Blood Heir is a 2019 young adult fantasy novel the debut publication by Amélie Wen Zhao. Prior to its publication by Delacorte Press, the book was subject to controversy due to allegations of racial insensitivity and other issues. Zhao subsequently decided to postpone the book's publication.
 First edition | |
| Author | Amélie Wen Zhao |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Emily Woo Zeller |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Blood Heir |
Release number | 1 |
| Genre | Fantasy Young adult fiction |
| Publisher | Delacorte |
Publication date | November 19, 2019 |
| Media type | Print, digital |
| Pages | 464 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0525707790 |
| Followed by | Red Tigress |
Background edit
Zhao was born in Paris and raised in Beijing; she immigrated from China to the United States at the age of 18. She studied economics at the University of California, Los Angeles and New York University, before working in the finance industry in Manhattan.[1][2][3]
Zhao found her literary agent during a pitching event on Twitter for writers of marginalized backgrounds. Her proposed fantasy trilogy, described as "Anastasia meets Six of Crows", sold at auction to Delacorte, reportedly for a high six-figure deal.[2][3]
Prior to the publication of Blood Heir, Zhao had established herself as an active member of Twitter's young adult fiction community, known as "YA Twitter". Kat Rosenfield of Vulture wrote that on social media, Zhao was "an enthusiastic, effective communicator who was deeply engaged with issues of diversity and knew how to make herself heard."[3]
The idea for Blood Heir came to Zhao during a family trip to Russia in 2014. She also drew on real-world issues such as human trafficking and indentured servitude in Asia as inspiration for the book.[1] In a tweet, she explained why the book did not feature Chinese themes, writing: "I don't want to be boxed into the permanent 'Other'; I want diverse books written by [people of color] to become part of the mainstream."[3]
Plot edit
Anastacya Mikhailov is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire, "a glittering land of ice and snow".[4] Affinites—people with various magical powers allowing them to control their surroundings—are a feared and persecuted underclass in the empire. Many Affinites are enslaved and exploited for their supposedly unnatural abilities.
Ana herself has a rare Affinity to blood: she can sense its presence in others and manipulate it. When she was a young girl, her powers resulted in the accidental deaths of eight people at an outdoor market. Since then, her family has hidden her within the royal palace by claiming that she was ill, causing her to feel like a monster.
When Ana's father, the emperor, is poisoned, she is framed for his murder after she is discovered next to his body, covered in his blood. She recognizes the true killer, an alchemist formerly employed at the palace, but does not know his identity. She escapes after her arrest and goes on the run for nearly a year, with the general public believing her to be dead.
To find the alchemist's identity, Ana teams up with the criminal mastermind Ramson Quicktongue, who was imprisoned after plotting to kill Ana's brother Luka, the new emperor. Ramson was hired for the job by Alaric Kerlan, a businessman and Affinite trafficker. After breaking Ramson out of prison, Ana returns to the dacha where she lives with her young friend May, a fellow Affinite who can control earth, rocks, and plants. The trio travels to the city of Kyrov, where May is captured by imperial guards when she fails to produce identification.
Ramson and Ana learn that the alchemist is named Pyetr Tetsyev. They track May to the Playpen, a nightclub in the city of Novo Minsk where Affinites are forced to perform for entertainment and are secretly trafficked. While they watch May's performance, the club is attacked by Affinite rebels called Redcloaks, who attempt to kill Ana. May saves Ana's life, but dies in the process. Ana's childhood friend Yuri, one of the rebels, tells her that Luka is ill with the same symptoms that her father had, causing her to suspect that he is being poisoned.
Ana and Ramson attend a ball at the estate of Alaric Kerlan, where Tetsyev will be present. Ana confronts Tetsyev, who tells her that he was being controlled by Ana's aunt Morganya, an Affinite who can manipulate people's minds. He informs her that Morganya also poisoned Ana's mother, who died when Ana was young, and that Morganya is plotting to subjugate non-Affinites under her rule by assuming power after Luka's death.
Meanwhile, Ramson confronts Kerlan, believing that Kerlan was responsible for Ramson's arrest by leaking the plot to kill Luka. Kerlan subdues Ramson and tortures him until he is rescued by Tetsyev, who tells him about Ana's true identity. Ana and Ramson separately make their way to the palace to confront Morganya, reuniting in the capital city of Salskoff.
Sneaking into the palace, Ana and Ramson encounter Kerlan, who has joined forces with Morganya. Ramson fights him off together with Linn, an Affinite whom he purchased and freed at the Playpen. Ana reaches the palace's throne room, where she discovers Morganya and Luka, who is planning to abdicate due to his poor health. After realizing that Morganya is controlling Luka, Ana uses her own Affinity to break the spell. Luka announces that he will cede the throne to Ana instead, but he is killed by the imperial advisor Sadov, Morganya's ally. Ana nearly kills Sadov with her Affinity in retaliation but decides not to.
