I received this book in exchange for an honest review - for a full review check out my YouTube or Goodreads account

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

4 star review!

I enjoyed this fairytale retelling of Anastacia, the story was well written and made easy reading, and was pleasantly surprised by this book as I am not usually a fan of retellings! This book covered topics such as human trafficking which Ana, the protagonist, realises is a big problem within her kingdom. Fast paced and with an intriguing plot, it is entertaining from the onset.
I look forward to reading the other 2 books in this trilogy!

I forgot I had these preview chapters so I have actually bought and read the whole book now.

I really enjoyed it. The characters and world building were great and you couldn't help really routing for Ana.

The abilities in this book were very cool. It felt fairly unique. This book is quite dark and sad in places so be aware of that. It was fact paced and if you like grey characters you may love this!

This is a slow-burn romance, ya fantasy. I had the pleasure of reading this book on netgally before it came out and i have to say it was amazing. The world building its great, the characters are amazing. Ana has a blood affinity. She lives in Cyrilia. Unfortunately her life is upended when shes framed for her fathers murderer. In this book we have a lot of tropes, a lot of twists and turns, we have a bad boy! (i personally love him), hidden powers. Everything a fantasy book should have and more. I love this book, can´t wait to read the sequel and definitely recommend.

These preview chapters had me hooked in, and I wish I had more of the book. I can't wait to pick up the full book to see where the story goes!

This book was INCREDIBLE. I seriously cannot wait for the sequel. The writing is stunning and plot simply fantastic! Addictive from start to finish!

I have just finished this but I immediately need the sequel- I must know what happens next! I loved everything about this book- the characters, the world building and the magic system. Absolutely amazing.

I loved this book they story arc was just incredible and I ending up buy this one stright away the story is greatly paced and the charater are funny and sarcastic I cannot wait for book 2

I LOVED THIS BOOK! And I am kicking myself for taking so long to read it!

There are characters that I love, a unique magic system and a world that I just want to see more of.

I can't wait to pick up the sequel!

The time had finally come to talk about Blood Heir. This review is for both the first and second books, though spoilers will not be contained.

In short, I liked it. But I felt like there was a lot lacking that I usually need to really like a book.

If you liked Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan, then you will probably like Blood Heir. There is something similar within the writing styles and nuances of characters which did intrigue me- and I feel fans of WS would like too.

I, however, did not like WS. And for much the same reasons I DNF'd that book, I had trouble pushing myself through this story.

The characters were unlikable and even to a point where I couldn't even empathise with their choices- something I require of even my villains. The plot was both slow, which I usually really love, but it wasn't hooked the best. And I ended lagging through both books. Whilst the world was intriguing, and I might have liked further delving into the world surrounding the main characters- what I was given wasn't quite enough.

Something nags me that this isn't a bad series, it was just a bad time for me to pick it up. I have given three stars, hoping that a re-read in another year or so might change my tune, because I desperately want to fall in love with this story.

Blood Heir was, in all honesty, an adrenaline rush.

This book is definitely for fans of books like Red Queen and Shatter Me, but written with a unique and intriguing cultural background.

Personally, I struggled a bit to get invested into the two main characters, but that did not subtract from the enjoyment of the story. The side characters are all beautifully fleshed out and lend to the reader wanting the main character Ana's mission to succeed.

I cannot wait to read the sequel and any other work from this author. This book deserves all the praise.

So, you may know from my posts, be it keep it or cut it or my reviews that I have been reducing the YA fantasy books I read. The bulk of my current reading is adult fantasy, I think I keep YA in my repertoire because I like fantasy romance and don't always get my fix from adult fantasy. So, when I first joined netgalley I saw this was available and requested it, now this is actually a shamefully old netgalley 🙈😱 but better late than never.

I want to say this is Russian inspired with some of the terms used and the phrases but I didn't really feel like anything else was infused with Russian lore or culture. In fact the hint of Russian influence actually became an issue for me, it felt out of place and not befitting to the world and it's characters or the setting. The randoms terms used we're like ‘mmmm ok’ and I just wasn't feeling that aspect of things. I also wasn't a fan of the pity party she has for herself...a lot. I honestly don't mind it as a phase but I kinda need to feel for it and I just couldn't connect with it for our main character.

I am a reader who needs to love the characters, and I found it hard to connect with these characters. I felt like Ramsom wasn't quite what I expected from a crime lord. Don't get me wrong I don't want a carbon copy of all the other crime lords out there but I think they need some degree of familiarity to the character type and I didn't get that from Ramson.

The premise of this book was such an interesting one and I genuinely thought it could have done more, it had a few pacing issues falling flat in the middle. While this is a pretty negative review the book really isn't that bad for a YA debut, it is a fairly fun and easy read I am just being a negative Nancy because I come back to YA for a certain type of read and I just didn't get it in this. So while it is good, it is simple and an average YA book.

As always when I'm not a books biggest fan I urge you to read other reviews, my points may be a none issue for you and how well you receive a book depends on so many influences. I could have read this earlier in my life be it 6 months or a few years and loved it, I simply didn't get what I want from this at the time of reading and I guess that's my biggest issue.

I really enjoyed this sampler, it grabbed my attention from the start and I found myself frustrated that I didn't have a full copy. Would recommend!

This sampler definitely promises an interesting book (that I have now ordered) and I’m intrigued! I want to know if Quicktongue redeems himself, I want to know if Anastacya can love herself, I need to know what is happening!

Loved this sampler and I definitely plan on picking up the full novel. I loved the writing in this which definitely leaves you wanting more and the way it really brings the setting to life. I am really intrigued by our main character Anastacya a d really look forward to how her story unfolds in the rest of the novel. Overall this seems like it's going to be a great Anastasia retelling and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the rest of it.

I liked this retelling. The protagonist is quite original (even if her name is not).
I'm happy that the author eventually published this! I loved it so much!
We start big with a prison break and then it only gets better. Someone might have found it slow in the first chapters because of the "infodump", given that some chapters were only background explanation, but I believe I prefer it this way: having all the information at once to better understand the situation, rather than having to wait chapters and chapters to finally understand what the characters are talking about!

I'm so glad AWZ decided to go ahead and publish. This is such a brilliant book. I loved it <3 ignore the haters

Immediately gripping, I found myself hooked and couldn’t wait to buy the book to read the full thing! So happy I read this excerpt. Seems fresh, dark and gritty and I need the next chapter pronto. I need more of Ana!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read these sample chapters.

All I can say is WOW. I was sucked in from the beginning and I was so sad that it was only a sample. I can't wait to read the rest of the book because I think it'll be amazing.