Prince of Bluestone

Hearts of Bluestone #1

by Quinn Blackbird

Dray Sinclair will inherit the world one day.
The devil in Prada has no use for masks—not at Bluestone.

I should be among them, the Snakes, the future kings and queens of this world.

But I am ostracised, a deadblood—
And I pay the price for that everyday.

I have one goal I cling to: Finish my senior year... I just need to avoid Dray Sinclair at all costs to do it.

At Bluestone, Dray Sinclair sheds that mask moulded for high society, drops his disarming smiles, and when I stare into his eyes through the tears of my own, I see the depths of his darkness.
I see the emptiness looking right back at me.


______________________________________________________________________________________
The Bluestone series is not a reverse harem. This saga contains strong bully themes and a slow burn. Unapologetic/irredeemable MMC. Content warnings apply, listed in book's front matter.

Genres: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Dark, Paranormal, Romance, Witches, Slow Burn

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2024

About the author

QUINN BLACKBIRD is a wanderer, a caffeine addict, a concern to her teachers & a bit of a dork.
You can find Quinn buying gym equipment she never uses or being dragged out of the writing cave by pesky friends.
Mention "margarita" and she'll come ah-runnin.

QB's goal is to live on a farm with rescue animals and write!

Now beware!! Blackbird writes about everything she loathes. This makes for books that are darker, grittier, anti-heroes, messed-up characters, and dark worlds. It's not a guarantee you'll find redemption in her pages. Because, as Gaslight Her warns, 'sometimes, the villains win.'


popular questions answered:
*there is no reading order to the dark fae universe books ~ and yes, another dark fae book is coming!*

CONTACT:
FB Quinn Blackbird
FB READER GROUP: Quinn Blackbird and Her Blackbirds

Reviews

[Alina Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why I didn’t check if this series is completed or not. I have a hard time putting down fantasy books by this author and I’m very aware of that. So it’s honestly my fault for not checking the status of the book

[Clarice]

Dnf 62%

This was rough 😅 It was like a poorly written HP fanfic. The fmc was unbearable to read, spoiled, petty, and dumb. The rest of the cast of characters weren’t much better 💀 The MMC was just another spoiled baby and his bullying of the fmc was just childish.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something so consuming about this author’s books. However, I definitely didn’t read this as a romance. The MMC is so abusive and toxic, that I’m genuinely not sure if I’m supposed to be touched the few times he’s gentle with her, or when characters hint that he’s been interested in her. Not to mention that he forced a kiss on her, which I feel is going to be glossed over. The torture that her ex love, ex Best friend, and her own brother put her through was more heartbreaking than anything. There was so much loneliness and sadness to Olivia that I feel got dismissed as self pitying, when really she’s just been through so much trauma and abuse and then gets into more trouble when she tries to fight back. The way that the men in this book can get away with being horrible, then turn and snitch on her for minor things is astounding and very unattractive. While Olivia herself is often bratty, selfish, and immature, I feel that makes her a more realistic flawed character. Whether I like her or not will be determined by whether she takes Dray’s abusive ass back and forgives her psycho brother, or finds a way to get revenge and rid herself of them both for good.
Sigh. Now to wait for indefinite news about book releases far in the future.

[The Aqua Pisces · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the story!

My only problem is Olivia. It’s her personality that she is all high and mighty and still above the servants and all others that fall under the aristos. You would think her not having any power and being bullied she would be more humble. Her ONLY friend Courtney, she even really doesn’t like.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

All bully no romance

Unless you love reading about someone eating, lying in their bed, and constantly wallowing in self-pity, skip this book. I'm annoyed that I didn't DNF it when there were paragraphs detailing her standing in line.

[Pisces · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you telling me that the incomplete novella Bluestone Academy I read like some years back is now published as a full fucking pentalogy.

EDIT

If I remember correctly, the bullying has been toned down considerably compared to the novella. It was almost to the point where I wasn’t sure if liked the guy. And wanted him to stay as villain of the story and nothing more.

