Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 314 pages
Title: Bloodlaced (Youkai Bloodlines #1)
Author: Courtney Maguire
Publisher: City Owl Press
Genre: Historical fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Bloodlaced-Youkai-Bloodlines-Book-1-ebook/dp/B08HW5ZRTH (Canada)
https://www.amazon.com/Bloodlaced-Youkai-Bloodlines-Book-1-ebook/dp/B08HW5ZRTH (USA)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodlaced-Youkai-Bloodlines-Book-1-ebook/dp/B08HW5ZRTH (UK)
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54802989-bloodlaced
Today is my day to review Bloodlaced by a Courtney Maguire, which placed 9th in the 2022 BBNYA!
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
Kanjin hardly view their servants as human. Even less so when they are different.
Asagi is different. Both a man and a woman.
In the wake of his failure to protect a boy they saw as a son from their abusive master, Asagi is sold into the house of a young nobleman, Mahiro, who is the opposite of everything Asagi has ever known—gentle, kind, and generous.
Mahiro bonds with Asagi and their friendship blooms into a deep and profound love. But when Asagi is poisoned out of jealousy, Mahiro reveals himself to be youkai, a demon who feeds on blood, and he has no choice but to turn Asagi to save their life.
Asagi awakes reborn, strong, and eternally youthful. But the price for Asagi’s new life is high.
The blood of the innocent.
Just as Asagi’s trust in Mahiro falters, the boy they failed to protect, now a man, reappears.
New master, same threat.
With both a literal and proverbial monster at the door, Asagi must decide what it means to be human to protect what they loves most.
*Free copy provided by The Write Reads for review*
I want to start this review by stating that this book is very highly reviewed by most who have read it. All of their views I completely understand, however for me personally, a couple of things fell a little short, which is why I have rated this book 3 stars.
I raced through this book, with it having a fast pace and interesting story that made me want to continue reading. The first 25% of this book had me GRIPPED. You become so attached to Asagi and Tsukito and despite their bleak lives and chances, you still find yourself rooting against the odds. A lot of dark and horrific things happen during this book (check out my TW list), and at times it was very uncomfortable reading what was happening to our main characters. The setting was one I am not well versed in; but provided a unique reading for me, paired with the Youkai/vampire paranormal mythology.
However, for me, the first 25% of the book was the highlight, and I felt the story dropped off a little as it progressed. The paranormal romance that is at the centre of the book was nice, but I couldn’t get on board with the will they won’t they will they won’t they. I felt like I was on a bit of a rollercoaster and I was ready to hop off!
The ending hurt a little, and despite everything, this book did not turn out the way I expected and whilst the premise and the blurb promised me incredible things, I felt like I had missed out a little and was turning the pages hoping for the paranormal plot to really kick in. I was left feeling a little underwhelmed.
Despite this, if you are looking for a really character driven plot, with characters that try to fight the odds and bleak circumstances they find themselves in, with some vampires, then do check out this book. As I said at the beginning, this book has been rated quite highly, so I think it’s a bit of a marmite book- you either love it or feel a little underwhelmed!
TW: physical abuse, sexual abuse, self-harm, blood, graphic violence
Courtney Maguire is a University of Texas graduate from Corpus Christi, Texas. Drawn to Austin by a voracious appetite for music, she spent most of her young adult life in dark, divey venues nursing a love for the sublimely weird. A self-proclaimed fangirl with a press pass, she combined her love of music and writing as the primary contributor for Japanese music and culture blog, Project: Lixx, interviewing Japanese rock and roll icons and providing live event coverage for appearances across the country.
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