While Morganya assumes the throne, Tetsyev gives Ana a paralysis poison that makes her appear to be dead. Ana and Ramson are taken to the palace dungeons but escape with the help of imperial guards who secretly oppose Morganya. Ana informs Ramson that she plans to travel south to find Yuri and the Redcloaks and join the rebellion against Morganya.
Release and reception edit
Pre-release edit
Blood Heir was originally scheduled for release in June 2019.[5] Early reviews of the book from readers with advance copies were largely positive.[1][6] In January 2019, however, some social media users accused the book of racial insensitivity and other issues, causing Zhao to postpone its release until November. The controversy was covered by journalists Jesse Singal in Tablet and Kat Rosenfield in Vulture, as well as publications such as Slate, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.
Whisper campaign edit
In January, a whisper campaign began against Zhao on Twitter, with one user claiming that Zhao had been collecting screenshots of readers who disliked Blood Heir. The Twitter user suggested that this constituted a threat to readers, saying that they "should be aware of this for their own protection".[2][3] Rosenfield said that the Twitter user "declined to offer proof" of Zhao's behavior,[3] while Singal found no evidence to support the claims.[7]
Allegations of racial insensitivity edit
Circa January 2019,[5] while revision of the book was underway,[8] several users on Twitter accused the author of writing a book that lacked sensitivity towards African-Americans,[5] based on passages about slaves being sold at an auction.[9]
Zhao issued an apology and asked the publisher to delay the book's release.[5] According to the author, the slavery passages were based on examples of indentured labor and human trafficking in Asia, including from her native country, rather than American slavery.[8][10] Katy Waldman of The New Yorker wrote that "[i]f anything, the damning readings of Blood Heir seem guilty of something that the Y.A. community mitigates against: the misapprehension of a cultural context unfamiliar to one's own."[10]
Plagiarism allegations edit
Some of Blood Heir's critics also claimed that the book contained plagiarized material. These allegations were mainly based on a single line from the book, "Don't go where I can't follow", originally from The Lord of the Rings.[2][5][11] Singal and journalist Robby Soave argued that the line was more likely an homage.[2][11] Aja Hoggatt of Slate said that the plagiarism accusations had "barely" any merit, while Rosenfield said that they were "shaky at best".[3][5]
Response from Zhao edit
In April 2019, Zhao announced that the book's publication had been rescheduled.[1] Despite her views on the prior criticism, she made further revisions. Editor Krista Marino stated that they "worked to further establish the nuances of indentured labor and trafficking within this fantasy world, without changing major plot points".[8] The publisher asked people who were to examine the work for possible representations of racial groups that would upset readers and also asked scholars to review it.[8]
Post-release edit
Blood Heir was released in November 2019.[12] In its review of the novel, Kirkus Reviews concluded that there was "no new ground broken", but that it was "a good read for those looking for bloody action and twisty politics".[12] Publishers Weekly wrote that "Zhao's plot imperils its protagonists time and again, leading the arc to feel repetitive and the protagonists less than capable", concluding that the novel "may garner readership despite the melodrama".[13]
Series edit
Blood Heir is the first book in a three-part series of the same name. It is followed by Red Tigress (2021) and Crimson Reign (2022).
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Alter, Alexandra (April 29, 2019). "She Pulled Her Debut Book When Critics Found It Racist. Now She Plans to Publish". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Singal, Jesse (January 31, 2019). "How a Twitter Mob Derailed an Immigrant Female Author's Budding Career". Tablet. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rosenfield, Kat (January 31, 2019). "The Latest YA Twitter Pile on Forces a Rising Star to Self-Cancel". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "The World of Blood Heir – Amélie Wen Zhao". Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Hoggatt, Aja (January 31, 2019). "An Author Canceled Her Own YA Novel Over Accusations of Racism. But Is It Really Anti-Black?". Slate. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ Alter, Alexandra (January 31, 2019). "Y.A. Author Pulls Her Debut After Pre-Publication Accusations of Racism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ Singal, Jesse (June 2019). "Teen Fiction Twitter Is Eating Its Young". Reason. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Kirch, Claire (April 29, 2019). "Controversial YA Novel Pulled by Author to Be Published This Fall". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ Schaub, Michael (May 1, 2019). "Amélie Wen Zhao's controversial young-adult book will be published in the fall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ a b Waldman, Katy (March 21, 2019). "In Y.A., Where Is the Line Between Criticism and Cancel Culture?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Soave, Robby (February 1, 2019). "Young Adult Fiction Author Cancels Book Publication After Social Justice Crowd Says It Isn't Woke Enough". Reason. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "Kirkus Reviews: Blood Heir". Kirkus. November 7, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Blood Heir (Blood Heir #1) by Amélie Wen Zhao. Delacorte, $18.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-525-70779-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved January 18, 2020.