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Heart of Red, Blood of Blue
A girl on the run. A kingdom to save.
Princess Gisela of Steinland was born without color. Albino. When her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ends in his death, it starts a ten-year war her father is determined to win, even if it means bringing her out of hiding to do it. Now the savage Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, seeks the hearts of the entire royal family, especially Gisela's.
Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that involves her marrying an old brute of a king. Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run. Thrown into the center of a battle between three kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and the right to be truly loved.
Can the girl who started the war find a way to end it?
Princess Gisela of Steinland was born without color. Albino. When her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ends in his death, it starts a ten-year war her father is determined to win, even if it means bringing her out of hiding to do it. Now the savage Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, seeks the hearts of the entire royal family, especially Gisela's.
Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that involves her marrying an old brute of a king. Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run. Thrown into the center of a battle between three kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and the right to be truly loved.
Can the girl who started the war find a way to end it?
404 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2018
131 people are currently reading
1728 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Belliston
13 books158 followersRebecca Belliston loves books and music. Even more, she loves to write both. As an author, she writes clean romances with heart-pounding suspense. She also composes religious and classical-style piano and vocal music. When she’s not writing, she loves to play tennis, make sarcastic comments, or cuddle up with a good book—usually not at the same time. She and her husband have five children and live in the beautiful state of Michigan, which she loves for eight months of the year (she’s a baby about cold weather). Visit her website for characters, maps, music, and other freebies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
August 30, 2023
I can’t explain how captivated I was by this story! There’s action and romance and faith and thrills. Wow! Excellent storytelling. I will be reading more from this author, no doubt!
Just as good as I remember.
Warning that there is a lot of war violence
Just as good as I remember.
Warning that there is a lot of war violence
September 3, 2023
Heart of Red, Blood of Blue by Rebecca Belliston - 5 Stars - An amazing standalone christian fantasy story!
This is all about Princess Gisela of Steinland who was born with albinism. Her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ended in his death and a 10 year war started with her father. Her father keeps her hidden for many years until he wants to use her to agree to another alliance and betroth her to an awful leader. A Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, is also after Gisela after killing her siblings as well so that puts a lot of stress on the situation. Gisela runs away and starts finding the truth as she flees.....her ultimate goal is to end this crazy war. Can she do it?
OK YA'LL READ THIS BOOK. It's an ALL time favorite. I loved the unexpected plot twists that I didn't see coming, it has amazing characters and kept me on the edge of my seat! I was SHOCKED at the ending when things were revealed. Highly recommend for those who want a good, clean christian non-magical fantasy story.
I loved the faith elements we had in the story, her cross necklace, prayers and almost like angels for her who would show up to help her (other christians who showed up in answered prayer).
Content warning: There are some violence and blood in this during the war battle scenes but otherwise language free and clean.
This is all about Princess Gisela of Steinland who was born with albinism. Her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ended in his death and a 10 year war started with her father. Her father keeps her hidden for many years until he wants to use her to agree to another alliance and betroth her to an awful leader. A Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, is also after Gisela after killing her siblings as well so that puts a lot of stress on the situation. Gisela runs away and starts finding the truth as she flees.....her ultimate goal is to end this crazy war. Can she do it?
OK YA'LL READ THIS BOOK. It's an ALL time favorite. I loved the unexpected plot twists that I didn't see coming, it has amazing characters and kept me on the edge of my seat! I was SHOCKED at the ending when things were revealed. Highly recommend for those who want a good, clean christian non-magical fantasy story.
I loved the faith elements we had in the story, her cross necklace, prayers and almost like angels for her who would show up to help her (other christians who showed up in answered prayer).
Content warning: There are some violence and blood in this during the war battle scenes but otherwise language free and clean.
April 22, 2025
1 star ⭐️ Clean Fiction - Fantasy
So many friends love this book. And I’m so sad and sorry to them that I didn’t love it as well. I nearly DNF it at least six times in the beginning. I so wanted to like it, but honestly? I was spitting mad for the first half of the book. Perhaps it’s because I know people with albinism and seeing a character treated this way was horrible, or perhaps it was because of the completely repulsive villain, or even all the hangings and dead bodies everywhere—or perhaps all three. I was debating giving it 2 stars for my personal rating, but that is too generous for the emotions I felt while reading this book.
I’m never a fan of the “falling in love with my family’s killer” trope (is that an official trope? Maybe not but it really should be with the amount of times I’ve seen it in fantasy books) and while truth is revealed, it still greatly bothered me that Gisela was even remotely attracted to the man she thought had cruelly murdered her siblings. She tried to snap out of it at times, but I’m pretty sure I would be too petty and holding massive grudges for that. He fell for her super quick in a way that felt like insta-love too. When things are revealed (all the things at different points), it felt like whiplash with their emotions and treatment towards the other.
I’m pretty sure I would have poisoned everyone or myself if I was in Gisela’s shoes. The hits—literally and figuratively—keep coming and she had to become stronger and stronger while being so close to breaking. She was trying to do the best for her country despite the creepy king who kept sexually grabbing at her, but I honestly would have lost it and said “forget the country, forget the war, forget everyone.” This is probably why I am not and will never be a fantasy heroine. 🤷🏻♀️
Once the disgusting pig (which is an insult to pigs, really) was finally (and I do mean finally) left, the book got a bit better in my eyes and I continued reading until the wee hours of the morning to see if my guesses on what would happen were correct. They were, actually, just with a lot more deaths and bloodshed. Ugh.
Gisela’s grief over her siblings hit me hard as someone who has also lost a sibling and grieves the “what ifs”. I felt for her and it made the book even sadder to me that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending in that regard. That’s life—and boy do I know it—but it was still hard for me to read about, personally.
The faith content was interesting. It was more of a Catholic leaning, which made sense for the medieval-inspired setting. However, the faith content could be comprised of Gisela clutching her cross necklace and praying for help, Gisela thinking that God is cruel and doesn’t care for her in the hard moments, and Gisela bargaining/giving away the cross necklace.
I will say that the author did well with the political intrigue and the setting of this world. I do think it was odd that it was half-fantasy and half-reality, though, with some people speaking French and others speaking fictional languages, fictional countries and yet mentions of the Nile River and Africa, and some mentions of the Pope and the Holy Roman church as well?
I’m definitely in the minority about this book. I think those that have a higher threshold than me on sexual suggestions and violence/dead bodies would probably be less bothered than me about those elements. That said, I can’t recommend this book because of that content. As a visual reader, I see in my head nearly everything I read in some way and this book had too many images that were disgusting and others that were just bloody. I can see why friends liked it because even though parts of this book made me spitting mad, I still stayed up way too late to finish it (as I knew once I put it down I wouldn’t want to pick it up again), but some of the content in this book just ruined it for me.
Main Content-
Unable to mark spoilers due to character limits on here.
Prayers; Gisela visits a cathedral for the betrothal ceremony; Gisela has a cross necklace she often clutches and prays; ’H’s are capital when referring to God.
Gisela believes God forgot her because of her albinism and that she was cursed; Gisela thinks that fate and God have abandoned her; Gisela wonders that if the Almighty would have punished her for going to Leuthar’s bed before they were married; Gisela feels like if there is a God, He has abandoned her and believes herself to be a child of the devil; Gisela has turned away from God after she thinks He turned away from her and doesn’t understand why He would punish everyone else for her mistakes; Later, she starts to wonder if God has not forsaken her and wonders if her mother and grandmother are allowed to keep watch over her; Kristoff comments on not knowing whether God is a cruel God or a brilliant one (which Gisela also wonders again, but then decides He is not cruel).
Gisela recalls her priest who forbids women from reading and giving sermons about “fornication and the damnation that follows”; Leuthar comments that some believe that educating women is “devil’s work”; Ryder says that the priest and nun/governess preached nothing but “outdated morals”; Ryder implies about sharing a bed with Gisela and when she says no, he mutters curses against the priest and his “damning sermons” (Gisela isn’t sure if he said that or “damn sermons”); Gisela feels like her priest is rolling in his grave with all the lies she tells; Gisela recalls enjoying daily mass & her plan to have joined a convent if she never married.
Gisela prays and swears to God she will not lie again, but quickly catches herself lying; Gisela doesn’t understand why her father had guards hanged, but because honoring thy father and mother is a commandment, she must try.
Gisela thinks that “fate—or divine providence” has brought her to a place; Gisela thinks fate brought her to a place again, but then thinks that fate is not that cruel.
Some people believe Gisela has Satan’s curse, is cursed, or a witch because of her appearance; Gisela recalls reading that some albinos are believed to have magical powers and use their body parts of witches’ brews or warding off evil spirits; A doctor exclaims that Gisela is a devil child and needs an exorcist (which makes her wonder if that is why she is so disobedient and has a nun as a governess to draw out her evil spirits); Mobs around Gisela call her a witch and call for her to be burned; At one point, Gisela decides to act like a witch and “curses” everyone by chanting in a foreign language (because it is easy to act this out, she thinks that perhaps she truly is a child of the devil); Someone says that witches are not real and everyone else is superstitious; Kristoff thinks Gisela looks like an angel and calls her one.
