A big thanks to NetGalley and Rose Hollow Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You sold me on a mysterious man showing up. I smell enemies to lovers!

The Blood Vier by Christy R. Harrill is a YA fantasy novel about Taryn who wants nothing to do with the father who abandoned her. She bolts at her first glimpse of freedom, only for a mysterious man to track her down, claiming her father was murdered and she is the key to finding the killer. She strikes a bargain, traveling to the kingdom’s capital where she becomes an unwilling player in a political game against the opposing sovereignties and her father’s suspected killer. As a Blood Vier, a blood heir come to vie for her father’s position, Taryn is now the prime target of assassination for her interference. She seeks evidence to bring down her deadly opponent, enlisting the help of the cocky prince and a despised healer. But as her father’s secrets begin to slowly unravel, Taryn is caught between duty and freedom, questioning where her allegiances lie and how much she is willing to sacrifice. Treason haunts the kingdom halls, death stalks close behind, and betrayal is only the opening act. Taryn has spent her life shrouded in secrets and deception, and she’s done playing the pawn.

I really liked the politics Harrill presents in this book. It was a lot more intense than you would find in most YA books, which was quite refreshing. But at the same time, the pacing and some of the characters were a little lack luster. I felt like the pace needed to slow down just a hair so I could fully understand what was happening. But at the same time, I felt like I didn't get to know any of the characters all that well due to it. Overall this was a great read and I can't wait to see what else Harrill has up their sleeve.
Genres
Fantasy
Young Adult

Unfortunately, I Dnfed this book at around 50%.

The good points:
There are an adequate amount of descriptions. No excess of purple prose or excessive descriptions of floor rugs or door handles.
I found the dual POVs to be quite interesting. So thats a plus point too.

What made me abandon this book:

The severe lack of background details. And I don't mean the sky or the trees. I mean the story.

The first page felt like I was thrown into the middle of the book. Or a series. I had no idea what was going on. It felt like I dozed off during a movie and woke up halfway with no idea what happened.
I flipped back and forth and even re-downloaded the book thinking I missed the beginning.
Need more world-building. Who are the Kavari? What are they? What is their purpose? What is Garridia? Who is the main character? Why does she hate her father? Why was she living with her mother alone in a remote village? Why did she wake up with a random guy staring at her? There's no beginning and just a lack of any background details in the story.
Needs more information on characters and their descriptions or personalities. They all felt dry without the proper introductions.
I didn't like any of them because I had no idea who they were.
The deficiencies in the details were so confusing that it didn't hold my interest long enough for me to finish the book. I just wasn't invested enough even though half the story was complete.
The story and the plot were going in a good direction it was just that there were not enough details for me to understand what the hell was going on.

Oh well.

Gorgeous and interesting fantasy with a really fun plot and a really fun protag. Thanks for the arc! Would recommend

The Blood Vier by Christy R. Harrill was a fun start to a great fantasy series.
An intriguing and captivating story with fantastic characters.
The writing sucked me in and held me captive till the end.
I’m excited for the second title in this series.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Rose Hollow Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was a very good start to the series. The world building was great. The characters were very love able and I enjoyed this book a lot!

This was a great start to a series that left a lot to be answered.
I really enjoyed the politics and court intrigue.

My only complaint is that I wanted more from the fmc. She needed help more often than not and it got a little tiresome.

Overall I definitely will continue this series.

The blood Vier by Christy R. Harrill. Tanks to Nergalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story about Taryn who searches for her father's killer and discovers that her father and mother have always lied about her father's background. She soon finds herself in a world with political intrigue, murder and betrayal and she must decide how she will find her place in it.

What to expect?
- Secrets
- Political intrigue
- Murder mystery
- Betrayal

The characters in the book are well written and have interesting backgrounds with deep feelings. You are taken into 2 different POV and this often makes you as a reader doubt the intentions of other characters. This increases the need to understand the story.

the world-building is good, the magic is explained but not yet over-determining for the book and there is no romance. However, Tyren is a damsel in distress and the fitting of the book is so well done that you don't miss it.

