developed a little bit more - especially Kellan and Nathaniel.

The only downside I found to the book is I saw most (if not all) twists coming ahead of time. However, I don't feel like it took away from the enjoyability of the book - and I got really invested in the characters. Even with some of the predictability, I did not feel like this was the typical fantasy book and story we've all come to read 100s of times.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, easy fantasy read!

Strong parts: Characters, world building, exciting plot, dialog, suspense, magic, mystery, great storylines
Weaknesses: At times felt like I had read it before.--parts too like other novels. Took a few chapters to grab my attention.

Bloodleaf is great addition to the magical-fiction genre! A compelling plot keeps the reader engaged while creating an ever-deepening connection with main protagonists, Princess Aurelia and Zan. The overall tempo of the Bloodleaf is satisfying, filling in with self-discovery and perseverance between action -- the ending seems a bit rushed, but is ultimately satisfying. Readers will find many interesting details that support both the characters and the plot -- definitely a setup for a sequel!

Princess Aurelia is a witch ... well, a Blood Mage to be accurate. In her country, Aurelia's powers are feared and punishable by death, but an arranged marriage to the Prince of Achlev may be her saving grace. When she is forced to flee her country for Achlev, she begins to discover a plot to not only overthrow her family, but also the throne of Achlev. In hiding and almost dead, Aurelia meets mysterious Zan who, despite a rough beginning, forge a friendship and begin working to save the crown.

This book was very hard to put down because it was such a great storyline and kept me turning the page to find out what would happen to Aurelia next! There did not seem to be many dull parts of the story which is great for young readers and makes the pages seem to fly by as well as the time spent reading.

The characters are well-developed and did not feel like your typical princess meets boy, falls in love, rules kingdom side-by-side. While predictable in some areas, the predictability I felt did not take away or make the story any less enjoyable, but rather had me rooting for certain characters and questioning how certain characters couldn't see what was right in their faces, only to realize it's because they didn't WANT to see that yet.

I would definitely recommend this book to my middle school students and plan to purchase at least one copy for my classroom and probably a copy for myself at home!

First, I would like to say that Aurelia is a VERY strong female lead. Secondly, I was impressed by the complexity of the magic system. However, I was somewhat disappointed by the overall story. I loved the characters, but the plot was a tad predictable for me. I've seen the story's beats too many times. I do like the author's prose and her attention to character development. Though her debut was kinda lackluster for me, I would love to read her other future works.