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A review by yazthebookish
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
4.0
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To lose you is to spill my heart’s blood. I do not know if I can bear the pain.
Heart's Blood is a romantic historical fantasy standalone and a very loose reimagining of Beauty and the Beast with a gothic backdrop that almost feels like an original tale of it's own and that speaks for Marillier's talent as a story-teller.
Set in medieval Ireland, Heart's Blood tells the story of a grieving young scribe who is fleeing her home after her father's death to find a safe haven away from her abusive kin. Caitrin's travels eventually lead her up to Whistling Tor, a place riddled in dark secrets and peculiar individuals, especially its Chieftain whose name is spoken with revolustion amongst his people.
Out of desperation, Caitrin accepts an offer to become the Chieftain, Anluan's, scribe and to help translate his family's old documents from Latin to Irish as she is fluent in both. She soon begins to uncover the Tor's dark past and the curse that has been haunting Anluan's family and his folk for a hundred years.
While this is a tale inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the author pays tribute to the beloved tale by including some elements from the original material, however Anluan is anything but a beast. In fact, there is no beast at all in the story. The Chieftain kept to his tower due to an illness he suffered as a child and the Palsy resulted in certain weaknesses in his body.
I appreciate the disability representation and the fact that there was no magical fix to Anluan's illness. It was heartwarming to see that despite the image he presents as a man of sharp temper with barely any social skills, Caitrin still saw him for who he is—a man of compassion and fiercely protective of those he cares about the most.
The romance was very slowburn so readers might have to be a tad patient for it to grow but it is so tender because the undeniable attraction and the LONGING between them is so—ugh!!! *affectionately*
The found family dynamic has to be the highlight of the book for me. The supporting characters were unique and so easy to grow fond of and I love the bonds Caitrin had with each of them. Anluan's folk are peculiar in their own way but they, too, have a story to tell.
Unraveling the mysteries of Whistling Tor and Anluan's family (especially his great grandfather) had me at the edge of my seat because the more we dig deep, the darker it turns out to be. So many tragedies struck the Tor for a hundred years and all lay upon the shoulders of every Chieftian of Whistling Tor.
The second half of the book is when the story speeds up and the stakes become higher.
I appreciate Caitrin's growth and the strength she finds to face her own demons despite the fear that haunted her even in her dreams. What she went through makes me hurt for her, but I feel proud of the person she becomes.
I only wish this book or at least the first half had a faster pacing and more action or drama, it might've tempted me to rate it 4.5 or even 5-stars. Nevertheless, I still had a lovely time with this book.
Content warnings: this book includes some triggers such as mention of domestic abuse (not by love interest), mention of deaths, attempted kidnapping, body-shaming (not by love interest), manipulation.
To lose you is to spill my heart’s blood. I do not know if I can bear the pain.
Heart's Blood is a romantic historical fantasy standalone and a very loose reimagining of Beauty and the Beast with a gothic backdrop that almost feels like an original tale of it's own and that speaks for Marillier's talent as a story-teller.
Set in medieval Ireland, Heart's Blood tells the story of a grieving young scribe who is fleeing her home after her father's death to find a safe haven away from her abusive kin. Caitrin's travels eventually lead her up to Whistling Tor, a place riddled in dark secrets and peculiar individuals, especially its Chieftain whose name is spoken with revolustion amongst his people.
Out of desperation, Caitrin accepts an offer to become the Chieftain, Anluan's, scribe and to help translate his family's old documents from Latin to Irish as she is fluent in both. She soon begins to uncover the Tor's dark past and the curse that has been haunting Anluan's family and his folk for a hundred years.
While this is a tale inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the author pays tribute to the beloved tale by including some elements from the original material, however Anluan is anything but a beast. In fact, there is no beast at all in the story. The Chieftain kept to his tower due to an illness he suffered as a child and the Palsy resulted in certain weaknesses in his body.
I appreciate the disability representation and the fact that there was no magical fix to Anluan's illness. It was heartwarming to see that despite the image he presents as a man of sharp temper with barely any social skills, Caitrin still saw him for who he is—a man of compassion and fiercely protective of those he cares about the most.
The romance was very slowburn so readers might have to be a tad patient for it to grow but it is so tender because the undeniable attraction and the LONGING between them is so—ugh!!! *affectionately*
The found family dynamic has to be the highlight of the book for me. The supporting characters were unique and so easy to grow fond of and I love the bonds Caitrin had with each of them. Anluan's folk are peculiar in their own way but they, too, have a story to tell.
Unraveling the mysteries of Whistling Tor and Anluan's family (especially his great grandfather) had me at the edge of my seat because the more we dig deep, the darker it turns out to be. So many tragedies struck the Tor for a hundred years and all lay upon the shoulders of every Chieftian of Whistling Tor.
The second half of the book is when the story speeds up and the stakes become higher.
I appreciate Caitrin's growth and the strength she finds to face her own demons despite the fear that haunted her even in her dreams. What she went through makes me hurt for her, but I feel proud of the person she becomes.
I only wish this book or at least the first half had a faster pacing and more action or drama, it might've tempted me to rate it 4.5 or even 5-stars. Nevertheless, I still had a lovely time with this book.
Content warnings: this book includes some triggers such as mention of domestic abuse (not by love interest), mention of deaths, attempted kidnapping, body-shaming (not by love interest), manipulation.