DNFed at 52%. The descriptions and marketing advertised Fei as a strong fighter, a feminist girl wanting to choose her own future. Fei is a idiot who constantly endangers her sister and parents, gets them exiled and stripped of their wealth, purposely goes to the army (that if she’s caught in, her entire family will be killed). Siwang is a boring caricature and Yexue shows up twice over 152 pages (over half the book) despite the fact he’s supposed to be a love interest???

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC of this. This was my first introduction to Molly X. Chang and I really enjoyed it! This was a slow start and took me a little minute to get into. Things picked up like halfway in and then keep me engaged to which I’m glad I kept reading. This has some Mulan aspects and I loved that! She is one of my top five princess. This is a slow burn romance, love triangle, marriage of convenience and more! Such great combinations and they all came together beautifully. Not a huge fan of love triangles, but looking forward to seeing where this is going to end up. Fei is our female main character and she wants something more for her life. Siwang and Yexue are our male main characters and they both have likable qualities as well as some they need to work on. Definitely looking forward to the next book!

I really wanted to like this, and made several tries to push past the beginning, but the worldbuilding was so superficial that it could have taken place in any generic fantasyland, with a few names swapped. Worse, the FM is a whiny mouthpiece for feminism--which I'm all for--but there is nothing new here. And it got worst from there. Maybe I'm just too old, and have read too many books like this one; hopefully it will find its audience among the middle graders it seems to be aimed for.

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang is an electric YA fantasy romance.
This was such a great read.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.

I've never read a Molly X. Chang book before but i was left thoroughly impressed. She has a writing style that kept me turning the pages. I have some mixed feelings with our main character Fei but overall she was just an average character to me. I didn't necassarily care for the two main love interests either and it didn't really feel like a YA scene even though it's marketed towards teens. I am curious to see where the sequel goes and if it will improve my enjoyment.

YA retellings of Asian myths are one of my favorite genres right now and I’m glad to see more Chinese stories and authors being published. Very cool to have the Hanzi printed within the book!!

The Nightblood Prince’s story itself is very dramatic and compelling once it gets started but I did feel I needed to read the blurb to understand fully what was going on in the beginning. I have just seen Emily Woo Zeller is the narrator for the audiobook so I am eagerly awaiting to re-read that way!!

I’m not going to lie, this was a little slow at first. And it took me two tries to get into it. It was about the halfway mark where I finally started to get into the story. And I’m glad I stuck it out.

I really enjoyed the writing style and the Mulan for adults vibes. I liked that the FMC was aware of how she was behaving, and the unacceptable ways/views of the MMC’s as well.

Lifeng Fei is a girl that is trapped in an arranged marriage because of a prophecy. But just because she is destined to be Empress, doesn’t mean she’s really living her life. Instead she no longer lives with her family, she’s lives in the palace where she is not allowed to leave or have a voice.

Until she decides to escape and hunt the mysterious tiger. But instead she ends up meeting Yexue and changing her life as she knows it. Throw in a love triangle, war, a little bit of magic, vampires, a prophecy and men that would do anything.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.”

I’m looking forward to book two, and finding out what happens with this love triangle. I know who I’d choose if I was her.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s Publishing, & Molly X. Chang for the opportunity to read & review this ARC.

The Nightblood Prince is an intriguing fantasy that blurs the lines between heroes and villains, keeping readers guessing where loyalties truly lie. The standout element is the world-building—clear, immersive, and easy to follow without being overcomplicated. At the heart of it all is Fei, a strong, uncertain, but deeply compelling protagonist. Her resilience, especially as she navigates identity and ambition (often while undercover, Mulan-style), makes her someone worth rooting for. I'm still unsure who I trust in this story, but one thing is clear: I’m hoping Fei ends up as the Empress of all empresses, no emperor required. I'm eager to see how not just her prophecy but all of them unfold in the next book.

This is like a YA Mulan x vampire crossover, and I gotta say, I enjoyed it!! ⚔️❤️ We've got prophecies and a love triangle with TWO morally grey men (but grey in different ways) - what's not to love there!?! Also the cover is BEAUTIFUL!

Fei is a good FMC, and I'm sure it was very difficult to write our two princes, Siwang and Yexue. They both had to be likeable - but not too likeable - which is such a fine line!! Props there 👏🏼

I loved the storyline and the setting - but the character relationships weren't very deep for me! As Fei is falling in love, I just wasn't getting that 😞 it read very shallow in the relationship department. BUT it was still a good read, and I will definitely be reading book 2 when it releases!!

