Blood Leaf by Crystal Smith

I really loved this read. I can't wait to see what will come next but am glad that this was not an ending that will leave me grasping at straws.

Zan, Aurelia and all of the other characters were so fun. Throw magic into this read and I was hooked from he start. I love a cast that grabs your attention from the very start. I didn't know the originally Goose Girl story, so for me this wasn't a retelling. Though I plan to go read it now. Also I want to mention the plot twists. These plot twists absolutely twirled my world. What will our heroine save, her kingdom or herself? A dark and truly Grim Fantasy read that honestly I was all over page after page. I like a little dark in my reads and the delivered completely. I can't wait to read what this author brings to the table with the next book. It is going to be a doozy.

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of RED QUEEN and UPROOTED, Crystal Smith’s debut novel, BLOODLEAF, is an imaginative retelling of the Grimm Fairy tale “The Goose Girl” that takes a ghostly mystery and sets it inside an epic fantasy world. Aurelia is the first princess born to the Renalten crown in two hundred years, destined to fulfill a treaty by journeying to marry Valentin, the prince of Achelva – Renalt’s greatest enemy. Rumors of an unwell, cruel prince abound, and the only thing that eclipses Aurelia’s apprehension of her impending marriage is her fear of those who’d kill her to prevent it. When an assassination attempt forces Aurelia to use forbidden magic to save a stranger, she is driven from Renalt by the witch-hunting Tribunal and a mob out for blood. But before she can claim asylum in the court of her betrothed, her travel party turns on her, forcing her to trade places with her treacherous lady-in-waiting, Lisette. Now penniless in Achleva and bereft of her identity, Aurelia must decide if she wants to surrender to her new life or fight for her old one, all while navigating the complicated ties binding her to the enigmatic prince, the unquiet ghost of an ancient queen, and a poisonous plant called bloodleaf. Aurelia is a pawn in a centuries-long game of love, power, and war— and if she can’t extricate herself from it before Lisette marries Valentin in her stead, she may face losses far more devastating than her crown.