Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf (Book Review)

Hi Blisses,

TITLE: Bring Me Their Hearts
BY: Sara Wolf
SERIES: Bring Me Their Hearts #1
GENRE: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
PUBLICATION: June 5th 2018 by Entangled: Teen
RATING:

BLURB

Zera is a Heartless, and as the term implies, she literally has no heart and she’s set to have it back from Nightsinger, the witch who has it. Chance came when Nightsinger along with other witches asked her to do a mission – to bring them a prince’s heart. Literally. But then she met her victim, Prince Lucien d’Malvane, who finds her very different from the ones in the court he’d been hating. Zera knew  her mission was hard from the start but it became even harder when she finds herself getting close to the Prince but she couldn’t forget what at stakes if she fails at her mission. It won’t be just her own heart, she also have to consider the brewing war between the witches and humans.

REVIEW

The Plot and the Writing

The writing works for me just fine. Initially, I thought this book would be just the usual forbidden romance and a war between witches and humans and that Zera will be caught between it. Besides, she is currently in the side of the witches but also wants nothing but to be human again. But I was wrong. The main plot isn’t just about witches versus humans, it’s more than that. Sure the big part is about it and it’s what led the storyline to move but there are so many layers in the plot that makes it a very well-crafted story filled with themes so hard to ignore. I love forbidden romance, first of all, but I also like the intrigues and political side of the story. The villain being driven by a political objective might be cliché but I still like it. I also love cliché stuffs that happen in court, from a prince looking for a bride to women from noble families trying to catch the Prince’s heart. It’s so cliché but I enjoy this theme, even the dramas of the noble people who Lucien hates.

But my favorite is the underlying theme of the whole story. The moral that Zera’s character shows; the lesson behind her struggle for identity. She really wants to be a human, or at least stay human.

“And you must know, too, that the hunger isn’t you. You must never confuse its evil for your own thoughts and feelings. I remember vividly that was the worst part of being Heartless—thinking that shadow was part of my own soul.”

– Sara Wolf (Bring Me Their Hearts)

And the truth about who you want to become, that it’s not about who you were or about the people who have raised you. It all depends on who you want to be.

“It’s not a question of whether or not the apple falls far from the tree, because of course it doesn’t.” Her eyes fix in the distance. “It’s whether or not the apple can grow taller than the tree.”

– Sara Wolf (Bring Me Their Hearts)

The Characters

Zera is so easy to like. From the moment I met her, which is at the very beginning because the story is narrated by her, I liked her. She’s this sassy, witty,  badass but full of humor girl who you want to be friends with. It’s no surprise that she caught the attention of the prince. I really enjoyed Zera’s journey and cheers for her as she battles against her physical enemies and the demons inside her. And that character she showed at the very end of the novel showed how hard it is to be her, being consumed by a monster she never wanted to become. Meeting Lucien, though made her life harder, was a good thing because it’s very obvious they’re both made for each other. I even enjoyed all their banters and even the simple conversations and the sweet ones. I love how their romance slowly developed. It’s not the grandest romance I’ve ever read but that makes it the best because I’m so tired of the romances in YA where the MCs think as if the other is their whole life. You know what I mean?

The side characters are really good too. First, the witches. They weren’t portrayed as bad ones but still, I love the feeling that I can’t truly trust them, even Nightsinger who seems like a good one. I like it that there are still so many things I want to know about the witches in the next book. I’m also excited to know more about the other Heartless that Zera loves. I enjoyed the character of Malachite, Luc’s personal bodyguard. He’s not human, by the  way, but a Beneather. There’s Fione too who is driven by her desire to avenge her love. She’s a very complex character and though I trust her, I know she can be evil if she chooses to be. And then there’s Lady Y’shennria who, from the very start, I knew I’d grow to love. My only complaint is the villain. There seems no depth in him except as being the villain. There’s also no proper back story that somehow might explain his actions, except that he wants power. That’s not enough for me. But I still enjoy the conflicts he inflicted to the Main Characters.

The World

Firstly, the concept of immortal, unaging Heartless who serve as soldiers for the witches is so fascinating. It’s also fascinating to know why and how witches create the Heartless. The world is also filled with other creatures that are interesting, I really hope war between witches and Humans really came and the other creatures show up and take sides. That would be amazing. And by the way, if you’re wondering why can’t the witches just use their magic against the humans, well, there’s a little back story involving a war between the two races that might explain. The Humans also have Polymaths who study and invent or create stuffs that can defeat the witches and the Heartless.

Finally, I want to address that cliffhanger ending. I was expecting it but still, I’m infuriated because I have to wait for the next book to know what happens next. I don’t know if I’d be able to get an ARC from Netgalley or Edelweiss but I’m so tempted right now to ask one of my friends to let me borrow an ARC. But I’m not even sure if that’s okay.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. I really like everything in it. It’s not the best fantasy I’ve ever read but it’s close.

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