Gisela’s chaser is called Bloodless Kristoff and many people call him a demon due to his violent nature and brutal killings; It’s said that Bloodless Kristoff is possessed with “seventy-times-seven devils”; Gisela thinks of the person who killed her siblings as a demon who enjoys what he does and a “sadistic murderer of the worst kind”.
Mentions of those and events in the Bible, cathedral for a betrothal ceremony, & Christendom; Mentions of the Pope, the Holy Roman church, & bishops; Mentions of evil; A few mentions of Christianity; A couple mentions of ghosts; A mention of Christian being slaughtered; A mention of a man’s name being chanted like a Christian saint’s.
Lots of wars scenes, violence, killing, fighting (including for her life), stabbing/slashing with blood and heads rolling, & grief (up to many sentences); Being slapped (by her father and governess), kidnapped, chased, tied-up and held prisoner, attacked, poisoned and almost killed, choked, held at knife-point, leeched, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, passing out, & throwing up (up to a handful of sentences); Being ready to die & Wanting to die (up to a couple sentences); Seeing many people stabbed and brutally killed, dead bodies, bodies hanging, and torture (also used as threats; Gisela feels sick at seeing not only many men hung, but also women and children; up to a few sentences); Recalling all of this (seeing deaths, dead bodies, violence, fighting and killing, etc. up to a handful of sentences).
Language: “Damn” is used once in a negative manner; “Damnation/damned” is used in the literal doomed sense; Fictional language curses are said, but not translated; Other than that nothing stronger than ‘stupid’, ‘idiot’; People are often called ‘demons’ and 'devils’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Lying.
Gisela’s father slaps and threatens her; Gisela is mistreated by her governess (a woman who was raised in a convent, was almost a nun, and dresses like a nun) both verbally, physically (slapping), and threatening her with harm (such as being flogged and saying she should let Gisela’s father hang her).
Gisela has albinism and has been taught to be ashamed of her appearance and hide it (this includes people “fixing” her appearance with makeup and hiding her hair); Many people think Gisela is cursed, a demon, has Satan’s curse, or a witch because of her appearance; Many people jump or are shocked by her appearance; Gisela’s father calls her hair color cursed as well; Someone else calls her ugly; *Spoiler* Gisela’s father killed her mother for giving birth to another child with albinism *End of Spoiler*; A couple mentions of others like her being hunted, killed, and feared.
A side character is a “simple-minded” man (who is a surgeon/doctor) that repeats sentences and is shot in an attack *Spoiler* and dies *End of Spoiler*; A horse is also injured in an attack and pushed hard by Gisela for her safety, but the horse is ultimately fine.
Gisela’s siblings have been killed by suffocation and then their hearts are ripped out (Gisela imagines it happening as well, up to a few sentences); Gisela feels major grief over the deaths of her siblings and what could have been.
*Spoiler* Gisela helps with a war plan by telling an overeager soldier and despite her uncertainty, the plan happens which ends up killing over 1500 soldiers and a village of women and children; Gisela is greatly upset to see all the bodies and blood everywhere; Gisela didn’t know about the killing of women and children and is even more upset to learn about it; She feels major guilt about it all *End of Spoilers*.
Gisela has nightmares about Bloodless Kristoff finding and killing her & also after seeing the hanged bodies of children; Gisela wishes to see Bloodless Kristoff cut into a thousand pieces.
*Major Spoilers* As the book continues, Gisela learns that it was her father who started the war due to his greed and brought out his sword first at the betrothal ceremony, killing part of the other royal family; This makes her feel like her whole life is a lie; She finds out that the Kristoff she has met and starts to fall for is not the one who killed many of her siblings (Kristoff did kill one) and is someone impersonating him; At the very end, her father surrenders and Gisela hopes that one day they can mend their relationship *End of Spoilers*.
All about and many, many mentions of a war, killing, many deaths, fighting, violence, hangings, dismemberment, torture, blood/bleeding, & injuries (up to a handful of sentences); Many mentions of lies, lying, deceit, hatred, & rumors; Mentions of grief by family members (up to a few sentences), burned villages, & deaths; Mentions of poisons & being poisoned; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks; A few mentions of a man (King Leuthar) who is said to “practically drinks” human blood and is a cannibal; A mention of vultures getting to the dead bodies on a battlefield.
2 hand kisses (1 unwanted),
1 cheek kiss,
1 forehead kiss,
1 almost kiss,
2 kisses lasting a couple sentences,
3 kisses lasting a few sentences,
Remembering kisses (up to a couple sentences); Wanting to kiss; Staring at lips.
Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness (up to a few sentences); Wanting to touch & embrace; Noticing & Staring (up to a few sentences); Blushes, Winks, & Flirting.
Language: “harlot”, “prostitute”, and “whore” are all used up to three times when describing Gisela and/or her altered appearance.
Gisela’s father plans for her to marry another king who is around 40 years old and orders for her to look more womanly; This leads to Gisela’s governess painting her face (to the point that Gisela feels like a prostitute and a harlot) and also stuffing her dress in certain places which makes her curvier and gives her cleavage; The other king, Leuthar, leers at her low neckline and comments on her looking too young, but the governess says Gisela has had her womanly cycles for three years and is confident she has a fruitful womb (Gisela is embarrassed by this because of all the guards who are listening to this conversation); Leuthar then puts his hands down her bodice and pulls out the stuffing, and continues patting her down and checking her “womanhood” (Gisela feels violated and wishes to die; Leuthar comments that she is perhaps “developed enough”); A few mentions of the consummation of their marriage; Gisela panics and freezes every time she thinks about Leuthar touching her; At another dinner, Leuthar stares at Gisela’s body and comments on the high-necked dress she wears; He touches her cheek and says he will enjoy taming her and will “enjoy [her] fully”; Gisela notices him looking at her like she is a feast to be devoured and he gets into her personal space including where his hand starts to wander under the table.
Leuthar orders Gisela to come to his tent before they are married and Gisela thinks about her priest’s sermons about fornication and says it is forbidden for her to be with him prior to their marriage; Her governess literally pushes anyway to go (adding that Gisela’s father summons many young girls himself) and says that she hasn’t had time to “teach [her] the ways of men and women” (which the little knowledge her nun-turned-governess has makes Gisela terrified) and tells Gisela to do as he says; When Gisela refuses to give her cross necklace prior to going to his tent, the governess comments “Fine. Let him know what he is doing. God have mercy on his soul”; Gisela begs her governess to see that this is wrong, but the governess slaps her and has her dragged to the outside of Leuthar’s tent; Gisela is in a panic & completely distraught; Gisela thinks that God will punish their marriage and future children if they do this, and when she says she can’t breathe to the guards, they let her go and help her escape (one says that they were there when Leuthar touched her in front of everyone and that he will “devour her”); Gisela thinks she is a “soon-to-be-damned soul” if she goes to his tent; When she asks Ryder (a friend/guard and the man Gisela loves) what she was supposed to do, he tells her that she should have gone and that the priest and nun only preached “outdated morals” (Gisela then feels guilt for not going because of what it means for the war and not being able to avenge her siblings’ deaths); Gisela does not want to fear her husband or be helpless to his “lusty desires”.
Gisela’s governess acts as if a queen not bearing a king sons is the worse thing a woman could do and mentions often in the beginning that Gisela has to bear many sons and have a fruitful womb; Gisela’s governess also goes on a rant about peasants using love to “justify their animal behavior” and “feeding their passions” like wild dogs; Someone blesses Gisela’s womb to provide leadership for centuries to come; *Spoilers* At the end, Gisela asks her governess if she ever loved her and the governess says no but won’t meet her gaze; Gisela learns then after that the governess was actually a mistress to another king and was banished by the queen when her husband preferred her instead; The governess abandoned her children to raise Gisela and Gisela tells her to leave and go to them *End of Spoilers*.
Gisela thinks she loves Ryder, one of her guards; He is manipulative and leads Gisela on for what she can do for him; Ryder implies about sharing a bed with Gisela, but they do not (much to his annoyance); *Spoiler* About 1/3 through, she realizes that Ryder does not love her and has been using her, but he convinces her that if she helps him with a war plan, they could be together and she falls for it *End of Spoiler*.
When Kristoff roams over Gisela’s body, she thinks that her fate will be worse than her siblings and that she can be “forced to pay in unimaginable ways” unlike her little sister who was “too young to do anything with but kill”; Gisela panics when Kristoff grabs her, thinking she is too “ugly to bring any pleasure to any man” and feels like it is her punishment when he orders her to his tent for not doing her duty to Leuthar when he called; Kristoff says he will not touch her and asks if she thinks his people are all “so carnal”; One army says another country captures their women, ruins them, and then hangs them naked for the world to see; Kristoff’s men thinks Gisela is working her “female powers” on him (which he says is mostly untrue).
