I feel like with The Nightblood Prince, while it’s not bad, I think it’s been done before and done better. I couldn’t get into it or engage with it which makes it harder to enjoy I guess. I’m sure plenty of people will love this one, I’ll be in the minority if that’s the case.

I was super excited to read this one, I saw the advertisement for it and was set on reading it. I really liked 'To gaze upon wicked gods' and I was not disappointed with her new book. I hope we get to read more from Molly X. Chang, I like that the characters in her books are so complex. Even the protagonist ist sometimes a bit annoying and flawed, which makes it more fun to read, because I was able to see all the Characters as "real" people who can do great even when they are not perfect.

I'd say it was worth it to wait for the book and I hope that everyone else will also enjoy reading it.

Asian-inspired fantasy? Vampires? Say no more—I was hooked from the start!
This was my first read by Molly X. Chang, and it left quite a strong impression.

Recommended for those who love:
♡ Mulan x Helen Troy with vampires
♡ Chosen One
♡ Morally Grey Characters
♡ Touch Her and 💀
♡ Love Triangle

This is full-on romantasy, with romance taking center stage.
Fei—fierce, future empress, and freedom seeker—caught between two morally grey princes: Siwang, familiar and loyal, and Yexue, mysterious and powerful.

The mix of Chinese imperial vibes and vampire lore ? Genius combo. I loved the concept, though the vampire elements hit late in the story.
Here’s hoping the sequel explores their origins and the prince who commands them—so much potential there.

Fei stood out as a heroine. She resists being defined by fate or politics, fights for peace, and protects the people she loves. Her gift of glimpsing the future adds a layer of intrigue, and the ending promises more to come.

Romance-wise, there’s a love triangle feel, but it’s handled well. Fei stays true to herself and doesn’t let either prince control her.
I especially adored Yexue’s mischievous charm—he always managed to fluster Fei, and his hidden depths leave me craving more.

All in all, this was an entertaining, twisty ride. I genuinely enjoyed watching Fei fight for her future. The journey’s just getting started, and I’m eager to follow Fei, Yexue, and Siwang into whatever’s next.

<i>I received a review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!</i>

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: war, blood, death, misogyny, sexual content, suicidal thoughts

Absolutely loved every single page of this book, I loved the writing, the characters , the world building, it was fast paced and so very engaging, highly recommended

I love a good prophecy book, and I LOVE a strong female lead.
Beautifully written, and a great read.
Had a great time with this book!

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang is YA romantasy based in the world inspired by Chinese culture.

The main character, Fei, was marked by a prophecy to be the empress of all empresses. That title seemed to determined her whole life. As a baby she was snatched by the emperor and betrothed to his son, to make sure the Rong empire will prevail over other nations. Since then Fei lived in imperial palace and was raised by the servants to be a fit wife for the emperor in waiting.

But Fei doesn’t want to be a docile wife, an ornament in imperial collection. She will defy fate whatever it takes.

This book has a lot of things in it. Firstly a feisty protagonist who craves freedom and power for herself. We also have a motive taken from Mulan, two great nations at war, two beautiful princes competing for MC's good graces (and neither of them is as lovely as it seems). We also have an army of vampires.

The book was entertaining and the pace was pretty fast, but I feel like there were a lot of things that could use some more explaining to make sense in the story (said vampires). The story is also mainly focused on those three main characters so we never see the broader picture of war and the current emperor (who is still reigning) doesn’t seem to be involved at all.

But all in all, an entertaining read.

A superbly crafted fantasy adventure full of thrills, political intrigue and adventure than you've ever seen - but in the best way possible.

As a reader of Gaze Upon the Wicked Gods, I've liked this one more than her first one. The plot was really entertaining, it felt different from other books that I've read in the YA Fantasy genre.
I've really enjoyed the character development of Fei and I would gladly read more books in this universe!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

I stayed awake to devour this book because it was just that good, zero regrets.

I went through so many emotions during this story, at first I sat on the fence feeling anxious at our FMC’s choices and decision making, but then I also thought hell yeah you go girl because why are we allowing men to make decisions for us. Then, later in the book it felt a little like a retelling and I felt so emotional for the sacrifice and compassion of our main character, although she made some selfish choices along the way she showed some real growth. Finally by the end I felt so proud and won over, the main character is truly one to remember.

I will say there’s a love triangle type situation in this and I usually would be screaming at my book to pick a particular MC, but on this occasion it felt very damon vs stefan (if you love vampire diaries you’ll get it), I legit couldn’t decide who I would choose, I almost hoped this would be a why choose scenario and my girl would get her cake and eat it too.

This is definitely a story with cruel themes centering around war, politics and prophecies. There are archaic traditional values and it will bring out the feminine rage in you as the reader, but we also get to see the lengths the FMC will go to for what she wants. The moral of her journey is hard to say but I think everyone lowkey got what they deserved in this.

I had high hopes for this novel, even though I don't read love triangles often, but this one really hooked me. My only problem was with the female main character, I don't think she has a strong set of beliefs to hold onto throughout her life, she is so hypocritical on many occasions.

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