This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Bloodlaced

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Asagi is neither man nor woman. Sold into slavery, they are subjected to emotional and physical abuse. And when one master is done, they are sold to another to repeat the cycle. When one such household leaves Asagi in charge of a young boy, they do all they can to protect him. But the inevitable happens and Asagi is torn away from the boy to be sold to another house. Guilt and heartache plague them. Pain becomes the only solace in their life, the only thing able to ground them. When the new household shows even the smallest kindness, Asagi is hesitant to believe it is possible. Surely it is some new way to torment them? Asagi will soon learn, while the master may indeed be kind, there is an underlying darkness that compels him to do so.

Asagi’s character is tragic and complex. The amount of abuse they have endured is heartbreaking. Watching the evolution of Asagi’s trauma and battle to overcome it will keep readers entranced. They are so frightened by human interaction. When Asagi begins to form connections with people they are such fragile relationships that take time to develop and grow. And even at their strongest points, the past haunts Asagi making them doubt every good thing in their life. Not to mention the confusion of trying to form relationships with people when for so long Asagi was seen as only a slave.

Bloodlaced is a dark and emotional read. An extra depth was added to the writing as readers will often feel as confused as Asagi when they try to understand their feelings of love. Asagi believed love was beyond them and when they begin to feel different kinds of love the messages seem to become mixed. There are times when the expected social interactions become skewed with other kinds of love. Then add in the element of vampirism and it mixes up the emotional drives.

Vampirism in this novel takes the form of a youkai. And while the lore around this particular youkai is limited, it makes a large impact on the story. Many of the characters' choices will be determined by the effects of the youkai and haunted pasts. And while vampirism is the perfect catalyst for many of the plot points, a stronger foundation in the lore would have added to the worldbuilding.

Bloodlaced is by no means a light read and will not be suitable for all readers. There is no shying away from the brutality characters endure. The depth of emotional and physical torment bestowed on Asagi will not be easy for readers to experience. ( )

“Are you a man or a woman?” she asked, her nose millimeters from mine. The same question I’d been asked a million times before. I only ever had one answer.

“I am Asagi.”

I really like how very different this book is from others in the vampire genre. If I was to compare it to any of the ones I’ve read, I’d probably say it fits in with [a:Shari Sakurai|7756989|Shari Sakurai|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389540032p2/7756989.jpg]’s Demon’s Blood series in that both are set in historical Japan and follow the characters’ struggles around vampirism. Bloodlaced is a nuanced character study and a good bit of the book occurs before the fantasy element comes in. The story focuses heavily on the effects of imbalanced relationships, and especially how these relationships impact those without a say in their circumstances.

There are some spoilers herein.

The story begins with Asagi and Tsukito, two household slaves, the day they are sold to a new master (who is a complete arsehole, let’s be clear). It’s a horrible, brutal place where both are abused. And no matter how hard Asagi works to keep Tsukito safe, things get very dark and bleak for the pair. Eventually, Asagi is bought by a new master, Mahiro.

I was unsure of Mahiro at the start, although Asagi certainly wasn’t:

Like a fool, I’d fallen in love with the moon, and once again it was out of my reach.

To be sure, Mahiro is nothing like Asagi’s previous master and encourages opinions and respect amongst members of the household. And so Asagi quickly falls in love with Mahiro. Asagi also makes friends with Kira, who hides a secret about her relationship with Mahiro and is, awkwardly, madly in love with him. So the closer Asagi and Mahiro become, the more jealous she gets.

Asagi soon learns that Mahiro is a blood-drinking immortal. Though Asagi’s reaction is bad at first, soon they grow closer and become deeply attached to each other. But the joy doesn’t last long. An unfortunate series of events leads to Mahiro turning Asagi into a creature just like him. Something Asagi isn’t remotely delighted about. Worse, the longer they’re together, the more Asagi realises that Mahiro is not an equal, nor views himself as such, and resentment builds slowly on Asagi’s side.

He was still my master. I might not have been bound in chains, but I had become a slave of another kind, bound by blood and time.

I was so glad Asagi realised this and didn’t excuse Mahiro’s views simply because he was kinder than some. (I was worrying, guys. WORRYING.) As time goes on, Asagi begins to push back and I was rooting so hard for Asagi to find Tsukito and get the happy ending that was denied to both of them.

The ending was straight up AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER. I wasn’t expecting any of the final twists, but overall I really liked how everything came together in the end. A very impressive start to a new series!

Really excited to read what happens next!

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review as part of the Bloodlaced Blog Tour. ( )

I have to agree with one of the other reviewers, it's hard to talk about this book without giving away spoilers. I highly recommend this book for those who are into Japanese culture and folklore. Don't let the Japanese terms scare you as there is a glossary in the back. A good horror story with an LGBTQ character. ( )

This is probably one of the most difficult reviews I have to write. I cannot tell you a thing about the story because everything is a spoiler. I literally dreaded turning each page because I was scared to see what would happen next. Either things were so awful I didn't want them to get worse, or if things were good, I dreaded seeing the few good moments go straight to hell. All in all: A great read. Well recommended. I do find the warning about explicit violence and sex to be laughable; I have read dozens or hundreds of books much worse than what this has to offer. But, in today's climate, I guess you have to be litigious. I also have to say I was glad to have read it in an epub reader in my browser, so I could easily right click each Japanese word and search for their translation, which was helpful. ( )