Gisela sees dances who are dressed in “only the tiniest swaths of fabric” with their stomachs exposed and “their cleavage showing in the most vulgar ways” (when one bows to her, she looks away for fear the rest of the dancer will pop out); Gisela hears the dancers talk about being called back by the kings (to their bedchambers) and is horrified to learn about kings (including her father) having mistresses and summoning young dancers to entertain them; Gisela doesn’t understand how her governess with her “staunch religious background” can openly condemn a queen’s inability to bear sons but not speak out against this; The governess talks about how the queen and her children will be written in history and supply many kingdoms with monarchs for centuries to come, but the mistresses are nobodies; Gisela meets a dancer and finds her so beautiful that even she wants to stare at her (mentioned again once, later).
Gisela thinks about her priest preaching many sermons about “fornication and the damnation that follows” (& how King David was reprimanded by God for lusting after Bathsheba); Gisela thinks that “all men are cruel, selfish, lustful beings” and thinks it would be best to remember this for the rest of her life.
*Spoiler* Towards the end, Gisela is very nearly married to a ten-year-old prince before something else comes to light and keeps that from happening *End of Spoiler*.
Mentions of mistresses & illegitimate children; Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of young girls marrying at ages twelve and fourteen and quickly having children.
So many friends love this book. And I’m so sad and sorry to them that I didn’t love it as well. I nearly DNF it at least six times in the beginning. I so wanted to like it, but honestly? I was spitting mad for the first half of the book. Perhaps it’s because I know people with albinism and seeing a character treated this way was horrible, or perhaps it was because of the completely repulsive villain, or even all the hangings and dead bodies everywhere—or perhaps all three. I was debating giving it 2 stars for my personal rating, but that is too generous for the emotions I felt while reading this book.
I’m never a fan of the “falling in love with my family’s killer” trope (is that an official trope? Maybe not but it really should be with the amount of times I’ve seen it in fantasy books) and while truth is revealed, it still greatly bothered me that Gisela was even remotely attracted to the man she thought had cruelly murdered her siblings. She tried to snap out of it at times, but I’m pretty sure I would be too petty and holding massive grudges for that. He fell for her super quick in a way that felt like insta-love too. When things are revealed (all the things at different points), it felt like whiplash with their emotions and treatment towards the other.
I’m pretty sure I would have poisoned everyone or myself if I was in Gisela’s shoes. The hits—literally and figuratively—keep coming and she had to become stronger and stronger while being so close to breaking. She was trying to do the best for her country despite the creepy king who kept sexually grabbing at her, but I honestly would have lost it and said “forget the country, forget the war, forget everyone.” This is probably why I am not and will never be a fantasy heroine. 🤷🏻♀️
Once the disgusting pig (which is an insult to pigs, really) was finally (and I do mean finally) left, the book got a bit better in my eyes and I continued reading until the wee hours of the morning to see if my guesses on what would happen were correct. They were, actually, just with a lot more deaths and bloodshed. Ugh.
Gisela’s grief over her siblings hit me hard as someone who has also lost a sibling and grieves the “what ifs”. I felt for her and it made the book even sadder to me that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending in that regard. That’s life—and boy do I know it—but it was still hard for me to read about, personally.
The faith content was interesting. It was more of a Catholic leaning, which made sense for the medieval-inspired setting. However, the faith content could be comprised of Gisela clutching her cross necklace and praying for help, Gisela thinking that God is cruel and doesn’t care for her in the hard moments, and Gisela bargaining/giving away the cross necklace.
I will say that the author did well with the political intrigue and the setting of this world. I do think it was odd that it was half-fantasy and half-reality, though, with some people speaking French and others speaking fictional languages, fictional countries and yet mentions of the Nile River and Africa, and some mentions of the Pope and the Holy Roman church as well?
I’m definitely in the minority about this book. I think those that have a higher threshold than me on sexual suggestions and violence/dead bodies would probably be less bothered than me about those elements. That said, I can’t recommend this book because of that content. As a visual reader, I see in my head nearly everything I read in some way and this book had too many images that were disgusting and others that were just bloody. I can see why friends liked it because even though parts of this book made me spitting mad, I still stayed up way too late to finish it (as I knew once I put it down I wouldn’t want to pick it up again), but some of the content in this book just ruined it for me.
Main Content-
Unable to mark spoilers due to character limits on here.
Prayers; Gisela visits a cathedral for the betrothal ceremony; Gisela has a cross necklace she often clutches and prays; ’H’s are capital when referring to God.
Gisela believes God forgot her because of her albinism and that she was cursed; Gisela thinks that fate and God have abandoned her; Gisela wonders that if the Almighty would have punished her for going to Leuthar’s bed before they were married; Gisela feels like if there is a God, He has abandoned her and believes herself to be a child of the devil; Gisela has turned away from God after she thinks He turned away from her and doesn’t understand why He would punish everyone else for her mistakes; Later, she starts to wonder if God has not forsaken her and wonders if her mother and grandmother are allowed to keep watch over her; Kristoff comments on not knowing whether God is a cruel God or a brilliant one (which Gisela also wonders again, but then decides He is not cruel).
Gisela recalls her priest who forbids women from reading and giving sermons about “fornication and the damnation that follows”; Leuthar comments that some believe that educating women is “devil’s work”; Ryder says that the priest and nun/governess preached nothing but “outdated morals”; Ryder implies about sharing a bed with Gisela and when she says no, he mutters curses against the priest and his “damning sermons” (Gisela isn’t sure if he said that or “damn sermons”); Gisela feels like her priest is rolling in his grave with all the lies she tells; Gisela recalls enjoying daily mass & her plan to have joined a convent if she never married.
Gisela prays and swears to God she will not lie again, but quickly catches herself lying; Gisela doesn’t understand why her father had guards hanged, but because honoring thy father and mother is a commandment, she must try.
Gisela thinks that “fate—or divine providence” has brought her to a place; Gisela thinks fate brought her to a place again, but then thinks that fate is not that cruel.
Some people believe Gisela has Satan’s curse, is cursed, or a witch because of her appearance; Gisela recalls reading that some albinos are believed to have magical powers and use their body parts of witches’ brews or warding off evil spirits; A doctor exclaims that Gisela is a devil child and needs an exorcist (which makes her wonder if that is why she is so disobedient and has a nun as a governess to draw out her evil spirits); Mobs around Gisela call her a witch and call for her to be burned; At one point, Gisela decides to act like a witch and “curses” everyone by chanting in a foreign language (because it is easy to act this out, she thinks that perhaps she truly is a child of the devil); Someone says that witches are not real and everyone else is superstitious; Kristoff thinks Gisela looks like an angel and calls her one.
Gisela’s chaser is called Bloodless Kristoff and many people call him a demon due to his violent nature and brutal killings; It’s said that Bloodless Kristoff is possessed with “seventy-times-seven devils”; Gisela thinks of the person who killed her siblings as a demon who enjoys what he does and a “sadistic murderer of the worst kind”.
Mentions of those and events in the Bible, cathedral for a betrothal ceremony, & Christendom; Mentions of the Pope, the Holy Roman church, & bishops; Mentions of evil; A few mentions of Christianity; A couple mentions of ghosts; A mention of Christian being slaughtered; A mention of a man’s name being chanted like a Christian saint’s.
Lots of wars scenes, violence, killing, fighting (including for her life), stabbing/slashing with blood and heads rolling, & grief (up to many sentences); Being slapped (by her father and governess), kidnapped, chased, tied-up and held prisoner, attacked, poisoned and almost killed, choked, held at knife-point, leeched, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, passing out, & throwing up (up to a handful of sentences); Being ready to die & Wanting to die (up to a couple sentences); Seeing many people stabbed and brutally killed, dead bodies, bodies hanging, and torture (also used as threats; Gisela feels sick at seeing not only many men hung, but also women and children; up to a few sentences); Recalling all of this (seeing deaths, dead bodies, violence, fighting and killing, etc. up to a handful of sentences).
Language: “Damn” is used once in a negative manner; “Damnation/damned” is used in the literal doomed sense; Fictional language curses are said, but not translated; Other than that nothing stronger than ‘stupid’, ‘idiot’; People are often called ‘demons’ and 'devils’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Lying.
Gisela’s father slaps and threatens her; Gisela is mistreated by her governess (a woman who was raised in a convent, was almost a nun, and dresses like a nun) both verbally, physically (slapping), and threatening her with harm (such as being flogged and saying she should let Gisela’s father hang her).
Gisela has albinism and has been taught to be ashamed of her appearance and hide it (this includes people “fixing” her appearance with makeup and hiding her hair); Many people think Gisela is cursed, a demon, has Satan’s curse, or a witch because of her appearance; Many people jump or are shocked by her appearance; Gisela’s father calls her hair color cursed as well; Someone else calls her ugly; *Spoiler* Gisela’s father killed her mother for giving birth to another child with albinism *End of Spoiler*; A couple mentions of others like her being hunted, killed, and feared.
