Official rating 3.5/5 stars

This was a very unique and interesting well-written tale that I wish i could have said I enjoyed more.

Set in a Feudal-era Japan-like setting, with the added incorporation of slavery and demons, Asagi is a slave who identifies on the spectrum of male and female (as the writer used 'he/him' pronouns, I'll use them for the purposes of this review). Sold into slavery at a young age, Asagi suffered cruel abuse at the hands of his owners. Despite this, Asagi is brave and kind, unwilling to be broken despite the many challenges and suffering he endures throughout the first portion of the book. Keep in mind this story does stare rather unflinchingly into the face of outright cruelty, sexual assault and even child abuse, so this book is not for those who may be disturbed by these themes.

Love, duty and devotion is the heart and soul of this book, but I would not call this a love story by any stretch of imagination. Asagi falls in love but finds his feelings begin to change as he is turned into a Youkai without his consent to save his life. As Asagi is forced to lose aspects of his humanity that he holds dear in order to stay alive (at times being forced by his lover Mahiro to do so), devotion and dedication become underpinned by an undercurrent of resentment, as Asagi is forced to obey him. After all, a gilded cage is still a cage.

I don't want to spoil the story so i won't expound on the latter third of the book but I felt a lingering sense of futility and desperation throughout the entire book, despite Asagi's role changing. It was beautifully written but that was a dampener and I just couldn't get over it, even as Asagi entered a new role in his life.

That being said, your mileage may vary.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review from myself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: sexual abuse, physical abuse, self-harm, transphobia,

The idea of vampires (or Yōkai, to be more precise) in Japan was one that appealed to me, as I've rarely read about blood-drinking creatures in non-western cultures. This was a quick read. Fun would not be a good way to describe it since terrible things keep happening to the main character and their young protegee, Tsukito, including sexual abuse, which made the book really difficult to read at times.

Bloodlaced features a protagonist that do not fully identify as either male or female at a time and place that had no concept or word for such an identity. Being a cis person, I might not be able to fully appreciate if the representation of their identity was successful. I liked the fact that Asagi was unapologetic about their identity even when they were unable to resist in other significant ways. What made me a bit uncomfortable was that, different characters referred to Asagi with different pronouns and I was not sure if the character was comfortable with those as this was never clear. The blurb also seemed confused in that respect using 'he' that might have been ok with the character but we never know that for certain.

Other than that, I found the relationship between Asagi and Tsukito very heartwarming. I actually enjoyed the first 25% that was just about them much more, and was somewhat annoyed when the love interest appeared. Thankfully, the justification of problematic behavior was eventually avoided but it had gone on as a romance for quite a long time, and unfortunately it just didn't click with me.

All in all, this was an interesting premise, the Japanese elements were very believable and there is a heartwarming surrogate parent - child relationship. While I knew from the beginning that there was going to violence and triggering topics this was almost too uncomfortable at some point and after some time I believed the point was made and didn't feel more suffering, especially of a queer character was really justified. The ending suggests that Asagi will finally choose a different way and be much more autonomous in the next book and I'm glad of that at least.

⛩ Bloodlaced by Courtney Maguire ⛩
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In the wake of his failure to protect a boy he saw as a son from their abusive master, Asagi is sold into the house of a young nobleman, Mahiro, who is the opposite of everything Asagi has ever known—gentle, kind, and generous.

Mahiro bonds with Asagi and their friendship blooms into a deep and profound love. But when Asagi is poisoned out of jealousy, Mahiro reveals himself to be youkai, a demon who feeds on blood, and he has no choice but to turn Asagi to save his life.

Asagi awakes reborn, strong, and eternally youthful. But the price for Asagi’s new life is high.
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I was super excited when I got accepted to read this because I really have been wanting to read more of these kind of stories. I really wanted more cultured base books and therefore I immediately began this when I got it. This story is beautifully told and very well written. It was super easy to understand what was going on and the characters were very well developed.

Asagi was a character I really liked. It was super fun to follow him along this adventure of a story. I really loved how he became this blood-sucking demon, but I also loved reading about his other version before he became that demon. Absolutely a great character that I’ll always remember and appreciate.

Because I had really high expectations for this, I think it ended messing with my overall experience. I really appreciated the concept and everything about this story, but I don’t think it was for me. Great story, just not my taste in reading. I would, however, suggest it if you’re into vampire stories. It’s definitely worth reading just for Asagi, but I personally would’ve liked a bit more. It was still a really sad story because of Asagi’s background and story. It was still such a great plot and great read. I finished it fairly quickly because I was intrigued. I’m honestly glad I read this.

Content Warnings: physical abuse, sexual abuse (off-screen), self-harm, blood, graphic violence.
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Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️
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**I received a copy via NetGalley for an honest review, thank you so much.**

I went into Bloodlaced blind, not knowing what to expect. At first unsure whether it was my ‘cup of tea’, but then quickly developing a hunger to turn page after page. The story tells the tale of Asagi, a non-binary slave in 19th Century Japan, and her relationships with several different characters that she meets throughout her journey to freedom. I found myself engulfed in her journey, not wanting to put the book down until I knew what happened next.

The book intertwines events of reality with those of fiction, and the vampirism aspect adds an unexpected twist to the progression of Asagi’s story. But the book isn’t all about their growth and their wins heading towards freedom, it covers love, heartbreak and loss. Pain, suffering and perseverance. At times, it was a difficult read. Bloodlaced encompasses rape, slavery, self-harm, violence and other hard topics. But the book is written so beautifully well and captures the thoughts and feelings of the main character perfectly, without overpowering the reader.

The Japanese setting allows for the expansion of cultural knowledge. The book contains a glossary at its back with several words never before encompassed, and opens a reader’s eyes to the culture of 19th Century Japan.

Bloodlaced demonstrates how, even in the darkest of times, a slight feeling of love and hope can pull you through. A powerful, heart-wrenching read.