Format: E-Book, 448 pages
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Publisher: Balzer + Brey
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic
A dark and romantic epic fantasy, inspired by Cinderella, about a girl who must team up with the prince she despises to defeat an evil creature in their kingdom. The fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Ravenspire series by C. J. Redwine.
Blue de la Cour has her life planned: Hide the magic in her blood and continue trying to turn metal into gold so she can help her city’s homeless. But when her father is murdered and a cruel but powerful woman claims custody of Blue and her property, one wrong move could expose her—and doom her once and for all. The only one who can help? The boy she’s loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan.
Kellan Renard, crown prince of Balavata, is walking a thin line between political success and devastating violence. Newly returned from boarding school, he must find a bride among the kingdom’s head families and announce his betrothal—but escalating violence among the families makes the search nearly impossible. He’s surprised to discover that the one person who makes him feel like he can breathe is Blue, the girl who once ruined all his best adventures.
When mysterious forces lead to disappearances throughout Balavata, Blue and Kellan must work together to find the truth. What they discover will lead them to the darkest reaches of the kingdom and to the most painful moments of their pasts. When romance is forbidden and evil is rising, can Blue save those she loves, even if it costs her everything?
The Blood Spell is the fourth installment in author C.J. Redwine's Ravenspire series. A series that has seen different lead characters in all four installments. A series that is more likely than not to be a retelling of classic fairy tale. In this case, the retelling of Cinderella takes a curious and enjoyable twist with 17-year old Bernadine de la Cour, Blue to her friends as the would be Cinderella, while Kellan Renard is the would be Prince Charming.
Blue works as an apothecary while simultaneously hiding her magic
from the world. Magic, in fact, is illegal after the actions of an evil
witch. Blue is a strong character defined by her iron-clad will to
uphold justice, helping less fortunate people and putting her loved ones
above all else. When street children begin disappearing, Blue begins to wonder if something nefarious is happening.
When her father dies, she is thrown
into turmoil when her guardianship shifts to a rather cruel woman who is
determined to use Blue's abilities to force her to make gold
in order to resolve her recent financial ruin. With the help of crown Prince Kellan, whom
she has
"hated" her entire life, Blue tries to dig deeper into the reason why
her father died, the reason behind the disappearance of street kids, and the reason why a woman she deems unjustly cruel,
has somehow managed to gain guardianship over her.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Kellan is nearing his 19th birthday and his imminent betrothal to a girl from one of the 9 families that make up his country. He is also troubled by the loss off his father who should still be ruling the country. Kellan and Blue have a curious relationship. They crew up together, and seemingly she kept him from getting in so many bad situations that it's hard to keep track. Blue has another avenue for assistance. Kellen shares similar values with Blue but with a reckless spirit
where Blue's is logical. Working together might actually save them both.
If you have read the previous installments, you will have already met Kellan. He was a supporting cast member from The Traitor Prince, which featured Prince Javan. Redwine has a tendency of planting Easter Eggs in her story so pay attention. You will also find Hansel and Gretel, as well as Thaddeus and Arianna Glavan from Sundraille who share a brief appearance that pretty much includes all of the main characters. I find myself looking for hints as to whom the next featured characters could be. I'm for a loss this time around.
One of the more positive aspects of this story is the addition of Kellan's younger sister Princess Nessa. I absolutely adore her! She is written as a character who is unable to speak, and thus those who know her best, like her mother the Queen, and Kellan, as well as Blue and her father, have learned to sign in order to communicate with her. The cast of the story is as diverse as you can get without pushing the limits of hypocrisy by changing a character to fit a particular narrative.
With the popularity of Sarah J. Maas’s bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series and dark fantasy like Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince,
the always-popular fantasy genre is burning brightly. This gorgeous and
action-packed story is just right for fans of the genre. Redwine puts a dark, action-packed, and romantic twist on the famous tale—making it all her own. Cinderella fans won’t want to miss this one.
I have read some Maas and to have this compared to her series makes me think it's one for my reading shelf.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental