This one has been an anticipated read for a while, so I was thrilled to be on the tour! Did it
live up to my expectations? Read my review below to find out, and enter the giveaway as well...
live up to my expectations? Read my review below to find out, and enter the giveaway as well...
Bring Me Their HeartsBy Sara Wolf
YA Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 400 Pages
June 5th 2018 by Entangled Teen
Summary
Zera is a Heartless—the immortal, unaging soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.
Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum: if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy Zera’s heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.
Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him—every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him—until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.
So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.
Winner takes the loser’s heart.
Literally.
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My Review
BRING ME THEIR HEARTS is the story of a country on the brink of war, torn between faith, politics, and classes, but where a few individuals hold the future in their hands. Zera is one such individual who has been given a quest that is dangerous and bloody, but who may gain her heart in the process. The plot is complex, with fabulous characters, and a surprisingly heartfelt story that will keep readers turning pages to the very end. Highly recommended to fantasy fans and those who enjoy strong character development with a few twists.
From the first page, I was pulled into this story. Zera is this sarcastic, bitter, loving, fierce girl. She's also Heartless, which means she doesn't have a heart beating in her chest. It still beats, but in a jar held over her witch's fire... the witch that saved her life, but equally condemned it and who can control her. Zera is a very conflicted character and a study of contrasts. She was only 16 when she became Heartless, but she has lived three years since then and has done and seen things that she can't forget. She loves pretty things, but is skilled with a sword, longs to be loved, but puts on a cold front. The other characters follow suit with their own contrasts and layers that are peeled off one by one as the story progresses. I loved all the characters! I loved as they are revealed or how they develop right before the reader's eyes.
I loved the dynamics of each of the relationships. There's Zera and Lucien, Zera and her witch, Zera and her fellow Heartless, Zera and her adopted aunt, Zera and other ladies of the court, Lucien and his bodyguard... it goes on. Each relationship had layers and each were different from the others - obviously because the characters were each different. I loved how the characters and relationships all had unique roles in the story and how they were all weaved together.
Now to move on to the plot... the author did a fabulous job in balancing the story. There were sweet moments, flirty moments (some swoon-worthy), some dangerous moments, other moments when the reader and the characters are learning what is going on, etc. I didn't feel once bored or that the author spent too much time in one spot or info-dumped. There was a constant undertone of urgency throughout. I did feel there were a few plot points almost skipped over - like some scenes were missing. There were only maybe two spots though where I felt this. Otherwise, the pacing was excellent. And there was all this conflict in the characters and in the plot about what was right, safe, valuable, or most important. There was this darkness, the constant hunger Zera was dealing with, and violence. But then equally I felt so much heart in this story. A great fit for the title and the overall plot, obviously, but it added a surprising balance to all the darkness. It also really connected with me, as a reader. There were some twists towards the end that I saw coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed seeing how things played out. And the ending! Saw it coming too, but loved it all the same.
A note to those who enjoy clean reads, there is some violence (bloody but not very descriptive - thank goodness), innuendo and some swearing. Zera definitely has a bit of a mouth on her. Half of the swearing wasn't really using swear words and when those were used, much of them were used as the words are intended to be used - in referring to actual things, if that makes sense.
In the end, was it what I wished for? I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! If you like the clash of classes (royals versus commoners), conflicted and complex characters, sweet romance, and fantasy with a bit of a dark edge, I'd definitely recommend this one. I'm highly anticipating book two!
Content: Some innuendo, violence, crass language, and swearing.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from through YA Bound Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.
About the Author
Sara Wolf is a twenty-something author who adores baking, screaming at her cats, and screaming at herself while she types hilarious things. When she was a kid, she was too busy eating dirt to write her first terrible book. Twenty years later, she picked up a keyboard and started mashing her fists on it and created the monster known as Lovely Vicious. She lives in San Diego with two cats, a crippling-yet-refreshing sense of self-doubt, and not enough fruit tarts ever.
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