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writer6's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked Bloodleaf, but unfortunately I ultimately didn't love it as much as I was hoping to. Despite the fact that this book didn't completely live up to my expectations, I'll definitely be continuing with the series. :)
My Rating / Score: 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads' rating system. 7 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.
My Rating / Score: 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads' rating system. 7 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.
lavendermarch's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book! It was a loose retelling of The Goose Girl (a favorite fairytale of mine, especially Shannon Hale's version of it) and I had fun comparing this story to the other versions I have read. I really liked Aurelia, the main character, her brother, Kate, and Zan. The characters and the overall storyline were very compelling, and I was never bored or in danger of losing interest. Pacing was generally well done, and editing was perfect. I love the significance of the cover to the story. It was a darker fairytale, but not without light, which was lovely. The book ends somewhat wrapped up, but is apparently a trilogy, which is fun. I'm happy to read more! Oh, and the magic was quite interesting and it was woven into the story well, and was exciting and powerful, and came with the cost of blood (at least for Aurelia, as a blood mage). Honestly, this story was overall exciting, a bit romantic, completely magical, and a wonderful fairytale retelling. 5 stars!
scriptrix's review against another edition
This wasn't *bad* necessarily... I just never fully connected to the characters and found myself skimming without caring what happened to them. It also didn't help that I had recently (re)read another Goose Girl retelling. I guess I wasn't ready for another yet.
chrismichael797's review against another edition
5.0
Crystal passed a forward copy of this book to me during a writer's conference several years ago and the book has always lingered in the back of my mind since I read it. I'm trying to get my teen daughter to read it, but any book recommended by her father is a hard pass... she'll come around.
A fun retelling of the Goose Girl, it's a fun, semi-dark magical twist with intriguing fantastical world-building. I'm not a romance fan, so the fact that this carried me to the finish line speaks for its strengths. I'm also not much of a book crier, the list is short: The Little Prince and One Piece (twice of all things!). But towards the "All is Lost Moment" this one tugged at the heartstrings and almost got me. Chocked up is what I'd put it at.
Good characters, fun retelling, soft but well-built fantasy world. This is worth a pick-up as it's a pretty fast and clean read.
A fun retelling of the Goose Girl, it's a fun, semi-dark magical twist with intriguing fantastical world-building. I'm not a romance fan, so the fact that this carried me to the finish line speaks for its strengths. I'm also not much of a book crier, the list is short: The Little Prince and One Piece (twice of all things!). But towards the "All is Lost Moment" this one tugged at the heartstrings and almost got me. Chocked up is what I'd put it at.
Good characters, fun retelling, soft but well-built fantasy world. This is worth a pick-up as it's a pretty fast and clean read.
gabbiest's review against another edition
5.0
Bloodleaf gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go until I'd survived to the end with it's endearing narrator, Princess Aurelia of Renalt. I didn't know what to expect with this book after standing in line for an hour with my friend to receive an ARC at Yallfest, but I can say that it was worth the wait. Aurelia is a strong female lead who isn't ashamed of her penchant for blood magic, practicing and learning in secret while a political group in her country aims to destroy anyone who is accused of being a witch. Crystal Smith weaves a tale of political intrigue, lore, friendship, and magic that has earned a top spot as one of my favorite books I've read this year, and I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy to see where Aurelia's story goes next.
**I received this book as a free ARC from the publisher, however the review is 100% my own opinion**
**I received this book as a free ARC from the publisher, however the review is 100% my own opinion**
firvida's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Ha sido una grata sorpresa. Empieza siendo your average YA fantasy y termina siendo muy entretenido. La primera mitad es, creo, bastante mediocrilla, de ritmo algo lento y con diálogos un poco cringe, pero a partir de ahí va cogiendo ritmo, comienza a interesarte el destino de los personajes y, en fin, ya no lo pude soltar. Si la traducción fuera algo mejor, creo que se disfrutaría incluso más. Deseando seguir.
booksforourminds's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 estrellas.
Había visto este libro por ahí y siempre me llamaba la atención pero no había tenido la oportunidad de leerlo. Y es que, donde se ponga una historia de princesas, castillos y magia... allá que voy. La autora hila muy bien toda la trama que se va desarrollando en un mundo que nos presenta poco a poco y entre dos reinos que Crystal ha sabido construir muy bien.
