The Last Bloodcarver (The Last Bloodcarver Duology)
A pulse-pounding YA fantasy in which "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)
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.
Cinder meets Divine Rivals in Vanessa Le's The Last Bloodcarver, the first in a two-book debut - with a riveting medical magic system and lush Vietnam-inspired fantasy world.
"Smart, lush, and utterly compelling." — Marie Lu, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Legend
And don't miss Vanessa Le's latest, When Shadows Burn, deluxe edition for the first print run only coming November 2026!
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Community Reviews
How do you deny what is the essence of your core being and your inherited lineage? What if you are the last of your bloodline and of your kind? You are now in a world filled with automatron and because you and your kind who were once healers, now considered to be witches, outlaws and are captured only to be eaten or sold to the highest bidder for god knows what?
Sadly, Nhika’s Yarongese heritage was decimated during a war. Her family is all gone, she is broke and alone. Nhika has nothing but her wits and desperation of staying alive, she takes to the streets, becomes a charlatan as she secretly heals people just enough without them suspecting she’s really a heart soother.
She is captured like an animal and sold to an aristocratic family who need her specific skill to cure someone. Someone who is a witness to the murder of their father. As Nhika finds out who the killer(s) are, her world will never be the same.
Absolutely heartstopping and heartpounding as I read this book, it was abundantly clear, this debut novel is going to be a hit with those who love steampunk genre with Asian culture mixed in. There is some romance but I love that it doesn’t overshadow the mystery. It’s very low keyed and yet it’s absolutely tender and you will find yourself rooting for those characters. It doesn’t take away from the main plot which was something I deeply appreciated. When the romance does come out, it does so and adds to the depth of the main plot and you will find it necessary and at the poignant time. You may read this and ask, what is she talking about? It doesn’t even make sense. It will after you have read it. It’s that good!
I am biting at the bits waiting for the follow up novel.
Sadly, Nhika’s Yarongese heritage was decimated during a war. Her family is all gone, she is broke and alone. Nhika has nothing but her wits and desperation of staying alive, she takes to the streets, becomes a charlatan as she secretly heals people just enough without them suspecting she’s really a heart soother.
She is captured like an animal and sold to an aristocratic family who need her specific skill to cure someone. Someone who is a witness to the murder of their father. As Nhika finds out who the killer(s) are, her world will never be the same.
Absolutely heartstopping and heartpounding as I read this book, it was abundantly clear, this debut novel is going to be a hit with those who love steampunk genre with Asian culture mixed in. There is some romance but I love that it doesn’t overshadow the mystery. It’s very low keyed and yet it’s absolutely tender and you will find yourself rooting for those characters. It doesn’t take away from the main plot which was something I deeply appreciated. When the romance does come out, it does so and adds to the depth of the main plot and you will find it necessary and at the poignant time. You may read this and ask, what is she talking about? It doesn’t even make sense. It will after you have read it. It’s that good!
I am biting at the bits waiting for the follow up novel.