A side character is a “simple-minded” man (who is a surgeon/doctor) that repeats sentences and is shot in an attack *Spoiler* and dies *End of Spoiler*; A horse is also injured in an attack and pushed hard by Gisela for her safety, but the horse is ultimately fine.
Gisela’s siblings have been killed by suffocation and then their hearts are ripped out (Gisela imagines it happening as well, up to a few sentences); Gisela feels major grief over the deaths of her siblings and what could have been.
*Spoiler* Gisela helps with a war plan by telling an overeager soldier and despite her uncertainty, the plan happens which ends up killing over 1500 soldiers and a village of women and children; Gisela is greatly upset to see all the bodies and blood everywhere; Gisela didn’t know about the killing of women and children and is even more upset to learn about it; She feels major guilt about it all *End of Spoilers*.
Gisela has nightmares about Bloodless Kristoff finding and killing her & also after seeing the hanged bodies of children; Gisela wishes to see Bloodless Kristoff cut into a thousand pieces.
*Major Spoilers* As the book continues, Gisela learns that it was her father who started the war due to his greed and brought out his sword first at the betrothal ceremony, killing part of the other royal family; This makes her feel like her whole life is a lie; She finds out that the Kristoff she has met and starts to fall for is not the one who killed many of her siblings (Kristoff did kill one) and is someone impersonating him; At the very end, her father surrenders and Gisela hopes that one day they can mend their relationship *End of Spoilers*.
All about and many, many mentions of a war, killing, many deaths, fighting, violence, hangings, dismemberment, torture, blood/bleeding, & injuries (up to a handful of sentences); Many mentions of lies, lying, deceit, hatred, & rumors; Mentions of grief by family members (up to a few sentences), burned villages, & deaths; Mentions of poisons & being poisoned; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks; A few mentions of a man (King Leuthar) who is said to “practically drinks” human blood and is a cannibal; A mention of vultures getting to the dead bodies on a battlefield.
2 hand kisses (1 unwanted),
1 cheek kiss,
1 forehead kiss,
1 almost kiss,
2 kisses lasting a couple sentences,
3 kisses lasting a few sentences,
Remembering kisses (up to a couple sentences); Wanting to kiss; Staring at lips.
Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness (up to a few sentences); Wanting to touch & embrace; Noticing & Staring (up to a few sentences); Blushes, Winks, & Flirting.
Language: “harlot”, “prostitute”, and “whore” are all used up to three times when describing Gisela and/or her altered appearance.
Gisela’s father plans for her to marry another king who is around 40 years old and orders for her to look more womanly; This leads to Gisela’s governess painting her face (to the point that Gisela feels like a prostitute and a harlot) and also stuffing her dress in certain places which makes her curvier and gives her cleavage; The other king, Leuthar, leers at her low neckline and comments on her looking too young, but the governess says Gisela has had her womanly cycles for three years and is confident she has a fruitful womb (Gisela is embarrassed by this because of all the guards who are listening to this conversation); Leuthar then puts his hands down her bodice and pulls out the stuffing, and continues patting her down and checking her “womanhood” (Gisela feels violated and wishes to die; Leuthar comments that she is perhaps “developed enough”); A few mentions of the consummation of their marriage; Gisela panics and freezes every time she thinks about Leuthar touching her; At another dinner, Leuthar stares at Gisela’s body and comments on the high-necked dress she wears; He touches her cheek and says he will enjoy taming her and will “enjoy [her] fully”; Gisela notices him looking at her like she is a feast to be devoured and he gets into her personal space including where his hand starts to wander under the table.
Leuthar orders Gisela to come to his tent before they are married and Gisela thinks about her priest’s sermons about fornication and says it is forbidden for her to be with him prior to their marriage; Her governess literally pushes anyway to go (adding that Gisela’s father summons many young girls himself) and says that she hasn’t had time to “teach [her] the ways of men and women” (which the little knowledge her nun-turned-governess has makes Gisela terrified) and tells Gisela to do as he says; When Gisela refuses to give her cross necklace prior to going to his tent, the governess comments “Fine. Let him know what he is doing. God have mercy on his soul”; Gisela begs her governess to see that this is wrong, but the governess slaps her and has her dragged to the outside of Leuthar’s tent; Gisela is in a panic & completely distraught; Gisela thinks that God will punish their marriage and future children if they do this, and when she says she can’t breathe to the guards, they let her go and help her escape (one says that they were there when Leuthar touched her in front of everyone and that he will “devour her”); Gisela thinks she is a “soon-to-be-damned soul” if she goes to his tent; When she asks Ryder (a friend/guard and the man Gisela loves) what she was supposed to do, he tells her that she should have gone and that the priest and nun only preached “outdated morals” (Gisela then feels guilt for not going because of what it means for the war and not being able to avenge her siblings’ deaths); Gisela does not want to fear her husband or be helpless to his “lusty desires”.
Gisela’s governess acts as if a queen not bearing a king sons is the worse thing a woman could do and mentions often in the beginning that Gisela has to bear many sons and have a fruitful womb; Gisela’s governess also goes on a rant about peasants using love to “justify their animal behavior” and “feeding their passions” like wild dogs; Someone blesses Gisela’s womb to provide leadership for centuries to come; *Spoilers* At the end, Gisela asks her governess if she ever loved her and the governess says no but won’t meet her gaze; Gisela learns then after that the governess was actually a mistress to another king and was banished by the queen when her husband preferred her instead; The governess abandoned her children to raise Gisela and Gisela tells her to leave and go to them *End of Spoilers*.
Gisela thinks she loves Ryder, one of her guards; He is manipulative and leads Gisela on for what she can do for him; Ryder implies about sharing a bed with Gisela, but they do not (much to his annoyance); *Spoiler* About 1/3 through, she realizes that Ryder does not love her and has been using her, but he convinces her that if she helps him with a war plan, they could be together and she falls for it *End of Spoiler*.
When Kristoff roams over Gisela’s body, she thinks that her fate will be worse than her siblings and that she can be “forced to pay in unimaginable ways” unlike her little sister who was “too young to do anything with but kill”; Gisela panics when Kristoff grabs her, thinking she is too “ugly to bring any pleasure to any man” and feels like it is her punishment when he orders her to his tent for not doing her duty to Leuthar when he called; Kristoff says he will not touch her and asks if she thinks his people are all “so carnal”; One army says another country captures their women, ruins them, and then hangs them naked for the world to see; Kristoff’s men thinks Gisela is working her “female powers” on him (which he says is mostly untrue).
Gisela sees dances who are dressed in “only the tiniest swaths of fabric” with their stomachs exposed and “their cleavage showing in the most vulgar ways” (when one bows to her, she looks away for fear the rest of the dancer will pop out); Gisela hears the dancers talk about being called back by the kings (to their bedchambers) and is horrified to learn about kings (including her father) having mistresses and summoning young dancers to entertain them; Gisela doesn’t understand how her governess with her “staunch religious background” can openly condemn a queen’s inability to bear sons but not speak out against this; The governess talks about how the queen and her children will be written in history and supply many kingdoms with monarchs for centuries to come, but the mistresses are nobodies; Gisela meets a dancer and finds her so beautiful that even she wants to stare at her (mentioned again once, later).
Gisela thinks about her priest preaching many sermons about “fornication and the damnation that follows” (& how King David was reprimanded by God for lusting after Bathsheba); Gisela thinks that “all men are cruel, selfish, lustful beings” and thinks it would be best to remember this for the rest of her life.
*Spoiler* Towards the end, Gisela is very nearly married to a ten-year-old prince before something else comes to light and keeps that from happening *End of Spoiler*.
Mentions of mistresses & illegitimate children; Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of young girls marrying at ages twelve and fourteen and quickly having children.
May 22, 2019
4 Stars!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I’d say rumors keep people warm on cold winter nights. I’d say the only way to justify hatred against another person is to make them into savages in your mind. Then it’s easy. Label someone as your enemy, and it becomes effortless to believe anything you hear about them—far-fetched as it may be.
A girl on the run. A kingdom to save.
Princess Gisela of Steinland was born without color. Albino. When her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ends in his death, it starts a ten-year war her father is determined to win, even if it means bringing her out of hiding to do it. Now the savage Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, seeks the hearts of the entire royal family, especially Gisela's.
Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that involves her marrying an old brute of a king. Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run. Thrown into the center of a battle between three kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and the right to be truly loved.
Can the girl who started the war find a way to end it?
What a very satisfying read!! So much happens over the course of this book! So many twists and turns that you wont be expecting! I thought that the writing was fabulous and the pacing was great. The beginning starts off a tad bit slow but after about 15-20% and the world building, it takes off!!
Gisela was a decent main character. She annoyed me sometimes, but after I finished reading it- I realized that the author was really showing us how sheltered this princess was, by her making terrible decisions. BUT- she does have so much character growth over time that its easy to just move right on along with the story. I dont want to say too much because I feel like if I do - I would spoil some of the book.