Aurelia es la primera princesa en Renalt desde hace 200 años y su destino está ya escrito. Una alianza con el príncipe de Achleva que establezca la paz entre ambos reinos. Pero todo es mucho más complejo que eso, Aurelia alberga una magia en su interior que está penada con la muerte. Una situación peligrosa hará que Aurelia sea descubierta haciendo uso de la magia de sangre y tenga que huir bajo otro nombre y ocultando su rostro para llegar al reino de Achleva, donde nadie conoce su identidad. Pero, la ciudad de Achleva está en peligro y Aurelia es la única que puede evitar que sus muros caigan. Aurelia acabará enredada entre los sentimientos, la magia y una guerra que está apunto de desatarse, ¿podrá la princesa poner fin a todo y salvar el reino?
Desde el principio se ve que Aurelia no es una princesa cualquiera. La magia que tiene dentro de ella hace que sea de lo más especial y poco a poco descubriremos los motivos. Además, Aurelia demuestra que es fuerte y que nada ni nadie puede con ella. Si os digo la verdad, es el tipo de protagonista que este tipo de libros te pide: fuerte, decidida y sin miedo. Del resto de personajes, Zan me ha gustado como el que más, estoy deseando saber más de él en la segunda parte de esta trilogía. También Kate, que me ganó casi tan rápido como ella se ganó a Aurelia.
Hoja de sangre empieza muy fuerte metiéndonos de lleno en la trama a través de los ojos de Aurelia. Cuesta un poco hacerse a todo el sistema que ha creado la autora, pero una vez se empieza a entender cómo funciona la magia y los rituales, qué está pasando en el reino de Renalt y la importancia de Aurelia, todo empieza a cobrar sentido. Hace nada me enteré que este libro era un retelling de uno de los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm llamado La pastora de ocas, la verdad que no lo conocía pero ahora tengo mucha curiosidad.
Si algo me ha gustado de este libro han sido los brutales giros que se esconden entre sus páginas. La primera parte es más liosa pero la segunda parte coge carrerilla y te tiene con el corazón en un puño de principio a fin. Os aviso que es mejor no encariñarse con nadie porque esta autora se ve que es fan de Juego de Tronos o algo así, en Hoja de sangre nadie en imprescindible.
En definitiva, esta historia esconde magia, secretos, engaños y dos reinos perfectamente construidos. Hoja de sangre ha sido la primera parte de una trilogía que estoy deseando seguir leyendo porque me he quedado con muchas ganas de más fantasía, castillos y giros de infarto.
Había visto este libro por ahí y siempre me llamaba la atención pero no había tenido la oportunidad de leerlo. Y es que, donde se ponga una historia de princesas, castillos y magia... allá que voy. La autora hila muy bien toda la trama que se va desarrollando en un mundo que nos presenta poco a poco y entre dos reinos que Crystal ha sabido construir muy bien.
Aurelia es la primera princesa en Renalt desde hace 200 años y su destino está ya escrito. Una alianza con el príncipe de Achleva que establezca la paz entre ambos reinos. Pero todo es mucho más complejo que eso, Aurelia alberga una magia en su interior que está penada con la muerte. Una situación peligrosa hará que Aurelia sea descubierta haciendo uso de la magia de sangre y tenga que huir bajo otro nombre y ocultando su rostro para llegar al reino de Achleva, donde nadie conoce su identidad. Pero, la ciudad de Achleva está en peligro y Aurelia es la única que puede evitar que sus muros caigan. Aurelia acabará enredada entre los sentimientos, la magia y una guerra que está apunto de desatarse, ¿podrá la princesa poner fin a todo y salvar el reino?
Desde el principio se ve que Aurelia no es una princesa cualquiera. La magia que tiene dentro de ella hace que sea de lo más especial y poco a poco descubriremos los motivos. Además, Aurelia demuestra que es fuerte y que nada ni nadie puede con ella. Si os digo la verdad, es el tipo de protagonista que este tipo de libros te pide: fuerte, decidida y sin miedo. Del resto de personajes, Zan me ha gustado como el que más, estoy deseando saber más de él en la segunda parte de esta trilogía. También Kate, que me ganó casi tan rápido como ella se ganó a Aurelia.
