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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Heir of Storms is a YA chosen one fantasy with elemental magic and court politics and plenty of villains. There's a bit of a love triangle, but not for very long. This was a fast and interesting read. I have a huge problem with the writing though, and I'm going to honestly beg, Lauryn Hamilton Murray, stop ending chapters at the climax and starting the next one a significant time later. It's terrible writing, and I've seen it sadly before. The chapter should not finally get interesting after loads of rising action and then abruptly end, starting the next with "after I had some time to think about xyz." No. Show me what happened immediately after, don't tell me. I felt robbed of the satisfaction of watching the characters deal with fallout over and over again while reading this, and it ruined my experience of reading an otherwise solid YA novel. Please, please follow through in the next book and don't make the chapters feel like they were put on an assembly line after being mixed in a Yahtzee cup.
Back to the plot: there's some mythology, lots of ambiguously aged elders, predictable battles with impossible odds until they aren't, and a cliffhanger ending. There is barely any banter or romance, so don't expect it going in. Characterization really shines though. I'm not sure if it's because it relies heavily on known tropes (so handsome he hurts to look at with his corded muscles and green eyes iykyk), but regardless there is comfort in the known. I mostly enjoyed the more complex character relationships, even if they were predictable. There has been some criticism of some language being racist and ableist. The slavery aspect is dealt with poorly. Once a character is disabled, there does seem to be this idea he's "damaged," but I think there is space to course correct that in the next book easily. I hope to see all these issues corrected in the sequel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for this ARC!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Given the mentions of all the territories being linked to different elements, I think the Last Airbender fan part of me really kicked in. Once again an example of YA doing fantasy right with the perfect touch of romance. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book of this series!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Heir of Storms by @laurynhamiltonmurray is a YA fantasy where the heirs must compete to become king or queen of their respective kingdoms. The FMC, Blaze, is a Rain Singer born into a family of fire-wielders. Her birth is followed by a terrible storm that causes the death of many and she is forever blamed despite only being a baby. She has to learn to call and channel her abilities if she wants a fighting chance to become queen. Along the way, she finds the confidence in herself that's needed, builds new friendships, and finds a potential love interest or two. However, there are secrets within the empire about to come out...
As someone who doesn't read too much YA these days, I quite enjoyed this book! The stakes are high for the characters, but the book wasn't incredibly intense. It does read on the younger YA side, so minimal violence and no 🌶️ I liked the steady pace of the book and look forward to the sequel. It was a refreshing book between the other genres I've been reading.
As someone who doesn't read too much YA these days, I quite enjoyed this book! The stakes are high for the characters, but the book wasn't incredibly intense. It does read on the younger YA side, so minimal violence and no 🌶️ I liked the steady pace of the book and look forward to the sequel. It was a refreshing book between the other genres I've been reading.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't enjoy this book. There were surprise twists in the end that were good. However, Blaze's growth was too fast to be authentic. She learnt skills so quickly that I felt little satisfaction in her development. This book is definitely on the younger side of young adult.