I love stories of Kingdoms and far off Realms. The kind that you can easily transport into. This was definitely one of those! With something for everyone- with tons of action, violence, politics, adventure, romance, and mystery. I would for SURE recommend it!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I’d say rumors keep people warm on cold winter nights. I’d say the only way to justify hatred against another person is to make them into savages in your mind. Then it’s easy. Label someone as your enemy, and it becomes effortless to believe anything you hear about them—far-fetched as it may be.
A girl on the run. A kingdom to save.
Princess Gisela of Steinland was born without color. Albino. When her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ends in his death, it starts a ten-year war her father is determined to win, even if it means bringing her out of hiding to do it. Now the savage Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, seeks the hearts of the entire royal family, especially Gisela's.
Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that involves her marrying an old brute of a king. Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run. Thrown into the center of a battle between three kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and the right to be truly loved.
Can the girl who started the war find a way to end it?
What a very satisfying read!! So much happens over the course of this book! So many twists and turns that you wont be expecting! I thought that the writing was fabulous and the pacing was great. The beginning starts off a tad bit slow but after about 15-20% and the world building, it takes off!!
Gisela was a decent main character. She annoyed me sometimes, but after I finished reading it- I realized that the author was really showing us how sheltered this princess was, by her making terrible decisions. BUT- she does have so much character growth over time that its easy to just move right on along with the story. I dont want to say too much because I feel like if I do - I would spoil some of the book.
I love stories of Kingdoms and far off Realms. The kind that you can easily transport into. This was definitely one of those! With something for everyone- with tons of action, violence, politics, adventure, romance, and mystery. I would for SURE recommend it!
July 9, 2021
Princess Gisela of Steinland was born without color. Albino. When her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ends in his death, it starts a ten-year war her father is determined to win, even if it means bringing her out of hiding to do it. Now the savage Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, seeks the hearts of the entire royal family, especially Gisela's.
Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that involves her marrying an old brute of a king. Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run. Thrown into the center of a battle between three kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and the right to be truly loved.
Can the girl who started the war find a way to end it?
____________________________________________________________
Wow, wow, wow!!! I never thought I'd enjoy this book so much!!! I LOVED it!!!!!!
I picked this up seeing how many pages there were and was hesitant whether I should read it. I've read medieval Christian romance before in the past that was half this long and still managed to bore me at times but this book was NEVER boring. I am so happy it was as long as it was and I read twice as many pages as I usually read each day! Trust me when I say that this book is GOOD!
Also, I have a confession to make! And that is that I have a horrible tendency to flip to random pages of the book that I haven't read yet and peek at what's going on. This usually ruins all the main plot twists for me in every book (I know, I know, but the temptation is too great!) but even though I scoured the pages looking to see how everything added up with this book, I still didn't figure everything out! Which is awesome! It was like the author purposefully wrote the entire thing so that annoying curious readers like me wouldn't be able to stuff find out until the moment she wanted me to. I've never had a book thwart my spoiling plans before so I'm impressed! XD
Okay, about the characters, I really loved how the MC was an albino because that definitely helped me to see albinos with more understanding and compassion. I've never actually met an albino before but I've always wondered what it would be like to be one. Gisela was amazing but I soo hated Ryder. It's not that he's evil or anything like other characters but he's just SUCH a brat that I can barely sympathize with him. I do feel a bit bad what happened though and I wish he'd gotten the chance to do better. Well, he did have that chance plenty of times in my opinion, but he never took them.
The author also has an amazing piano solo album with pieces from this book! You can listen to the music and also the first few chapters of the book on the author's YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy3Y...
Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that involves her marrying an old brute of a king. Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run. Thrown into the center of a battle between three kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and the right to be truly loved.
Can the girl who started the war find a way to end it?
____________________________________________________________
Wow, wow, wow!!! I never thought I'd enjoy this book so much!!! I LOVED it!!!!!!
I picked this up seeing how many pages there were and was hesitant whether I should read it. I've read medieval Christian romance before in the past that was half this long and still managed to bore me at times but this book was NEVER boring. I am so happy it was as long as it was and I read twice as many pages as I usually read each day! Trust me when I say that this book is GOOD!
Also, I have a confession to make! And that is that I have a horrible tendency to flip to random pages of the book that I haven't read yet and peek at what's going on. This usually ruins all the main plot twists for me in every book (I know, I know, but the temptation is too great!) but even though I scoured the pages looking to see how everything added up with this book, I still didn't figure everything out! Which is awesome! It was like the author purposefully wrote the entire thing so that annoying curious readers like me wouldn't be able to stuff find out until the moment she wanted me to. I've never had a book thwart my spoiling plans before so I'm impressed! XD
Okay, about the characters, I really loved how the MC was an albino because that definitely helped me to see albinos with more understanding and compassion. I've never actually met an albino before but I've always wondered what it would be like to be one. Gisela was amazing but I soo hated Ryder. It's not that he's evil or anything like other characters but he's just SUCH a brat that I can barely sympathize with him. I do feel a bit bad what happened though and I wish he'd gotten the chance to do better. Well, he did have that chance plenty of times in my opinion, but he never took them.
The author also has an amazing piano solo album with pieces from this book! You can listen to the music and also the first few chapters of the book on the author's YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy3Y...
August 19, 2023
I enjoyed this re-read! I think the first-person & present tense narration bothered me more this time around and the pacing was quite slow, but other than that I had a great time back in this fantasy world inspired by medieval Europe.
February 27, 2019
This book is long, but it caught my attention from the start and didn't release me from it's grasp until the last word was read. I went on an epic journey, right along with Princess Gisela and the other fantastic characters from this book. Beautifully written, with both wonderfully tragic and highly satisfying events, this story will immerse a reader deep in the depths of the pages, fully engaging the imagination. I absolutely loved it!
Gisela is a multi-dimensional character that endures a lot of growth throughout this tale. I always imagine that a princess leads a charmed life, but that's not so with Gisela. I had no idea who to trust, who to love, and I felt so bad for her, as she obviously didn't know either.
There are so many different twists and turns. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, something would throw me for a loop and I'd be frantically searching for a possible solution.
I've always been partial to royalty and these kingdoms and the mysteries that enshroud the battles, murders, and alliances was so entertaining.
If you love princesses, danger, adventure, excitement, romance, love, and hope, you'll definitely want to pick this one up!
Content: mild+ romance; moderate violence (deaths, murder, kidnapping, etc); very mild religion
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Gisela is a multi-dimensional character that endures a lot of growth throughout this tale. I always imagine that a princess leads a charmed life, but that's not so with Gisela. I had no idea who to trust, who to love, and I felt so bad for her, as she obviously didn't know either.
There are so many different twists and turns. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, something would throw me for a loop and I'd be frantically searching for a possible solution.
I've always been partial to royalty and these kingdoms and the mysteries that enshroud the battles, murders, and alliances was so entertaining.
If you love princesses, danger, adventure, excitement, romance, love, and hope, you'll definitely want to pick this one up!
Content: mild+ romance; moderate violence (deaths, murder, kidnapping, etc); very mild religion
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
January 26, 2019
First off I have to say that this is a big book! But do not let that stop you from picking it up. I did not want to set it down once I started it. I was hooked completely. The beginning...oh my word! The ending...even more oh my word! I kept hoping and making my own little predictions of how the story would turn out. I had many moments where I would talk to Princess Gisela and ask her what she was thinking, sometimes I would tell her to stop and don't do that, and other times I was cheering her on thinking what a strong character she was.
Nothing is as it seems throughout this whole book. I was blown away by the beauty of it and the characters. Princess Gisela watches her betrothed, Prince Jerrik of Kronga, being killed and finds her life being lived in isolation at a very young age. She learns to hide herself away from Bloodless Kristoff who will stop at nothing until he has killed her. Every action she takes causes big ripples to reach out to many. She has to decide if she will continue on her course or if she will play the demure princess and be a pawn in her father's war.
I honestly loved this book. Rebecca Belliston has blown me away once again with her amazing writing talent. I love the world she has created in this book. Very different from her other books but she has proven to me as a reader that she can write in any genre, and do an amazing job. If you enjoy medieval stories with a twist of fantasy(maybe fantasy isn't the right way to describe it) then I very highly recommend that you pick this one up. Even if it looks very daunting with its size, it is very worth it.
Princess Gisela stole my heart away with her strength. She was truly a beautiful and amazing character. I loved that the author chose to have her be an Albino. The way this shapes her character was so beautiful. I loved watching her come to trust and love who she was as she discovered more about herself along her journey. I can't emphasize it enough, read this one now! It is going on my favorites of the year list. I keep telling my teenagers that they need to read it.
There is a love story in the book. It was so sweet. My heart was pounding throughout due to the peril involved in that love story...especially at the beginning of it. Oh my! I want to say so much more about this couple but I can't because I know I would give something away and this is not my story to give away the twists and turns and surprises. So, grab it and enjoy the journey that you will go on with Princess Gisela!