Keeping that in mind, I also knew the fmc didn’t have a crush on her bully. So I was open to the possibility of something new.

I was pleasantly surprised when I was waiting for a certain bombs to drop and the same feelings to arise. Only for it to remain stagnant. So, yes I did find the hero in here more palatable. And gradually warmed up to him as the story progressed.

But one thing about this book, that I still appreciate is that there is no body betrayal trope at every interaction. She really tries to steps her foot while dealing with him.

I mean, as long as a girl can hold her head without drowning in someone’s dick. I can keep up with the anything no matter how ugly



Having said that, my review and stars are for the all four books collectively. As they all would probably land somewhere between 3/4. Especially the fourth installment. That one sucked my patient right under my nose.

And I don’t want to write and review all the book separately when they had so less to go by. As a collective, YES it can be overlooked.

But when you take it book by book MOST of the pages in between were just that a filler.

I loved the series and would love to see where the story is heading. And given that, liz still hates the guy. (( And I am right along with her in this one.)) In fact I don’t think I really liked any of the snakes or the characters in this book. Everyone is just as scrum as the next one. So much so, they make the last person look better.

I have to say:
It got tedious at a point, I was gnawing my lips in boredom. Especially that the fourth book, which was a shame in the name of a plot in itself. They literally had no substance and I am guilty of skipping some pages in between.

Because god forbid, I read another sentence of fl hating her life any more than she already did. She constantly cribbed about the wealth she left back home. And at a certain point you are just like immune to her nonsense on how much luxury she used to shit on.
It figuratively made my ears bleach and my eyes strain with an oncoming headache.

To be fair, I do get that’s her character . And it kind of makes sense if we judge her childhood and the ways of the world she grew up in.

But after EVRYTHING she has been through. I would rather have an honest cup of coffee with my hard work than get abused mentally nad physically everyday.

But that’s just me.

And I digress.

[Sahara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very promising start!

[Phillippa Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this book and I’m really disappointed. It’s a really quick and easy read, plus a great entryway into fantasy. But… there was so little plot in this book. I feel like in 341 pages nothing happened? I don’t know whether that is so you read the next book in the series but in my opinion, for me to read the next book something has to entice me to it and nothing about this book has enticed me to read the next one.

I am however intrigued to look into this author more and see if she has written any more books as I really did enjoy her writing style and the way that despite the lack of plot I did find myself wanting to finish it and find out.

I would rate this book 2.75 stars as I did want to read the whole thing but was just disappointed with the book as a whole. I will be looking into this author more though because the writing style was addictive!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope she ends up accessing her magic in a big way and the MMC ends up rueing the day and is tortured, regretful, and groveling for a long ass time and has to really work for it. She deserves the chance to come into her own. Also MASSIVE double standard from the males in this book, they can all physically hurt the FMC and emotionally abuse her, but if she does anything to retaliate or defend herself they SNITCH on her to her FATHER and she gets even more punishment. She’s literally put into an untenable situation where she can never win. What kind of hero snitches like a little bitch

[carul_neon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eu não sei nem por onde começar. A FMC é insuportável me desculpa, toda essa pataguada é ridícula. Não vou nem gastar meu tempo com o MMC que ele também é patético. Ate o meio do livro eu tava tentando ser compreensiva mas chegou um momento que por deus, vai se fuder.

[Kreela · Rating 4 out of 5]

{Single POV, M/F, PNR}
❤️ Bully, dark PNR
❤️ Love Triangle?
❤️ Witch Academy
❤️Waiting for marriage (i.e. virgin)


Just in time for Christmas. Seriously, who doesn’t love evil snowmen attacking a village? An enchanted school that looks like a ski resort in the alps? A bully romance based on a class system where no reindeer dare tread? 😃

The Magic System

The magic is understated here. All the magical extras could be performed without magic. Who needs an automatically hardened snowball when you can create a snowball with rocks inside? I think any dark romance reader would feel comfortable with this story. Since I love Halloween and all the trappings, I love the little details about the school for witches and hope there is some expansion on this.

