Blood Heir is a story that takes place in a kingdom called Cyrilia and features a group of people with different powers, called Affinites, who are feared and enslaved by people who do not possess any of these powers.
The story is about the Pryncessa Anastacya Mikhailov, whose Affinity is one of the most powerful and dangerous: the control of blood and who is forced to flee after being accused of a crime that she did not commit. The book leaves little room for hope, yet in the end Ana and her ally the con artist Ramson Farrald find the strength they need to fight to save the Empire and free the Affinites.
A book with many lessons for life, which is worth reading

Great story and loved the romance. Loved the cast of characters and how the story came to be. Great story and I would read this author again.

WOW! What an amazing book! I was on the edge of my seat the entire 2 hours I spent devouring this! If you love fantasy and drama, get a copy - you won’t regret it!

I did not finish this book: Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao. The premise seemed interesting but could not get into it.

Whenever I’m browsing NetGalley, it’s always the cover that intrigues me enough to read the synopsis. The cover of Blood Heir is absolutely gorgeous, and I was in awe of the design. So then I read the synopsis of the novel, and that sold me instantly. I clicked on ‘request’, and the next day, I had been approved and started reading straight away.

In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls.

When Ana’s father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father’s murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue.

A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all.

Whenever I think of Anastasia, I always think of the beautifully animated film that always had me enraptured. The storyline, the characters, and the amazing scenery had me obsessed. So, when I heard that Blood Heir was a re-telling of Anastasia, let me tell you: my expectations were automatically set high.



“But perhaps all monsters were heroes in their own eyes.”
– Amélie Wen Zhao, Blood Heir


The first thing that I noticed when I started reading this was that it was a very very loose re-telling. You could tell that there was definite inspiration from Russia with the beautiful descriptions Zhao used to portray the world to the reader.

When it came to the characters that Zhao had created, Ana was someone who I could relate to on such an emotional level, and it made me love her instantly. Her power was somewhat scary, but her journey of understanding it was interesting. We were treated with two points of views in this novel: Ana and Ramson, a con man whose chapters kept me entertained (and sometimes I even preferred them to Ana’s.) There was also a character called May who was a younger character than Ana, and the relationship between them was almost sisterly. It was so precious and I loved May so so much. She was such a fierce, strong character who did everything that she could to help those she loved.



“Choices were for those with privilege and power. When you had none, all you could do was survive.”
– Amélie Wen Zhao, Blood Heir


The writing was so beautiful, and Blood Heir is definitely going to be a book that I’m going to read again. I read this book as an e-arc, so I know that quite a bit has changed throughout this book, so in the near future, I will give it another read to see what was different, but also to prepare me for the second book: Red Tigress.

Now, as you have probably realised, I gave this book four stars, not five. There were a couple of things that let this book down. The first was the number of clichés that were used. There were quite a few and it just felt… unnecessary. Of course, there are going to be a couple of cliché sentences. It’s very hard to not use them sometimes, but there comes a point where there were just a few too many, and I rolled my eyes a couple of times.



“Life is a masquerade. Everyone wears masks.”
– Amélie Wen Zhao, Blood Heir


There was also a little bit of an info dump at the beginning of the book. In fantasy novels, it’s so hard to build a world, and show the reader the magic of the world without being info-dumpy. But, it was too much, and I was so tempted to give up. But, I decided to carry on because of the beautiful writing style.

Overall, I think it’s safe to say that this was an amazing fantasy novel, and was so different from other fantasy novels that I’ve read before. I’m interested to give this another read to see what was changed, but I’m also so excited to get my hands on the second book because that ending blew my mind.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I actually enjoyed the first part of the book, but the rest fell flat. Especially with the usage of Black pain, I ended up skimming the rest. I’ll still read the final copy to see if there were significant changes, but from what I’ve heard, I’m not expecting much.

Disclaimer: I received an early review copy of this book BEFORE it was pulled form publication and parts reworked. This review is based off of that initial manuscript. I do not know what changes were made to the book before publication.