I definitely recommend this book, it's a very strong start to a series. I'm very curious to see how the story continues. I'm rating this book 3,5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book. Pub Date Sep 6, 2022.
This book offers a quick read with its **well-paced plot and engaging characters**. However, upon closer inspection, it reveals some shortcomings that might leave avid readers like ourselves wanting more.
**Strengths:**
* **Compelling characters:** The characters are likable and their interactions drive the story forward.* **World-building:** The magic system and setting are well-developed without being overwhelming.* **Pacing:** The story avoids lagging and keeps you engaged throughout.
**Weaknesses:**
* **Repetitive damsel-in-distress trope:** Taryn's constant need for rescue becomes predictable and undermines her potential for growth.* **Lack of romance:** Although refreshing for some, the absence of romance might leave romance enthusiasts like me feeling unfulfilled.
**Overall:**
While this book delivers a fun and fast-paced adventure, its reliance on repetitive tropes and the absence of romance might not resonate with all readers, especially those seeking deeper character development and emotional engagement.

A really good tale that leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions.

This is a quick and easy read with likeable characters, a decent plot, and good pacing that keeps you churning through the pages. I got through it in a day and wanted more.

The epilogue was very interesting, and I would like to know how that is going to play out. I'm also very interested in something that happened at the very end of the book that made me have doubts about a character. Because of all of these things, I will definitely be looking forward to the next one.

It was good. Not truly something that stick’s out above other books in the genre but I had a good time reading it.

Unfortunately i didn't like this book, i really wanted to love it. The description was really interesting and had me hooked but the actual book didn't do it for me. I'm a big YA reader but this wasn't for me. It' not a bad book, just not my thing and i still think it could be loved by a lot of people.

An intricate and delicately balanced tale of intrigue and heartache.

The characters in The Blood Vier are well-written and have amazing depth. As the tale unfolds, we find that the characters each have their own heartache and it is this heartache and the loss that brought it on that informs their actions and choices throughout this story.
Though this tale started slowly, it was gripping right from the beginning. And though there were times that the reader is surprised by a twist in the story, there are some characters for whom we can never quite grasp their allegiances. This all helps to create a book which demands to be read as quickly as possible in order to see just what happens next.
A wonderful beginning to the tale, this first installment is well worth the read. Highly recommend!

I was really hesitant about the book in the first half, but once we hit 50%...wow did it go fast.

The Blood Vier is a fantasy story about identity, politics, and betrayal. I'm not usually a fan of fantasy books with "court intrigue" plots, but the second half of the story was more of an adventure, which I enjoyed immensely.
We follow Taryn, the daughter of a famous military leader, as she tries to uncover her father's murderer while simultaneously navigating the dangerous politics of a royal court. It took a bit for me to get into, and then I was scared when a "big reveal" happened at around 40%, but then the story took off from there and there were several instances where I had no idea where the story would go from there. It had danger and action in nearly every chapter in the second half and I loved that.
Honestly, I'm a bit wary of trusting any of the characters in particular. The story has two POVs - Taryn and Vladimir, who I assumed would be the love interest but doesn't seem to be (and that's probably for the best). Both of them felt like unreliable narrators at times just because I could see them possibly withholding information. Similarly, I didn't trust Katherine and I still don't...I don't know why I just have a gut feeling. The only character I genuinely trusted was William because he didn't really do anything suspicious. I liked him the most, but Taryn was a solid main character.
If you're looking for a Russian setting, a fantasy with a political focus, or tons of suspicious characters, The Blood Vier is an exciting mix of adventure and intrigue.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.75/5

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book.
Pub Date Sep 6, 2022

After reading the synopsis I was excited to see this as a Read Now option. The start of a new fantasy series can always feel daunting but I was surprised to be able to read this fantasy with ease. The book moved at a nice pace where the fantasy elements did not feel overwhelming and getting to know Taryn as a character was refreshing. Politics and treason in a Kingdom are followed by many twists and turns that lead into some resolve but still leave things open for the following books. It was a mid-amount of world building that still felt large enough to see yourself in. This definitely will not be my last Harrill book.

