Red Blood (Card Holders, #1)

by Kaitlyn Legaspi

There are two kinds of people in this world: the bound and unbound. The unbound are born with unnatural, inhuman abilities. While having powers may come with its perks, to be unbound is to be cursed. Unbound individuals are treated as freaks, yet despite this, they hold the highest positions in the government: the Card Holders of the fifty-two domains.

When her domain's Card Holder dies, unbound seventeen-year-old Neela Blydes is forced to participate in a tournament to find the unbound most worthy of leading the Queen of Hearts Domain. But the tournament isn't as glorious as it seems. It's a tournament that herds unique unbound called Specialists into deadly combat, a tournament where winning by default is nonexistent and killing is permitted.

As Neela progresses through the rounds with her life on the line, she forges new alliances and encounters dangerous unbound adversaries. Among them is a white-haired man with crimson eyes.

Dangerously familiar crimson eyes.

• ISBN10: 1393217222
• ISBN13: 9781393217220
• Publish Date: 19 February 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Kaitlyn Legaspi
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 366
• Language: English

Reviews

[Baroness Book Trove]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi is about a group of people called Specialists fighting to be the next holder of their domain card.

Will Neela get passed the solo fights?

Neela Blydes

Neela Blydes is the main character and the one we follow through the story. She is a seventeen-year-old teenage girl who is one of the unbound Specialists. Neela has to fight in the tournament to be the leader of her domain. She only has her older brother, and he went to the core with his little sister.

Since losing their parents as young kids, these two were thick as thieves, even if Neela has been pulling back a bit from her brother. Neela puts up a front to some people when in reality, once people get to know her, she's just a sweet little cinnamon bun. She is a great character, and I can't wait to see what else happens to her.

The Story

Neela Blydes is a vigilante in the slums and doesn't want to go to the core to be in the tournament. She is scared about going into the tournament, and having her brother and trainer there in the core helped her. Neela meets a lot of different people throughout her time in the core. The story has a lot of things happening around poor Neela, and I can't go into much more detail but get your tissues.

Five Stars

Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi is a young girl that lost her parents and needs to be in the domain for the tournament. Ms. Legaspi spun an extraordinary story that I loved about everything in the story, from the beginning to all the plot twists to the ending. Neela has been through a lot, and I hope that Ms. Legaspi gives her a break in the next book.

My rating for Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi is five stars, and I'm recommending it to anyone that loves young adult fantasy books. I can't wait for Two More Lives by Kaitlyn Legaspi to come out.



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi.

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Quirky Cat]

Red Blood is Kaitlyn Legaspi's latest novel and the first one I have been lucky enough to read. It's a fantasy novel with several unique takes worth checking out.

Neela Blydes lives in a world where everyone falls into one of two categories. Either they are bound, or they are unbound. Those with magical abilities are known as the unbound. And while they are looked down upon, they also play an important role in society.

Now Neela, unbound, must participate in a tournament to find out if she will be the next unbound to take control of her domain. It's not a tournament Neela wanted to join, but she didn't have much choice in the matter, and now her life is on the line.

"I just wanted to go to a place where people accepted others for who they were."

Red Blood is a solid fantasy novel, one that I am so happy that I took the time to read. I was immediately transported into a world full of duels and competitions. A world where magic was essential – and yet still looked down upon.

When I first read the description of Red Blood, I was expecting it to have very heavy Red Queen vibes. You can imagine my surprise when I actually found something entirely different! (Though I do believe that fans of the series would still enjoy this one, of course).

I really enjoyed the way Legaspi set up this world – it was so fascinating, and I couldn't get enough of it. Luckily for me, this is the first in a series, so more will come! Likewise, the whole magical system – unbound versus bound – is compelling. Some of these elements were more familiar, but that actually made the whole thing feel very intuitive.

I'm also desperately looking forward to seeing what happens next in Neela's story! The ending is not what I would call a cliffhanger, but it did leave this reader eager for more, which is always nice.
Long story short: go read Red Blood; you won't regret it!

Thanks to Kaitlyn Legaspi for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks