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Blood Heir Trilogy #3
Crimson Reign
For fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Six of Crows comes the thrilling conclusion to the Blood Heir trilogy. A princess with a dark secret must ally with a con man to liberate her empire from a reign of terror in this epic fantasy retelling of the Anastasia story.
The Red Tigress, Ana Mikhailov, has returned to Cyrilia, but the country she once called home has fallen under a dark rule. Across the land, the Empress Morganya is tightening her grip on Affinites and non-Affinites alike. Ana dealt a blow to the Empress when she and her allies turned back Morganya's troops in Bregon, but she couldn't stop Morganya from gaining possession of the last remaining Bregonian siphon: a dangerous new weapon with the power to steal Affinities.
Ana's forces are scattered, and her tenuous alliance with the Cyrilian rebel group, the Red Cloaks, is becoming more frayed by the day. What's worse, she's lost her Affinity to blood and without it, Ana barely knows who she is anymore--or if she has the strength to defeat Morganya.
Morganya's reign of terror is close to crushing the nation Ana was born to rule. And now Ana will finally face the sinister empress, but will she survive? Will anyone? And will her Empire welcome her back to the throne, or turn her out to survive on her own.
The Affinites and Non-Affinites of Cyrilia will determine Ana's future, if Morganya doesn't kill her first.
The Red Tigress, Ana Mikhailov, has returned to Cyrilia, but the country she once called home has fallen under a dark rule. Across the land, the Empress Morganya is tightening her grip on Affinites and non-Affinites alike. Ana dealt a blow to the Empress when she and her allies turned back Morganya's troops in Bregon, but she couldn't stop Morganya from gaining possession of the last remaining Bregonian siphon: a dangerous new weapon with the power to steal Affinities.
Ana's forces are scattered, and her tenuous alliance with the Cyrilian rebel group, the Red Cloaks, is becoming more frayed by the day. What's worse, she's lost her Affinity to blood and without it, Ana barely knows who she is anymore--or if she has the strength to defeat Morganya.
Morganya's reign of terror is close to crushing the nation Ana was born to rule. And now Ana will finally face the sinister empress, but will she survive? Will anyone? And will her Empire welcome her back to the throne, or turn her out to survive on her own.
The Affinites and Non-Affinites of Cyrilia will determine Ana's future, if Morganya doesn't kill her first.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2022
109 people are currently reading
10774 people want to read
About the author
Amélie Wen Zhao
12 books3,425 followersAmélie Wen Zhao（赵雯）was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do.
Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy and the upcoming Song of Silver, Flame Like Night duology.
Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy and the upcoming Song of Silver, Flame Like Night duology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 437 reviews
May 1, 2023
4.25 po rereadzie 🥹🥹🥹
June 25, 2024
The era for the monarchy has come to an end.
✅ Russian inspired
✅ War and fighting
✅ Magic/powers
✅ Action
✅ Politics
✅ Fast-paced and engaging
✅ Characters
✅🆗 Romance
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: deaths and war
Strong 4 stars!
I really enjoyed this very satisfying and full-of-action conclusion to the trilogy. The writing has improved since the first book too, making this book a solid finale.
To create a future, one first had to destroy the past.
This book starts off shortly after Red Tigress ends. Ana is on her way to the Cyrilian Empire, Ramson stayed in Bregon to hunt Kerlan’s men and to find out if there is a way to destroy the siphons, and Linn and Kaïs are on their way to the Kemeiran Empire. Time is of the essence, as Ana and the Redcloaks are trying to unite their forces to stop Morganya before she gets her hands on a very powerful artifact that would give her almost unlimited powers.
I was not sure if I would manage to really get into this book as I struggle to get invested when the main characters are apart from each other, but the pace was good and the plot was very engaging so I had no trouble finishing this whole book in one day even though the characters were not all together at first.
“A government exists to serve its people, Ana. The people should not fear their government, it is the government that should fear its people.”
Even though I was pretty sure of how this series would end, the path to get there was full of twists and turns, and many deaths. This book is all about the politics of the different nations, about the Redcloaks leading their revolution, and Ana and her friends trying to stop Morganya before she completely destroys all that’s good in the Empire of Cyrilia. I like how the Kemeiran Empire and the Kingdom of Bregon were also part of the war, they got involved even though it was not happening on their land, because they knew that Morganya’s crazy dictatorship would affect them sooner than later.
Ana raised her arm. “For equality.”
Linn, performing on a stage with shackles on her hands and feet.
“For justice.”
May, lifeless ocean-eyes staring up at the stars that she would never see again.
“For the people.”
Yuri’s restaurant ravaged to ruins; the Imperial Inquisition, marching through the streets of Goldwater port, burning down dachas and breaking apart families.
At first, in Blood Heir, I was not the biggest fan of Ana. I found her rash and immature at times, but she really changed throughout her journey. She has grown into a mature, responsible, and selfless leader, willing to do whatever it takes to help and save her people.
Ramson has never been one to feel guilt over his lies, so long as he got what he wanted.
Ramson is a great character too. He is witty and sassy and made me smile. He is very loyal, even though he pretends to be nothing more than a con man/businessman. In this book, we can see how he is willing to sacrifice much in order to save the ones he loves. He still has his swagger and sass though, but we can see that he gets more serious in this book as the stakes are definitely higher, and also because his feelings are involved too. It’s not just about business and Trades anymore, it’s about saving the woman he loves.
“Hello, Witch.”
There is a little bit of romance between Ana and Ramson (no surprise there, we all knew it was coming), and it was cute, but also very light. Romance is definitely not the central focus of this series, and it’s not even the central focus of the characters. Ana is willing to sacrifice her happiness and hide her feelings if it means winning the war and helping her people and I absolutely loved that. I loved that she remained rational and thought about the bigger picture and the greater good instead of just sacrificing everything to be with Ramson, as is sometimes the case in YA books.
Linn was a Kemeiran windsailer. A fierce warrior. A free bird.
She was the girl of wind and shadows.
And today, she fought back.
Linn is such a driven, resilient, and brave woman. I really love her, and I was SO HAPPY to have chapters in her point of view in this final book. She is inspiring, and I really love the ending that the author gave her since she still has a purpose. I couldn’t imagine Linn just being happy to spend the rest of her days quietly enjoying the warmth of a fire. She needs a mission, a purpose, she is so full of life and so determined to make the world a better place! It was heartwarming and inspiring to read her chapters.
The other half to her song was across the clearing: carved like the statue of a god, hair ink-black under the moon, eyes lethal as blue flames.
Kaïs is also a character that I grew to like very much, and his connection to Linn is so sweet and cute. It’s not really a romance, it’s really more of a soul-deep connection that they have that could end up in romantic feelings, but could also remain as they are and just make them awesome partners that can really trust each other.
“If the world falls, the last thing I want is to know I could have fought and made a difference and chose not to.”
On a side note, I am a little sad that Sorsha didn’t have a bigger role in this book. She is so unhinged and unpredictable, she added real tension because we could never know what she would do and how she would react. She was the villain that did not behave like the other villains.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this series, and I definitely recommend it for any fans of YA who are looking for Russian vibes, plotting and politics, magical abilities, revolution, and fighting. It also gets better with each book!
1. Blood Heir ⭐⭐⭐.5
2. Red Tigress ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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June 5, 2023
Idealne zakończenie trylogii, chodź scena tej ostatecznej bitwy mogła być trochę dłuższa
May 11, 2022
I liked this series, but I’m going to trade in my hardbacks and buy the last two on kindle in a sale. The covers are so beautiful but I’m getting rid of a lot to keep favs etc, and not just books
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Want to read
June 29, 2021oh hello cover!!
look unless this truly is a big pile of steaming problems (I highly doubt it) I am going to defend this series until my last breath . . . and even then I'll do my best to be a ghost who's sole purpose in the afterlife is to defend books like this
look unless this truly is a big pile of steaming problems (I highly doubt it) I am going to defend this series until my last breath . . . and even then I'll do my best to be a ghost who's sole purpose in the afterlife is to defend books like this
February 25, 2023
This book is … a decent conclusion to the series, but not what I’ve hoped for.
⤐ Additionally.
I feel let down. The Blood Heir series started and continued strong. However, overall, Crimson Reign did not live up to my expectations. I missed the emotional component of Blood Heir and the action in Red Tigress.
This book just reads like a ride on a suave river with neither a strong current nor a particularly note-worthy environment. What I like particularly was the ending, it’s what I felt the story needed and the characters deserved. But I had to paddle like a lunatic on this boring river to get there so excuse me if I do not think the ending makes up for the rest of the book.
In fact, the whole thing was so unremarkable I have barely anything else to say.
⤐ What’s happening.
‘It is not the gods who live in this world: it is us, humans. And the good thing about humans is that we are mortal, that we can hurt and bleed and bear scars. That we can always make the choice to continue to live, and continue to fight for good. I am but one human girl, but I will never stop fighting so long as I am alive.’
spoiler alert : The word you’re looking for is alliance, honey.
_____________________
3 STARS. Decent read that I have neither strongly positive nor negative feelings about. Some things irked me and thus it does not qualify as exceptional.
May 10, 2022
i’ve kept this series and these characters close to my heart for three years now. i’m not letting them go- i know this is a story i’ll return to time and again, as i already have. i love the beauty and the ugliness, the message, and the fragile hope that amelie wen zhao has gifted us all in this story. i cant wait for what she brings us next. <3
May 13, 2023
I loved how the characters started their journeys in different parts of the kingdom. Ana to Cyrilia to face Morganya, Linn to the Kemeiran Empire to seek help which turned into protecting the artifact, and Ramson stayed in Bregon to figure out how to get Ana’s Affinite back. One by one their path crossed and together they fought against Morganya tyranny and won.
It was a beautiful and fantastic read, a great one to end 2022. I enjoyed it very much. Five stars.
It was a beautiful and fantastic read, a great one to end 2022. I enjoyed it very much. Five stars.
November 22, 2022
How I feel about the direction this series went after the first book:
I have a lot of thoughts and I'm just going to state them in a bullet list because I want to be done with this:
- I actively avoided reading the last 30% of this not because I didn't want it to be over yet, but rather because I was sick and tired of it
- Every character has a catchphrase that they repeat ad nauseam. An example of this is how Chapter 22 has a variation of the phrase "action, counteraction" repeat 8 times. 3 of those instances are on the same page.
- The themes are also repeated to an extreme degree, yet most of the beats don't land well because despite the constant repetition, the themes were never really set up all that well because the pacing and therefore character arcs are all ridiculously rushed
- Sorcha was super annoying and honestly, I wish she just didn't exist in the book. She was a plot device and not a character
- Yuri is a piece of trash like at no point does he EVER really apologize for being the most selfish, emotionally childish, manipulative, abusive, and downright cruel "friend" to Ana. With friends like these, who needs enemies?? He starts actually supporting her and gets a brief ~I'm sorry I was mean and wasted our time together~ like too little too late buddy. He was the ONLY person Ana had from her past and he blames her for the very thing that happened to her ENTIRE FAMILY and EVERYONE SHE HAS EVER LOVED all while knowing first-hand that she was TORTURED for her ENTIRE LIFE and he has the audacity to be mad because, like I said, the SAME VILLAIN who hurt her hurt him, like ?????????? How is ANY of this HER fault??? Yuri can choke. He's a man-child and I wouldn't trust any revolution to him, because you never know what nonsense might make him pissy. Four did the same thing to Tris in Insurgent and I want to smash his head into the wall for the same reasons. Men like this belong in the ash heap of history.
- Ana flip-flops way too much. I understand why, on a base level, but it was still unnecessary drama for the sake of drama and doused an already fizzled-out slow-burn romance.
- The obvious romance between Linn and Kais never panned out and it made me question whether that was supposed to be an obvious romance or a badly written friendship
- I can't be bothered to look up her name, but the boat lady—who is she? Because she showed up in the second book like I was supposed to know her and just stuck around like I was supposed to like her, and I honestly have no idea who she is and why she gets so much page time. When did her and Ana become friends enough for her to be explicitly described as "Ana's friend" in the book?
- Regardless of all this, I am still very happy for the author for pursuing her writing career!
Also, oh my gosh why is the cover so freaking ugly?? None of the previous covers were nearly so bad, they had a nice theme going with colors and framing, but this one looks like someone colorblind made it in MS Paint
I have a lot of thoughts and I'm just going to state them in a bullet list because I want to be done with this:
- I actively avoided reading the last 30% of this not because I didn't want it to be over yet, but rather because I was sick and tired of it
- Every character has a catchphrase that they repeat ad nauseam. An example of this is how Chapter 22 has a variation of the phrase "action, counteraction" repeat 8 times. 3 of those instances are on the same page.
- The themes are also repeated to an extreme degree, yet most of the beats don't land well because despite the constant repetition, the themes were never really set up all that well because the pacing and therefore character arcs are all ridiculously rushed
- Sorcha was super annoying and honestly, I wish she just didn't exist in the book. She was a plot device and not a character
- Yuri is a piece of trash like at no point does he EVER really apologize for being the most selfish, emotionally childish, manipulative, abusive, and downright cruel "friend" to Ana. With friends like these, who needs enemies?? He starts actually supporting her and gets a brief ~I'm sorry I was mean and wasted our time together~ like too little too late buddy. He was the ONLY person Ana had from her past and he blames her for the very thing that happened to her ENTIRE FAMILY and EVERYONE SHE HAS EVER LOVED all while knowing first-hand that she was TORTURED for her ENTIRE LIFE and he has the audacity to be mad because, like I said, the SAME VILLAIN who hurt her hurt him, like ?????????? How is ANY of this HER fault??? Yuri can choke. He's a man-child and I wouldn't trust any revolution to him, because you never know what nonsense might make him pissy. Four did the same thing to Tris in Insurgent and I want to smash his head into the wall for the same reasons. Men like this belong in the ash heap of history.
- Ana flip-flops way too much. I understand why, on a base level, but it was still unnecessary drama for the sake of drama and doused an already fizzled-out slow-burn romance.
- The obvious romance between Linn and Kais never panned out and it made me question whether that was supposed to be an obvious romance or a badly written friendship
- I can't be bothered to look up her name, but the boat lady—who is she? Because she showed up in the second book like I was supposed to know her and just stuck around like I was supposed to like her, and I honestly have no idea who she is and why she gets so much page time. When did her and Ana become friends enough for her to be explicitly described as "Ana's friend" in the book?
- Regardless of all this, I am still very happy for the author for pursuing her writing career!
Also, oh my gosh why is the cover so freaking ugly?? None of the previous covers were nearly so bad, they had a nice theme going with colors and framing, but this one looks like someone colorblind made it in MS Paint
February 9, 2023
man these people have no idea how lucky they are, literally fainting every five seconds and somehow miraculously wake up ALIVE
May 29, 2023
Meh, too long
January 17, 2023
”No one is born a monster,” she said quietly. “We become monsters because of our choices.”
Riveting conclusion to a compelling, fast paced fantasy series. Straight forward plot showcasing vindictive, monarchs drunk on all consuming, addictive power that clouds all emotions and rational thoughts. Bloodshed and war continue as protagonists face scarring and challenging situations to topple absolutism and finally place the government in the hands of the people.
Riveting conclusion to a compelling, fast paced fantasy series. Straight forward plot showcasing vindictive, monarchs drunk on all consuming, addictive power that clouds all emotions and rational thoughts. Bloodshed and war continue as protagonists face scarring and challenging situations to topple absolutism and finally place the government in the hands of the people.
April 24, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ Całą książkę miałam takie meh jakoś nie interesuje mnie szczególnie to co się tu dzieje, a teraz jak skończyłam to mi smutno, że koniec xd
May 25, 2024
Even though I remembered nothing from reading this two years ago, I am so happy that I forgot I ever finished this series. I enjoyed re-reading all three books and falling in love with Ana and Ramson once again. I can't wait for my next book or series by this author.
February 5, 2022
4.5 Stars
What a fantastic ending to a well written, consistent and interesting fantasy series! I was so excited for this final installment and it definitely didn't let me down.
I went into this final book remembering the bones of what happened in the second but not all the detail. Luckily the start of the book helped remind me of everything without giving an information dump. I don't want to talk too much about the storyline as this is a spoiler free review but I thoroughly enjoyed it and although I pretty much knew how it would end, the twists and turns to get there were brilliant and had me gripped! As ever, I loved the use of magic in this series, it is so well thought out and the variety in the Affinites (people with magic) is very imaginative and interesting.
The characters are my favourite thing about this series. Ana, our lead female, the heir to the throne who has blood magic. I have loved Ana's journey through this book, both physically and mentally. She has really grown as a person...although she still made me frustrated with her a few times in this book!! Our lead male is Ramson and oh how I adore him. He is such a wonderful guy with wit, a great personality and talent. He is also incredibly loyal and really takes care of those that he cares about. Our main side character is Linn and I loved having not only chapters in Ana and Ramson's points of view but also in Linns. She is SUCH a brave lady and I loved her friendship with Ana. Her part of the story was possibly my favourite in this book! The rest of the side characters played such amazing roles, I especially loved Kais and Daya (she added some much needed humour!).
The writing was as brilliant as ever. Zhao is an amazing author and her way with words as well as her imagination has made for a truly brilliant series that I can't wait to read again and binge next time!! It took me no time at all to fall back into this world and enjoy every page of it!
Overall, a near perfect ending to a great series. I cannot wait to see what Zhao releases next! I highly recommend the Blood Heir series to anyone that enjoys YA fantasy.
