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Ravenspire #4
The Blood Spell
A dark and romantic epic fantasy retelling of the Cinderella story, about a girl who must team up with the prince she despises to defeat an evil creature threatening their kingdom. The fourth standalone novel in the New York Times bestselling Ravenspire series by C. J. Redwine.
Blue de la Cour has her life planned: hide the magic in her blood and continue trying to turn metal into gold so she can help her city’s homeless. But when her father is murdered and a cruel but powerful woman claims custody of Blue and her property, one wrong move could expose her—and doom her once and for all. The only one who can help? The boy she’s loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan.
Kellan Renard, crown prince of Balavata, is walking a thin line between political success and devastating violence. Newly returned from boarding school, he must find a bride among the kingdom’s head families and announce his betrothal—but escalating violence among the families makes the search nearly impossible. He’s surprised to discover that the one person who makes him feel like he can breathe is Blue, the girl who once ruined all his best adventures.
When mysterious forces lead to disappearances throughout Balavata, Blue and Kellan must work together to find the truth. What they discover will lead them to the darkest reaches of the kingdom, and to the most painful moments of their pasts.
When romance is forbidden and evil is rising, can Blue save those she loves, even if it costs her everything?
Blue de la Cour has her life planned: hide the magic in her blood and continue trying to turn metal into gold so she can help her city’s homeless. But when her father is murdered and a cruel but powerful woman claims custody of Blue and her property, one wrong move could expose her—and doom her once and for all. The only one who can help? The boy she’s loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan.
Kellan Renard, crown prince of Balavata, is walking a thin line between political success and devastating violence. Newly returned from boarding school, he must find a bride among the kingdom’s head families and announce his betrothal—but escalating violence among the families makes the search nearly impossible. He’s surprised to discover that the one person who makes him feel like he can breathe is Blue, the girl who once ruined all his best adventures.
When mysterious forces lead to disappearances throughout Balavata, Blue and Kellan must work together to find the truth. What they discover will lead them to the darkest reaches of the kingdom, and to the most painful moments of their pasts.
When romance is forbidden and evil is rising, can Blue save those she loves, even if it costs her everything?
448 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2019
226 people are currently reading
18812 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Redwine
26 books4,032 followers**Please read my FAQ before sending any requests: http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/p/faq.html **
C.J. Redwine loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and going to the movies. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she’ll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at www.cjredwine.com
C.J. Redwine loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and going to the movies. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she’ll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at www.cjredwine.com
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June 20, 2018Book Four! I'm so excited to be able to keep writing dark epic fantasies inspired by fairy tales. I grew up in a public library, checking out at least one volume of fairy tales every week, so this series feels like coming home. <3
March 26, 2019
Buddy Read With For Love Of A Book 💕🖤🐶🐺🐾
Omg! I love this book!!
First off the cover is fanfreakingtastic and the beautiful blue map on the inside cover.
Anyhoo! More kudos for another character with some kind of issue. Dear Nessa can’t talk and they use a sign language with her! She’s also an awesome character!
Blue is one of the main characters. She has magic blood and she just wants to work on things but you can be killed for using magic. Then her sweet father is murdered and the evil jerkhole, Dinah and her kids take over Blue’s life. Ohfor the love of Pete! I wanted someone to drop kick Dinah off the roof!!
Then there is Prince Kellan; sweet pea 😃
So things happen, some twat let out the wraith, oh and it feeds on kids and such. Then some other stuff and some smack downs happen, then happy ever after 😃
I have to do it that way or my big old mouth with spoil something!!
Anyhoo! Happy Reading!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
MY BLOG
MY AMAZON REVIEW
Omg! I love this book!!
As the gray-black light within the forest sank into the total darkness of yet another night, the wraith stalked the edges of the vast prison, hurling itself against the invisible spell that bound it here, feeling the magic spark, blister and burn.
One day, it would break free. It would rush over the hills and move through the long stretches of farmland that stood between it abd the city. It would find its sister and those who had helped her hunt it down, and it would destroy them all.
First off the cover is fanfreakingtastic and the beautiful blue map on the inside cover.
Anyhoo! More kudos for another character with some kind of issue. Dear Nessa can’t talk and they use a sign language with her! She’s also an awesome character!
Blue is one of the main characters. She has magic blood and she just wants to work on things but you can be killed for using magic. Then her sweet father is murdered and the evil jerkhole, Dinah and her kids take over Blue’s life. Ohfor the love of Pete! I wanted someone to drop kick Dinah off the roof!!
Then there is Prince Kellan; sweet pea 😃
So things happen, some twat let out the wraith, oh and it feeds on kids and such. Then some other stuff and some smack downs happen, then happy ever after 😃
I have to do it that way or my big old mouth with spoil something!!
Anyhoo! Happy Reading!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
MY BLOG
MY AMAZON REVIEW
May 3, 2021
3.6 ⭐️ this was such a lovely and fun read - a cozy, romantic and optimistic fantasy inspired by cinderella. i didnt realize it was part of a series until i already started, but this def is fine as a standalone.
July 8, 2025
A very cozy read. I loved the setting, the slow burn romance, the politics, and the way it reimagined the ole Cinderella story. Some things were a not so great, though: the ending, Blue making protection charms right after an important realization that she should have shared with Kellan, and the wasted potential of Blue's grandma, who was relegated to the role of a fairy godmother. 3.5 stars
February 28, 2019
Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
Blue loves doing alchemy with her father in their shop even if it means having to hide the magic in her blood. When she falls into the hands of a cruel and powerful woman she turns to an unexpected ally... the boy she’s loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan.
The short review...
So I see this really compelling title... The Blood Spell... ooooh what is this?! Sounds intriguing... Oh no! It's number 4 in a series... YAY! It's a companion story, a sort of standalone in a series. Funny enough this is the second book I've found in a long running series that standsalone. It's a neat idea and I have to say its fun to be able to dive right into the middle of a series and be intrigued enough to want to read the previous stories too!
I really loved how this was lowkey diverse. Our Prince and commoner were both dark skinned and she seemed to have the characteristic hair. It was just mentioned briefly like it was no big deal, but its really just great to me. And I was sucked in!! I loved the subtle growth of Blue and Kellan's relationship. They started out as enemies but events caused them to give each other a chance they'd never given each other before! I also liked exploring his duty to the kingdom which made the romance forbidden, it was quite the dilemma. This was quite a fun retelling romance!
Cover & Title grade -> B+
Several bloggers have told me how much they love this cover... I do like it. It's so unexpected with that totally white pumpkin and the red words and the ominous title. It doesn't really say a lot about the story though except to give you a hint that its a Cinderella retelling. I would have rather had a table with alchemy ingredients that included a pumpkin, goldish bars, a caldron (since one was used in the story) and perhaps some dark ingredients opposite to give a sense of the villain. That would have pulled me in right away!
Why does The Blood Spell make jumping into the Ravenspire series worth it?
-A Unique Cinderella Story!
This isn't your straightforward retelling... in fact for a while I quite forgot that this was a Cinderella story. I didn't anticipate how that would come into the story at all because i was caught up in the mystery of the witch, the children, the girls and how Blue would get out from under this horrible powerful woman! Don't worry the details are there... there is a ball and shoes involved!
-Live in the Head of the Villainess!
We spend a lot of time with the powerful woman who has taken control of Blue's life. We really explore the 'evil stepmother' part of the Cinderella story. It adds a lot of tension to see her side of it and all she has planned for Blue.
-Alchemy, Blood Magic and Sign Language?!
I really was drawn to the connection between the alchemy and Blue's magic. She knows when ingredients should be harvested and it was really a handy ability. Nessa's sign language was another element that really added to the story. And the evil witch!! It all comes together in a fun romp...
As a Writer...
I really loved how creative this retelling of Cinderella was... Cinderella is a rather simple story of a girl with gets a prince to fall in love with her at a ball. If you leave the story to this basic of an idea... its rather dull. We've read that story many a times!
So how do we make a well done trope new again?! Well C.J. Redwine did it by giving us a couple of great characters who are real people with real problems. Loved that and is my #1 advice if you want to make ANY TROPE your own. Tropes are tropes because readers love to experience them... but they must stand out from other stories with the same elements. Give us characters we can root for even though we know what is going to happen.
C.J. Redwine goes one step further and gives us a villain worthy of going up against this couple that we fall in love with. I really love this too! Remake stereotypical villains by giving us their entire sob story... while we probably won't root for them we will read on knowing they are worthy adversaries for our protagonists.
The Blood Spell is a creative romance driven retelling of Cinderella! I was so happy to visit Ravenspire and witness Blue come around to seeing Kellan in a different light to their childhood together. And seeing Kellan be the grown up Prince made me fall for him along with Blue! Want to be a part of the Ravenspire world... jump into The Blood Spell!
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...
Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!
April 17, 2019
Read with Rachel for Friends with ARCs!
THE BLOOD SPELL was utterly enjoyable! It’s a well-done YA spin on Cinderella, and I enjoyed every second I spent reading it. Blue and Kellan were truly wonderful characters to follow, and I’m so happy with how their story plays out!
THE BLOOD SPELL was utterly enjoyable! It’s a well-done YA spin on Cinderella, and I enjoyed every second I spent reading it. Blue and Kellan were truly wonderful characters to follow, and I’m so happy with how their story plays out!
February 17, 2019
3.5 stars
I’ve enjoyed all of CJ’s books, so I don’t even read the synopsis any longer. It was a bit of a surprise to see this was Cinderella.
I loved Blue and Kellan. I loved their history and that they fought so much. I loved how good they were and how loyal they were. I especially enjoined their confusion when the feelings started to change; that may have been the best part. I also really liked Nessa and could easily read a book about her.
Plot wise it was good and boring at the same time. I thrive on dialogue and there were so many long passages of inner monologue that it did get a little old. I enjoyed the magic and the imagery of the world. And of course I loved the slowest of slow burns romance.
Overall, it was a great story with characters who were easy to root for and a near perfect epilogue. I look forward to reading whatever CJ comes up with next.
**Huge thanks to Balzer + Bray for providing the arc free of charge**
I’ve enjoyed all of CJ’s books, so I don’t even read the synopsis any longer. It was a bit of a surprise to see this was Cinderella.
I loved Blue and Kellan. I loved their history and that they fought so much. I loved how good they were and how loyal they were. I especially enjoined their confusion when the feelings started to change; that may have been the best part. I also really liked Nessa and could easily read a book about her.
Plot wise it was good and boring at the same time. I thrive on dialogue and there were so many long passages of inner monologue that it did get a little old. I enjoyed the magic and the imagery of the world. And of course I loved the slowest of slow burns romance.
Overall, it was a great story with characters who were easy to root for and a near perfect epilogue. I look forward to reading whatever CJ comes up with next.
**Huge thanks to Balzer + Bray for providing the arc free of charge**
March 13, 2019
I didn't really click with The Shadow Queen, the first of hers I read. I think that had more to do with me not being in the right mood for a YA fantasy fairy tale retelling than anything to do with the book (well, except for the fact that my favorite character was killed off. Not that I'm at all bitter about that...)
But when I saw this author was releasing a Cinderella retelling, I knew I would have to pick this series back up. And I'm so glad I did!
The romance in this one is adorable! And very unique! I loved the clash of personalities, the slow build as the two of them realized they had really been friends all along even though they had semi-hated each other growing up, the snark and banter between them. So well done! And, since this was a slow build romance, it didn't have the usual, annoying descriptions of the guy's hotness, the girl's beauty, and passionate kissing. This romance still had plenty of sizzle, but the characters were very clearly falling in love with each other because of who they were on the inside and it was very refreshing.
Like The Shadow Queen, this book doesn't pull punches when it comes to character deaths or gruesomeness. If you're sensitive to blood sucking wraiths and a bit of descriptions of blood, then this might not be the book for you. I'm not sensitive about such things so it didn't bother me at all.
In the end, this book hooked me into this series in a way The Shadow Queen didn't (once again, probably not that book's fault), and I can't wait to go back and read books 2 and 3 of this series! So glad this series can be read in any order so me jumping around the series randomly isn't an issue!
But when I saw this author was releasing a Cinderella retelling, I knew I would have to pick this series back up. And I'm so glad I did!
The romance in this one is adorable! And very unique! I loved the clash of personalities, the slow build as the two of them realized they had really been friends all along even though they had semi-hated each other growing up, the snark and banter between them. So well done! And, since this was a slow build romance, it didn't have the usual, annoying descriptions of the guy's hotness, the girl's beauty, and passionate kissing. This romance still had plenty of sizzle, but the characters were very clearly falling in love with each other because of who they were on the inside and it was very refreshing.
Like The Shadow Queen, this book doesn't pull punches when it comes to character deaths or gruesomeness. If you're sensitive to blood sucking wraiths and a bit of descriptions of blood, then this might not be the book for you. I'm not sensitive about such things so it didn't bother me at all.
In the end, this book hooked me into this series in a way The Shadow Queen didn't (once again, probably not that book's fault), and I can't wait to go back and read books 2 and 3 of this series! So glad this series can be read in any order so me jumping around the series randomly isn't an issue!
May 27, 2024
my addiction for retellings will never end
June 28, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed the captivating journey of Blue, the main character, and Kellan, the crown prince.Their relationship beautifully evolves from initial dislike to friendship and blossoms into a forbidden romance that kept me engrossed throughout.
The interplay of political power struggles and magical challenges added an extra layer of intrigue, especially as Blue clandestinely wielded her illegal magic to assist the city's orphans through her experiments.
The well-developed characters left me longing for more time in the story's world.
It was an exceptional read. 5 stars.
The interplay of political power struggles and magical challenges added an extra layer of intrigue, especially as Blue clandestinely wielded her illegal magic to assist the city's orphans through her experiments.
The well-developed characters left me longing for more time in the story's world.
It was an exceptional read. 5 stars.
Read
January 28, 2020Loved this take on the Cinderella story. I was so wrapped up in the story that it didn't even feel like Cinderella at all until the slipper at the very end. Really well done! Loved this whole series and wish there were more books coming!
November 5, 2018
I am such a fan of the Ravenspire series. This may be my favorite one so far, but I'm still trying to decide. I liked everything about it. I'm a sucker for a fairytale retelling.
You don't need to read each book in order for the Ravenspire series, but it is best if you do. There are appearances and mentions of characters from other books. We do see Hansel and Gretel for a brief moment in this one.
There are multiple things from Cinderella, but for the most part, the story is very different. When Blue's father dies, a woman she doesn't really know comes forward with papers showing that she is to be Blue's guardian if both her parents die. She brings her two daughters with her. So it's not really her step-mom, but close enough. Dinah is not nice to Blue at all. She is abusive and is using Blue. Dinah's husband had recently died and he had left her in massive debt. Not only with the creditor take everything she has, he is also going to choose one of her daughters, too. While Dinah is a horrible person, it did seem like she loved her daughters in a way.
Kellan is the prince and he must choose a girl to marry. He can only choose someone that will benefit the kingdom. Each family brings their daughters to spend time with him. Kellan and Blue grew up together, but he didn't like her much. He thought she was an uptight rule follower and he was always reckless. Blue is a lower class and he never thought that would matter much. But Kellan and Blue start spending more time together after her father is killed. He starts to confide in her and realizes that she is the only girl he could love. But Kellan knows the kingdom must come first.
Magic has been outlawed. There was a witch that started drinking the blood of children for power and became a blood wraith. Blue's mom was involved in helping capture the blood wraith. Blue has fae blood, so she has magic that has to be kept hidden. She is an alchemist and spends her days making potions and creams to sell. Her grand-mere has a wand, but it's only used inside. Grand-mere's magic is transformative magic, so I'm betting you can guess what part of Cinderella she plays.
Magic starts being used to kill people and children are going missing. Blue and Kellan work together to try to figure out what is happening and need to see if they can save the kingdom from the witch.
I don't want to give anything away, so that's pretty much all I can share. I absolutely loved Blue. Kellan was great and I also adored his sister, Nessa. This was a great addition to the Ravenspire stories and I cannot wait for the next one.
Warnings for abuse.
I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for my copy for review.
You don't need to read each book in order for the Ravenspire series, but it is best if you do. There are appearances and mentions of characters from other books. We do see Hansel and Gretel for a brief moment in this one.
There are multiple things from Cinderella, but for the most part, the story is very different. When Blue's father dies, a woman she doesn't really know comes forward with papers showing that she is to be Blue's guardian if both her parents die. She brings her two daughters with her. So it's not really her step-mom, but close enough. Dinah is not nice to Blue at all. She is abusive and is using Blue. Dinah's husband had recently died and he had left her in massive debt. Not only with the creditor take everything she has, he is also going to choose one of her daughters, too. While Dinah is a horrible person, it did seem like she loved her daughters in a way.
Kellan is the prince and he must choose a girl to marry. He can only choose someone that will benefit the kingdom. Each family brings their daughters to spend time with him. Kellan and Blue grew up together, but he didn't like her much. He thought she was an uptight rule follower and he was always reckless. Blue is a lower class and he never thought that would matter much. But Kellan and Blue start spending more time together after her father is killed. He starts to confide in her and realizes that she is the only girl he could love. But Kellan knows the kingdom must come first.
Magic has been outlawed. There was a witch that started drinking the blood of children for power and became a blood wraith. Blue's mom was involved in helping capture the blood wraith. Blue has fae blood, so she has magic that has to be kept hidden. She is an alchemist and spends her days making potions and creams to sell. Her grand-mere has a wand, but it's only used inside. Grand-mere's magic is transformative magic, so I'm betting you can guess what part of Cinderella she plays.
Magic starts being used to kill people and children are going missing. Blue and Kellan work together to try to figure out what is happening and need to see if they can save the kingdom from the witch.
I don't want to give anything away, so that's pretty much all I can share. I absolutely loved Blue. Kellan was great and I also adored his sister, Nessa. This was a great addition to the Ravenspire stories and I cannot wait for the next one.
Warnings for abuse.
I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for my copy for review.
February 5, 2023
If The Bachelor had deadly consequences for losing contenders, magical intrigue around every corner, and legit badass lady villains and heroines, it'd be this book. Just enough squee-ey, romantic moments too.
April 22, 2019
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disclaimer: The amazing humans at HarperCollins Canada were kind enough to send me an arc of The Blood Spell in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions below are my own.
“It was useless wasting your time wishing for what you didn’t have instead of using what you did.”
Technically, this book is the fourth in a series, but you can read each book as a standalone – though, it appears there are Easter eggs in each tying them all together.
The Blood Spell is a loose retelling of Cinderella. Now, story-wise, I was so here for this. Our “Cinderella” is Blue, a dark-skinned girl with curly hair, a bit of magic, and a drive to do what is right. Blue fights for those who can’t always fight for themselves, and I love this about her. We follow Blue through a tragic event, an almost enemies-to-lovers love story, an abusive “guardian”, and a predictable but interesting reveal about her and her past.
“Hiding from our ghosts only gives them the power to keep haunting us.”
For the most part, the story kept me engaged. I liked that it was a loose retelling, and that Redwine added in many interesting details to make it unique. The overall story is somewhat predictable in that you know what is going to happen, but the details that get you there and what happens after were different enough that I still really enjoyed it.
There were also several nods to the original Cinderella story which my childhood heart loved so much!
My favourite character, by far, is Nessa. Nessa can’t speak and instead signs to communicate. Her family and Blue, as her best friend, have all learned how to sign as well to be able to interact with her. I love that this representation is in there, and that it isn’t just thrown in to make the book seem “diverse”. Nessa is not the main character, but she is very important to the story.
“Maybe Blue was right. Maybe the ordinary citizens of Balavata needed a hero. But Kellan wasn’t a hero, and he knew it. He was a pawn in a political game that was centuries older than he was. He was a piece of meat to be fought over by the head families who hungered for the power of the throne.”
