Asian American Literature Fans

A Review of Amelie Wen Zhao’s Blood Heir (Delacorte Press, 2019)
By Stephen Hong Sohn



This book was very high on my to-read list for the YA debuts because of the controversy it garnered prior to its publication. There was some critique that its depictions of slavery were racist. After having read the book, I am left to consider again one of the challenges of speculative fictional terrains, which possess “loose” connections to the so-called real world, leaving many interpretive paradigms to emerge.

In the case of Blood Heir, Zhao employs the fictional construct of the Affinites for a stand-in of an indentured servant/slave-type class. Affinites have special abilities but are simultaneously seen as social pariahs for those very same abilities. Their powers are suppressed, and they are forced to take on menial positions throughout the Cyrillian Empire. Apparently, Zhao did code two referential aspects into her fiction: first, because the novel is inspired by the myth of Anastasia Romanov, who was rumored to have survived the chaotic circumstances following the Bolshevik revolution; second, the Affinites were, according to Zhao (having spoken in contexts outside of the text), based upon Asian indentured slavery (that primarily occurred in the 19^th century). Delacorte and/or Zhao may have been worried about adhering the text too closely to anything in our world, as the book does not include any author’s note nor does it explain any of the author’s intentionality. In any case, due to the controversy that occurred prior to the book release, the book was originally canceled by Zhao herself only to be later put back into the production schedule.

Now, after having read the book, I am surprised frankly by how much controversy this particular text has garnered, especially given how many other books involve similar plots and issues related to allegorical/metaphorical relationalities between our world and the fictional world. Nevertheless, the book does present us the opportunity to remember that even highly “estranging” fictional worlds can be politicized and framed through actual historical and social contexts (a connection that Zhao herself cannot escape given certain authorial intentionalities).

The novel itself adheres somewhat closely to the paranormal romance plot. There is a female teenager character who seems relatively normal, but is soon revealed to be absolutely extraordinary, not only in power but also in her heritage. She is a huge big bad to deal with in the form of the corrupted Cyrillian Empire. And, of course, there is a roguish man, who may or may not become a central, romantic lead. The darkness of the fictional world is apparent by much of the carnage and violence that tracks throughout the text, so readers should be aware that there are scenes that are pretty explicit brutality. Because of this representational streak, the novel seems to border on a kind of paranormal horror.

I found the text immensely readable. Upon realizing that there were only 100 pages left and I was already an hour past my bedtime, I made myself put the book away. Make no mistakes: the next night, I concluded my writing early just so I could finish it. Zhao’s novel will continue with Red Tigress, set to be released sometime in 2020. I’ll certainly be ready to read what seems to be the conclusion to a duology. Because of the specific controversies generated by this text, I would actually see this book as one that would be a productive addition to a classroom, as students could explore questions of representational appropriation, metaphorical relationality, and racial discourses as they are presented in YA fictions.

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Review Author: Stephen Hong Sohn
Review Editor: Gnei Soraya Zarook

If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Gnei Soraya Zarook, PhD Student in English, at gzaro001@ucr.edu