Please note that I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
What a fantastic ending to a well written, consistent and interesting fantasy series! I was so excited for this final installment and it definitely didn't let me down.
I went into this final book remembering the bones of what happened in the second but not all the detail. Luckily the start of the book helped remind me of everything without giving an information dump. I don't want to talk too much about the storyline as this is a spoiler free review but I thoroughly enjoyed it and although I pretty much knew how it would end, the twists and turns to get there were brilliant and had me gripped! As ever, I loved the use of magic in this series, it is so well thought out and the variety in the Affinites (people with magic) is very imaginative and interesting.
The characters are my favourite thing about this series. Ana, our lead female, the heir to the throne who has blood magic. I have loved Ana's journey through this book, both physically and mentally. She has really grown as a person...although she still made me frustrated with her a few times in this book!! Our lead male is Ramson and oh how I adore him. He is such a wonderful guy with wit, a great personality and talent. He is also incredibly loyal and really takes care of those that he cares about. Our main side character is Linn and I loved having not only chapters in Ana and Ramson's points of view but also in Linns. She is SUCH a brave lady and I loved her friendship with Ana. Her part of the story was possibly my favourite in this book! The rest of the side characters played such amazing roles, I especially loved Kais and Daya (she added some much needed humour!).
The writing was as brilliant as ever. Zhao is an amazing author and her way with words as well as her imagination has made for a truly brilliant series that I can't wait to read again and binge next time!! It took me no time at all to fall back into this world and enjoy every page of it!
Overall, a near perfect ending to a great series. I cannot wait to see what Zhao releases next! I highly recommend the Blood Heir series to anyone that enjoys YA fantasy.
Please note that I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
August 12, 2022
semi Buddy read with
The Procrastinators Book Club!
Like the previous installments, Crimson Reign is pretty fast-paced and I raced through it. The world is really intriguing and I love seeing the different affinite abilities. There is of course plenty of action and battle scenes and there were more than a few moments I was on the edge of my seat.
Ana’s growth arc pays off in an unusual way in Crimson Reign, and her arc’s tied to the political arc throughout the book. I know some people will be thinking, I don’t want politics in my fantasy novels, but I’m hard pressed to recall a fantasy novel that doesn’t contain politics.
This was truly a solid ending to a trilogy. I feel like the ending is perfect, but it’s not at all what I would have guessed would happen when I first started reading these books. The way the political system was broken paralleled the way Ana and her allies had been broken over the course of the trilogy, and it demonstrated meaningful growth on their part. It also offered real hope for a better future.
The Procrastinators Book Club!
Like the previous installments, Crimson Reign is pretty fast-paced and I raced through it. The world is really intriguing and I love seeing the different affinite abilities. There is of course plenty of action and battle scenes and there were more than a few moments I was on the edge of my seat.
Ana’s growth arc pays off in an unusual way in Crimson Reign, and her arc’s tied to the political arc throughout the book. I know some people will be thinking, I don’t want politics in my fantasy novels, but I’m hard pressed to recall a fantasy novel that doesn’t contain politics.
This was truly a solid ending to a trilogy. I feel like the ending is perfect, but it’s not at all what I would have guessed would happen when I first started reading these books. The way the political system was broken paralleled the way Ana and her allies had been broken over the course of the trilogy, and it demonstrated meaningful growth on their part. It also offered real hope for a better future.
June 10, 2022
"I am but one human girl but I will never stop fighting so long as I am alive."
Oh how much I love her 😭😭
I feel a bit let down by the conclusion of the Blood Heir Trilogy. The first book started out really strong, earning nearly 5 stars from me, Red Tigress was action packed and altough there was action in Crimson Reign it just had something about it that didn't really grip me like the first two did.
Overall I still enjoyed it and was sad when the story of Anastasia and the others was over but the sadness mostly stemmed from the kind of underwhelming middle part of Crimson Reign.
I don't have particularly strong feelings about this book. Heck I can't even remember some parts of it after two months. It was decent, but as I said, the first two books where just better.
I will still recommend the series, altough I can't say that it is one of my favorites anymore.
Kinda dissapointing... Maybe I'll read it again since I love the characters so much. And maybe, just maybe, my reading will change when I read the physical book instead of the audio book.
Oh how much I love her 😭😭
I feel a bit let down by the conclusion of the Blood Heir Trilogy. The first book started out really strong, earning nearly 5 stars from me, Red Tigress was action packed and altough there was action in Crimson Reign it just had something about it that didn't really grip me like the first two did.
Overall I still enjoyed it and was sad when the story of Anastasia and the others was over but the sadness mostly stemmed from the kind of underwhelming middle part of Crimson Reign.
I don't have particularly strong feelings about this book. Heck I can't even remember some parts of it after two months. It was decent, but as I said, the first two books where just better.
I will still recommend the series, altough I can't say that it is one of my favorites anymore.
Kinda dissapointing... Maybe I'll read it again since I love the characters so much. And maybe, just maybe, my reading will change when I read the physical book instead of the audio book.
September 14, 2025
What a finale of the serie.
March 5, 2023
Overall Rating : A
"Your Affinity does not define you. What defines you is how you choose to wield it."
A great ending to an amazing series.
RTC!
"Your Affinity does not define you. What defines you is how you choose to wield it."
A great ending to an amazing series.
RTC!
April 16, 2022
4.5 stars, rounding up because I cried a few times (two of which were near the end), and the ending is just full of hope and a continued sense of adventure.
After Red Tigress, which I didn’t love as much as Blood Heir, I was a bit wary of how the conclusion to this trilogy would pan out. For me, at least, Crimson Reign was a satisfying conclusion to this series that wrapped up all the loose ends and felt really peaceful and warm, instilling a sense of hope and joy and just making me smile. I’m so happy to see Ramson and Ana get their HEA together; it’s been a long time coming (and considering the aggravation their angst caused me in book two that continued into this book, I was pleased to see Ramson become a complete Ana supporter in this book. I love Ramson so much. Even when Ana irritated me with her need to push Ramson away for fear of hurting him more with her likely death, Ramson stuck around and went after her to help her and save her so they could reach that happy ending.). I think Ramson and Linn made this book better than it would have been without them.
