Crystal SmithReseñas
Autor de Bloodleaf
Reseñas
Bloodleaf (The Bloodleaf Trilogy) por Crystal Smith
Surrounded by spirits and burdened with forbidden magic, she lives in constant fear of discovery by the witch-hunting Tribunal and their bloodthirsty mobs. When a devastating assassination attempt reveals her magical abilities, Aurelia is forced to flee her country with nothing but her life.
Alone and adrift in an enemy kingdom, Aurelia plans her revenge against the Tribunal, desperate to bring down the dark organization that has wrought terror upon her people for hundreds of years. But there’s something deeply amiss in her new home, too, and soon she finds herself swept into a deadly new mystery with a secretive prince, the ghost of an ancient queen, and a poison vine called Bloodleaf.
Aurelia is entangled in a centuries-long game of love, power, and war, and if she can’t break free before the Tribunal makes its last move, she may lose far more than her crown.
Both my 11yo son and my friend's 15yo daughter also plowed through the book in 1 day!
Aurelia is tough and grieving and somehow powers through bad news after bad news. Zan is a sweet, broken man. Nathaniel and Kate are perfect. And Kellen - oh man do I love a protective bodyguard story.
The world was cool but could have been fleshed out a bit more. Like I would have liked to gotten to know more details about it. Which would have helped some but I can tell you that it would not have helped a lot as I still needed that character connection.
After having read another book that was similar like this in the ya genre, I realized that this book was more geared towards the younger reading audience. Whereas the other book could span both younger and adult readers. While, I may not have liked this book as much as I had hoped, I would read another one by this author.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH This was actually really good, like wow
Obligatory Summary
Aurelia is a witch, and she is hated for it. All her life, she's been threatened because of her power, feared for her ability, and one day, just as she's to leave for her arranged marriage with her kingdom's enemy's heir, an assassination attempt almost kills her. Forced to flee her home, she is betrayed by her friends and has to make her way to Achleva, where an impostor has taken her place. There she meets new friends and confronts the new threat facing the kingdom: a wicked mage is destroying the magical wall that protects Achleva, one murder at a time.
The strongest magic requires the greatest sacrifice.
The Writing and Worldbuilding
The first quarter to third of this was not the best, and it is pretty much the sole reason this is 4 stars and not 5. It bored me with the great deal of exposition and didn't paint a good image of what Renalt looked like. It seemed like it was going to be predictable and cliche, with tired and overused tropes.
And then it kinda subverted all of them??
Don't go, my child, to the Ebonwilde,
for there a witch resides.
Little boys she bakes into pretty cakes,
Little girls into handsome pies.
You'll know her by her teeth so white,
Eyes so red and heart so black,
But if you see her, child, in the Ebonwilde,
You won't be coming back.
It did many things I never saw coming, and the writing itself even improved. There were throwback lines from the beginning at the end that made me scream when I read them because it was just so good. I loved every single character. I loved all the themes and the imagery. It blew me a way a little. It made me cry several times, and even made me root for a character to come back to life after dying (there was a lot of death btw like wow; no one was safe), which is usually something I despise. The way all the plot threads wove back together at the end was just fantastic. If I had read this when I was like 15, it probably would be my favorite book.
The world was especially amazing. It has such an astounding lore and feels so real. I really want to know more about it. The magic system was super cool. If it weren't already based on the Goose Girl, I'd say it felt like a fairytale all on its own.
The Characters
Aurelia/Emilie: I didn't really like her at first. She seemed too cavalier about the threats on her life, and felt like a stagnant character, but once some trials and hardships befell her, she really grew into an awesome heroine. She's tough and brutal and kinda gave me Nyx from [b:Cruel Beauty|15839984|Cruel Beauty|Rosamund Hodge|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371652590s/15839984.jpg|21580669] vibes. I really loved her.
Zan: While he wasn't the total heart throb he was obviously intended to be, I still did really love him, and wanted only the best for him. I really appreciated his arc and his disabilities (and how they weren't really glamorized but weren't demonized either)
Nathaniel and Kate: I AM STILL SOBBING
Toris: This dude. What a good villain.
