The Last Bloodcarver, Vanessa Le
The Last Bloodcarver, Vanessa Le
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

The Last Bloodcarver

Author: Vanessa Le

Narrator: VyVy Nguyen

Unabridged: 10 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/19/2024


Synopsis

"You’ll gasp, you’ll scream, you’ll cry, and you’ll be begging for the next book." — Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights

"Smart, lush, and utterly compelling." — Marie Lu, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Legend

Nhika is a bloodcarver. A coldhearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch.

In the industrial city of Theumas, Nhika is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the rarest of monsters are traded for gold. When Nhika is finally caught by the infamous Butchers, she's forced to heal the last witness to a high-profile murder.

As Nhika delves into the investigation, all signs point to Ven Kochin, an alluring yet entitled physician's aide. Despite his relentless attempts to push her out of his opulent world, something inexplicable draws Nhika to him. But when she discovers Kochin is not who he claims to be, Nhika will be faced with a greater, more terrifying evil lurking in the city's center...

Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice—become the dreaded monster the city fears, or risk jeopardizing the future of her kind.

Praise for The Last Bloodcarver

*Three starred reviews*

★ "An entrancingly well-written debut." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Visceral and exquisitely rendered prose, intertwining a murder investigation with themes of unresolved grief, medical ethics, and lost heritage." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Deeply romantic, and darkly biological." — Booklist, starred review

"The perfect blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance." — Axie Oh, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

"Obsession-worthy characters." — Joan He, New York Times-bestselling author of The Ones We're Meant to Find

"Absolutely captivating. This is one to be savored." — Grace D. Li, New York Times-bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

A Macmillan Audio production from Roaring Brook Press.

About Vanessa Le

Vanessa Le graduated from Brown University with a degree in Health and Human Biology and now resides in the Pacific Northwest. Her writing is an expression of her love for medicine and her Vietnamese heritage. When not writing, she’s wishing she was writing, studying medicine, and/or spoiling her two Shiba Inus.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mai on April 01, 2025

In a sea of extremely mediocre YA Asian fantasy debuts, THE LAST BLOODCARVER does the impossible and draws me in. As often is the case, Nhika falls into the trap of being naïve and cliché. She is hoodwinked by multiple people, before coming into her own. As the wave of Vietnamese diaspora fiction con......more

Goodreads review by JustJJ on May 22, 2024

Blog | Instagram Rating: 3.5 stars 'The Last Bloodcarver' was another story with a strong premise but a simple execution that left me feeling underwhelmed. Similar read: The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani   Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 This gorgeous cover art neatly portrays the genre and several aspects of......more

Goodreads review by Maeghan 🦋 HIATUS on & off on June 06, 2024

« For a moment, she almost wondered what that must feel like, a love that weathered the threat of death » I kept thinking the author was going to say : HA- got you!!! And make it all ok but no. I’m shocked and heartbroken 😭💔 why would she wreck me with that heartbreak of an ending 😭😭 🫀 Healing magic......more

Goodreads review by Darcey on March 16, 2024

ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars This book was BRILLIANT. The fact that this is a debut author stuns me, because the worldbuilding was immaculate, the fantasy system so unique and well developed. I loved the concept of bloodcarving/heartsoothing, it was so well describ......more

Goodreads review by Zana on February 16, 2024

This fits The Diverse Baseline February Prompt C: A book by a BIPOC author with found family. 4.5 stars rounded up! My friend, Ren, said she really liked this arc, so I was pretty excited to read it. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint! While the reveals were pretty obvious (nothing really surpri......more


Quotes

*Three starred reviews*

"Le skillfully brings to life a gritty world filled with a beautifully crafted cast and an intricate magic system I've never seen before. A smart, lush, and utterly compelling read." — Marie Lu, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Legend

"Brilliantly rendered. The Last Bloodcarver unfolds in gripping detail, following a mystery colored by its beautiful, destructive city. You’ll gasp, you’ll scream, you’ll cry, and you’ll be begging for the next book." — Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights

"The Last Bloodcarver is the perfect blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance, with a world that feels lived in and characters that come alive on the page. A unique and beautifully written novel—Le is a talent to watch!" — Axie Oh, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

"The Last Bloodcarver has it all—a wonderfully unique magic system, heartfelt themes of legacy and diaspora, and obsession-worthy characters. I need more Nhika and Kochin now!" — Joan He, New York Times-bestselling author of The Ones We're Meant to Find

"Absolutely captivating. In The Last Bloodcarver, Le crafts a richly imagined fantasy world, filled with complex, nuanced characters and a magic system that feels brand new. This is one to be savored." — Grace D. Li, New York Times-bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

"The Last Bloodcarver is fantasy for the vicious, bloody and unrepentant, but fear not: in Nhika’s journey, Le has crafted a story that is, in its heart, about her tender homecoming." — Em X. Liu, author of The Death I Gave Him

★ "An entrancingly well-written debut." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Le expertly crafts a Vietnamese-inspired dark fantasy debut via visceral and exquisitely rendered prose, intertwining a murder investigation with themes of unresolved grief, medical ethics, and lost heritage." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Medically based magic, a world full of mechanistic creations, and incredibly lovable side characters are icing on the cake of this slow burn, deeply romantic, and darkly biological fantasy with a Vietnamese foundation...An engrossing, emotionally intense debut." — Booklist, starred review

A Nerd Daily Most-Anticipated YA