The love story was okay for me. It wasn’t quite enemies-to-lovers… more like bickering children-to-teenagers in love. That being said, I did enjoy the growth of Kellan and Blue’s relationship, and the way they connected was believable. I think the problem for me was more that I just didn’t really connect with any of the characters beyond thinking, “yeah, they’re alright.”
For some reason, I just didn’t care about what happened to the characters in this book, other than Nessa. I did like Blue and what she fought for, but I didn’t find myself caring when she was in trouble. That’s just me, of course, and many others have adored her.
In the end, I still enjoyed the story and appreciated the many unique details that the author included. I don’t know that I loved it enough to pick up the rest of the series right away, but I do love a good fairy tale so I might eventually!
Thanks again to HarperCollins Canada for sending me this to read and review!
The Blood Spell was released in February 2019, so you can grab your copy now!
February 9, 2019
The Blood Spell is the fourth book in the Ravenspire series by C.J. Redwine and while I love all of these books, this one might be my favorite. It has everything I look for in a book, an interesting plot, great characters, and some swoony bits that make me sigh. One thing to note is that all of these books have different main characters so if you haven’t read the others (WHAT???) you can still read this one without missing a beat.
Blue de la Cour is the main character. She’s smart and strong and she loves her family – I loved her relationship with her father and grandmother so much. She’s also willing to do whatever she can to help the homeless children in her city and when I say whatever she can, that includes putting herself at risk by using the magic she has had to keep hidden away by trying to create gold. When a tragedy happens that puts Blue in the custody of the powerful Lady Chauveau, Blue’s situation becomes even more dangerous.
Kellan Renard is the crown prince of Balavata and after finishing school, has come back to take his place on the throne. The catch is that he also has to announce his betrothal to one of the daughters who make up the kingdom’s head families and he is definitely not excited about it. As he dives right into his responsibilities, we get to learn right alongside Kellan what is really going on with the kingdom and how he responds when things start to turn violent.
Blue’s family has always been close to the royal family. Her mother helped to trap the wraith that was endangering the kingdom, Blue tutors the princess (Nessa) in the ways of alchemy, and Kellan basically grew up around the shop. With all of that said, Kellan and Blue have never really gotten along. He was always looking for trouble and she has always been there to stop him. When he returns, their relationship is still the same, but it slowly changes, and I loved how Redwine moved their relationship from being adversaries to two people in love. It took time and was a slow burn, but it was completely worth it. The fact that they both recognize that they can’t be with each other regardless of their feelings made me want them to figure it out even more.
As Blue finds herself under the control of Lady Chauveau, she begins to uncover what she is up to and has to figure out a way out of the situation she is in. Unfortunately for her, Lady Chauveau really does fit the mold of the evil stepmother in this story. As Blue continues to face off with her, she becomes more and more violent…which doesn’t go unnoticed by Nessa and Kellan. I admit I loved it when Kellan told Lady Chauveau off and challenged her when he found out what happened.
I loved the fact that this was tied to the Cinderella fairytale although it wasn’t so close to the story that you know what will happen next. The world that Redwine has built out around the story is interesting. There is a belief in the fae and magic is seen as a dangerous thing because of what happened long ago with the wraith. There is still a great fear of magic and while Blue’s magic isn’t dangerous, it is something she definitely has to hide. I also appreciated how Redwine brought some diversity and social issues into this book by including a non-speaking character who uses sign language and having one of the main characters (Blue) have a lens on helping the homeless. It was a subtle add and well done.
As the story nears the end, there is a bit of a twist and I didn’t see it coming. Redwine did a fantastic job of bringing the whole story to an end and I loved everything about this story. If you are looking for a fantasy retelling that will grab your attention from page one and hold it all the way to the end, definitely check The Blood Spell out and if you haven’t read the others in this series yet, you should do that when you finish this one. I’ll definitely be checking out whatever Redwine writes next – I’ve loved all of her books to date and she’s become an auto-buy author for me because of that.
Blue de la Cour is the main character. She’s smart and strong and she loves her family – I loved her relationship with her father and grandmother so much. She’s also willing to do whatever she can to help the homeless children in her city and when I say whatever she can, that includes putting herself at risk by using the magic she has had to keep hidden away by trying to create gold. When a tragedy happens that puts Blue in the custody of the powerful Lady Chauveau, Blue’s situation becomes even more dangerous.
Kellan Renard is the crown prince of Balavata and after finishing school, has come back to take his place on the throne. The catch is that he also has to announce his betrothal to one of the daughters who make up the kingdom’s head families and he is definitely not excited about it. As he dives right into his responsibilities, we get to learn right alongside Kellan what is really going on with the kingdom and how he responds when things start to turn violent.
Blue’s family has always been close to the royal family. Her mother helped to trap the wraith that was endangering the kingdom, Blue tutors the princess (Nessa) in the ways of alchemy, and Kellan basically grew up around the shop. With all of that said, Kellan and Blue have never really gotten along. He was always looking for trouble and she has always been there to stop him. When he returns, their relationship is still the same, but it slowly changes, and I loved how Redwine moved their relationship from being adversaries to two people in love. It took time and was a slow burn, but it was completely worth it. The fact that they both recognize that they can’t be with each other regardless of their feelings made me want them to figure it out even more.
As Blue finds herself under the control of Lady Chauveau, she begins to uncover what she is up to and has to figure out a way out of the situation she is in. Unfortunately for her, Lady Chauveau really does fit the mold of the evil stepmother in this story. As Blue continues to face off with her, she becomes more and more violent…which doesn’t go unnoticed by Nessa and Kellan. I admit I loved it when Kellan told Lady Chauveau off and challenged her when he found out what happened.
I loved the fact that this was tied to the Cinderella fairytale although it wasn’t so close to the story that you know what will happen next. The world that Redwine has built out around the story is interesting. There is a belief in the fae and magic is seen as a dangerous thing because of what happened long ago with the wraith. There is still a great fear of magic and while Blue’s magic isn’t dangerous, it is something she definitely has to hide. I also appreciated how Redwine brought some diversity and social issues into this book by including a non-speaking character who uses sign language and having one of the main characters (Blue) have a lens on helping the homeless. It was a subtle add and well done.
As the story nears the end, there is a bit of a twist and I didn’t see it coming. Redwine did a fantastic job of bringing the whole story to an end and I loved everything about this story. If you are looking for a fantasy retelling that will grab your attention from page one and hold it all the way to the end, definitely check The Blood Spell out and if you haven’t read the others in this series yet, you should do that when you finish this one. I’ll definitely be checking out whatever Redwine writes next – I’ve loved all of her books to date and she’s become an auto-buy author for me because of that.
August 3, 2019
4.5/5 stars
It's official. C.J. Redwine is now on my "auto-buy author's" list. Because god DAMN this woman knows how to write.