Content: This book focuses on war so there are moments of peril, battles, killing and some talk of blood. Some innuendos as Gisela is betrothed to another neighboring king and he wants to take her to his bed. There is no detail or sexual scenes, just some innuendos.
I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
Nothing is as it seems throughout this whole book. I was blown away by the beauty of it and the characters. Princess Gisela watches her betrothed, Prince Jerrik of Kronga, being killed and finds her life being lived in isolation at a very young age. She learns to hide herself away from Bloodless Kristoff who will stop at nothing until he has killed her. Every action she takes causes big ripples to reach out to many. She has to decide if she will continue on her course or if she will play the demure princess and be a pawn in her father's war.
I honestly loved this book. Rebecca Belliston has blown me away once again with her amazing writing talent. I love the world she has created in this book. Very different from her other books but she has proven to me as a reader that she can write in any genre, and do an amazing job. If you enjoy medieval stories with a twist of fantasy(maybe fantasy isn't the right way to describe it) then I very highly recommend that you pick this one up. Even if it looks very daunting with its size, it is very worth it.
Princess Gisela stole my heart away with her strength. She was truly a beautiful and amazing character. I loved that the author chose to have her be an Albino. The way this shapes her character was so beautiful. I loved watching her come to trust and love who she was as she discovered more about herself along her journey. I can't emphasize it enough, read this one now! It is going on my favorites of the year list. I keep telling my teenagers that they need to read it.
There is a love story in the book. It was so sweet. My heart was pounding throughout due to the peril involved in that love story...especially at the beginning of it. Oh my! I want to say so much more about this couple but I can't because I know I would give something away and this is not my story to give away the twists and turns and surprises. So, grab it and enjoy the journey that you will go on with Princess Gisela!
Content: This book focuses on war so there are moments of peril, battles, killing and some talk of blood. Some innuendos as Gisela is betrothed to another neighboring king and he wants to take her to his bed. There is no detail or sexual scenes, just some innuendos.
I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
February 15, 2019
Epic, intense, full of adventure, deception, and character growth! I especially loved seeing Gisela discovering her flaws and rising to the challenges before her to realize her inner strength. The plot is strong with the politics and dynamics of kingdoms, greedy kings, evil assassins, commanders of armies, the commoners they either oppress or support, and the women who must stand strong despite the injustice running rampant. I was never confused or overwhelmed by the details, even when there is a bit of mystery or suspense because we are seeing things through Gisela's limited perspective only, which I enjoyed. I felt like there was a great balance between the relationships, the action, and revealing the big picture little by little. There is romance which of course I loved, and Gisela learns important but hard lessons about trust, loyalty, and the characteristics of genuine love. I was enthralled the entire time and was pleasantly surprised with the twists and turns on Gisela's journey from an isolated and naive princess to a powerful force that directly influences the fate of the kingdoms and the outcome of the war. I know this will be one of my favorites of the year, and *highly* recommend!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
August 18, 2023
I liked this even better than the first time I read it! It might start off a little slow, but don't give up on it too quickly. There's some good twists and turns and growth from our MC Gisella. Light faith content, clean, but some violence and blood.
September 8, 2023
I really loved this book. I thought the characters were well developed and the plot was action filled and kept the story going. I loved the romance in the story and there were surprises in the book I didn't see coming.
March 15, 2019
Wow. What a story! It takes you on great journeys through neighboring lands who are all at war so the danger is everywhere. There is an intensity bubbling from the very beginning of the story and it just keeps growing in strength throughout the whole book. Since this book is so long, by the end of the book I felt half crazed with desperation! Those intense moments just keep coming until the very, very end.
Gisela had an excellent growing arc. She did a lot of growing up throughout the book. She made mistakes, but she learned from them. She also learned how to stand up for herself and became stronger and stronger as the story went on. I love a strong female lead. The author did a great job of making Gisela strong but never losing those inherent female qualities of compassion and empathy. A female can be strong but soft too. Gisela was a great representation of both of these things.
There were so many players in this game but the author also did a great job in this regard. I never felt overwhelmed or confused as to all the characters and who they were. The plot was always moving forward. I actually think this book would make such a great TV mini series or a movie series! I could visualize everything just like a movie. I really love when that happens.
Don't miss this great story of adventure, intrigue and even love.
Content: Violence (especially war time violence), peril, abuse, some talk of mistresses in a general way, kissing
- I bought a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Gisela had an excellent growing arc. She did a lot of growing up throughout the book. She made mistakes, but she learned from them. She also learned how to stand up for herself and became stronger and stronger as the story went on. I love a strong female lead. The author did a great job of making Gisela strong but never losing those inherent female qualities of compassion and empathy. A female can be strong but soft too. Gisela was a great representation of both of these things.
There were so many players in this game but the author also did a great job in this regard. I never felt overwhelmed or confused as to all the characters and who they were. The plot was always moving forward. I actually think this book would make such a great TV mini series or a movie series! I could visualize everything just like a movie. I really love when that happens.
Don't miss this great story of adventure, intrigue and even love.
Content: Violence (especially war time violence), peril, abuse, some talk of mistresses in a general way, kissing
- I bought a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read
January 11, 2019I picked this up thinking it was historical fiction, but I’d say it’s more historical fantasy, perhaps the same subgenre as The Ascendance Trilogy or The Princess Bride—no magic, fictional locations, with the medieval time period lending flavor rather than providing a deeply researched setting. The story is told from Gisela’s POV. She’s a princess hidden away by her father because the military leader in the neighboring kingdom is trying to kill off her family. Also, she’s an albino, and most people (including her father’s court and perhaps her father) find that shocking. But when the last of her siblings are killed, her father calls her back to make a marriage alliance. I don’t want to ruin the plot, so I’ll just say that Gisela has a few missteps and embarks on a journey that changes how she sees herself and how she sees the world. The book includes a (clean) love story, several big surprises, and enough action and danger to appeal to a broad range of readers. If a YA romance/adventure set in what’s loosely based on Medieval Europe is your type of book, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
December 8, 2018
The idea for this story started several years ago with an albino girl who popped into my head and didn't want to leave. Even as I worked on other stories, Gisela was never far away. She was looking for love, acceptance, some humor, and peace for her country--things most of us hope for in one form or another.
Find out more about this book on my website, including 11 original piano solos I composed to go along with the novel: https://www.rebeccabelliston.com/hear...
Learn more about albinism at https://www.albinism.org/
Find out more about this book on my website, including 11 original piano solos I composed to go along with the novel: https://www.rebeccabelliston.com/hear...
Learn more about albinism at https://www.albinism.org/
June 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this, and the twist was great! I loved watching Gisela realize what was actually going on.
June 12, 2020
I've seen this one around for awhile, but someone recommended it to me recently and since I'm in a high fantasy/medieval kick right now I decided to give it a try. I was quickly drawn into the story and was curious about our protagonist, Princess Gisela, who has been isolated for most of her life but things are changing and I knew a grand adventure was in store for her. I liked Gisela, she's unique, naïve, but has a strong desire to do what is right.
I read some reviews before starting and was a bit frustrating that no one mentioned our love interest by name, it's hard to write about the book without talking about the romantic storyline. I am glad that the relationship is a main point of the story. I did think things moved a little too fast (I'm not a fan of characters falling in love so quickly, especially with everything facing them), and there is a bit of a ping-pong match with their emotions, I wish their feelings had a more gradual and realistic growth to them. Having said that, I really enjoyed their relationship and thought they were a good fit together. It definitely was fun watching things unfold and wondering how everything was going to work out.
I did have another minor niggle that I have to get off my chest. This is a High Fantasy novel. Ms. Belliston has created three warring countries with their own history, backgrounds, languages, customs etc. But throughout the story, real life places, languages, people like the Pope, etc. are mentioned and it totally took me out of the story each time it happened. I really thought all these real-world references were totally unnecessary, didn't add to the story and honestly, a bit weird to find in a high fantasy novel. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if the real-world stuff had been left out completely and just get immersed in the fantasy world Ms. Belliston created.
I always love when a book is able to suck me in, where the characters and their lives come to life. A great escape, I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys high fantasy or books with a medieval feel.
Content: PG13 for war violence, fighting, etc.
Romance: Clean, just kissing
Language: No swearing
Violence: Moderate-nothing overly graphic, fighting, death (lots of death) and a case of wondering hands
Religion: Mild, talk of God, praying
Similar Books You May Enjoy...
I read some reviews before starting and was a bit frustrating that no one mentioned our love interest by name, it's hard to write about the book without talking about the romantic storyline. I am glad that the relationship is a main point of the story. I did think things moved a little too fast (I'm not a fan of characters falling in love so quickly, especially with everything facing them), and there is a bit of a ping-pong match with their emotions, I wish their feelings had a more gradual and realistic growth to them. Having said that, I really enjoyed their relationship and thought they were a good fit together. It definitely was fun watching things unfold and wondering how everything was going to work out.