Speaking of Linn, I loved getting to see more of her own journey, and her finding her purpose and drive to keep fighting for what’s good and to better the world warmed my heart. Linn’s been a solid character from the start, and while I’m the type of person who gets annoyed by the POV switches by chapter when one scene on one character’s end gets left on a bit of a cliffhanger because I just want to know what happens!, overall I really liked having her explore what it meant to be a Kemeiran in Cyrilia, at the hands of Affinite traffickers, who obtained her freedom and lived a hard life and doesn’t always feel as Kemeiran as she could be through no fault of her own (the immigrant/child of immigrant experience right there). I also loved that Linn’s character is the one Amélie Wen Zhao got to write who looks like her (and me as a Chinese American) and whose country of Kemeira is a strong nod to her home country. I loved the aspects of Chinese culture, the mentions of yin and yang, of the concept of yuan, the threads of fate, even respect of elders and such for all of the familiarity and embrace of her roots. And her relationship with Kaïs, the fact that it’s left open ended in terms of whether it’s platonic or romantic, all of it, I loved. The fact that they recognize each other as kindred spirits, warrior souls who haven’t always had the freedom and choices that they do in this final book.
I loved what we got of Kaïs too, and I’m so happy he got to reunite with his mother. That made me a bit teary. I’m glad Shamaïra was okay in the end and that her fierce spirit hasn’t dimmed a bit. And she finally gets to go home. And Kaïs will get to visit, I’m sure.
All the character deaths (minus the villains’, though I did pity Sorsha for having been made into this monster by their dad…) hurt me too. I wasn’t surprised Markov and Henryk died—honestly I was wondering how they hadn’t been discovered anyway; like when Ana asked them to stay behind to keep watch from inside the palace in the first book, I had some serious concerns. Turns out they were valid and completely warranted lol. I would’ve been shocked if Morganya hadn’t known they were loyal to Ana. It still made me sad, though, especially to know that Henryk suffered a really painful death. Oof. RIP Yuri and Seyin (although I hated him at times too lol. I want to know what he was going to say to Ana too before he died 😭 WHAT WAS IT AMÉLIE) and Narron (poor kid, he seemed like a cool guy. The best First Officer Ramson could’ve picked out. His death hurt.) and Markov and Henryk. And Luka and May from the first book. So many character deaths; what a brutal trilogy.
The message through the trilogy has been consistent and much needed in the times we’re living in right now. One of hope, of courage, of the desire to do the right thing and be the good in the world; of kindness and strength and generosity, warmth and understanding and peace. A world in which everyone, regardless of different cultures and backgrounds and nationalities, can work together to live peacefully and ensure equality and make things better. The ending of Crimson Reign was really heartwarming in that regard, full of that hope and light. Ramson’s awe at seeing Affinites and non-Affinites getting along and coexisting peacefully, seeing that Ana had achieved her vision for the future, summed it up best. (Also I love that we got to conclude this series on Ramson’s POV. Witnessing all of this change happening in Cyrilia, his love for Ana, and seeing how much Ramson has grown and changed into a better person, now embodying all the good Ana believed he could be, makes my heart very happy.)
After Red Tigress, which I didn’t love as much as Blood Heir, I was a bit wary of how the conclusion to this trilogy would pan out. For me, at least, Crimson Reign was a satisfying conclusion to this series that wrapped up all the loose ends and felt really peaceful and warm, instilling a sense of hope and joy and just making me smile. I’m so happy to see Ramson and Ana get their HEA together; it’s been a long time coming (and considering the aggravation their angst caused me in book two that continued into this book, I was pleased to see Ramson become a complete Ana supporter in this book. I love Ramson so much. Even when Ana irritated me with her need to push Ramson away for fear of hurting him more with her likely death, Ramson stuck around and went after her to help her and save her so they could reach that happy ending.). I think Ramson and Linn made this book better than it would have been without them.
Speaking of Linn, I loved getting to see more of her own journey, and her finding her purpose and drive to keep fighting for what’s good and to better the world warmed my heart. Linn’s been a solid character from the start, and while I’m the type of person who gets annoyed by the POV switches by chapter when one scene on one character’s end gets left on a bit of a cliffhanger because I just want to know what happens!, overall I really liked having her explore what it meant to be a Kemeiran in Cyrilia, at the hands of Affinite traffickers, who obtained her freedom and lived a hard life and doesn’t always feel as Kemeiran as she could be through no fault of her own (the immigrant/child of immigrant experience right there). I also loved that Linn’s character is the one Amélie Wen Zhao got to write who looks like her (and me as a Chinese American) and whose country of Kemeira is a strong nod to her home country. I loved the aspects of Chinese culture, the mentions of yin and yang, of the concept of yuan, the threads of fate, even respect of elders and such for all of the familiarity and embrace of her roots. And her relationship with Kaïs, the fact that it’s left open ended in terms of whether it’s platonic or romantic, all of it, I loved. The fact that they recognize each other as kindred spirits, warrior souls who haven’t always had the freedom and choices that they do in this final book.
I loved what we got of Kaïs too, and I’m so happy he got to reunite with his mother. That made me a bit teary. I’m glad Shamaïra was okay in the end and that her fierce spirit hasn’t dimmed a bit. And she finally gets to go home. And Kaïs will get to visit, I’m sure.
All the character deaths (minus the villains’, though I did pity Sorsha for having been made into this monster by their dad…) hurt me too. I wasn’t surprised Markov and Henryk died—honestly I was wondering how they hadn’t been discovered anyway; like when Ana asked them to stay behind to keep watch from inside the palace in the first book, I had some serious concerns. Turns out they were valid and completely warranted lol. I would’ve been shocked if Morganya hadn’t known they were loyal to Ana. It still made me sad, though, especially to know that Henryk suffered a really painful death. Oof. RIP Yuri and Seyin (although I hated him at times too lol. I want to know what he was going to say to Ana too before he died 😭 WHAT WAS IT AMÉLIE) and Narron (poor kid, he seemed like a cool guy. The best First Officer Ramson could’ve picked out. His death hurt.) and Markov and Henryk. And Luka and May from the first book. So many character deaths; what a brutal trilogy.