It's so strange how each of her novels has a similar formula and cast of characters, but the three out of four books I've binged so far ALL have different feelings to them .
In The Blood Spell, we follow our two protagonists Blue and Kellan in an incredibly unique twist on Cinderella. Blue and her father are the alchemists of their quarter of the kingdom, and Kellan is Prince. After growing up together because their families were extremely close, things happened and Kellan made some bad decisions that led to the two of them hating each other's guts.
Fast forward to the present, where certain horrible developments lead to Blue and Kellan being forced to work together to save the kingdom.
Let's get one thing straight. I REALLY do not like the tale of Cinderella. Disney version, original version, and retelling, whatever. It just isn't my favorite fairytale (for anyone asking, Hercules is my favorite Disney movie). But holy hell I couldn't get enough of this book.
Blue and Kellan are extremely diverse main characters who bounce personalities against each other in a way that makes every interaction between them exciting and refreshing. Blue is a rule follower to the extreme, mainly because she's hiding her illegal magical blood and doesn't want to risk getting caught when she lives in a kingdom where magic almost certainly means death.
On the other side of the coin, we have our troublemaking, charismatic prince. Memories of his father's death and the responsibilities of being heir to the throne keep Kellan away from his home as much as possible. He prefers to spend every minute he can at his boarding school, where he pulls off wild pranks and excels in almost everything from partying to classes to warfare.
It isn't until Blue suffers through the aftermath of losing her father that these two begin to get over their grudges and form the start of their strong AF bond from childhood again. It's also at this time that I started liking Kellan more than I did at the beginning of the book, because now he gets the opportunity to express more than one side of his personality.
It's a world with more than one hero, more than one villain, multiple side characters that bring their own strengths and splendid personalities, disabled characters, and differing versions of familial and friendly relationships that you're bound to fall in love with, just like the previous books in the Ravenspire series.
The kingdom needed a girl full of poison and reckless courage.
It's official. C.J. Redwine is now on my "auto-buy author's" list. Because god DAMN this woman knows how to write.
It's so strange how each of her novels has a similar formula and cast of characters, but the three out of four books I've binged so far ALL have different feelings to them .
In The Blood Spell, we follow our two protagonists Blue and Kellan in an incredibly unique twist on Cinderella. Blue and her father are the alchemists of their quarter of the kingdom, and Kellan is Prince. After growing up together because their families were extremely close, things happened and Kellan made some bad decisions that led to the two of them hating each other's guts.
Fast forward to the present, where certain horrible developments lead to Blue and Kellan being forced to work together to save the kingdom.
Let's get one thing straight. I REALLY do not like the tale of Cinderella. Disney version, original version, and retelling, whatever. It just isn't my favorite fairytale (for anyone asking, Hercules is my favorite Disney movie). But holy hell I couldn't get enough of this book.
Blue and Kellan are extremely diverse main characters who bounce personalities against each other in a way that makes every interaction between them exciting and refreshing. Blue is a rule follower to the extreme, mainly because she's hiding her illegal magical blood and doesn't want to risk getting caught when she lives in a kingdom where magic almost certainly means death.
On the other side of the coin, we have our troublemaking, charismatic prince. Memories of his father's death and the responsibilities of being heir to the throne keep Kellan away from his home as much as possible. He prefers to spend every minute he can at his boarding school, where he pulls off wild pranks and excels in almost everything from partying to classes to warfare.
It isn't until Blue suffers through the aftermath of losing her father that these two begin to get over their grudges and form the start of their strong AF bond from childhood again. It's also at this time that I started liking Kellan more than I did at the beginning of the book, because now he gets the opportunity to express more than one side of his personality.
"I always wished someone would've told me it was alright to scream and cry and be broken over the heartache of it all"...
"So I'm going to tell you. It's all right to miss your father, Blue. It's all right to be angry that he's gone when he shouldn't be. You can fall apart for a little while if you need to."
It's a world with more than one hero, more than one villain, multiple side characters that bring their own strengths and splendid personalities, disabled characters, and differing versions of familial and friendly relationships that you're bound to fall in love with, just like the previous books in the Ravenspire series.
August 29, 2020
I don’t have words to explain how much I loved this book—a Cinderella retelling with murderous rogue witches, sign language representation, a reckless prince, and magic and alchemy. I read the first few chapters of this one night and thought about it the whole next day. I can see, hear, smell, and taste the world so clearly. I adore Blue and Kellan’s prickly-to-sweet relationship. I love Grand-mere, and all the fast-paced plot twists near the end, and literally everything about the world. Also the author is a Christian which is super cool.
August 2020 reread: Cinderella, but add murderous rogue witches. I think yes 😍
August 2020 reread: Cinderella, but add murderous rogue witches. I think yes 😍
July 16, 2019
4.5/5
My favorite of the series!! The Blood Spell is a Cinderella retelling and I'm definitely adding it to my collection of favorite retellings! Blue de la Cour is an alchemist with a dangerous secret, she has magic in her blood. She mainly uses her magic to aid her in making her alchemical potions which are healing in nature. When her father dies, Blue and her home suddenly become property of an ambitious councilwoman with suspicious motives. The only person who may be able to help her is Crown Prince Kellan, once her childhood friend, now Blue keeps him at an arms length.
I loved getting to know Blue and Kellan in this installment. Blue was an amazing character full of tenacity and kindness. Blue's life goal is to help the homeless kids have safety and security. Her misguided attempt to turn lead to gold leads her into the risky business of being called a witch. The town Balavata lives in fear of witches, no matter how benevolent, after the town was haunted by a blood wraith sixteen years before.
As kids continue to disappear and attacks on the city become more frequent, Blue & Kellan believe they're fighting another blood wraith. They must rely on each other in order to save the Kingdom and prevent any further tragedies. I loved seeing Blue & Kellan form a new friendship and eventually fall for each other. I liked how they wouldn't put up with false pretenses from the other. Kellan has been putting on a mask for his Kingdom since his father's death and only Blue and his sister, Nessa, can see through it. I loved how Kellan comforted Blue through her grief for her father. The shared emotional connection between the two only strengthened their teamwork.
I loved the multiple POVs. Seeing Blue, Kellan and Dinah's thoughts throughout the story made for such a compelling read. I constantly wanted to know what they'd do next, especially for Dinah. Her descent into villainy was amazing and I liked watching her sink further into her darkness. Nessa had a decent role in the story despite being a side character. I loved her strength and her relationship with Blue. Nessa had a quiet strength that not many could see because of her being mute. I loved that she didn't give up and would communicate with sign language.
There was also a small cameo in this book! I loved it! I wish there would be a book about Hansel & Gretel going witch hunting. We never learn much about them, but they are such an intriguing pair that are always popping up!
