For once, I would like the characters who are said to be dead to not turn out to be alive in the end.

OVERALL

4.5/10

SYNOPSIS

Zera’s heart has been taken by the witches. The witches want to prevent an impending war between them and the humans, so they make a deal with Zera: steal the human’s prince heart for them, and they will return hers.

Off Zera goes to the court, pretending to be a noble lady to gain the prince’s trust. One problem: she actually has to interact with him. And a Zera does so, she gets to know the prince as a person – a kind-hearted darling who just wants to do good for his kingdom.

You can guess the rest.

WHAT IS GOOD

The story is simple enough. The writing is decent; and for the most part, the characters have clear goals and personalities. Bring Me Their Hearts is bluntly predictable but I will not hold this against the book; as long as a story is well written, predictability is acceptable.

WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD

The female lead Zera tries too hard to be witty and sarcastic. Yes, using humor to deflect emotion is part of her character, but the thing about these characters is that you have to make sure their jokes are funny, and 70% of Zera’s are more childish than witty, resulting in her sounding rude and condescending to people who just want to know simple things like whether a minor cut on her hand hurts.

The open ending does not resolve a single conflict presented by the story and practically shouts at your face that you will have to get the next book to find out. In the end, this book feels more like episode one of a Netflix show.

It’s fine to use the first book in a series to set up future books, but every book should respectively have a satisfying conclusion, and Bring Me Their Hears just doesn’t. I would say that this book does not do well as a standalone story.

The romance takes two weeks to develop? It’s a bit speedy, just saying.

SHOULD YOU READ IT?

Not if you like to be challenged or moved.

However, Bring Me Their Hearts is a short and fast-paced book. Give it a try if you’re in the mood for a quick fairy tale with a twist.