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.

Four Starred Reviews
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

"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

★ "All collections will benefit from this unequivocal first purchase that will resonate especially deeply with immigrant and diasporic teens struggling to see themselves in media." -- School Library Journal, starred review

Nerd Daily Most-Anticipated YA
A Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Title
Nominated for Maine Student Book Award
Nominated for Garden State Teen Book Awards

Publisher: Square Fish

Pub date: 2025-03-18

Length: 400 pages