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James Kidd

Blood Heir
by Amélie Wen Zhao
Harper Voyager
3/5 stars
The debut novel by 26-year-old, Beijing-born Amélie Wen Zhao is more or less a young adult fantasy, starring Anastacya Mikhailov, daughter of the Cyrilian emperor. Enveloped in multiple plots, it comes as little surprise when the ruler is murdered. What proves more shocking is that Anastacya (Ana) is the prime suspect.
Fleeing for her life, she realises the only way to clear her name is to find the real killer. This quest results in an uneasy alliance with Ramson Quicktongue, a criminal warlord with a Tolkienesque name.
If Blood Heir sounds like a parody of a 19th century Russian novel, then it’s not far off. Zhao’s story owes a debt to that of Anastasia Nikolaevna, the daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped execution during the Russian Revolution.
If the plot was inspired by the animated feature Anastasia, the fantasy has more in common with Frozen. Ana has been locked away from people because she is an Affinite, a semi-supernatural being with special bonds to (in her case) blood.
While the story is neither original nor always clear, it is engrossing and serious enough to release Zhao from the heavy-handed accusations of racism (in her depictions of slavery, which upset some African-American early readers) that delayed publication.


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The Beijing-born writer’s novel was mired in controversy because of her depictions of slavery, which upset some early readers
The young-adult fantasy is not always original but is it engrossing enough to quiet the internet critics?



The Beijing-born writer’s novel was mired in controversy because of her depictions of slavery, which upset some African-Americans early readers.


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An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


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