I'm going to refrain rating this as I've only read an arc and the final version might change.

The concept of the story and the protagonist Ana have so much potential but I felt like the rest of it sort of fell flat. The love interest was dashing and roughish as all good love interests should be but there was nothing to distinguish him from the rest of the pack. Apart from the two main characters I felt that we were just told not shown what the other characters are like. There were a few characters that were almost fleshed out but almost as soon as you warmed up to them, they were killed off.

Also, this is a personal opinion and it may change as this was an arc, but the dialogue was stilted and did not ring true. In some instances I had to voice it out loud to try and make sense of what was being said.

Nevertheless, this is the debut novel of an Asian writer and I understand what an incredible feat that is. I would definitely be reading the next book when it comes out too.

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Why is there no 10 star option?

“The Blood Heir” follows Ana, a presumed dead princess who seeks to find her fathers murderer with the help of an unreliable con man who has plans of his own. As the two make their way across the empire with revenge in their hearts they find that their stories have crossed in more ways than one and they need to learn to trust in nothing else but each other before their journey ends.

This book is everything I hoped it would be and so much more than I could have ever imagined! I didn’t know it was an Anastasia retelling when I began and I was happy to see the bits of fantasy and history paired together to tell the story we know and love while also being true to some of the actual events that took place.

There’s also a much larger element that discusses the horrors people face simply because they are different and how their suffering is on full display for the elite to enjoy and there’s a very nice call out to those who are aware of these disgusting displays and choose to turn a blind eye.

I enjoyed every single second of this book there was not one moment that I felt was filler it was perfectly crafted to give us backstory, the whispers of revolution, insane chemistry and a cause worth dying for and I can’t wait for book 2.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!**

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-arc

5/5 ⭐

I devoured this book. If I wasn't at work when I started it I would have finished sooner.

Beautifully written. I love everything about it. I need more or Ana and Ransom!

I finished reading this book in one sitting, it's THAT GOOD!!! It was action-packed, characters were very compelling, the writing was superb, and the fantastical world was amazing!

I'm so thankful I got an ARC, it's the best book I've read so far in 2019! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

WOW what a ride.
I cannot wait for this book to be released and I can physically own it.
This story has everything you want in a fantasy read, a plot that keeps you hanging by the edge of
your seat, well written, to the point that every scene glides into being, and completely realistic and relatable characters.
The world building was perfect and if life had not gotten in the way I could have easily read this in one sitting.

Thank you to Random House Children’s for the arc of this book.
I struggled at the beginning of this book to get into it, at around 50% it gripped me, then at about 70% it lost me slightly, but then at 80% it had me in its claws and wouldn’t let go.
Ana is a good strong lead and I look forward to seeing how she and Quicktongue develop.

This novel was an enjoyable read. It does not have your typical good and bad people, where not everything is black and white, but rather shades of gray. Everyone hides their true identities and secrets run amok. There are ulterior motives and several plot twists.
Anastacya Mikhailov, is the princess of the Cyrilian Empire, who has been in hiding for being accused of murder. She has a blood affinity, a rare ability among Affinites. She travels to see Ransom Quicktongue who can help her locate the person responsible. Ransom was betrayed by the people he worked for and seeks revenge. A con man, who sees an opportunity when Ana approaches him. Together they strike a deal, but Ransom has other motives when he sees Ana's abilities. While traveling together, Ana learns much about her empire that she never knew and what actually is occurring within the empire. Not every monster shows their true colors. The novel also gives flashbacks about the past and how Ana and Ransom came to be who and what they are. Motives begin to change as they encounter others within the empire who want to fix the current injustices. The truth leads Ana closer to home than she ever expected and needs to figure who she can really trust. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series!

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. There were a few parts that weren't to my taste (soooo many flashbacks) but I think the pacing flowed really well and it definitely kept me interested!

I received an e-ARC of Blood Heir from Netgalley, and I'm pretty sure it was the best thing that's ever happened to me. Blood Heir was everything I was expecting and more. First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm really upset that I'm not going to be able to actually hold the book until June.

Blood Heir is about Anastacya, a fugitive princess who was forced to flee the palace after being accused of murdering her father, the emperor. Ana is a blood Affinite: she can control other people's blood. Affinites are alternatively sought after as indentured servants and reviled as unnatural monsters. Even among other Affinites, Ana's power is unusual and extremely powerful.

Ana makes a deal with Ramson Quicktongue, an infamous con man, to help her find the man who really killed her father. Ramson, however, has his own motives for helping her, as well as his own tragic backstory. Oh, Ramson. He reminds me of Kaz from Six of Crows except...better? (Kaz is one of my all-time favorite characters so I can't even believe I'm saying that but...)

Ramson just needs a hug, seriously.

Ana, on the other hand...needs to be kept away from fast-moving bodies of water at all costs. (I'm trying to keep this review spoiler-free, so you'll definitely see what I mean once you read it. Ideally, after you preorder a copy and then read it.)

I would lay down my LIFE for Ana. Some people seem to think that a girl needs a sword (or some other type of stabby weapon) to be a "strong woman," but Ana is so strong and inspiring without any of that. Of course, she could totally drain all the blood from your body with a thought, but she...probably wouldn't.

One of my favorite themes in the book was redemption. Ana and Ramson have both made some pretty terrible mistakes, and they both fear that they're monsters. BUT they're both so innately good, and Ramson in particular spends a lot of the book making his way back from that dark place.

Suffice it to say, the character development is just amazing.

