REVIEW - Burning Bridges (The Bleeding Heart Trilogy #1) by Nadège Richards

Title: Burning Bridges 
Author: Nadège Richards
Series: The Bleeding Heart Trilogy #1
Published: July 14th 2012
Genre: Fantasy/Dystopian Romance
Links: Goodreads / Amazon
Source: eCopy from Author

Summary:
Do or Die...

In a world that has been divided amongst the Hunter race and the Warrior, prisoners who have fallen prey to King Cyrus' decrees are forced into the arena to fight until death. Winner is granted mercy and privilege to see another sunrise. Death unto the weak. In an attempt to get back at everyone who has ever shut her out, seventeen year-old Princess Echo becomes another victim, dragging Ayden, her forbidden love, along in a race to freedom, to find out who she really is, and to put a world that has been swallowed by lies back together again.

In the first installment of The Bleeding Heart Trilogy, life becomes a dangerous game of kill or be killed, love or let go. When death threatens the forbidden love of an unlikely couple and they are forced to do the unthinkable, to what extent will they go to be together?

5/5

This book was fantastic! I loved every bit of it! Richards has created an amazing world where choices have been taken away and people have been divided. Nothing is what it seems and one step out of place results in a fight to the death. But will you be the one to survive?

The world that the story is set in is new and fascinating. There are monarchies, balls, horse and carriages but at the same time people wear jeans, wear nail polish and have mobile-phone-like devices. It is a blend of old and new, something that I found very intriguing. Society is split in two, divided between the Warrior and Hunter race. The Hunter race live in poverty and Richards depicted this very well it the way she described the ruined city and how they found it hard to find work to earn money to put food on the table. 

The characters I really liked. Princess Echo feels like an anomaly. She knows she should be excited about getting married and soon becoming Queen but she doesn't. She doesn't want this life. All she wants is to be free to make her choices and not have to follow her fathers orders the whole time. She doesn't believe in the way the people are treated and how they have to be divided. But after one disappointment after another she slowly loses the will to fight. That is until she meets Ayden. They instantly form a connection and soon they embark on a forbidden romance, one that will mean the death of them if discovered.

Echo I liked. I liked how she stood up for herself and chose to make a stand. She saw that the way her father ruled was wrong and I loved that she decided enough was enough. I really rooted for her. Ayden was great too. My heart broke for him and the situation he was in. I really rooted for these too as a couple and just wanted them to get the break in life they deserved. 

This is a heart-wrenching and action-packed book that will stay with you long after you've finished it. I loved how it started in the present and then skipped back to 5 weeks before. This hooked me and I had to know what was gonna happen. I also loved how it was told from both Echo's and Ayden's POV. You really got to see both sides of the divide and the difference and also the similarities in these characters lives. I can't wait for Deceiving Destiny to find out what is next in store for Echo and Ayden. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

*I received an ebook of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*