Hoja de sangre empieza muy fuerte metiéndonos de lleno en la trama a través de los ojos de Aurelia. Cuesta un poco hacerse a todo el sistema que ha creado la autora, pero una vez se empieza a entender cómo funciona la magia y los rituales, qué está pasando en el reino de Renalt y la importancia de Aurelia, todo empieza a cobrar sentido. Hace nada me enteré que este libro era un retelling de uno de los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm llamado La pastora de ocas, la verdad que no lo conocía pero ahora tengo mucha curiosidad.
Si algo me ha gustado de este libro han sido los brutales giros que se esconden entre sus páginas. La primera parte es más liosa pero la segunda parte coge carrerilla y te tiene con el corazón en un puño de principio a fin. Os aviso que es mejor no encariñarse con nadie porque esta autora se ve que es fan de Juego de Tronos o algo así, en Hoja de sangre nadie en imprescindible.
En definitiva, esta historia esconde magia, secretos, engaños y dos reinos perfectamente construidos. Hoja de sangre ha sido la primera parte de una trilogía que estoy deseando seguir leyendo porque me he quedado con muchas ganas de más fantasía, castillos y giros de infarto.
thecrazyreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stelle!
Il libro non è niente di completamente originale e i plot twists sono abbastanza prevedibili, ma il sistema magico è il punto veramente interessante e anche i personaggi mi sono piaciuti.
Alla fine del romanzo moltissime questioni sono state concluse, lasciandone solo alcune, al momento secondarie, aperte. Per questo non sono sicura se andare avanti con la lettura della trilogia o fermarmi qui.
Il libro non è niente di completamente originale e i plot twists sono abbastanza prevedibili, ma il sistema magico è il punto veramente interessante e anche i personaggi mi sono piaciuti.
Alla fine del romanzo moltissime questioni sono state concluse, lasciandone solo alcune, al momento secondarie, aperte. Per questo non sono sicura se andare avanti con la lettura della trilogia o fermarmi qui.
secretdearest's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5
This book is full of danger, it's not safe, you have been warned.
I liked the point of view of the protagonist, her rational view on many things and her processing the outcomes.
Chapter 9 ... It was so sad, I was left with a hole inside my chest.
I fell for the boy in the book... the prince. This, I can assure you is not healthy, maybe it's just a phase I'm going through, but my emotions were pulled in all sorts of directions.
My previous thoughts:
Ok, just putting this out there, because it needs to be said.
It's 2019 and we are still recycling the same old topics.
First thought was that this book wasn't really exciting or action-packed. However, it had me going especially with the language and the form it was presented in.
Moving on past that, I'm enjoying the book very much. It is consistent, it has information (although about magic and superstitions) it did not, however, divert me from liking it.
Some have said they had read this in one go, I don't know how, because the writing wasn't that fluent enough (not a really bad thing) for me.
Some have said that this is a retelling, well if that's the case, I won't take back, what I've said earlier, but on a side note, I would like you to keep that in mind whilst writing your next great story.
This book is full of danger, it's not safe, you have been warned.
I liked the point of view of the protagonist, her rational view on many things and her processing the outcomes.
Chapter 9 ... It was so sad, I was left with a hole inside my chest.
I fell for the boy in the book... the prince. This, I can assure you is not healthy, maybe it's just a phase I'm going through, but my emotions were pulled in all sorts of directions.
My previous thoughts:
Ok, just putting this out there, because it needs to be said.
It's 2019 and we are still recycling the same old topics.
First thought was that this book wasn't really exciting or action-packed. However, it had me going especially with the language and the form it was presented in.
Moving on past that, I'm enjoying the book very much. It is consistent, it has information (although about magic and superstitions) it did not, however, divert me from liking it.
Some have said they had read this in one go, I don't know how, because the writing wasn't that fluent enough (not a really bad thing) for me.
Some have said that this is a retelling, well if that's the case, I won't take back, what I've said earlier, but on a side note, I would like you to keep that in mind whilst writing your next great story.