Thank you for this arc!

Since this was published in 2022, I'm a bit late to the party, but I'm happy that I found this book and got approved for it.
Normally, I'm not a YA reader, but I really liked the world building, political intrigue and murder mystery in this book. Also, the pacing was so fast that I didn't even need a romance subplot. I liked Taryn as a character, her development and how she didn't need to be trained – she was already a badass :)
The only thing I didn't like was that Taryn always needed to be saved by someone, even though it was stressed several times that she had been trained by her father at a young age.

Still, I enjoyed this book a lot and practically flew through the pages. I definitely want to read the rest of the series and hope that I can find it on NetGalley (if not, I'd totally buy it).

The Blood Vier by Christy R. Harrill
5/5 stars!
This is an amazing read, it explores loyalty to the crown, politics, betrayal and more with a hint of romance! I would definitely recommend this to family and friends, it written beautifully and made me grab the next books straightaway! If you want a quick exciting read then I definitely recommend this.
Thank you to Christy, the publisher and NetGalley for such a wonderful arc! I cannot wait to read more books by Christy!

3 STARS!!

”I thought Death would taste bitter, but it was surprisingly sweet”

This book had me hooked right from the beginning! Taryn's world gets shaken when she learns her father, who pretty much abandoned her all her life, was part of this secret royal government, The Kavari. But, her father gets murdered, and Taryn is dragged into a political mess, trying to figure out who committed the murder. Revenge vibes, identity crisis, you name it.

The political intrigue kept me on my toes, and Taryn is such a cool character. I mean, she's complicated, impulsive, and kind of reckless, but that's what makes her interesting, you know? I tried to be a detective, guessing who killed her father, but plot twist after plot twist, I was wrong every time!

The characters are well-written, and there's this bigger plot hinted at for future books that's got me curious. Taryn's growth is something to watch; she's fiery and faces the consequences head-on. I usually can't stand reckless characters, but she had me hooked.

Vladimir too! he's a mystery so far, but you can tell he's dealing with some heavy and intriguing stuff. Can't wait to know more about him in the next book.

The world-building is good, not too much magic, and no romance – a shocker for me (an avid romance addict), but it worked. However, there's this “damsel in distress” vibe I wasn't crazy about, and the pacing also got a bit wonky at times. Some scenes were epic (especially the fight scenes), but then the dialogue got too rushed. Also, there’s lots of running, getting caught, and saving – got a bit repetitive towards the end.

Still, a fantastic start to the series, especially for a debut. Harrill's got me hooked for more!

“Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and the author for sending me a copy of this e-arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”

Secrets
lies
Murder
Political intrigue
Slowburn romance


I enjoyed the MC, at times Taryn was extremely empathetic and at others (maybe) too impulsive with her actions. Although, for her age and the whiplash of the situations she finds herself thrown into, the scale tipping between wanting to do what’s right and wanting to be self serving was a refreshingly real response.

I have so many questions after reading this book, and will be running to pick up the next in the trilogy.

I loved both of the potential romance interests, and need to know who ends up with whom.

There is sprinkling of fantasy elements being planted and am interested in how they grow as the series progresses.

Overall, the world building was solid and the storyline progressed nicely. The ending pulls you in to want to know more on what the characters will face/uncover next, and how they respond.

I really loved it! I loved the character and the world building. The interactions were well thought out as well as not focusing on romance. I enjoyed the plot and the concept. I did find that at around chapter 27 (5 chapters give or take) the events and conflicts happened too quickly. That being said shortly after that the conflicts slowed down and it went at a slower pace. Vladimir will hold a special place in my heart.

All my best,
Emma

Harrill weaves a captivating tale of fantasy--blending elements of political intrigue, mysteries, and the more emotional topic of dealing with grief and healing. I found myself flying through the book and completed it within one sitting. It was so easy to get immersed into the story and captivated by the mystery. Who had killed Taryn's father? Why had they done it? Every question made me want to finish the book all the more. The ending was beautifully poignant and I felt that it wrapped up the relationship Taryn had with her father perfectly. That epilogue though... it left me hungry for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!