The Blood Prince

A revolution changed the country of Rainbow, but all it did was switch a monarchy for a dictatorship. With a human empress on the throne, the people are taxed and in poverty, sparking rebels to rise up. Alexander goes to warn his uncle that soldiers have arrived in search of the rebel leader, but his warning comes too late. Now his uncle is dead, and he’s been arrested by soldiers to be interrogated only to be saved by the rebels and whisked away to their camp. His best friend, Sasha, is not only a rebel but has been one for years and had planned to leave without saying a word. The camp is under the rule of fallen prince Gangav, whom his best friend defends regardless of the bloodshed he causes. When a spy is suspected in the camp and an illness spreads throughout the land, they’re forced to find a way to relocate before they’re discovered.

The Blood Prince is the first book in Marie Blanchet’s Scale Hearts trilogy.

Sasha and Alexander have a strong friendship full of complications largely rooted in the fact that he’s in love with her but she doesn’t return those feelings. They experience a lot of friction while still maintaining a certain level of playfulness and an emotional disconnect to keep each other at a distance. Alexander is the only one brazen enough to question what the rebels are fighting for, so he acts as an outside perspective on the rebels, being neither for nor against. Sasha is a strong-willed character, but her devotion to the rebels and her blind faith in Gangav keeps her from demanding answers. Blanchet incorporates humor into this gritty world, balancing the danger around every turn. The Blood Prince is a story of strength, friendship, and relationships in a dangerous world ruled by fear and power.