"The wolves howl, Aurelia, and there may come a time when I will no longer be able to hold them back."
All the other characters were fantastic in their own way, but not really important enough to warrant a specific mention. Suffice it to say that I loved all of them.
Conclusion
I need the sequel in my hands pronto. Unfortunately, as of the time of this review, this book hasn't even come out yet. I might just die.
Nihil nunc salvet te.
Nothing can save you now.
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes
Level: High school
This was a really good book. I liked the way it drew you in from the beginning. It started out with someone watching as two witches were brought to the gallows. This person, Aurelia, is the main character, is also a witch and has used blod magic. She is also the princess. She was seen doing magic, so the tribune is trying to take her to the gallows. Aurielia is able to escape with her brother in an attempt to save the blood line. But her brother is fearful of her because he has been taught to not trust magic. The story continues with her attempt to stop the tribune from taking over, earn her brothers trust and save the people she loves.
The characters were really well developed and relateable. I enjoyed the writing style and looked forward to finding out how it ended.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH This was actually really good, like wow
Obligatory Summary
Aurelia is a witch, and she is hated for it. All her life, she's been threatened because of her power, feared for her ability, and one day, just as she's to leave for her arranged marriage with her kingdom's enemy's heir, an assassination attempt almost kills her. Forced to flee her home, she is betrayed by her friends and has to make her way to Achleva, where an impostor has taken her place. There she meets new friends and confronts the new threat facing the kingdom: a wicked mage is destroying the magical wall that protects Achleva, one murder at a time.
The strongest magic requires the greatest sacrifice.
The Writing and Worldbuilding
The first quarter to third of this was not the best, and it is pretty much the sole reason this is 4 stars and not 5. It bored me with the great deal of exposition and didn't paint a good image of what Renalt looked like. It seemed like it was going to be predictable and cliche, with tired and overused tropes.
And then it kinda subverted all of them??
Don't go, my child, to the Ebonwilde,
for there a witch resides.
Little boys she bakes into pretty cakes,
Little girls into handsome pies.
You'll know her by her teeth so white,
Eyes so red and heart so black,
But if you see her, child, in the Ebonwilde,
You won't be coming back.
It did many things I never saw coming, and the writing itself even improved. There were throwback lines from the beginning at the end that made me scream when I read them because it was just so good. I loved every single character. I loved all the themes and the imagery. It blew me a way a little. It made me cry several times, and even made me root for a character to come back to life after dying (there was a lot of death btw like wow; no one was safe), which is usually something I despise. The way all the plot threads wove back together at the end was just fantastic. If I had read this when I was like 15, it probably would be my favorite book.
The world was especially amazing. It has such an astounding lore and feels so real. I really want to know more about it. The magic system was super cool. If it weren't already based on the Goose Girl, I'd say it felt like a fairytale all on its own.
The Characters
Aurelia/Emilie: I didn't really like her at first. She seemed too cavalier about the threats on her life, and felt like a stagnant character, but once some trials and hardships befell her, she really grew into an awesome heroine. She's tough and brutal and kinda gave me Nyx from [b:Cruel Beauty|15839984|Cruel Beauty|Rosamund Hodge|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371652590s/15839984.jpg|21580669] vibes. I really loved her.
Zan: While he wasn't the total heart throb he was obviously intended to be, I still did really love him, and wanted only the best for him. I really appreciated his arc and his disabilities (and how they weren't really glamorized but weren't demonized either)
Nathaniel and Kate: I AM STILL SOBBING
Toris: This dude. What a good villain.
"The wolves howl, Aurelia, and there may come a time when I will no longer be able to hold them back."
All the other characters were fantastic in their own way, but not really important enough to warrant a specific mention. Suffice it to say that I loved all of them.
Conclusion
I need the sequel in my hands pronto. Unfortunately, as of the time of this review, this book hasn't even come out yet. I might just die.
Nihil nunc salvet te.
Nothing can save you now.
Princess Aurelia is strong-willed but contains herself in order to protect her family. It gets harder because circumstances are changing. She is about to leave to marry the Achleva prince as a truce between two kingdoms that were split apart five hundred years ago by a murder. In her own kingdom of Renalt, the Tribunal strikes fear in all people and they burn anyone accused as a witch. Their leader, Toris, is a friend of her royal family, which has kept her safe so far. When Aurelia must save an emissary from Achleva who has come to safely escort Aurelia and seek answers to the strange happenings, her powers are witnessed and she runs for her life with one of her best friends, Toris, Toris's daughter, and her own brother, Conrad. They must get to Achleva.
Due to betrayal, Aurelia enters the walled city alone and under the name of Emilie. Emilie discovers that she is very resourceful. She is able to meet people who give her information that she needs. She even gets in the city that kills anyone who doesn't have an invitation. She meets Zan, Nathaniel, and Kate who don't seem to care for the king but know their way around the city. Kate is Nathaniel's wife and is pregnant. She plays a type of "older sister" role to Emilie. This is where Emilie will have to learn magic and to rely on herself. It is with her friends' help that they have to uncover who is trying to destroy the wall and bring down Achleva to control both kingdoms.
I will say that you won't be surprised by anything that happens. If a prophesy needs a type of person, you've met one in the story and know that will be his/her role in the novel. There wasn't any new twist, which would make one wonder why I thought it should get 4 stars. I liked the writing style. I wanted to finish the book and finished it in two days because I was engaged. If I want to pick a book up and keep reading, I figure it deserves four stars. I really like that it's not part of a series. It's so hard to keep up with all the series I've started over the years! Goodness! The publisher has listed this novel for grades 9+ and ages 14+. I disagree. I think it's perfectly acceptable for 7th grade+. There's nothing inappropriate. It's a solid fantasy novel for tweens and teens.
Prepare to enter a beautiful, harsh world where magic is forbidden and to practice the ancient ways means certain death. Princess Aurelia can feel the magic coursing through her veins and to survive a coup for her throne she must escape to the neighbouring city of Achleva and pose as a commoner until she can figure out who is friend or foe. Led by a Harbinger, a terrifying ghost, who leads her along with clues, Aurelia tries to understand and use her magic to help unlock the secrets of both cities. Along the way she falls in love with a man forbidden to her, as she is already promised to someone else. She must put her family and the crown ahead of all her desires. Loosely based on the fairy tale “The Goose Girl”, Crystal Smith’s debut novel is a rich story that will satisfy any fantasy reader.
This world is truly incredible. You have the blend of feudal law, which exacts a strict and often violent penalty for any infraction. You have the political machinations of different factions trying to gain power. There is the royalty structure which has kings and queens and princesses who are promised in marriage to a prince that they don’t even know. The paranormal elements of the ghosts who know too much and want to communicate with the living. Lastly you have the magic, “blood” magic that extracts a cost to those who draw on its power. Smith does an amazing job of combining all of these elements together to create this fantastical world. Inside of this world are colourful characters that come to life. The best treat is a strong female lead who must fend for herself while she is still discovering who she is. To sweep you off your feet is a love story that is like the cherry on top. Gives you all sorts of good feels.
I found that this was a strong addition to what is getting to be a crowded field. I really found myself carried away with the story and had a huge smile at the end. Yup, colour me sucker for a great ending. Can’t wait for the next one in the series!
Bloodleaf exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. I went into this book expecting a decent story with some magic and world-building. I did not expect to connect with every character in some way. Every. Single. One.
There were so many emotions. I'm going to avoid spoilers in this review, but just like...don't get attached to anyone. It will only cause you pain.
Aurelia has a very low sense of self preservation. So brace yourself for that stress during the more intense action scenes. But this story really wouldn't work if she had better decision making skills like every story of course. I loved her time spent coming into her own and eventually developing/getting comfortable with her power.
The best part? It had a satisfying ending. I didn't close this book with twelve million questions about loose ends. Other than the usual: "How will I go on?", "Do I really have to wait another year for this sequel?", "What's next?", "Can't we just let this end and then the next two books be fluff that doesn't give me the stress?"
The world building, character development, and relationships in this story will have you intrigued from the opening chapter and the surprise twists and action will keep you glued to the pages until the jaw-dropping finale. I can't wait to see how Aurelia and Valentin rally their supporters to win their kingdoms back in the second book.
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