nymphread 's review for:

Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray

3.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

---

This was a solidly written YA fantasy, but nothing more. The story was utterly predictable, filled with well-worn character tropes.

We have our heroine, Blaze, a 17-year-old who’s been hiding away her entire life. Born into a royal family of fire-wielders, she’s the odd one out — a Rain Singer with water-based abilities. In infancy, she accidentally created a devastating storm that drowned the empire and led to many deaths. Riddled with guilt and determined to live a peaceful life when she comes of age, she’s surprisingly chosen to enter the Choosing Rites — a competition between young royals for the empire’s four thrones.

Blaze very much fits the mold of the precocious heroine. Yes, there’s the interesting aspect of her guilt and her overwhelming powers, but that element — along with the hatred people feel toward her as a result — is something the author introduces early on and then largely forgets for a good portion of the plot.

She’s bookish, withdrawn after years of isolation. Unsurprisingly, she’s embroiled in a love triangle between two brothers who follow an all-too-familiar formula in YA fantasy romance.

There’s Hal, the good-looking, respectful, and sweet heir of his kingdom. The instant connection she feels with him felt a little too rushed. There were barely any meaningful scenes developing their relationship before she suddenly declared herself in love with him.

Then there’s Fox, the darker, illegitimate Prince brother, who’s your typical bad boy type. He’s reckless, snarky, and of course, only reveals his softer side to the FMC. I had to suppress laughs at his scenes because he felt like an amalgamation of every “bad boy prince” trope I’ve ever read. There isn’t a hint of originality to him (or Hal, really). If you’ve read Red Queen, you’ll feel the familiarity of this romantic dynamic between the three.

The plot was serviceable — not original, not especially compelling. There’s a vague prophecy Blaze doesn’t believe in, and Fox keeps mysteriously saving her. The trial scenes, which should have been tense or exciting, mostly fell flat.

Where the author shined most was in writing the dynamics between the competitors. The scenes at balls and other gatherings were fun enough, and Blaze’s relationships with her brothers were reasonably well done.

On a format note, I listened to this as an audiobook. The narrator was well-cast — she sounded convincingly like a teen heroine and gave a nice range of distinct voices to the other characters. It added a lot of dimension to the story.

All in all, people looking for an easily digestible YA fantasy romance with fun, familiar tropes will find what they’re looking for in Heir of Storms. But readers craving originality or a truly gripping plot may walk away underwhelmed.



Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!