My favorite of the series!! The Blood Spell is a Cinderella retelling and I'm definitely adding it to my collection of favorite retellings! Blue de la Cour is an alchemist with a dangerous secret, she has magic in her blood. She mainly uses her magic to aid her in making her alchemical potions which are healing in nature. When her father dies, Blue and her home suddenly become property of an ambitious councilwoman with suspicious motives. The only person who may be able to help her is Crown Prince Kellan, once her childhood friend, now Blue keeps him at an arms length.
I loved getting to know Blue and Kellan in this installment. Blue was an amazing character full of tenacity and kindness. Blue's life goal is to help the homeless kids have safety and security. Her misguided attempt to turn lead to gold leads her into the risky business of being called a witch. The town Balavata lives in fear of witches, no matter how benevolent, after the town was haunted by a blood wraith sixteen years before.
As kids continue to disappear and attacks on the city become more frequent, Blue & Kellan believe they're fighting another blood wraith. They must rely on each other in order to save the Kingdom and prevent any further tragedies. I loved seeing Blue & Kellan form a new friendship and eventually fall for each other. I liked how they wouldn't put up with false pretenses from the other. Kellan has been putting on a mask for his Kingdom since his father's death and only Blue and his sister, Nessa, can see through it. I loved how Kellan comforted Blue through her grief for her father. The shared emotional connection between the two only strengthened their teamwork.
I loved the multiple POVs. Seeing Blue, Kellan and Dinah's thoughts throughout the story made for such a compelling read. I constantly wanted to know what they'd do next, especially for Dinah. Her descent into villainy was amazing and I liked watching her sink further into her darkness. Nessa had a decent role in the story despite being a side character. I loved her strength and her relationship with Blue. Nessa had a quiet strength that not many could see because of her being mute. I loved that she didn't give up and would communicate with sign language.
There was also a small cameo in this book! I loved it! I wish there would be a book about Hansel & Gretel going witch hunting. We never learn much about them, but they are such an intriguing pair that are always popping up!
July 24, 2022
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!
DETAILED RTC
DETAILED RTC
February 13, 2019
*Source* Publisher via Edelweiss
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
The Blood Spell is the fourth installment in author C.J. Redwine's Ravenspire series. A series that has seen different lead characters in all four installments. A series that is more likely than not to be a retelling of classic fairy tale. In this case, the retelling of Cinderella takes a curious and enjoyable twist with 17-year old Bernadine de la Cour, Blue to her friends as the would be Cinderella, while Kellan Renard is the would be Prince Charming.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
The Blood Spell is the fourth installment in author C.J. Redwine's Ravenspire series. A series that has seen different lead characters in all four installments. A series that is more likely than not to be a retelling of classic fairy tale. In this case, the retelling of Cinderella takes a curious and enjoyable twist with 17-year old Bernadine de la Cour, Blue to her friends as the would be Cinderella, while Kellan Renard is the would be Prince Charming.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
January 20, 2019
I received a copy of this from Balzer + Bray(HarperCollins) and Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.
If you have never read a book by C.J. read one now! Every book I read I adore more than the last. This book was amazing. I absolutely adored Blue and Kellen. I rooted for them so hard and he was so sweet. Cinderella had nothing on this story. From the evil foster mother to the carriage and mice, this was perfection.
If you have never read a book by C.J. read one now! Every book I read I adore more than the last. This book was amazing. I absolutely adored Blue and Kellen. I rooted for them so hard and he was so sweet. Cinderella had nothing on this story. From the evil foster mother to the carriage and mice, this was perfection.
March 30, 2019
Rating: 4.5
May 16, 2020
Good fairytale retelling with good diversity. I wish she had some lgbtq+ diversity as well but an overall enjoyable read. Worth reading! 4 stars
April 24, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
Do you ever read a book that has a lot of potential and doesn't really fail but doesn't really succeed, either? This is how I feel about The Blood Spell by C. J. Redwing. I'm not sure if this book tried to do too much at one time or if it was simply not executed as well as it could have been. And yet, I did genuinely enjoy reading it.
The Blood Spell is a Cinderella retelling with quite the twist, telling the story of a young girl called Blue who works as an apothecary while simultaneously hiding her magic from the world. Magic, in fact, is illegal after the actions of an evil witch. When street children begin disappearing, Blue investigates the situation with the help of the crown Prince, Kellan, whom she has "hated" her entire life. When her father dies, however, she is thrown into turmoil when her guardianship shifts to a rather cruel woman who is determined to use Blue's alchemic abilities to force her to make gold in order to resolve her recent financial ruin.
There's a lot to the plot of this book that makes it exceedingly unique. Were it not for the well developed and interesting plot, I don't imagine I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did. In fact, it is the mystery and the truth of the villains that made this book so worth reading. Readers find themselves immersed in the events of the story, questioning and making predictions about what happened in the past and what is currently happening with the wraith whose been locked away to prevent it from wreaking havoc upon the kingdom as it once did. The characters, unfortunately, are just okay.
Despite the fact that I utterly abhorred her name, I liked Blue the best. She was the only character who had a POV that actually felt reasonably well written. Prince Kellan was difficult to read, his portrayal feeling vaguely unrealistic at times. Unfortunate Blue's guardian, Dinah, was a believable villain but I felt that the way she was written took a lot away from the cruelty that she was supposed to embody.
This is one of those instances in which the author gives far too much insight into the villain. I'm not sure if Redwing was trying to build sympathy for the stepmother or if she was merely trying to build the reader's hatred. Either way, I feel that the story would have been much better had Dinah's point of view been left out of it. There was no mystery to Dinah, no question about what she was doing, and while the ultimate plot twist was unique and exciting, it was somewhat predictable as a result of reading her portion of the story.
I think, ultimately, while I did really enjoy this novel, the writing was subpar. The ideas themselves were fantastic, leaving me with a story that I found true joy in reading. The characters showed great development through the course of the novel, which I loved and appreciated. But the in the moment writing of the story made the characters feel very unreal in their actions and words, the romance feels quite cheesy, and Redwing had moments of laying ideas and comments on so thickly that they quickly got annoying.
And then there was the characters of Hansel and Grettle who were majorly random and didn't add anything even though they misled the reader into feeling as though they would soon be exceptionally important. It’s a small spoiler, I guess, because they played absolutely no part in the story at all. Even now I have no clue what the point of their inclusion was. It wasn’t painfully long, but it felt like such a waste of a chapter.
So, in the end, I'm left unsure how to feel about The Blood Spell. I certainly enjoyed it a lot and it's not a bad book by any means. But various pieces of the writing really annoyed and frustrated me. Kellan never really felt like a real person not because he didn’t have a well thought out personality but because the author didn’t seem to know how to write it, the book was too predictable at times, and there were far too many moments when I found myself rolling my eyes at the writing. Also, I’m still a little annoyed that I didn’t get to know the little girl who worked for Blue because it made everything surrounding her less emotional than it should have been.
