Title: Bring Me Their Hearts (Untitled #1)
Author: Sara Wolf
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Magic | Romance
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing 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 her 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 (goodreads).
Bring Me Their Hearts was unexpected but fun.
Plot: I picked up Bring Me Their Hearts because it sounded like the dark fantasy I was desperately in need of, and surprisingly, the tone was rather light. Zera was an orphaned girl who was turned into a creature whose only instincts were to kill and eat. She had the opportunity to gain her humanity back in the exchange for the heart of an enemy prince, and of course, there was only one girl for the job.
Bring Me Their Hearts was a fun book, I enjoyed myself every step of the way and I found it hard to put down. I'm a sucker for deception and court intrigue so I enjoyed every close call and all the secrets that unfolded. Of course, the romance played a key role in Bring Me Their Hearts but it did seem that the romance got more attention than it actually needed. There was a war on the horizon but it seemed so far away given the focus on Prince Lucien and Zera.
At the end of the day, Bring Me Their Hearts hit all of the YA notes, but there were some scenes that were a bit too paint by numbers.
Characters: Zera was the sassy main character that we all deserved. Even though she was handed a crappy hand in life, she still had her sense of humor and sharp wit. I enjoyed her interactions with everyone, especially Prince Lucien. The other side characters were interesting enough to endear themselves to me and I want them to have bigger roles in future books.
Worldbuilding: The world of Bring Me Their Hearts was intriguing because it was filled with lots of different magical creatures. Of course, there were witches and their Heartless servants, but there were also wolf-like creatures and other things that went bump in the night. The court life was everything I wanted and more. There were different allegiances and a clear understanding of why the witches and humans were walking on eggshells. I liked the bits of the world that we saw outside of the court so I really hope that it will be further explored in the next installment.
Short N Sweet: Bring Me Their Hearts was creative and different. This will be a winner for readers who want their fantasy with a lighter tone.
Labels: 3.5 stars, book review, bring me their hearts, entangled teen, review, sara wolf