Thanks so much to the author and netgalley for my copy to review ❤️

OMG!! This was a riveting Rollercoaster ride of a tale. The prophecy painting Fei's existence and the paradox of her position in the political millue was beautifully juxtaposed! I thoroughly enjoyed her fighting her destiny while realizing its hold loomed larger than her at all times. The simmering tension between Fei and the 2 princes were also etched where you could justify her decisions. The familial bonds were chef's kiss. I particularly enjoyed her father explaing the significance of her name, masterstroke move!! The tale gallows through a Mulanesque landscape where Fei feels she's no longer a player but still reels from the understanding that enemies still fight under her prophecies bane. The premise was justified beautifully, and I thoroughly relished Fei's attempts at retaining mastery over her fate.
All in all, a scrumptious book that I cannot wait to continue!!

this was such an amazing read. I had such a fun time reading this. I was hooked with every character. the plot was Mulan with a mix of mo dao zu shi in the sense of yexue and his vampire army (like Wei wuxian and his zombie army). the love between characters kept me guessing and going back and forth between who was the true villain in Fei's story. I seriously loved every point in this story and I can't wait to read more. I still can't find the words for my excitement for this story

I truly loved this book.

Fei was born with a prophesy upon her. She was to be The Empress of all Empresses and whoever she married would be The Emperor of Emperor's.
So of course when the Emperor of Rong heard tell of the prophesy and identified her by the mark of the phoenix she was taken from her family to grow alongside Siwang The Prince of Rong.
The problem is the Fei wants her freedom and to keep the fact that with the mark of the phoenix she is able to see glimpses of fate. Magic isn't meant for mortals and you are not considered anything good if you have it.

One night an opportunity arises for her to try and change her fate and give her the freedom she wants so badly. But since when have things ever worked out that way?

Yexue has been a pampered captive of Rong for many years until he finds himself no longer one on the same night he finds himself at deaths door only to be saved by the woman meant to be The Empress of Empress's.That night changes his life and his ambitions.

Now not only does Fei have Siwang declaring his love while also trying to control her but she has Yexue who isn't above manipulation to win Fei. Fei only wants to save as many lives as she is able to she just isn't sure how to make that happen.

I thought this book was fantastic, I couldn't put it down. I started reading #TheNightloodPrince by #MollyX.Chang 2 days ago and just like that I am finished. I may have stayed up a bit late at night but it was worth it! I can't wait to add this one to my collection!!!

I'd like to thank #Netgalley and #RandomHouseChildrensBooks for the chance to read the arc of this amazing book publishing on July 1st 2025!

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I found The Nightblood Prince to be a pretty quick and well-paced read. At times I felt a little frustrated with the FMC as parts of her character didn't really make much sense to me. How does she have all these survival skills but seemingly is incapable of surviving. She needs to be saved quite frequently which has me perplexed how she is an amazing fighter/archer. Additionally, I don't understand her magic. She has the ability to see the future but seemingly is blindsided by everything. I'm not a huge fan of the love triangle trope but I would be interested in a sequel to see how this plays out. Overall, a decent read. Gave it four stars but is more like a 3.5 star read for me.

I thought Fei was a really strong protagonist and I enjoyed seeing her character grow throughout the story. However, both of the male love interests drive me crazy. They both have a few good moments with Fei but it just doesn’t make up for how they treat her most of the time. Honestly neither of them deserve Fei at this point and maybe they need to end up with each other so they can both be miserable and insufferable together. Hopefully we will get to see more character growth from the boys in the next book.

The Nightblood Prince is a lush and emotionally charged fantasy that weaves romance, prophecy, and political intrigue into a gripping tale of destiny and defiance. Fei is a compelling heroine, fierce yet vulnerable, whose journey from palace pawn to self-determined force is as heartbreaking as it is empowering. The worldbuilding is rich with folklore-inspired magic, and the chemistry between Fei and the enigmatic Yexue crackles with tension. A captivating start to what promises to be a thrilling saga.

Like many others have said, this book is very much Helen of Troy meets Mulan, just without Mushu and with vampires. It was enjoyable and I liked the writing and the pacing of the story, but while I liked the vampire addition, it was really a small part. It was very much more tell rather than show. I am really hoping we get more of everything in the sequel, because there is so much more that can be done with this premise. I liked that we had the golden retriever boyfriend and the morally grey diversion which then flips roles and suddenly we're rooting for the "bad guy." Honestly, our main character just needs to forget about both of them and find option number three. She is destined to be the empress of all empresses and both of these guys are stuck in the ways of the times where a woman means nothing except as an extension of them. Not that the boys don't try and each has moments of redemption, but I sure hope we find more to love about them in the next book, because this one hasn't convinced me yet. All in all, the story was entertaining and quick paced. I want to thank NetGalley for the Arc opportunity.

