3.5
Crimson Reign
ByPublisher Description
For fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Six of Crows comes the thrilling conclusion to the Blood Heir trilogy. A princess with a dark secret must ally with a con man to liberate her empire from a reign of terror in this epic fantasy retelling of the Anastasia story.
The Red Tigress, Anastacya Mikhailov, has lost the gift she was only beginning to realize defined her. Stolen from her during the battle in Bregon, her blood Affinity rests with Sorsha Farrald, a dangerous Affinite who is on the run, headed straight to Cyrilia and to Ana's aunt...the Empress Morganya.
Though she is weakened, Ana's course remains true--yet her return to her homeland reveals a Cyrilia on the brink of collapse. Morganya's tyrannical rule has transformed into a sinister quest for unquestioned authority, and she has set her sights far beyond Cyrilia. Morganya seeks a legendary ancient power, rumored to have once belonged to the Deities themselves. If she can locate it, she can rule the world.
What's more, Ana's allies, the insurgent Affinite rebels known as the Redcloaks, no longer support her. For their allegiance is with the people--and there can be no equality with a monarchy.
Ana faces enemies at every turn, and every day without her Affinity brings her closer to death. Yet she is determined to liberate her people and vanquish the legacy of her own imperial bloodline--the inequality sewn into the fabric of her land. Her only hope lies in the navy she recruited in Bregon, the courage of her band of friends, and the cunning crime-lord-turned-captain she's fallen for.
If Ana loses this fight, it will be her last. And Morganya's reign of darkness with consume the world.
The Red Tigress, Anastacya Mikhailov, has lost the gift she was only beginning to realize defined her. Stolen from her during the battle in Bregon, her blood Affinity rests with Sorsha Farrald, a dangerous Affinite who is on the run, headed straight to Cyrilia and to Ana's aunt...the Empress Morganya.
Though she is weakened, Ana's course remains true--yet her return to her homeland reveals a Cyrilia on the brink of collapse. Morganya's tyrannical rule has transformed into a sinister quest for unquestioned authority, and she has set her sights far beyond Cyrilia. Morganya seeks a legendary ancient power, rumored to have once belonged to the Deities themselves. If she can locate it, she can rule the world.
What's more, Ana's allies, the insurgent Affinite rebels known as the Redcloaks, no longer support her. For their allegiance is with the people--and there can be no equality with a monarchy.
Ana faces enemies at every turn, and every day without her Affinity brings her closer to death. Yet she is determined to liberate her people and vanquish the legacy of her own imperial bloodline--the inequality sewn into the fabric of her land. Her only hope lies in the navy she recruited in Bregon, the courage of her band of friends, and the cunning crime-lord-turned-captain she's fallen for.
If Ana loses this fight, it will be her last. And Morganya's reign of darkness with consume the world.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesCrimson Reign Reviews
3.5
“A great conclusion to the trilogy. I really enjoyed this book. I'm glad Ana does the right thing and decides to abdicate and make the ruling for the people by the people. It's only right. I'm glad Yuri trusted her and listened to her. I did feel like Ana's killing of Morganya was a bit too easy, since Morganya was supposed to have siphoned all these powers, but I guess that just shows how powerful Ana's blood affinity is. It did anger me that Ana kept pushing Ramson away just in case she did die. She's making the choice for Ramson and I didn't like that. Ramson should be the one to decide if he would want to still be with Ana knowing she would potentially die in 3 months. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. I also got upset that quite a lot of characters I liked died. I cried about some of those deaths and also cried with Shamaira and Kais reuniting. Even though Linn wasn't a main character at the beginning, I really grew to like her. Kais and Linn were a cute side coupe in this story.
Plot summary below:
Ana is kidnapped again. Yuri's Redcloaks save her and Ana tells him that she doesnt want to be queen anymore and to make a just government. Ramson steals the scholar Ardonn who knows about siphoning and joins up with Ana. Linn and Kais warn the Templemasters about Morganya trying to steal the jade tablet, but they must then go find Ana to help her get her affinity back. Sorsha dies in battle and the 2 siphons are still available. Morganya takes one and Ana puts on the other. Later on, Ana gathers her army and storms the palace to take it back, but Morganya has already made her way up north to get the heart of the gods. Yuri dies. Seyin dies. Linn comes back and saves Ramson and then takes Ana up north with the map she got from the Templemasters so Ana can get her blood affinity back. Morganya does get the heart of the god, but broke Ana's siphon and Ana's blood affinity comes back and Ana kills Morganya. A month goes by and Ana abdicates the throne. She joins Ramson to find affinite traffickers. Linn also does the same.”
“The stakes were higher than ever as Ana and Ramson face the ultimate battle for the future of the Cyrilian Empire, dealing with the devastating consequences of war and the true cost of liberation. On a positive note, the author didn't delivered an easy ending, she remained true to the dark, gritty tone of the series, exploring the realities of grief, sacrifice and the messy nature of political reform. The character growth was deeply satisfying, as they both evolve from the isolated outcasts they were in first book into resilient leaders willing to sacrifice everything for a greater cause and their emotional bond remained the beating heart of the story.
However, as a finale, the book felt incredibly uneven and rushed. The first half suffered from a slow buildup with an excess of travel and tactical planning, only for the final confrontation and the resolution of major conflicts to feel abruptly condensed in the remaining pages. Several major subplots and secondary character arcs that had been carefully built across three books were wrapped up too quickly, leaving some long-awaited reveals feeling anticlimactic. Additionally, the introduction of new magical lore so late in the trilogy added unnecessary confusion rather than clarity to the magic system's rules.”
“The final fight felt a bit anti climatic. But the end was very satisfying.
I enjoy the nuances of all the different kingdoms. I think Lin Ramones my favorite”
About Amélie Wen Zhao
Amélie Wen Zhao is the New York Times, Sunday Times, and internationally bestselling author of The Scorpion and the Night Blossom, The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, the Song of the Last Kingdom duology, and the Blood Heir trilogy. She was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do.
Other books by Amélie Wen Zhao
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