The message through the trilogy has been consistent and much needed in the times we’re living in right now. One of hope, of courage, of the desire to do the right thing and be the good in the world; of kindness and strength and generosity, warmth and understanding and peace. A world in which everyone, regardless of different cultures and backgrounds and nationalities, can work together to live peacefully and ensure equality and make things better. The ending of Crimson Reign was really heartwarming in that regard, full of that hope and light. Ramson’s awe at seeing Affinites and non-Affinites getting along and coexisting peacefully, seeing that Ana had achieved her vision for the future, summed it up best. (Also I love that we got to conclude this series on Ramson’s POV. Witnessing all of this change happening in Cyrilia, his love for Ana, and seeing how much Ramson has grown and changed into a better person, now embodying all the good Ana believed he could be, makes my heart very happy.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2022
“If the world falls, the last thing I want is to know I could have fought and made a difference and chose not to.”
And so, the Blood Heir Trilogy comes to an end. I've been with these books since the beginning. I remember reading Blood Heir in a single afternoon, fully captivated by the cinematic writing and stellar characters. What makes these books different from the rest of YA is that the characters aren't necessarily good people. Some of them are moral, and they fight for the right reasons, but often go about it the wrong way. Think Six of Crows, but instead of breaking into the Ice Court, the main characters are attempting to gain political allies and fight against a tyrannical empress, while simultaneously working to end human trafficking. Red Tigress flew by in much the same way, and to this day, it contains one of the best character ARC's in the series.
“One sparrow's wingbeat can cause a storm.”
Linn and Kaiis will always be the best in my mind, and watching Linn grow into the warrior she was meant to become was spectacular. Speaking of Linn, she was the best part of this book. With great character development, internal conflict, and a perfect balance between her romance and her own desires, Linn stole the show. Kaiis played even more of a supporting role in the final novel (sadly), and while I still loved his character, he just didn't feel as important to the plot as he was previously.
“Humans will always fear the things they do not understand."
Ana and Ramson were less enjoyable, which is odd considering they were the center of the storyline. My main issue came from the fact that Ana undermined her entire ARC from the first two books, and that no one really seemed to care about the emotional gravity of her situation. Ramson was more worried about a relationship than saving the world, yet he pushed Ana away at the oddest times. Ana too was cruel to Ramson for unexplained reasons, and their dynamic just didn't work. While I can understand Ana's new political ideology, I must admit that it didn't really fit with the world and the history that had already been created.
“It is not the gods who live in this world: it is us, humans. And the good thing about humans is that we are mortal, that we can hurt and bleed and bear scars. That we can always make the choice to continue to live and continue to fight for good. I am but one human girl, but I will never stop fighting so long as I am alive.”
The plot was good (no surprise there) and the fight scenes were excellent, as usual. With all the YA Adaptions currently taking place, I would rejoice if this series was picked up. It would make the perfect movie franchise because the pacing and scene structure really feels like you're watching a movie. Sadly, I was a little disappointed with this final novel. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to the earlier books in the series. I enjoyed reading it, but can't say that I will remember it, even though the first two books have stayed with me.
And so, the Blood Heir Trilogy comes to an end. I've been with these books since the beginning. I remember reading Blood Heir in a single afternoon, fully captivated by the cinematic writing and stellar characters. What makes these books different from the rest of YA is that the characters aren't necessarily good people. Some of them are moral, and they fight for the right reasons, but often go about it the wrong way. Think Six of Crows, but instead of breaking into the Ice Court, the main characters are attempting to gain political allies and fight against a tyrannical empress, while simultaneously working to end human trafficking. Red Tigress flew by in much the same way, and to this day, it contains one of the best character ARC's in the series.
“One sparrow's wingbeat can cause a storm.”
Linn and Kaiis will always be the best in my mind, and watching Linn grow into the warrior she was meant to become was spectacular. Speaking of Linn, she was the best part of this book. With great character development, internal conflict, and a perfect balance between her romance and her own desires, Linn stole the show. Kaiis played even more of a supporting role in the final novel (sadly), and while I still loved his character, he just didn't feel as important to the plot as he was previously.
“Humans will always fear the things they do not understand."
Ana and Ramson were less enjoyable, which is odd considering they were the center of the storyline. My main issue came from the fact that Ana undermined her entire ARC from the first two books, and that no one really seemed to care about the emotional gravity of her situation. Ramson was more worried about a relationship than saving the world, yet he pushed Ana away at the oddest times. Ana too was cruel to Ramson for unexplained reasons, and their dynamic just didn't work. While I can understand Ana's new political ideology, I must admit that it didn't really fit with the world and the history that had already been created.
“It is not the gods who live in this world: it is us, humans. And the good thing about humans is that we are mortal, that we can hurt and bleed and bear scars. That we can always make the choice to continue to live and continue to fight for good. I am but one human girl, but I will never stop fighting so long as I am alive.”
The plot was good (no surprise there) and the fight scenes were excellent, as usual. With all the YA Adaptions currently taking place, I would rejoice if this series was picked up. It would make the perfect movie franchise because the pacing and scene structure really feels like you're watching a movie. Sadly, I was a little disappointed with this final novel. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to the earlier books in the series. I enjoyed reading it, but can't say that I will remember it, even though the first two books have stayed with me.
March 8, 2022
2.5 rounding up. I just felt like this one was so flat. The stakes were the same the entire time. I felt like I kept reading the same scenes over and over. I think too much was squeezed into one book so I never had the chance to sit with anything that happened. The whiplash of Ana and Ramson at the end felt needlessly dramatic and didn’t do it for me— and I LOVE angst. Anyway, wanted to like this one but just didn’t really get into it.