Even the side characters were just so interesting and unique that I never felt like they were there just to further the plot. In fact, at this point, I'm dying for a prequel novel about one in particular...

I'm writing this approximately one hour after I've finished reading, and I feel like I need to just sit and think about it for a solid day or so, but I also want to write everything down so I don't forget anything. I'm absolutely in awe of this book...it's only January, but this might end up being my favorite read of the year. I normally don't highlight or write down very many quotes, but there were so many quotes I thought were too wonderful to risk forgetting.

I can't recommend Blood Heir enough to anyone who likes any of the following: agonizingly slow-burn romance, witty sailors, really freaking cool magic systems, loooots of very suspenseful near-misses, and strong women who don't take crap from anyone.

Woah. I had high hopes going into BLOOD HEIR, because dark fantasy is a particular favorite of mine, but this book completely blew those expectations out of the water. I devoured the whole thing in a single day because I just could not stop reading! Zhao's story features a blood-wielding princess on the run and the untrustworthy conman she's forced to team up with on her quest for revenge. Aside from the brutal wintery setting, I also love the author's commentary on power and privilege, right and wrong, and what makes someone a monster. If you're squeamish about blood, I will warn you that this book contains some semi-graphic scenes of violence. Nothing too horrible, but I think it's worth mentioning. Overall, BLOOD HEIR is a unique and gripping introduction to a trilogy I've already fallen hard for. Seriously, I need that sequel!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Blood Heir is about Ana, a princess with the power to control blood. After witnessing her father’s murder, Ana fakes her death in order to hunt down her father’s killer. She rescues a con-man, they both embark on a journey to learn the truth.

This book was fantastic! I loved how there were morally grey characters and the idea that it is one’s choices that define who we are. I loved Ana and how she struggles with her blood magic and whether or not she is a monster. The prose is captivating and the author creates a world that is lush and dark.

I loved this Anastasia retelling that has a powerful message that is about self-acceptance and the realization that you cannot change who you are, but choose what to do with what you’re given.

Anastasia was one of my all time favourite Disney movies.. and this book did not disappoint.
Wow.
This is one of the best re-tellings I’ve ever read!!

Summary

This book follows the story of Ana, who is graced with a flesh/blood affinity, one of the most powerful affinities to have. She finds herself somehow linked with Ramson, or Quicktongue, and together they make a pact to help each other out. First, of prison, and then to conquer their own demons. Along the way, it is discovered that Ana is even much more than she claims to be and Ramson is caught in the thick of it. Together, they fight to save the lives of those most affected by affinity trade and the fate of the kingdom is in their hands.

Likes

WOW. I absolutely loved this book. From the first page, I was drawn in and I literally couldn't put it down. While I'm known to read books in one sitting, this one I devoured. It was so full of action and passion and power. Ana was an amazing main character. She exuded strength and humility, as well as a genuineness that really kept me invested in what happened to her as a character. Her development throughout the story blew me away and by the end--with a few twists involved--I was honestly shook. Ramson was a perfect complement to her character. I really didn't like him at first but he grew on me quickly and by the end of the book he had my heart. His true story was heartbreaking and I feel like that evoked an emotion from me, which made me love this book so much. The idea of the affinities was interesting and I thought that it was a unique take on powers and how they are used in fantasy. 

Dislikes

As evidenced by my rating, I really didn't dislike much about this book. I feel like my only complaint is that this appears to be a standalone. What?! I have so many questions after that ending and I NEED MORE. Zhao's writing truly blew me away and I haven't been able to say that about a book that I physically read (not audio) in a while. *Edit: somehow my brain glazed over the fact that this is indeed a SERIES! So my only dislike now is that I have to wait for the next one.*

This book is intriguing and unique from the first page!

Ana is such a strong willed character & her story is unique even though you can tell where the aspects of the Anastasia retelling are waving in.
The characters were all developed extremely well & I was never let down by their decisions.
The villains were a lot of fun too though.
The slow romatic element of the story was something you do not see as often and I thought it ito be quite realistic & nice.

I am really excitedfor the next book, even though I now have to wait probably over a year for it to come out... But to compensate that, I already pre-ordered my copy of this books & I just cannot wait for it to arrive in June!

I gave this one 4.75 stars.

(a full review will be up on my blog around the time of the publication date)

This was so good. I was hooked from the first page.
I read an excerpt a while ago and I was so very excited for this book and it didn‘t disappoint.

It was action packed, characters were well developed, there were some very well written villains, so I was never bored.

The loved the main characters. The romantic side of the story was nice, it was subtle and slow but I am sure we will se more of it in the next book. I also have a feeling (and I hope it will come true) that there could be a secondary romance story too. That would be amazing because the characters I have in my mind are very intriguing.

All in all, I give it 4,5 stars. Thanks to author and Netgalley for this ARC, I loved it.

An engaging, richly created, and perfectly paced re-imagining of the Anastasia story.
There are so many things there went incredibly right with this book, it's hard to even know where to start. I feel like it succeeded in bringing together the best of many different genres, which helps give the story an air of newness and a refreshing trait. The characters felt very real, and beautifully flawed. They didn't have to rely on any insta-love, so definite brownie points there from me.
And the world... goodness, the world. It is a beautiful thing when, as a reader, you find a world that is so lushly created, and so incredibly detailed. And at no point did an info-dump threaten to pull me out of my enjoyment of the story.
Cannot recommend Blood Heir enough to any lovers of a great semi-historical fantasy, badass female characters (and no, that does not just mean she can fight), and an honestly intriguing love interest that is more than just a pretty face.