Fei has had her entire life planned out for her since birth. The child of a prophecy stating she will become the empress of all empresses effectively condemns her to a life in a man's shadow, and she is quickly taken to the palace to be raised under the guise of the emperor's protection, when in fact she has been whisked away to secure the emperor's son's status and become the emperor of all emperors. When Fei and her betrothed Prince Siwang are almost eighteen, Fei has had just about enough of her life being dictated to her by and for the sake of men. She does care for Siwang, but recognizes that his love for her isn't straightforward or freely given, as it's inevitably tied to his desire for power that the prophecy promises whoever Fei marries. Desperate to receive the gift of a wish from the emperor by taking down a beastly tiger in order to break her engagement, Fei takes off on her own and encounters the empire's ward from a warring nation, and inadvertently sets off a series of events that will throw her entire world into a chaos she could never have predicted, despite being warned of it through psychic visions for years.

The Nightblood Prince was nothing like I was expecting. Perhaps that's because of the (absolutely gorgeous) cover making me assume there would be more time spent in a court setting. Maybe it's because the pacing felt disjointed as I made my way through it. Regardless, I definitely went into it thinking it was a standalone book, so be forewarned that this is absolutely the first part of a larger series! There is no easy conclusion here, for sure.

The first part of the book felt like an entirely different from the rest. Our FMC Fei makes excellent points about feminism and the ridiculous injustice of women having their lives forcibly revolved around men and never given their ability to be their own person, whether in a courtly setting or outside of it. This continues to be a main theme throughout the book, but while the point gets hammered in, I felt like it never fully landed. I wholeheartedly agree with Fei's opinion and outrage, but the indignation did not quite drive her action as much as I wanted or expected it to. It felt at times more like decoration, an espousal of an ideology that feels impossible, but with no real substance. (That said, I'm positive it will be more of the guiding force for future books).
Once the second part picks up, it's suddenly Mulan, which then quickly gets sidetracked when Fei's identity is easily discovered. While I understand that Fei's situation and emotions about encountering her lost childhood friend/fiance are complicated, I feel as though the growth she's achieved in his absence suddenly vanishes. Again, I completely understand that as a woman, she has very little recourse in affecting the outcome or opinions of anything or anyone. Yet her conviction to prevent the outcomes she foresees stalls, which sadly let me down a bit.
The third part largely revolves around Fei's realization that there are truly two sides to this war, but there are also no clear winners, both in terms of morality and possible outcome. Either way, too many people lose too much. Similar to before, I agree with Fei's anger about how war and power purely corrupt and destroy the lives that rulers should seek to protect, but her protestations feel hollow. Again, as this is just the setup for the future books in the series, I'm confident this will change, but considering the topical nature of this issue, it saddened me that there wasn't much exploration of side characters' experiences to emphasize the point, mostly leaving our view to the surface-level encounters Fei has or to the often oblivious opinions of the men ruling.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It did not take me where I expected to go, but I am interested in seeing what happens when the next book comes out. I may not be chomping at the bit to get there, but there are so many questions about the lore of the world that have yet to be answered, and I'd love to see where Molly X Chang takes us as readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 3.25 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph: June 29, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/40e2b87f-6c8d-4a57-ae10-d871ca2852bd?redirect=true)
Review posted to Instagram: PENDING

I requested this solely for the cover and was not disappointed! I loved Fei, our FMC. She’s strong and determined to change her fate. I thought the plot was fast paced and entertaining. I do think there could’ve been more world building and the plot could’ve been tightened up. I’m still very much looking forward to sequel. The love triangle had me stressed and I can’t wait for more romantic development.

❤️🖤 The Nightblood Prince ARC Review 🖤❤️

Thank you so much to Molly X Chang and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Nightblood Prince is a YA fantasy romance. Two kingdoms are on the brink of battle and only the prophecy of the empress can unite them. Seventeen years ago, Fei was born with the mark of the phoenix, taken from her life and raised to fulfill this prophecy. But when she’s caught between two princes of two warring kingdoms, can they overcome everything to end this war?

This was such a cool read! I really loved the combination of Chinese lore and fantasy world building. Fei was a wonderful character and I really enjoyed her strength in this book. Her story of being caught between Siwang, her childhood friend, and Yexue, the intriguing rival prince, was really interesting and not the typical love triangle vibes. I would have really liked to see the PoV of the guys throughout the book

This was a fun 4 star read! I really enjoyed these characters and this world. This book definitely has some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. This book did have a romantic plot with on page spice, but it was a little vague, only one scene and not super descriptive, so overall one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of strong independent characters, historical fantasy, and cool world building, then absolutely pick this one up!

I didnt know how I was going to feel about this book. I had an issue with a previous book by this author, but I have to say, I liked this one more than the last one I read.
The plot had promise I wanted a Mulan retelling, but it underwhelming and rushed. I wanted to blame it on it being YA but I had a really hard time with the FMC because she annoyed me. The pacing wasn't bad though. I just felt like it could have been more. I will probably try the next book in hopes of the plot having a point.

Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC.