Red Blood

Books, Coffee & Passion

I was interested in Neela's story pretty early on. The 52 domain world sounded very intriguing and I was hooked.

In this world, unbound people have powers and abilities like super strength, super speed and manipulating elements like fire, for example. However, the unbound are considered cursed and are hunted in their society. Still, when the domain's Card Holder dies, the unbound are forced to participate in a tournament, where killing is permitted, to find the next Card Holder in the Queen of Hearts domain.

The world was pretty unique and it intrigued me. In my opinion there wasn't enough word building yet, but I hope it'll be more development in the next book. I couldn't quite figure out the hierarchy of this unique society considering the different domains, the cardholders, the assassins and the bound vs unbound.

Neela was an interesting main character, I enjoyed the fact that she was street smart but still maintained a level of ingenuity. I liked her strong personality and her irreverence. Sometimes, I struggled with some of her inner thoughts, it felt a little repetitive to be in her head.
I enjoyed Amil, he was a very funny, sweet, multi-layered character and I wished we had his POV along with Neela's, and I liked Jacen, Neela's brother too.
Regarding the characters, I think the relationships between Neela, Brochan and Brochan's relatives developed a little too fast considering Neela's personality and experience in this world (being a vigilante, hiding her identity, being hunted, etc).

I really liked the mystery about what happened in Neela's past, I think that was my favorite part of the plot. I also enjoyed the tournament setting, but it bothered me the lack of training at the beginning of it. At times the tournament didn't feel as important as it was, because Neela was off doing other minor stuff which led to a lack of build up to certain events, including tournament fights. I'm very interested to see how using the cards will influence a real fight.

Overall, it was an entertaining story set in a very, very interesting and intriguing world.

This book was a highly engaging, impossible to put down, thrill ride! Legaspi's prowess shines brightly in this first book! The characters each have a unique quirk and personality that gives me anime vibes! The heroine: Neela is an MC that you just can't help but root for as trouble after trouble comes her way, ending in a heart wrenching scene that made me have to wipe my eyes. The world of The Card Holders is filled with danger and intrigue, and I desperately wanna know more. I have so many questions about this world and it's people, it make's me wanna go to youtube and make theory videos. A unique spin on the Hunger Games formula, this book is a must read for those looking for some excitement, and feels without leaving the comfort of their couch. GO BUY THIS BOOK!!!