Bloodleaf ~ Crystal Smith (Bloodleaf #1)

★★★★☆

I received this ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change.

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 Cruel Beauty 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.