This is a hard book for me since I feel so conflicted. For anyone who reads it, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself.
I was provided a free copy of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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Do you ever read a book that has a lot of potential and doesn't really fail but doesn't really succeed, either? This is how I feel about The Blood Spell by C. J. Redwing. I'm not sure if this book tried to do too much at one time or if it was simply not executed as well as it could have been. And yet, I did genuinely enjoy reading it.
The Blood Spell is a Cinderella retelling with quite the twist, telling the story of a young girl called Blue who works as an apothecary while simultaneously hiding her magic from the world. Magic, in fact, is illegal after the actions of an evil witch. When street children begin disappearing, Blue investigates the situation with the help of the crown Prince, Kellan, whom she has "hated" her entire life. When her father dies, however, she is thrown into turmoil when her guardianship shifts to a rather cruel woman who is determined to use Blue's alchemic abilities to force her to make gold in order to resolve her recent financial ruin.
There's a lot to the plot of this book that makes it exceedingly unique. Were it not for the well developed and interesting plot, I don't imagine I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did. In fact, it is the mystery and the truth of the villains that made this book so worth reading. Readers find themselves immersed in the events of the story, questioning and making predictions about what happened in the past and what is currently happening with the wraith whose been locked away to prevent it from wreaking havoc upon the kingdom as it once did. The characters, unfortunately, are just okay.
Despite the fact that I utterly abhorred her name, I liked Blue the best. She was the only character who had a POV that actually felt reasonably well written. Prince Kellan was difficult to read, his portrayal feeling vaguely unrealistic at times. Unfortunate Blue's guardian, Dinah, was a believable villain but I felt that the way she was written took a lot away from the cruelty that she was supposed to embody.
This is one of those instances in which the author gives far too much insight into the villain. I'm not sure if Redwing was trying to build sympathy for the stepmother or if she was merely trying to build the reader's hatred. Either way, I feel that the story would have been much better had Dinah's point of view been left out of it. There was no mystery to Dinah, no question about what she was doing, and while the ultimate plot twist was unique and exciting, it was somewhat predictable as a result of reading her portion of the story.
I think, ultimately, while I did really enjoy this novel, the writing was subpar. The ideas themselves were fantastic, leaving me with a story that I found true joy in reading. The characters showed great development through the course of the novel, which I loved and appreciated. But the in the moment writing of the story made the characters feel very unreal in their actions and words, the romance feels quite cheesy, and Redwing had moments of laying ideas and comments on so thickly that they quickly got annoying.
And then there was the characters of Hansel and Grettle who were majorly random and didn't add anything even though they misled the reader into feeling as though they would soon be exceptionally important. It’s a small spoiler, I guess, because they played absolutely no part in the story at all. Even now I have no clue what the point of their inclusion was. It wasn’t painfully long, but it felt like such a waste of a chapter.
So, in the end, I'm left unsure how to feel about The Blood Spell. I certainly enjoyed it a lot and it's not a bad book by any means. But various pieces of the writing really annoyed and frustrated me. Kellan never really felt like a real person not because he didn’t have a well thought out personality but because the author didn’t seem to know how to write it, the book was too predictable at times, and there were far too many moments when I found myself rolling my eyes at the writing. Also, I’m still a little annoyed that I didn’t get to know the little girl who worked for Blue because it made everything surrounding her less emotional than it should have been.
This is a hard book for me since I feel so conflicted. For anyone who reads it, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself.
I was provided a free copy of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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July 18, 2021
NEW FAVOURITE BOOK ALERT
THIS IS EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
AND WITH A GOOD DOSE OF LOTS OF CURLY HAIR
SO MUCH SEROTONIN I THINK ILL BURST OPEN
THIS IS EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
AND WITH A GOOD DOSE OF LOTS OF CURLY HAIR
SO MUCH SEROTONIN I THINK ILL BURST OPEN
January 3, 2019
The Blood Spell is the fourth book in C.J. Redwine’s series of fairytale retellings. As she has with each of the three previous instalments, The Blood Spell is a wonderful fantasy novel in its own right with threads of the familiar fairytale cleverly woven through the plot to create a unique and thrilling tale.
Blue (love her name) de la Cour is an alchemist, working alongside her father to make potions and tonics to heal the people of Falaise de la Mer. But Blue longs to do more, especially for the young street children, so each night she works on her experiment to turn lead into gold. But Blue must be careful not to get caught revealing her secret magic powers, simple and unthreatening though they might be, for fear of death. But when Blue’s father is murdered and a powerful and cruel woman takes guardianship of Blue, she is surprised to find support from her childhood nemesis, the Crown Prince Kellan. Together, Kellan and Blue work to find a way to free Blue, all the while dealing with Kellan’s looming betrothal season, and the threat of the return of the Blood Wraith.
This is a retelling of Cinderella so I’m not sure why the events came as a surprise to me. But, because the story was so different from the original tale to begin with, as the story fell into alignment with what we know of the fairytale, the twists walloped me over the head. I’ve always hated the evil stepmother and stepsister and in this retelling the character who plays the stand-in role for the evil stepmother is particularly loathsome. This, perhaps, is made more obvious due to Blue and her wonderful heart. But Blue, while kindness personified, is no soft pushover naively singing in her garden. Okay, that’s funny. I just wrote that and then remembered that Blue actually does spend some time singing while working in her garden, but the point is that she is strong, super intelligent, fiercely brave and willing to stand up to anything she believes is wrong or dangerous. I found her far more likeable than the usual Cinderella, far more likely to take action and stand up for what she believes in. This means looking after street children, agreeing to help her mean new guardian and constantly annoying Prince Kellan by trying to protect him.
The relationship, the romance between Kellan and Blue is superb. They have a shared history, a childhood of family friendship, years of attempted pranks and dares on Kellan’s behalf that Blue consistently put a stop to, and a progression of tolerance and continued annoyance into their teenage years. But when that shared history collides again when Blue loses her father, she finds that Kellan is the only one to understand and provide the support she needs. Neither expect their tenuous friendship to develop into deeper feelings, Blue knows she has no chance with Kellan even if he wasn’t a prince and as the crown prince, Kellan must soon choose a bride from one of the ruling families.
