Title Bloodleaf (Bloodleaf #1)Author Crystal SmithDescription from AmazonPrincess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her. But the ghosts that haunt Aurelia refuse to abandon her, and she finds herself succumbing to their call as they expose a nefarious plot that only she can defeat. Will she be forced to choose between the weight of the crown and the freedom of her new life?Initial ThoughtsI have had this book on my shelf since March and I just over the weekend decided to finally give it a read. I didn’t have any reservations about it, I just hadn’t gotten to it. I think I missed the initial hype on Instagram over it so I didn’t feel like I was missing out like I have with some other new releases.Some Things I LikedThe magic system and world building. I liked the idea of two kingdoms connected by promises and diplomacy. I thought the interactions between the two were very interesting and made for a unique political landscape. I’m excited to see more of the world Crystal Smith created.The pace of the story. I felt that this story took an appropriate amount of time to complete. What I mean is that sometimes, I read books where the main characters travel the span of an entire continent, fight in like 3 wars, and fall in love in about a week and a half. This book spanned several months and had a realistic timeline. I have to respect that.Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy AboutSome of the plot twists were super transparent. I don’t have a huge problem with that, but some of the “surprise” elements felt like I could have seen them from a mile away.The death toll. Once again, I find the death toll in a book too high. Don’t get me invested in characters only to take them away! My fragile little heart can’t take it!The ending. That scene right at the end where Aurelia literally said “Oh, I forgot”. Major face palm moment. I thought that was a major oversight for a character that I never considered stupid, until that moment. It definitely makes me seriously consider my timeline for the next book.Series ValueI think this series has a lot of potential. I would absolutely continue with it, but, I think that I would wait until the next two books are out (completing the series), before I read them. The ending of Bloodleaf was satisfying enough that I don’t feel desperate to read Greythorne right now.Final ThoughtsI liked this book a lot. Some of the plot elements were obvious to me, but then again, I consider myself to be the Sherlock Holmes of plots. No clue left unthought about. Therefore, I think a reader with fewer over thinking tendencies would really love this book. Also, I’d like to say, while the plot twists were transparent at times, I always liked the directions they took. They made the story progress in the way I wanted to see it unfold.⭐⭐⭐⭐Recommendations for Further ReadingGreythorne by Crystal Smith — this book will not be released until March of 2020 but, if you liked Bloodleaf, I’d strongly consider the next book in the series.Defy by Sara B. Larson — so many of the same elements in these stories. Trilogies, characters pretending to be someone they’re not, secret royals, and forbidden magic. Definitely give this series a try if you liked Bloodleaf.Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan — technically, I haven’t finished this one yet, but, if you liked the arranged marriage, people aren’t what they seem elements of Bloodleaf, do yourself a favor and check out Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon.