A fantastic read for fans of Frankenstein and Shadow and Bone. Le creates a world so vivid that it felt as if I could step right inside the story with her fantastic characters.

As a B&N bookseller I was so sad this didn’t win our YA BOTY because I LOVED this. The pacing, the characters, the overall story were perfection.

Super cool magic system and Vietnam inspired setting. This was really cool and unique! Highly recommend (unless you don't like any gore)

Read for Book Committee 2024 (DNF - 0 - 1 - 2)
Rep: Vietnemese
Genre: Fantasy
As a debut novel this was pretty good. I was really interested until about the halfway point where things started to become predictable. It seems like the marketing team is pushing this as a romantasy, I think this is inaccurate. The romance was almost not in the book! ( didnt mind this personally though)
I really liked our MC Nhika and the writing style and the magic system. (Check out the Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia if you liked this but thought it was too long) I will probably not read the second book in this series but I would check out other books by Le!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Nhika can alter human biology through touch, placing a hefty bounty on her head. After her capture, she's coerced into solving the investigation of a high-profile murder. Despite her attempts to leave, a mysterious force—and someone— draws her back in.

This dark, enigmatic fantasy sets a compelling tone for Le's new duology. The author's masterful prose transports readers into a richly imagined world based on Vietnamese culture.

SO much to love with this one. The Vietnam-inspired world is fascinating and seems really well done. The magic system is unique and I really enjoyed it. The writing was pretty top quality and the plot intriguing. Definitely one I'd recommend for a lot of reasons.

However, I'm super nervous to continue this duology. The romance was the only thing in this book that I wasn't the biggest fan of the whole time. Like it was fine, just not my fave. Until the end. It was an unexpected ending to be sure, but not one that I liked even a little bit. With how much the next book is going to focus on the love interest (and in what way), I'm really torn. But, like, it also can't end like that??

"The Last Bloodcarver" by Vanessa Le is a captivating fantasy that intricately weaves themes of power and redemption. Its rich world-building and complex characters offer a gripping and immersive experience.

Nhika is a heartsooth, someone who can use magic to affect the body. She is an amazing character, proud of who she is in a land in which she is an outsider. She is an amazingly fleshed out character. She’s a survivor, but she’s flawed and sometimes naive. Through her, we’re introduced to a world where magic is being pushed out in favor of science, and pulled into a murder mystery. I absolutely love how magic and science blends together in this story, creating a beautiful world that I can’t wait to go back to in the sequel.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, this book read like a paint-by-numbers version of a YA fantasy novel. Everything that Le included in her novel I have seen before. It read so much like someone made a list of the most common tropes, characters, magic systems, and events and Le put them all together in a decently written novel. Le has skill with her writing which is why I did not rate this lower than 3 stars. She did nothing stellar with the book though which left me disappointed.

This one had an intriguing plot and kept me riveted throughout. The main character was definitely relatable

This wasn’t my favorite book ever, but after several failed attempts to navigate some of the lackluster Asian fantasy that’s been pouring out of publishers lately, this was definitely an improvement. I liked most of our characters, although the Congmi siblings were a bit like cardboard cutouts. Nhika and Ven were both delightfully complex and weren’t necessarily good people, which I can always get behind in a character. The villain could have used more development, but maybe more mustache tweedling would have made their reveal more obvious? The world building was done well, not perfectly, but well. I do wish a time period had been established, bc there were robots but not organ transplants? It felt weirdly selective about what this society knew or didn’t know. I also felt the ending was not what I was expecting, nor was it particularly satisfying. There is a second book though, so maybe that will flesh some things out. All in all, this was a creative and unique read with some boundary pushing characters and a love story that felt a bit shoehorned but not inauthentic. I liked it.

Nhika is the last of her kind a blood carver and being murdered is the kindest fate that awaits her if she is discovered. She has the ability to heal with touch but the invading people saw that as a threat to their power and had them hunted.
Living on her wits until she is caught and sold to the highest bidder. She is lucky enough to be bought by a family desperate enough to help hide her in order to help solve a murder. Along the way Nhika discovers secrets she never thought possible.

Nhika usually makes her living by peddling fake homeopathic remedies, but the desperation of her latest mark, whose wife is dying after a medical misdiagnosis, causes her to throw caution to the wind and draw upon her Yarongese gift as a heartsoother to heal the woman. Unfortunately, her generous act brings her to the attention of the Butchers, who capture her, exhibit her as one of the dreaded and illegal “bloodcarvers” and market her to the highest bidder. A wealthy young woman purchases her and brings her to the lavish Congmi estate, where Nhika is asked to heal a loyal family retainer in a coma who is the only living witness to the death – and possible murder – of the head of the Congmi family. In accepting the job, Nhika is drawn into a world full of hidden agendas and dangerous secrets. To survive, she may need to become the monster she is accused of being. The first in a planned duology, The Last Bloodcarver features a fierce protagonist and an intricate magic system and will appeal to readers of These Violent Delights and That Self-same Metal.

Between the cover and description I had high hopes for this book and thought I would love it. At this time I have been unable to finish it. I will update once I finish with a better, proper review.

I really loved the concept of this book, especially because it had this really perfect combination of magic and science plus the whole murder mystery aspect of it! Nikha was such an interesting character, and I liked reading in her POV, especially as things started to unravel and make more sense. Although I didn't feel like the romance aspect really hooked me, I do think I could be more invested maybe in the sequel, but we'll have to see! The last part of the book really sucked me in and I was FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend this!

I loved this book!! The Heartsooth magic was incredibly written, and the dynamics between our heroine and everyone else were gripping and emotional. The end felt a little bit rushed, but the whole murder mystery of it all was quite good.

This YA debut is a super compelling read from a new author! I read an early version and absolutely loved it. The worldbuilding is such a good mix of fantasy and scifi, there's a strong mystery at the heart of the story, and the Asian inspired influences and references to colonialism are some of the book's strongest elements. I can't wait for the sequel and for more books from Vanessa Le!

Combining mythology with fantasy is a common experience in fiction, but The Last Bloodcarver feels quite fresh and I'm excited to continue the journey! It was heartwrenching in perfect ways.

honestly picked this book for the viet vibes & wasnt disappointed at all! no spoilers but this was so good i cannot wait for the second book! hope im chosen for the sequel arc!