I did have another minor niggle that I have to get off my chest. This is a High Fantasy novel. Ms. Belliston has created three warring countries with their own history, backgrounds, languages, customs etc. But throughout the story, real life places, languages, people like the Pope, etc. are mentioned and it totally took me out of the story each time it happened. I really thought all these real-world references were totally unnecessary, didn't add to the story and honestly, a bit weird to find in a high fantasy novel. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if the real-world stuff had been left out completely and just get immersed in the fantasy world Ms. Belliston created.
I always love when a book is able to suck me in, where the characters and their lives come to life. A great escape, I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys high fantasy or books with a medieval feel.
Content: PG13 for war violence, fighting, etc.
Romance: Clean, just kissing
Language: No swearing
Violence: Moderate-nothing overly graphic, fighting, death (lots of death) and a case of wondering hands
Religion: Mild, talk of God, praying
Similar Books You May Enjoy...
January 26, 2019
This book is a masterpiece! I absolutely loved it. Everything about it wonderful. Gisela is the perfect heroine. Naive at first, with reasons I don’t want to disclose but her journey is incredible and revealing. Secrets and lies and huge revelations. The plot is engrossing and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. There were amazing twists I didn’t see coming and the climax was so heart pounding I read it twice! Blood of Red, Blood of Blue is one of my top reads of the year.
September 27, 2024
⚔️✨ 6 stars ✨⚔️
why didnt anyone tell me about this sooner??
amazing amazing amazing book im obsessed!!!
This is such a great, hidden gem. I wish I'd read this sooner!!! IN my opinion, this book is wayyyy better than some of the popular fantasies.... think red queen and matched and such. This deserves all the hype that it DOESN'T GET.
The perfect mix or romance, politics, and plot twists that you'll never see coming.
I didn't love the fmc, Gisela. she annoyed me with how naive she was at first. but she does have a chracter arc so keep going if you want to quit because of how annoying she is at first.
everyone treats her like a monster just because shes albino, and shes grown up locked away her whole life. i felt so bad for her when she starts to take their words to heart and wonders is she is evil because of how she looks.
⚠️some spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk. ⚠️
and i also loved....
Kristoff/whatever his real name is!!! 😅
hes so sweet yet tough and would do anything for Gisela!! i was kind of weirded out with their relationship at first beause i assumed he was middle aged... but no worries hes only 20!!
and her other fiancee... ummm he is so creepy. I am glad he was killed!!
⚠️spoilers over ⚠️
I've heard some people say that the politics were too heavy in this book, but i actually loved em. I
soooooo yes yes yes id reccomend this to anyone and everyone!!! plz dont hesitate and BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!!
CW/TW:
ROMANCE:
kissing a brief mention of a guy wanting a young girl to "go into bed with him" no details aside from that given and nothing happens
VIOLENCE/NEGATIVE:
MURDERS, WAR, non gory battle stuff, a few ppl die, no language
MAGIC:
no magic stuff.
why didnt anyone tell me about this sooner??
amazing amazing amazing book im obsessed!!!
This is such a great, hidden gem. I wish I'd read this sooner!!! IN my opinion, this book is wayyyy better than some of the popular fantasies.... think red queen and matched and such. This deserves all the hype that it DOESN'T GET.
The perfect mix or romance, politics, and plot twists that you'll never see coming.
I didn't love the fmc, Gisela. she annoyed me with how naive she was at first. but she does have a chracter arc so keep going if you want to quit because of how annoying she is at first.
everyone treats her like a monster just because shes albino, and shes grown up locked away her whole life. i felt so bad for her when she starts to take their words to heart and wonders is she is evil because of how she looks.
⚠️some spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk. ⚠️
and i also loved....
Kristoff/whatever his real name is!!! 😅
hes so sweet yet tough and would do anything for Gisela!! i was kind of weirded out with their relationship at first beause i assumed he was middle aged... but no worries hes only 20!!
and her other fiancee... ummm he is so creepy. I am glad he was killed!!
⚠️spoilers over ⚠️
I've heard some people say that the politics were too heavy in this book, but i actually loved em. I
soooooo yes yes yes id reccomend this to anyone and everyone!!! plz dont hesitate and BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!!
CW/TW:
ROMANCE:
kissing a brief mention of a guy wanting a young girl to "go into bed with him" no details aside from that given and nothing happens
VIOLENCE/NEGATIVE:
MURDERS, WAR, non gory battle stuff, a few ppl die, no language
MAGIC:
no magic stuff.
May 22, 2021
This book is criminally underrated (seriously, only 219 ratings??) and got me out of my reading slump.
Heart of Red, Blood of Blue is a fun YA fantasy adventure filled with warring kingdoms, politicking, alliances, adventures, and a dash of romance. It was chock full of twists and turns and I had no problem breezing through it.
Princess Gisela has been kept in hiding for the past 10 years while her kingdom has been at war with Kronga, another kingdom. In a last ditch attempt to form a military alliance, Gisela's father calls her back in order to marry the king of another neighboring kingdom. But Gisela flees her betrothal which sets off a series of wild events.
I really loved the twists of this book. It was exactly what I want from a YA Fantasy: fun, easy to read with a halfway-decent plot and likable characters.
Gisela is pretty naive, but it makes sense when you learn that she's been extremely sheltered her whole life and has a bit of an idealistic view of the world. It's nice when she overcomes her naive ways and gets a bit smarter. I enjoyed her character, as many YA heroines can be insufferable but Gisela had a personality. One thing I will say is that even though she does get a bit smarter, she still remained a bit idealistic and sorta dumb during the climax. The bad guys were in Game of Thrones mode while Gisela and the good guys were stuck in the Disney Channel, which lead to a slightly frustrating final 15% and is why this isn't a 5 star book. Gisela's main motivations are "wanting peace" and "stopping bloodshed" which is a bit boring but oh well, it's YA fantasy. But I was happy that there was some brutality in this book so the stakes felt high and it gave the story a bit of an edge.
The romance was fun and sweet and I liked how we didn't really know who the romantic interest was until halfway through the book. But since it happens so late, the romance doesn't have enough time to develop and I wish there was a bit more character and romantic growth than there was.
I really recommend anyone to check this out if you like a fun YA fantasy without having to get invested in a series. While it's nothing groundbreaking, I could think of many worse ways to pass the time.
Heart of Red, Blood of Blue is a fun YA fantasy adventure filled with warring kingdoms, politicking, alliances, adventures, and a dash of romance. It was chock full of twists and turns and I had no problem breezing through it.
Princess Gisela has been kept in hiding for the past 10 years while her kingdom has been at war with Kronga, another kingdom. In a last ditch attempt to form a military alliance, Gisela's father calls her back in order to marry the king of another neighboring kingdom. But Gisela flees her betrothal which sets off a series of wild events.
I really loved the twists of this book. It was exactly what I want from a YA Fantasy: fun, easy to read with a halfway-decent plot and likable characters.
Gisela is pretty naive, but it makes sense when you learn that she's been extremely sheltered her whole life and has a bit of an idealistic view of the world. It's nice when she overcomes her naive ways and gets a bit smarter. I enjoyed her character, as many YA heroines can be insufferable but Gisela had a personality. One thing I will say is that even though she does get a bit smarter, she still remained a bit idealistic and sorta dumb during the climax. The bad guys were in Game of Thrones mode while Gisela and the good guys were stuck in the Disney Channel, which lead to a slightly frustrating final 15% and is why this isn't a 5 star book. Gisela's main motivations are "wanting peace" and "stopping bloodshed" which is a bit boring but oh well, it's YA fantasy. But I was happy that there was some brutality in this book so the stakes felt high and it gave the story a bit of an edge.
The romance was fun and sweet and I liked how we didn't really know who the romantic interest was until halfway through the book. But since it happens so late, the romance doesn't have enough time to develop and I wish there was a bit more character and romantic growth than there was.
I really recommend anyone to check this out if you like a fun YA fantasy without having to get invested in a series. While it's nothing groundbreaking, I could think of many worse ways to pass the time.
October 1, 2024
A Christian fantasy that has romance?! I’m in love. This book was amazing. So many twists and turns, action scenes, plot twists, character development. I think people who aren’t Christian will also love this book, if you’re into fantasy/romance. Highly recommend!
May 2, 2024
Okayyyy Rebecca Belliston I see you!!
See my full thoughts in my reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/WG8igYIbot4?si=lXu-j...
See my full thoughts in my reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/WG8igYIbot4?si=lXu-j...