I absolutely loved this book! Blood Heir is a beautiful written book. The magic system is a new take on an old elemental favorite, and the class system is one we've seen many times in fantasy settings. One thing that's a little different about Blood Heir is that Amélie is not afraid to write about the darker side of the class system. I believe she said she took inspiration from the old Chinese slave market, but all I could think about is the human trafficking and child abductions that are still very much relevant today.

Based on what I just read, I don't believe that the book should have been pulled from production early. I didn't read anything that was graphic, or problematic, or that isn't something that I've read or seen in present day books and movies or tv shows.

I'm not reviewing this book because this version of the same was pulled from publication. As a new version of the book is out in the world, it doesn't make sense to review this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy of Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao.

Blood Heir is a young adult fantasy about a princess who has fled the palace after being falsely accused of the murder of her father, the king. She teams up with a street thug named Ramson Quicktongue to find the real murderer, clear her name and rescue her brother, the crown prince. She has only her power over the blood of humans and Ramson’s knowledge of the streets to rely on as she works her way back to the kingdom.

Apparently there was a lot of controversy with this book in its early drafts. I had expected after that to be reading something with a little edge or at least titillating In some way. Instead I found it to be a bloodless (ironic considering her powers) and very, very typical of the genre. Everything from Ramson’s prison break, the prejudice against magic and abilities, the machinations behind the throne and even the expressions and language used follow the same beats and tropes of every young adult fantasy available on the market. I had hope for a fresh new voice but I there wasn’t anything here to get excited about: There was little chemistry between the two main characters and although Ramson’s story was much more intriguing than hers there is very little of it. Ana’s powers are supposed to be horrific but we barely get to see them because there is always a counter-measure or block by her enemies to keep her from using them. Ramson is reputed to be some sort of crime lord but he just seems like a little street urchin to me. The one kick-ass character shows up late in the book and disappears in the end.

This would be a average fantasy and maybe even a good one for people new to the genre. But for more experienced YA fantasy readers this is a boring addition.

3 stars

CW: gore, death, torture

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to review.

I am sorry to say that I could not finish this book. I tried reading it for over two months before I finally decided that I was miserable while reading it.

I was so excited for this book. I am always down for an Anastasia retelling. The beginning was intriguing. It’s not every day that you get to read about an impossible break out from a high security prison and that being just the beginning.

Sadly from there, my feelings fell flat. The US cover reminded me of why I disliked this book. Second, the writing felt MG/early YA. This is juxtaposed by the content of the story. At some of the scenes would have just made The Darkling and Malachiasz beam with joy. This didn't work for me at all. Since I am discussing the cover, I wish that it would be redesigned because:
a) it's creepy but not in a good way
b) it has Middle Grade vibes and this book is not MG even though it was written like one.

Zhao’s writing style caused me to not care about the characters and this the plot. The last scene that I read was when Ana’s companion dies, I honestly felt nothing when I should have been bawling. Here I knew it was time to call it quits.

I do plan on giving Zhao another chance before I write her off. I hope that she refines her writing for the next book and that I can love it as much as I wished to love this one.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There were twists that I was not expecting at all. I haven’t read anything with any similar magic styles so that made the book better and more intriguing.

Given that this is now the older, withdrawn version of the text, I don't think it's fair to judge the novel off of this version! The book was withdrawn for a reason and therefore I'd most likely find many faults with this version of the text that I would not find in the newer version (whether that be another round of arcs or the published editions). It wouldn't be fair to criticize this novel for issues that may have already been fixed, and this is no longer the version intended for public audiences. Instead, I plan to purchase the new version myself and give it a fair review

This title was archived before I was able to download it and therefore, I was unable to review it, though it was highly anticipated by me at the time.

I am hoping to still be able to read it via the library.