The Class System

This is the most exciting part of the novel. Even in the U.S. money defines one’s class. Olivia is the definition of a spoiled, privileged princess. Self-centered. Pursuing the wife degree. She doesn’t even consider the option of a career. She expects grade inflation.
Bullied but somewhat deserved: she avoids making real friends while staying lonely. Is it okay to like a waste of space? Because I find an unmotivated and money-sucking character is normally a DNF.

“I’m not carrying around a rucksack or a duffel bag, I would die from the shame.“

Courtney and Eric are her token friends. I think she uses them as shields, but she definitely doesn’t care enough to support them emotionally. Courtney is pursuing a journalism hobby, and I could see Olivia joining her....but no. Work is not in her future.

Some examples of the system:
Oliver and Serena:

“They will be happy enough when they are married. And when they are married, they will be faithful to one another. But not before the nuptials.
Sleep around but be respectful. The betrothed should always come before the flings “

“If my father even chose to do something—which I doubt he would since we’re so heavily tied to the Sinclairs—it would destroy an alliance older than this school, an alliance that feeds this world, our own and the krums’.
Our families have always worked together.”

The Romance

Dray is one option, the safe, father-preferred candidate for spouse. Olivia and Dray once were friends. Dray even stated he loved her once. But right now she doesn’t act her age and just attacks him or avoids him. I hope in book 2 she has a cycle of self-awareness and reforms her juvenile ways.

Edgar is another option. He is her tutor, intern teacher, and classmate. It’s a step down in the class system for her, but her lack of magic makes her a very unattractive option for a marriage contract. She likes him, but discovers he and Dray’s contracted snuggling together, which supports the idea that he is a gold-digger.

(By the way, I love single POV, just one M/F pairing at the end)

[Joi Worwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was definitely presently surprised by this book.
Unlike other reviews, I don’t feel like the bullying was overdone. Yes there was bullying which was sad and could be triggering. But it quickly shifted pretty early on in the book from outright meanness to methodical. There’s something going on under the surface with Dray.

Likes: I liked the entire premise, the whole her bully are close and tangled family friends, they have to see each other and put on a face outside of school. And be civil.
It kind of gave me a Gossip Girl vibe.

Cons:
These characters felt like high schoolers. Not 20s
Obviously they are all supposed to be entitled spoiled/sometimes suppressed rich kids, but there is still some level of maturity that comes with age, that I didn’t see in the books. I’d be reading and feel like I’m reading about 16,17 yr olds, then the mention of their ages would come up and be incredibly jarring

[Leticia Vaas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our dear FMC’s personality really didn’t work for me. The synopsis paints her as someone rejected by her family and bullied by everyone around her, but in the story she’s constantly talking about how much money she has, how influential her family is, and how she could use her last name to her advantage. And it’s not just something she mentions once or twice, she’s talking about it ALL the time, and honestly, it gets exhausting. She also comes across as pretty arrogant and like she thinks she’s better than everyone around her. For someone who’s supposedly so marginalized, it’s a little hard to buy that image lol. In the end, her spoiled and arrogant personality made it really hard for me to connect with the story.

[Loons · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far the book is pretty cute. It reads a bit like a wattpad novel. Like I don't need everything in this book compared to swords. Astas hair is like a sword, people have brown hazel swords in their eyes etc. My kingdom for a proofreader and editor perhaps?

Also this is so obviously a Malfoy/Hermione fan fic so I can't even 🤣 like i mean it is sort of entertaining but like please for the love of God can the FMC grow a backbone sometime? She behaves soooo pathetic. It also doesn't read like dark romance. Yeah he is bullying her but I feel like Cardan in the Cruel Prince was wayyyy more of a bully. (I absolutely loved those Holly Black books)

[Laura..devouring books like crumpets · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always Devour Books By this Author and this Was no Exception, Olivia is bullied buy not Only her Past childhood crush but her twin Brother and all the Other snakes in a Magical Academy she attends

We walk through her heartbraking day to day existence with flacid friends and always looking over her shoulder or around the corner for a next attempt on her.......