August 1, 2023
4,5⭐️
March 3, 2022
The Blood Heir trilogy was phenomenal, and Crimson Reign was a perfect conclusion. I had chills pretty much constantly for the last 50-ish pages. Amélie Wen Zhao is, in my opinion, among the top three writers of YA (specifically on a sentence level), along with Tahereh Mafi and Melissa Albert. These three have the most beautiful writing that absolutely captures me the whole way through their stories.
The writing in the Blood Heir trilogy is cinematic—in my mind’s eye, I see it as if it were a film by the creators of The Witcher or Game of Thrones, that kind of dark cinematography. I would describe Blood Heir’s world as The Witcher meets the Grishaverse. And Ramson is a perfect blend of Kaz Brekker and Aaron Warner. I cannot recommend this series enough. An incredible high fantasy series with morally grey characters.
The writing in the Blood Heir trilogy is cinematic—in my mind’s eye, I see it as if it were a film by the creators of The Witcher or Game of Thrones, that kind of dark cinematography. I would describe Blood Heir’s world as The Witcher meets the Grishaverse. And Ramson is a perfect blend of Kaz Brekker and Aaron Warner. I cannot recommend this series enough. An incredible high fantasy series with morally grey characters.
March 22, 2022
This is a 4.5 star kind of book, but because I've enjoyed this series so much, I rounded up. Fight me out back later if you wanna complain about that.
SO we have reached the end of the Blood Heir series, and we are all happier people for having read these books (if you haven't read them, this is your sign that it's time). Let's just quickly recap what I love about this book because I'm pretty sure you could already guess what this list will include:
- RAMSON aka the loml
- Ana. She's a little bit of a pain sometimes, but at least she's consistent and always willing to put the common good over things like . . . well, Ramson. I can't relate, but I respect her for that all the same
- Linn got to do a lot more in this book than she has in the past, and it was awesome
- Ramson. You really didn't think he'd make the list only one time?
- The fact the story was two bad butt women fighting two bad butt women villains. We're so here for all of these bad butt women and for having all female villains. There are enough books with a lot of men out there that it's refreshing to get to have some evil women and good women and all the women in between in this book
- Sorsha is psycho, but she never gets old
- Ramson. The only man in this series that matters
- The conclusion is satisfying. You worried that the author will ruin everything you've hoped for and dreamed of? Don't. The ending is very nice, and you'll like it
- We get to see so many settings. This book spans most of the world
- Yuri returns. Okay, maybe there's a second man in this series that matters
- Ramson, Ramson, Ramson
- The Ramson and Ana angst. We've waited long enough
- The Ramson and Ana romance. It's finally time for that to arrive. The thing is . . . I believe it because the author has built it up for THREE BOOKS now, so when it comes, it feels authentic
So... why no perfect score? Well, there was a lot more action than in the previous books, and action gets a little bit old sometimes. Also the plot went a little bit in circles/got a tad repetitive when you wish they'd just hurry up and wreck somebody. But this view could just be because it took me half my life to read this book 😂
Overall, I'm so very happy I read these books, and I'll be recommending them for ages. I'll also be rereading, of course, because I can't stay away from Ramson for too long.
SO we have reached the end of the Blood Heir series, and we are all happier people for having read these books (if you haven't read them, this is your sign that it's time). Let's just quickly recap what I love about this book because I'm pretty sure you could already guess what this list will include:
- RAMSON aka the loml
- Ana. She's a little bit of a pain sometimes, but at least she's consistent and always willing to put the common good over things like . . . well, Ramson. I can't relate, but I respect her for that all the same
- Linn got to do a lot more in this book than she has in the past, and it was awesome
- Ramson. You really didn't think he'd make the list only one time?
- The fact the story was two bad butt women fighting two bad butt women villains. We're so here for all of these bad butt women and for having all female villains. There are enough books with a lot of men out there that it's refreshing to get to have some evil women and good women and all the women in between in this book
- Sorsha is psycho, but she never gets old
- Ramson. The only man in this series that matters
- The conclusion is satisfying. You worried that the author will ruin everything you've hoped for and dreamed of? Don't. The ending is very nice, and you'll like it
- We get to see so many settings. This book spans most of the world
- Yuri returns. Okay, maybe there's a second man in this series that matters
- Ramson, Ramson, Ramson
- The Ramson and Ana angst. We've waited long enough
- The Ramson and Ana romance. It's finally time for that to arrive. The thing is . . . I believe it because the author has built it up for THREE BOOKS now, so when it comes, it feels authentic
So... why no perfect score? Well, there was a lot more action than in the previous books, and action gets a little bit old sometimes. Also the plot went a little bit in circles/got a tad repetitive when you wish they'd just hurry up and wreck somebody. But this view could just be because it took me half my life to read this book 😂
Overall, I'm so very happy I read these books, and I'll be recommending them for ages. I'll also be rereading, of course, because I can't stay away from Ramson for too long.
September 12, 2022
This was a good conclusion to the trilogy, however one of the authors choices made it not as great as it could have been. There’s a lot that happens in this one (and physically they cover a lot of ground as all the players move all around the various lands) so trying to move everyone around and match the various time frames made the pacing a little off but there was plenty of tension and lots of high stakes. If you’ve read the first two books then you know she doesn’t give our protagonists very many wins, they are constantly captured, out maneuvered and beaten down only to somehow rise again. And there’s plenty of that here.
So here’s my bone to pick, if you’re stringing a romance along through a trilogy (and i mean stringinggggg) let the couple get together and have some screen time together in the final book…don’t let them get together and then immediately create some ridiculous (unbelievable) excuse/reason for them to not be together to supposedly create more tension and angst. This book would have been SO MUCH BETTER if she had allowed these two main characters to be truly joined together in this final all out war against evil (Believe me there was already enough tension & angst with all the horrible things happening to everyone!). Instead they are separated both physically and mentally for the majority of the book for a very stupid reason.