The adventure in this story is thrilling and the tension high as the characters work together to fight the threats they face. Combined with sumptuous romance, a deeply moving story of loss and grief, evil characters to root against, friendship and great sacrifice, The Blood Spell is a unique and enjoyable fairytale retelling and a perfect addition to this series, each of which can be read as standalone titles. I do hope the Ravenspire series continues and I look forward to reading the next instalment of this magical series.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
Blue (love her name) de la Cour is an alchemist, working alongside her father to make potions and tonics to heal the people of Falaise de la Mer. But Blue longs to do more, especially for the young street children, so each night she works on her experiment to turn lead into gold. But Blue must be careful not to get caught revealing her secret magic powers, simple and unthreatening though they might be, for fear of death. But when Blue’s father is murdered and a powerful and cruel woman takes guardianship of Blue, she is surprised to find support from her childhood nemesis, the Crown Prince Kellan. Together, Kellan and Blue work to find a way to free Blue, all the while dealing with Kellan’s looming betrothal season, and the threat of the return of the Blood Wraith.
This is a retelling of Cinderella so I’m not sure why the events came as a surprise to me. But, because the story was so different from the original tale to begin with, as the story fell into alignment with what we know of the fairytale, the twists walloped me over the head. I’ve always hated the evil stepmother and stepsister and in this retelling the character who plays the stand-in role for the evil stepmother is particularly loathsome. This, perhaps, is made more obvious due to Blue and her wonderful heart. But Blue, while kindness personified, is no soft pushover naively singing in her garden. Okay, that’s funny. I just wrote that and then remembered that Blue actually does spend some time singing while working in her garden, but the point is that she is strong, super intelligent, fiercely brave and willing to stand up to anything she believes is wrong or dangerous. I found her far more likeable than the usual Cinderella, far more likely to take action and stand up for what she believes in. This means looking after street children, agreeing to help her mean new guardian and constantly annoying Prince Kellan by trying to protect him.
The relationship, the romance between Kellan and Blue is superb. They have a shared history, a childhood of family friendship, years of attempted pranks and dares on Kellan’s behalf that Blue consistently put a stop to, and a progression of tolerance and continued annoyance into their teenage years. But when that shared history collides again when Blue loses her father, she finds that Kellan is the only one to understand and provide the support she needs. Neither expect their tenuous friendship to develop into deeper feelings, Blue knows she has no chance with Kellan even if he wasn’t a prince and as the crown prince, Kellan must soon choose a bride from one of the ruling families.
The adventure in this story is thrilling and the tension high as the characters work together to fight the threats they face. Combined with sumptuous romance, a deeply moving story of loss and grief, evil characters to root against, friendship and great sacrifice, The Blood Spell is a unique and enjoyable fairytale retelling and a perfect addition to this series, each of which can be read as standalone titles. I do hope the Ravenspire series continues and I look forward to reading the next instalment of this magical series.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
February 19, 2019
Ah I love this series!!!
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
February 19, 2019
The Wish Granter has been my favorite book set in this universe... until now. The Blood Spell goes above and beyond. This retelling of Cinderella was absolutely amazing. Like most of Redwine's retellings, she takes the classic Cinderella story and creates a brand new version with her own unique spin. For those that love the original, the basic outline is still there and the famous slippers still make an appearance.
Redwine's books were already great, but she keeps getting better and better! Can't wait for the next one!
Redwine's books were already great, but she keeps getting better and better! Can't wait for the next one!
May 31, 2019
Can we talk about how incredibly awesome this author is? I mean, seriously! To deliver such awesome stories consistently takes a lot of talent and creativity! I’m super impressed by each new book and am loving every single one. I am already dying for the next one and can’t wait for it. This one was awesome! I loved BOTH lead characters and the whole intricate plot. I highly recommend to any fantasy/YA fans out there.
June 22, 2021
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
3.5/5 Stars
Blue de la Cour is an alchemist with magical abilities. Magic was outlawed years ago, and so Blue has spent her entire life hiding this from her village. When her father is unexpectedly killed, her life and everything she owns is handed over to a powerful woman she wants nothing to do with. Meanwhile, the crown prince of Balavata, Kellan, has returned from school to take over as the next King. He must find a wife that will benefit the kingdom before he turns 19 in order to inherit the crown. Kellan doesn't particularly like any of the prospects presented to him, but instead begins to fall for the girl who made his childhood as hard as possible with her constant nagging and tattle tailing, Blue. Unfortunately, Blue is a commoner and Kellan can't be with her. But, when a mysterious force begins to reek havoc on the village, the two must team up to defeat it before it is too late.
Definitely not my favourite in the companion novels, but I still really enjoyed this Cinderella retelling! I loved Blue and Kellan, watching their relationship grow from "enemies" to lovers was fun to read about. I liked how they knew one another in childhood and how they didn't get along then, growing into teenagers who still bickered when they saw one another. The banter between these two was funny, and cute at the same time. It's definitely a slow burn romance, and I loved that they both were confused with their growing feelings. I liked how we got the history of their relationship sprinkled through out the story. Kellan is an absolute angel baby unicorn, such a sweet little cinnamon roll and I adored him. I also really loved Nessa and her use of sign language! We also get another cameo from Hansel & Gretel which was a treat. The overall story is a bit predictable, but I liked how there were unique spins to the Cinderella story that made this unique. I also really liked the ending and how Kellan incorporated Blue's shoe into their ending!
Overall, a super quick read with a satisfying ending!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
3.5/5 Stars
Blue de la Cour is an alchemist with magical abilities. Magic was outlawed years ago, and so Blue has spent her entire life hiding this from her village. When her father is unexpectedly killed, her life and everything she owns is handed over to a powerful woman she wants nothing to do with. Meanwhile, the crown prince of Balavata, Kellan, has returned from school to take over as the next King. He must find a wife that will benefit the kingdom before he turns 19 in order to inherit the crown. Kellan doesn't particularly like any of the prospects presented to him, but instead begins to fall for the girl who made his childhood as hard as possible with her constant nagging and tattle tailing, Blue. Unfortunately, Blue is a commoner and Kellan can't be with her. But, when a mysterious force begins to reek havoc on the village, the two must team up to defeat it before it is too late.
Definitely not my favourite in the companion novels, but I still really enjoyed this Cinderella retelling! I loved Blue and Kellan, watching their relationship grow from "enemies" to lovers was fun to read about. I liked how they knew one another in childhood and how they didn't get along then, growing into teenagers who still bickered when they saw one another. The banter between these two was funny, and cute at the same time. It's definitely a slow burn romance, and I loved that they both were confused with their growing feelings. I liked how we got the history of their relationship sprinkled through out the story. Kellan is an absolute angel baby unicorn, such a sweet little cinnamon roll and I adored him. I also really loved Nessa and her use of sign language! We also get another cameo from Hansel & Gretel which was a treat. The overall story is a bit predictable, but I liked how there were unique spins to the Cinderella story that made this unique. I also really liked the ending and how Kellan incorporated Blue's shoe into their ending!
Overall, a super quick read with a satisfying ending!
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