They Say love and Hate Balances on a thin line, this book realy tests that theory

[Bridgette Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow

I have enjoy this author's "Dark Fae series of books. So it pains me to say I'm disappointed in this book. The entire book was a very slow read for me. I expected not to like the MMC (after all it's a dark bully book) but I didn't like the MFC either. I found her to be thoughtless and shallow so I wasn't very sympathetic to her mistreatment. The entire book was her wallowing in self pity. I struggled to finish it so I want continue this series : (

[Blade Rovalty · Rating 1 out of 5]

bleh

Accidentally the third book, not knowing it wasn’t the first. I didn’t realize until I stopped reading because the main character was so whiny and annoying that I had to stop to look at the reviews. I find it crazy how little progression from the first book of the third book there is. There is almost no difference, no character development. The fact that I could be dropped into the third book without even being able to tell that its not the first is just bad.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the most insufferable, stupid fmc I've ever read about. She talks badly about her so called friends the entire book and then complains about not having friends. She complains about being bullied by the snakes and hates it so much, but then says she wishes she was one of them. This whole book was just about her inner turmoil and being bullied.

All that being said, I'm going to read the second because I like dark academia and I like the tension between a bully and a victim.

[Essa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y'ALL A BULLY ROMANCE I AM RATING 5 STARS
ACTUAL bully romance, none of the lukewarm stuff that people are calling 'bully' romances nowadays
AND IT'S SLOW BURNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ugh, I am so happy!!

The only downsides are that it's the first of four books, and the last two don't come out until next year

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely a bully book for sure. Honestly all I got from this book was that no one liked Olivia. And for as much as Olivia was bullied you think she’d have been nicer to her literal only friend. Not a series I think I’ll continue. I just couldn’t get into the vibes of this book. I’ll try a different series of hers at a later time.

[Berverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa

To say this book is full of tense moments is so simplify it. I felt my chest was tighten so much when Olivia was terrified. I dislike the snakes so much. I thought maybe I'd like Dray just a little bit, but no. I hope the next book will release me from this pressure on my whole body. Sheesh...

[°мαggιє° (っ⚈ᴥ⚈)っ™ · Rating 2 out of 5]

the abuse dray puts olivia through is too much for me. there's not a way to redeem him from my point of view.

and olivia is beyond useless in this entire book. i was waiting for a big reveal to prove that she was powerful/had a hidden magic or even just that she had a lightbulb on in her head but all she could do was cry and pity herself woe is her. like grow a back bone and don't just throw fists wildly but do something with precision and cunning that makes the bullies stop bullying you or at least respect you a bit more.

[Michelle Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, can’t wait for book 2!

I loved this book and went into it not realizing it wasn’t a completed series. I dying to see what happens next after that cliffhanger. What does Olivia do now and what happens with her and Dray after that ending?!!

[pining.deciduous · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved this! couldn't stop thinking about it! finished it and went right onto the next. I love first person only perspectives, it draws me further into the story. I may have a new favorite author!

[Simona Dimitrova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bullying romance

I have twisted feelings for this book am so annoyed to main characters . She is so weak he is such a bully i am not sure how he will fix it . No enough tension and none spice

[Gina Clabo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking

This book has my heart hurting so hard for Olivia. She did nothing yet the evil bullying to her and evil words cut through me like they were said to me..God love her...Recommend if you like witches, evil ones.
.

[Cindy MacDougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

love her books

All I do is wait for her next book. My favorite stories. This is a perfect bully story no idea what will happen next.

[Isabellam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fell in love all over again

Quinn has again and again proven she’s my favorite author. The story pulls you in so deeply that you feel everything. I can’t wait for the next book!

[Chastity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I like the bully romance of the story although I am failing to see the true struggle of the bully feeling bad about his actions.

[RAY · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like all this author's FMCs have a touch of petulance to them. I wish they would have more fight, maybe more violence, more of a plan.