December 17, 2018
This is a beautiful, heartwrenching medieval suspense-romance. The story starts out with our tragic heroine, Gisela. She is 7 years old and is at her betrothal ceremony to tie her to Prince Jerrik of Kronga. They will wed in 7 more years. She is an albino princess of King Albert the Red. Suddenly her peace is shattered when Prince Jerrik’s father yells, “Attack!” and all hell breaks loose. She watches as her father draws his sword and kills the other king, and then her betrothed, Prince Jerrik. Her father gets her out alive, but she is hidden away for the next decade and feels she is the cause of this 10-year war between her country and Kronga, because the other king saw who she really was and was horrified. As Bloodless Kristoff, the bloodthirsty commander of Kronga, kills each of her siblings one by one over the years, her father grows desperate. When the last child is slain, with the mark of Bloodless Kristoff’s stumpy fingers painted in blue upon their chest, Gisela is the final heir. Her father hurries her away from her fortress, where she has fallen for one of her soldiers, and betrothes her to another king—an old, ruthless one he wants as his ally in this war. But when the horrid king tries to take her before their wedding date, Gisela makes a choice that will change her life…and that of her kingdom forever. She runs.
This was a high-suspense tale, with lots of violence due to its time period (if you don't like violence, don't read medieval romance; that is what the time period was like--brutal!). But unlike other medieval romances, this one has a unique twist with the albino princess instead of a normal looking heroine. I loved the undertones of prejudice, hate, bias based on rumors, mistaken identities, fear, and seeing beneath one’s surface to the treasure beneath. The characters are highly developed, and came to life in my mind as I read this book. The medieval time period has never been one of my favorites because of its ruthless nature, but this is probably one of the more well researched and written ones I've read in a long while. The author did an excellent job of casting it, yet connecting me to the characters (which is sometimes hard for me to do with medieval). I adored Gisela…and the many characters that intertwine with her life as the tale weaved its way around my heart. Truly, this was a masterfully done medieval romance. Setting was done well. Characters were astounding (both main and secondary). The plot surprised me several times with great unexpected twists. The historical war and other details that are woven into the story were also fantastic. I have nothing to say but good about this book. It was a heart-tugging journey of a young woman so different than me, but who, by the end, I loved, admired, and cheered for. Long live Gisela!!!
This was a high-suspense tale, with lots of violence due to its time period (if you don't like violence, don't read medieval romance; that is what the time period was like--brutal!). But unlike other medieval romances, this one has a unique twist with the albino princess instead of a normal looking heroine. I loved the undertones of prejudice, hate, bias based on rumors, mistaken identities, fear, and seeing beneath one’s surface to the treasure beneath. The characters are highly developed, and came to life in my mind as I read this book. The medieval time period has never been one of my favorites because of its ruthless nature, but this is probably one of the more well researched and written ones I've read in a long while. The author did an excellent job of casting it, yet connecting me to the characters (which is sometimes hard for me to do with medieval). I adored Gisela…and the many characters that intertwine with her life as the tale weaved its way around my heart. Truly, this was a masterfully done medieval romance. Setting was done well. Characters were astounding (both main and secondary). The plot surprised me several times with great unexpected twists. The historical war and other details that are woven into the story were also fantastic. I have nothing to say but good about this book. It was a heart-tugging journey of a young woman so different than me, but who, by the end, I loved, admired, and cheered for. Long live Gisela!!!
October 2, 2021
Such a good story! I read the Kindle version but will definitely get a physical copy for my personal library. First-time author for me as well. I enjoyed the writing style and character development. Princess Gisela, born an Albino, was such an interesting character. I found her somewhat gullible in the beginning but given her circumstances, I can understand why. But in the end, she really showed her true colors and I thought it was amazing!
Even though it's not labeled as Christian fiction I feel that it is. The main character prayed throughout the book to God and sought His guidance. She also wore a cross necklace that she held dear to her and used as a source of "mental" strength.
Rating: PG -some physical violence, a groping moment with the main character Gisela and a neighboring King
Language: clean read
Recommend: yes!
Even though it's not labeled as Christian fiction I feel that it is. The main character prayed throughout the book to God and sought His guidance. She also wore a cross necklace that she held dear to her and used as a source of "mental" strength.
Rating: PG -some physical violence, a groping moment with the main character Gisela and a neighboring King
Language: clean read
Recommend: yes!
January 3, 2024
I put off reading Heart of Red Blood of Blue for over 2 years and sat down and read it today and really enjoyed it. A story of an unloved princess married off to a cruel leader and her decision to stop a cruel war. The story had me engaged from the beginning until the end. Our main protagonist was well written and the story was very entertaining. I gave it a 4.5 stars and would highly recommend. Glad I finally got around to read this book!!
February 15, 2024
4.5 stars! It was a really beautifully written story and although it took me a little bit to get into, I was soon hooked. Some of the plot twists at the end were awesome, I loved it. I also enjoyed the faith elements. I’d definitely recommend!
“People don’t care much about the truth when it interferes with their long held beliefs.”
“For someone with such perfect posture, you really are spineless.”
“People don’t care much about the truth when it interferes with their long held beliefs.”
“For someone with such perfect posture, you really are spineless.”
Want to read
July 5, 2019this kinda sounds like a better version of Kingdom Cold and hope that's true
April 16, 2021
I can honestly say that this is now, officially, my favorite medieval based book! I loved it so much. I didn’t want it to end. There were so many twist and turns, I was shocked! The suspense was so real, it kept me on the edge of my seat! So good! I wished it was a trilogy or series! I’d read them all! Fantastic work Ms. Belliston! Wonderful!
June 23, 2021
I never heard of this book before until I saw it on the YouTube channel Oceana GottaReadEmAll (go check her out—her videos are really good!) and then I stumbled across it at my library and decided to give it a try since it sounded interesting.
This book is a gripping, fast paced read with a lot of heart, hard topics, and a truly great heroine who grew and changed from a sheltered girl to a strong, brave young woman who would do anything for her people and those she loves.
Gisela is great even if she does start off a bit naive though her being so makes perfect sense due to how she was raised. The rest of the cast were well rounded and well done in their horribleness as I despised nearly half of them for how HORRIBLE they were to Gisela and blamed just about everything on her, good grief! I’d have to say Kristoff is my second fave character after Gisela—he’s pretty great and goes through a lot too. ☺️
There is no magic in this world and the world is rather interesting as there are made up places but there are also mentions of French, Africa, and the Holy Roman Empire as well like this fantasy world is planted in ours somehow? It’s certainly not something I’ve seen in any fantasy book, so it did puzzle me a bit as to WHERE exactly we were but it was also interesting too.
The action is just enough to be exciting and dangerous while not traveling into too brutal territory. War is described enough to be properly horrifying yet not too much for those who don’t like too much blood and gore. And the politics are HEAVY in this story, which I actually kept up with and thought interesting which is good since those are the areas I tend to lose or glaze over in a lot of stories. Maybe I should research this again for my own stories because I frankly stink at political stuff in my books. 😜
This book was really good, and I’m glad I read it!
Content: an old guy gropes a teenage girl (not detailed), mentions of kings having many mistresses, someone attacks and poisons a character, an unmarried man orders an unmarried girl to sleep with him (nothing happens as she runs away), hung bodies are seen in trees and on gallows, battles and fighting, carnage of a battlefield (semi detailed), someone is called and accused of being a witch due to her looks (she isn’t one), some kisses, descriptions of the horrors of war (just enough to get the idea, not detailed much), a character is beaten and chained in a dungeon though the wounds aren’t detailed, characters are slapped, hit, and verbally threatened throughout
This book is a gripping, fast paced read with a lot of heart, hard topics, and a truly great heroine who grew and changed from a sheltered girl to a strong, brave young woman who would do anything for her people and those she loves.
Gisela is great even if she does start off a bit naive though her being so makes perfect sense due to how she was raised. The rest of the cast were well rounded and well done in their horribleness as I despised nearly half of them for how HORRIBLE they were to Gisela and blamed just about everything on her, good grief! I’d have to say Kristoff is my second fave character after Gisela—he’s pretty great and goes through a lot too. ☺️
There is no magic in this world and the world is rather interesting as there are made up places but there are also mentions of French, Africa, and the Holy Roman Empire as well like this fantasy world is planted in ours somehow? It’s certainly not something I’ve seen in any fantasy book, so it did puzzle me a bit as to WHERE exactly we were but it was also interesting too.
The action is just enough to be exciting and dangerous while not traveling into too brutal territory. War is described enough to be properly horrifying yet not too much for those who don’t like too much blood and gore. And the politics are HEAVY in this story, which I actually kept up with and thought interesting which is good since those are the areas I tend to lose or glaze over in a lot of stories. Maybe I should research this again for my own stories because I frankly stink at political stuff in my books. 😜
This book was really good, and I’m glad I read it!
Content: an old guy gropes a teenage girl (not detailed), mentions of kings having many mistresses, someone attacks and poisons a character, an unmarried man orders an unmarried girl to sleep with him (nothing happens as she runs away), hung bodies are seen in trees and on gallows, battles and fighting, carnage of a battlefield (semi detailed), someone is called and accused of being a witch due to her looks (she isn’t one), some kisses, descriptions of the horrors of war (just enough to get the idea, not detailed much), a character is beaten and chained in a dungeon though the wounds aren’t detailed, characters are slapped, hit, and verbally threatened throughout
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