Heart of Red, Blood of Blue by Rebecca Belliston (Book review)

 

Heart of Red, Blood of Blue 

Can a girl who started the war
find a way to end it?

Gisela of Steinland was born without color. Albino.

To add to this curse, her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of

Kronga ends in his death and starts a ten-year-war her 

father is determined to win, even if it means bringing her

out of hiding to do it. Now the savage Krongan war 

commander, Bloodless Kristoff, seeks the hearts of the

entire royal family, especially Gisela's.

Desperate, her father agrees to another alliance that

 involves her marrying an old brute of a king.

Unwilling to be the sacrificial lamb, Gisela goes on the run.

Thrown into the center of a battle between three

kingdoms, she finds herself fighting for her life and

the right to be truly loved.

"You know, I've never seen anyone with white eyelashes. They're quite amazing."

"Amazing?" I roll my eyes without meaning to. "They scare most people."

"Why? You look like an angel."

This book is set in an alternate medieval period world, and I loved it! As someone who loves medieval times and enjoys reading fantasy books, this novel hit the spot. Over the course of a few days that I spent reading this, I found myself immersed in this world and plot-twisting journey. My thanks to my bestie Ariana, who gifted me this book. Thank you, friend! :)

    

    The main character, Gisela, was someone I enjoyed, and I liked her personality. She gives the classic princess kindness with a bit of curiosity and stubbornness. Sometimes her choices or thoughts were odd to me, but remembering that this was heavily medieval-based made it more understandable since the culture was alot different back then. And the author handled this aspect skillfully.

     The story and characters were true to an old era where marriage was prioritized over genuine love, and princesses often did not enjoy a familial life, as they were frequently sent away to other kingdoms, treated more like pawns in political negotiations than as individuals with their own desires. 

    Contradicting that a bit, though, was one character: Ryder. He was an enjoyable character at first, but felt more like a character in modern books -a bit cocky and sly, and a guy who throws a wink to a girl here and there. It didn't really ruin the story, though, and I still enjoyed reading his character and story. It's hard to go into it much cause as much as the summary reveals about the book, there are so many plot twists and turns to this book. It started out pretty basic and kinda boring, but when you keep reading -which doesn't take too long- you get hooked. 

    As my quote up top shows, there's a love interest. So yes, this book has some romance. The romance in this book is most likely a subplot, but aside from wanting to end a ten-year war, Gisela -like the summary states- wants to be truly loved. So I think the romance part in this book definitely played a big role, and I enjoyed it.

    It's definitely not the romance you see in most modern books. It's a lot calmer and alot less intimate. But I honestly enjoyed that too. It was sweet, and maybe sometimes a bit cringey lol. It was a bit of a quick attraction, but again, given the culture back then and Gisela's desire for someone to love, it didn't bother me.

    Another element in this book is Christianity! Gisela's favorite item is the cross necklace she wears, and throughout the story she's clutching it through rough times, praying to God for safety. I think she's actually Catholic, as it mentions Mass- although it doesn't go farther than that. The Christianity in this book isn't as deep as I thought. It's there, but aside from prayers throughout the book and abiding by the bible, it's not the main focus. I think someone could read this as an unbeliever and it wouldn't really get in the way. And it's also there for historically accurate purposes. It was still a nice element to see in the book.

    The story was overall entertaining and exciting. It wasn't a super intense, high-romantic, and emotional story that would bring you to tears, but it kept me up until 2:00 AM with its nerve-racking scenes. Gisella's feelings were portrayed well, adding depth to some emotionally heated moments. Although there were many injuries and battles, there wasn't any gore, but the book was still filled with thrilling action. It feels more like a medieval comfort read rather than a high-stakes fantasy tale, and I'm already re-reading to come back to the familiar journey. 

    I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it! Hope you decide to pick this book up! 

Age rating: 13+

Review rating: 8/10

-JaybirdsTweets