Thank you.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I really loved how this book did not pull punches or tiptoe around! It was filled with morally grey characters (the best kind, imo) who are really just trying to manage their lives the best they can. I really dont see where the controversy was with this book (and I do plan to someday read the actual released version to compare differences), and felt everything was addressed beautifully and with care.
This book did NOT read like it was a debut novel, and I can't wait to see what the author comes out with next!

“Perhaps monsters never meant to hurt others, either. Perhaps monsters didn’t even know they were monsters.”

Blood Heir is a fast-paced fantasy that follows the story of Ana, the princess of the Cirilian Empire who at a young age emerges as an Affinite. Affinites are those with possess magic, usually in regards to the elements except Ana, who has the super rare Affinity for blood. By this i mean she can control anything with blood and can even rip all the blood out of someones body. It’s pretty hardcore. Affinites are feared and not well-liked throughout the Empire and when her Affinite emerges, her father tells the kingdom she is a sickly child and cannot be out in public anymore(think poor Elsa in Frozen except Ana gets very extreme sessions from “healers” to try to force her Affinite away.) When Ana’s father is murdered, Ana finds herself being framed for it and must flee her home and try to find the evidence she needs to prove her innocence and save her kingdom.

“She was the bearing to his compass, the dawn that his ship had been chasing for so long over an empty horizon. My heart is my compass.”

Ana’s quest for innocence leads her to Ransom Quicktongue, a criminal who is well-known for his ability at finding things. The two make an unlikely pair who are each trying to prove their innocence. As fate would have it, their paths were meant to cross as they soon realize that the two of them have a person of interest that was involved in each of their downfalls.

““The Deities have long sent me a message through their silence.” A steely glow sharpened Morganya’s gaze. “It is not their duty to grant us goodness in this world, Kolst Pryncessa. No, Little Tigress— it is up to us to fight our battles in this world.””

Blood Heir is a duel POV story, with it shifting between Ana and Ransom throughout. Out of the two, Ransom was my favorite. He was witty and sly, and a not very great man who really starts to become morally better after meeting Ana. And the banter between Ransom and Ana was A+. Rather than staying the selfish man he had become, he finds himself outwardly trying to help those in need. Ana was a very ignorant and naive girl, but that was because of her upbringing. Once she is out of the castle and on her own in the world Ana is shown just how corrupt the kingdom is and how vile Affinites are really treated in the real world. Her mission goes from being simply for her innocence proven, to trying to help dismantle the slave trading of the Affinites once her eyes are opened to the injustice going on.

“Who had determined that Affinites were less worthy of love, of being human, and why? Simply on the basis that they were … different?”

I really enjoyed Blood Heir. The storytelling was engrossing and I found myself reading this into the wee hours of the morning. It was a complexly developed world, which is my favorite when magic is involved. I can’t wait to learn even more about Ana and Ransom journey in the second book and honestly, that cliffhanger ending got me so bad I am still reeling from it. I am giving this a 4 out of 5 stars.

I do not feel that I can not give accurate or honest feedback based on this copy given the fact that it went into rewrites. But I will give it the rating that I was headed towards prior to the announcement.

I ended up not finishing this one, given the controversy, I wanted to wait for the final copy before giving an honest review.

This novel is one of the best I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

I adored this story. It was such a fast-paced adventure that you just had to know what came next.

Going through this story, you cannot help but root for Ana after everything she’s been through. Plus with Ramson he’s everything you love to hate. He’s the type of character that you can’t quite tell is he good? Is he bad? Will he turn into the hero we want him to? Watching these two’s story intertwine was fabulously done.

Blood Heir is dark, but adventurous and the world-building is fantastic. It had me guessing and uncovering things up until the end and I love that in a book. Super excited to see where the story goes next.

This book was very intriguing and I found it to be an amazing debut! The world building was so well done and I felt very immersed in this Anastasia-esque world. I also found the characters to be very interested as I have a special love for morally grey main characters! Overall 3.5 stars, as it was a solid fantasy book.