So while the first two books in the series were between 4-5 stars for me this last one was just a 3. It’s frustrating when you commit a lot of time to an author and they don’t give you the things you want/expect in return. It’s like she finally tossed you a bone you’d been salivating over through two books and then immediately snatched it back.
*Thank you to NetGalley for me eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review*
So here’s my bone to pick, if you’re stringing a romance along through a trilogy (and i mean stringinggggg) let the couple get together and have some screen time together in the final book…don’t let them get together and then immediately create some ridiculous (unbelievable) excuse/reason for them to not be together to supposedly create more tension and angst. This book would have been SO MUCH BETTER if she had allowed these two main characters to be truly joined together in this final all out war against evil (Believe me there was already enough tension & angst with all the horrible things happening to everyone!). Instead they are separated both physically and mentally for the majority of the book for a very stupid reason.
So while the first two books in the series were between 4-5 stars for me this last one was just a 3. It’s frustrating when you commit a lot of time to an author and they don’t give you the things you want/expect in return. It’s like she finally tossed you a bone you’d been salivating over through two books and then immediately snatched it back.
*Thank you to NetGalley for me eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review*
February 7, 2022
Love was a weakness, and dreams were for fools - and the end to both had finally come.
This is it. The conclusion to the Blood Heir Trilogy. And what a conclusion it was.
We are thrown right into the story again, starting where we left off in the second book. The pace is a fast one, with shifting the focus between Ana, Ramson and Linn. All three of them have their own journey, their own battle to fight. The characters drive the story, despite it being full of action from almost start to finish. This story lives and breathes through its characters and the world created by Zhao, which is what I love the most about it.
The writing, as before, is very fast paced and makes it easy to follow the story. It is just perfectly right for this story, and I love that we discover, even now, more of this world Zhao created.
A wonderful ending to an entertaining book series.
This is it. The conclusion to the Blood Heir Trilogy. And what a conclusion it was.
We are thrown right into the story again, starting where we left off in the second book. The pace is a fast one, with shifting the focus between Ana, Ramson and Linn. All three of them have their own journey, their own battle to fight. The characters drive the story, despite it being full of action from almost start to finish. This story lives and breathes through its characters and the world created by Zhao, which is what I love the most about it.
The writing, as before, is very fast paced and makes it easy to follow the story. It is just perfectly right for this story, and I love that we discover, even now, more of this world Zhao created.
A wonderful ending to an entertaining book series.
August 22, 2023
Niestety, ale nie polubiłam się z tą serią. Pierwszy tom jeszcze gdzieś tam przeczytałam bez problemu, ale drugi i trzeci… Oba wprowadziły mnie w zastój czytelniczy, nie mogłam patrzeć w ogóle na książki. Wątek romantyczny, który jest mega przewidywalny i niezbyt potrzebny. Bohaterowie zachowują się momentami jak dzieci, bo nie potrafią porozmawiać o swoich uczuciach i zdecydować się, co czują. Przez całą książkę czułam lekkie napięcie, tylko po to, by zakończyć wszystko tak na prawdę jednym rozdziałem. Zawiodłam się bardzo i nigdy nie będę wracać nawet myślami do tych książek.
April 14, 2022
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for a copy of this book, the opinions below are my own.
I followed Ana and Ramson from the start of this series and Crimson Reign, the last book of this trilogy, was one of my most awaited releases of this year.
From page one, we are pushed into a whirlwind of action and plot twists that don’t offer a moment to breathe. A short recap of the events developed in book two is brilliantly provided within the story and dialogues so the reader doesn’t feel completely lost.
I said this at the end of book two, but on the road of The Blood Heir Trilogy’s journey, I thought that Ramson was the best character of the story. His storyline is well-round and fully developed in every aspect, from his traumatic past to the present, his family heritage and negligent father, and his love for Ana. I felt Ana’s character became more flat through chapters, almost too simple and trope-y, while Ramson and even the side characters (Linn), were strong elements who carried the story to the end. And in particular, with this book, I could not accept how Ana treated Ramson, and there were times I couldn’t approve of their relationship anymore.
Another character who I couldn’t enjoy was Morganya, she wasn’t the best villain, her motives weren’t fully clear and her dialogues sounded just too disconnected, but without a solid backstory.
I’m still glad that the story had a solid conclusion and that at least we have a happy ending, which the writer made me doubt so many times along the way. I can’t say I enjoyed this one as much as I did the previous two, sometimes it felt repetitive and dragging. However, I can confidently say that Ramson will be forever in my heart, he was the real gem of this story. I would not be surprised if more story will come out of this world and I will ensure to look forward to reading Zhao’s future works.
I followed Ana and Ramson from the start of this series and Crimson Reign, the last book of this trilogy, was one of my most awaited releases of this year.
From page one, we are pushed into a whirlwind of action and plot twists that don’t offer a moment to breathe. A short recap of the events developed in book two is brilliantly provided within the story and dialogues so the reader doesn’t feel completely lost.
I said this at the end of book two, but on the road of The Blood Heir Trilogy’s journey, I thought that Ramson was the best character of the story. His storyline is well-round and fully developed in every aspect, from his traumatic past to the present, his family heritage and negligent father, and his love for Ana. I felt Ana’s character became more flat through chapters, almost too simple and trope-y, while Ramson and even the side characters (Linn), were strong elements who carried the story to the end. And in particular, with this book, I could not accept how Ana treated Ramson, and there were times I couldn’t approve of their relationship anymore.
Another character who I couldn’t enjoy was Morganya, she wasn’t the best villain, her motives weren’t fully clear and her dialogues sounded just too disconnected, but without a solid backstory.
I’m still glad that the story had a solid conclusion and that at least we have a happy ending, which the writer made me doubt so many times along the way. I can’t say I enjoyed this one as much as I did the previous two, sometimes it felt repetitive and dragging. However, I can confidently say that Ramson will be forever in my heart, he was the real gem of this story. I would not be surprised if more story will come out of this world and I will ensure to look forward to reading Zhao’s future works.
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