Red Tigress is the action packed sequel Blood Heir deserves

Amelie Wen Zhao’s debut novel Blood Heir was always going to be a hard act to follow. The book faced online controversy and had its release date pushed back by five months, but ultimately turned out to be one of the best YA fantasies of 2019.  Now, following a coronavirus pandemic-related publication delay, its sequel, Red Tigress has arrived with little of the fanfare that surrounded the first novel in this trilogy.

Sorry to everyone that’s still sleeping on this series though – Red Tigress is just as good as its predecessor, an action-packed follow-up that raises new questions, introduces new characters, and sees the exiled Princess Anastacya Mikhailov wrestle with how she sees her own identity and why she wants to reclaim her throne.

Ana remains a wonderful heroine and the best sort of leader – one who is willing to not just question herself and her motivations, but who understands that sometimes her assumptions and positions may not be correct and is willing to change her mind as a result.

The sequel picks up as violence in Cyrillia grows in the wake of Empress Morganya’s decision to crack down on all those who do not possess Affinite abilities, as well as those who stand against her reign. Ana has few friends, no army, and much of her kingdom believes she’s dead.

Her road to reclaiming her kingdom will initially force her to abandon it, as she flees across the Whitewaves to the seafaring nation of Bregnon, which happens to be the homeland of one Ramson Quicktongue, a con man who is Ana’s sometime ally – and maybe something more? – with plenty of secrets of his own.

Red Tigress dramatically expands the world of Blood Heir carrying Ana and her allies into a new kingdom with its own hierarchy and power structure. Bregnon is fascinating for the ways in which it differs from Cyrillia, and the dark secrets hiding in its beautiful citadel are shocking multiple times over.

Several disparate story threads from the previous book – Ramson’s hunt for Alaric Kerlan, the underground Affinite trafficking network that Ana swore to dismantle, and Linn’s own experience with being sold to a foreign land – all combine to give us a glimpse at the larger story this trilogy aims to tell, and sets things up for an explosive final installment to this trilogy.

Of course, the new setting of Red Tigress puts Ramson center stage, as we learn more than ever before about his background, his upbringing, and why he has made the choices he has in his life. Torn between multiple identities and unsure about what he wants for his own future, this is as likable and multi-dimensional as this character has ever been.

New villains arise, including some with disturbingly close connections to Ramson, and the stakes in this story feel higher than ever before. (Fair warning: There is a lot of blood and death in this novel, even more so than its predecessor contained.) One character in particular, a girl named Sorcha, feels like a darker, more unstable version of who Ana could have turned out to be, had she made different choices or not found people like May, Linn, and Ramson to hang onto in her life.

Watching Ana wrestle with what kind of leader she wants to be – and what she’s willing to sacrifice in the name of protecting her people – is deeply compelling, especially when she is faced with what feels like impossible choices. Her journey toward self-acceptance over the course of these two books has been fairly remarkable, and it’s satisfying to look back on how far she’s come.

Where she’ll end up by the end of this trilogy is anyone’s guess, but the conclusion of Red Tigress – with its separations and sacrifices – indicates that it won’t be anywhere readers expect.

Red Tigress is available now. Have you read the Blood Heir series? Sound off in the comments.