Synopsis:
This hot debut is the first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father's murder.
In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls.
When Ana’s father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father’s murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue.
A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all.
In a Nutshell: A YA High Fantasy Retelling of Anastasia
Published: Nov 19th, 2019
Format: Physical
Number of Pages: 453
Finished: January 2020
Rating: 4.25⭐
Diversity: An Asian-inspired fantasy by a Chinese-American author.
My Thoughts
I found the writing mostly accessible. I've heard people mention it's a bit repetitive, which I could see but it didn't personally bother me any. The "mostly" accessible part is all the words and names I couldn't pronounce which is normal in a high fantasy story. So words became shortened versions of themselves to get me through the story. Otherwise I had no trouble with the writing and it flowed well for me.
I fell in love with the characters. Ana and Ramson being the main characters. At times I wanted to smack them but they felt like real characters with their own motivations, feelings, stories and flaws. I liked seeing the side characters as well, all playing their part in the story and the world.
The plot kept me wanting more and wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming and the second half of the story I didn't want to put the book down! There are deaths, lies and truth hidden inside lies, blood, affinities which is like the avatar bending. Ana has a blood affinity. Plenty of action and feels too.
I loved the atmosphere and world-building. It was snowy, has a map of the world in the book, has cities, forests, desert...animal spirits...the people have their deities and traditions. It was all weaved into the story.
The themes hit me in the feels. Trafficking of the affinities, indentured servitude, fear of the affinities because they are different and controlling them. Ana is supposed to be the princess but ends up being an affinite, like I mentioned with an affinity for blood. She was framed for her father's murder so she goes on a mission to find the murderer and try to clear her name. I cried, laughed and got very angry through-out the story, because I was supposed to.
And there are so many shades of gray which I absolutely loved to see! Life isn't black and white. A revolution, people fighting for their rights, fighting for goodness in a very corrupt world. Yaeger's that are affinities with an affinity to control other affinities, used against their own kind. The entire book made me think and ask myself some questions.
I'm rooting for the romance which is barely in the first book but is still obvious. I look forward to continuing the series (but I do not look forward to the wait lol).
Quotes
"Your affinity does not define you. What defines you is how you choose to wield it."
"Humans, it seemed, tended to fear things that were different."
"My child, we are but dust and stars."
"Do you think I have a choice?" His voice was raw. "In this empire, if I am not the hunter, then I become the hunted."
She would never forget the way he gazed up at her, yaeger and Affinite in one. Trapped in a corrupt system."
"You can achieve everything in this world, but if it's for someone else, it's pointless. Figure out what you want to do in this life. Live for yourself."
"We take what we are given and we fight like hell to make it better."
"The world doesn't exist in black and white. But I would like to believe that it is our choices that define us."
"there is good and bad in everything, Ana. And it is the good of this world that makes it worth saving."
There was also some controversy surrounding this book, if you want to know about it I'd just direct you to This article on it.
My review on Goodreads
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