Bring Me Their Hearts (Bring Me Their Hearts, #1)

by Sara Wolf

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally.

• ISBN10: 1640631461
• ISBN13: 9781640631465
• Publish Date: 1 July 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing, LLC
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookishzelda]

I heart this book a million times over. Get it? Ha. Bring Me Their Hearts is one of those great books that you find and wish more people were reading. The story is unique and the writing is flawless. Also I adore every character.

The setting and the plot are all great but the true heart (ya I’m making too many puns) of the story is about the relationships. I’m not just talking about the developing romance between Lucian and Zera but also her interactions with other characters. Y’shennria and Zera in particular is one of my favorites. Y’shennria is such a complex person with such a complex past. The way Zera and her find each other is such a sweet and endearing part to the story. Neither of them wants to be in the situation they are in but they find themselves going through it together. I also really love Lucien and Malachite and how much the two of them care for each other. Being that Lucien’s father has pretty much shut down since losing Vera. Of course there is also Fionne and Reginall, so many characters that have their own impact but not in a overwhelming way.

I love Zera!!! She is so funny and quick witted. Also skilled with a sword to hold her own. I wasn’t actually sure how I felt about Lucien but I love love the witty banter between the two of them. It’s such a perfect slow burning romance. As much as I wanted them to get together, I was also really content with their friendship that gets established first.

The story is so unique and cool. The world building as well. It doesn’t necessarily happen in many different settings but the whole role that magic takes. From the witches who once were allies and then became enemies. To the Beneathers who have their own mystical powers. From the polymaths and their inventions. It was just so interesting!

The pacing of the story is perfect. You never feel like things are getting too slow or bored. Part of me did not want to finish the book because I was like nooooo I don’t want to wait for the next one. Which I still feel that way. Noooooo I don’t want to wait for the next one.

Love love this book and I hope people who are fans of YA and Fantasy read it!

[Leigha]

A zombie young woman attempts to prevent a war in this young adult fantasy romance.

This is a hard novel to review - I waffled between two and four stars for several weeks. I eventually settled on four stars because of the chemistry between the romantic leads, but I think everything else fell into the two star range for me. Zera is a sassy, sarcastic protagonist who fears very little due to her undead status. While a fun lead, she never felt authentic or real. I'm not sure I would be sad if something actually happened to her. Her and Lucien have wonderful chemistry, and it's probably the only thing that will keep me reading the sequel. The other characters aren't all that interesting, and the plot felt a little all over the place. I think all the ingredients for an amazing fantasy romance are present, but not necessarily combined well.

tl;dr While an unmemorable fantasy, the chemistry between the leads sizzles.

[KitsuneBae]

Book, thank you!

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
4.5*

Well, what a surprising little gem this book was! The premise sounded fun when I first read it, sure, but the execution certainly lived up to it- and then some. This is pretty much going to be a list of junk I liked, because I really liked this one and kind of flew through it. My only negative would be a few predictable spots, and long chapters (but that sounds a little nitpicky, doesn't it?) but otherwise? I loved!

Why I Loved It:

• So. Freaking. Funny. Zera is just too amusing, I loved her internal dialogue. She's at times self-deprecating, which honestly just went to show how much of a non-monster she really was. She's the kind of character I don't ever get bored reading about because she's always coming up with something entertaining about basically any situation- even in the worst of times. It brought levity to a book that otherwise could have been really dark.



• The world-building and the plot felt really fresh. I mean, sure there are aspects that are similar from other fantasies, but the magical system was interesting (and I am not usually a huge fan, so that says a lot), and the story just felt like it wasn't the "same old".



• The relationships in this book, oh my! I can't even explain how much I adored some of Zera's relationships! From her fierce protection of her fellow Heartless, to her budding relationship with her "aunt", at every turn Zera was making real, genuine connections with people and they made the story that much more exciting- likely because the stakes are higher when you care about the characters. Speaking of...



• I loved basically every single side character. Even the more villainous types I loved to hate. I don't even want to give much away, but wow, this book's character game is strong. And not just the main characters, even the more minor characters are really well fleshed out.



• Sets up book 2 really well. I need it. I need it now. It's one of those sequels that I'll be diving right into, because it ended in such a way that I need to know all the things!

Bottom Line: Oh, I enjoyed this book for sure! A really fresh addition to the YA fantasy genre, and if you love smart, snarky characters, you will love Zera and company!