Author: Sara Wolf

Pages: 400

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: 05 June 2018

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review! All opinions are my own.

I'm a huge fan of Sara Wolf's Lovely Vicious trilogy so when I heard she was releasing a new book in the fantasy genre, I was instantly interested. When I heard it was going to be about a girl with no heart trying to steal the heart of a prince? I was determined to read it no matter what. Bring Me Their Hearts was everything I wanted and then some.

Plot:
Zera is a Heartless- an immortal soldier of the witch Nightsinger, who saved Zera from the bandits that murdered her family. Nightsinger keeps Zera's heart in a jar and she serves the witch unconditionally. But Zera longs for freedom, for her heart. When the witch comes to Zera with a task- to steal the heart of the Prince- she accepts without question. But there's a catch: if Zera is discovered infiltrating the royal court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart instead of watching Zera be tortured by the witch-hating nobles. Prince Lucien hates the royal court as much as it loves him. None of his tutors ever try to correct him and every girl is trying to win their place by his side. Nothing and no one can challenge him- until Zera shows up. She's nothing like the other girls he's used to in the court and he's quickly aiming for her throat in order to protect his honor. A deadly game of cat and mouse begins between a girl who has nothing left to lose and a boy who has everything. Winner gets the loser's heart. Literally.

If that last line doesn't hook you, I don't know what will. A story about a heartless girl trying to steal the heart of a prince? Sign me up! This was such an exciting ride from start to finish. Not only was it bloody and vicious, but it was also full of political intrigue that had me absolutely hooked. There was also an impending war that the witches in the book were trying to prevent, which is where Zera comes into play in the court.  So many interesting elements came together with Bring Me their Hearts and made it an absolutely fantastic fantasy book. Honestly, I got some serious fairytale vibes while reading this book and I really enjoyed it! Although in this case, there is no damsel in distress. There's just a heartless flesh-eating witch bodyguard looking to literally steal the heart of the prince. It's so unexpectedly dark and I could not get enough of it! On top of all of that, there are some great character interactions and developments that are shown throughout the book and I'm so excited to see where they go from here. The one thing I was expecting from this was a cliffhanger ending and I definitely got it! Bring Me Their Hearts is a dark and delicious fantasy that will absolutely devour you from start to finish.

Characters:
Zera was amazing! I loved how full of sass she was (she really reminded me of Isis Blake) but how she also had a soft side to her. The internal battle that she was fighting with what she called the monster was so creepy! It was constantly telling her to kill and eat people and I loved that it added a darker element to both Zera's character and the story. My heart did hurt for her when the monster would tell her how horrible and unworthy of love she was, but she was definitely a snarky, sassy character with a comeback always in her pocket. I really did find myself connecting to her character as I was reading her story and seeing what she was going through not only for herself but for her fellow Heartless as well. There was more to Zera than what she showed on the surface and I appreciated that she wasn't just a one-dimensional character but rather a multi-layered character with flaws and a unique personality that I absolutely adored.

I also really enjoyed all of the side characters and their connections with Zera! Seeing her interactions with the prince and Y'Shennria and even some of the later characters just added so much to her story and her character as well. You could see that she wasn't just a heartless flesh-eating monster, but a real person who cared about others. But, you know, she also eats flesh and doesn't have a heart, and she makes sure you as the reader never forget that. All of the characters in this book were incredibly well fleshed out (haha, see what I did there?) and that's something that I always look forward to with Sara Wolf's writing. She can make you love or hate a character with just a few words and I always eat up her character development skills. Ah, the zombie puns are aplenty with this book!

Writing:

One thing that positively never disappoints with a Sara Wolf book is the writing. The plot could be terrible (it never is, she writes absolutely incredible plots that keep you hooked) and the characters could be flat as cardboard (they never are, all of her characters are deeper than the Marianas Trench and more layered than a fancy wedding cake) but the writing will always be fantastic. You really feel like you're in Zera's world and going through the things she's going through. It's descriptive and beautiful with a dash of creepy and dark which is the perfect balance and brings the story to life. Sara Wolf has such a talent for keeping her readers hooked on not only the storyline but the characters as well. You grow to know them and grow to love them and find yourself rooting for every single one of them to make it to the end. This is an author that knows how to please her readers with her words and I'm always excited to be able to dive back into her books whenever I get the chance.

Bring Me Their Hearts is definitely a whole different monster from The Lovely Vicious, but it's one you won't want to miss. With its fantastical writing, monstrously loveable characters, and a plot that really digs its claws into you from the very beginning Bring Me Their Hearts is sure to be one of the most memorable reads of the year.

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