Scan barcode
A review by princessleopard
Odriel's Heirs by Hayley Reese Chow
4.0
I am voluntarily reviewing this novel after receiving a free copy.
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
TW: This novel contains a surprisingly amount of violence for a YA book. We got people slittin their own throats, people being burned alive, child and animal murder, the whole 9 yards.
This novel isn't all that unique in terms of its content. Angsty YA heroine hated by society wants to protect it anyway. Has a kinda emo shadowy love interest. Befriends magical beings/animals, has a cool dog, develops her powers, saves the world from the shadowy big bad, etc. etc.
What really set this book apart for me is the pacing. This story isn't long (I think it's less than 300 pages) but it MOVES. I feel like a normal story like this would be drawn out into a whole trilogy, but Chow wastes literally none of our time. Our characters are zipping all over the place, meeting tons of new characters, making new friends, developing their powers/relationship, etc. etc., and somehow none of it seems rushed. There's a scene that would be the climax in a normal fantasy novel, where the hero has to really dig deep to save the day, sustains some losses, etc. etc...and it's only at the halfway point!! It's nuts, and as someone who struggles with writing bloat, genuinely impressive. At no point did the novel feel like it was dragging, but it never felt like the author was in too much of a hurry, either. It really was paced perfectly.
I also found myself endeared to a lot of the side characters. Again, none of them get too much screentime, because we're constantly moving to someone knew, but I feel like they were all deftly captured in the few scenes they had, and were varied/interesting enough that it did hurt when we had to let them go. (One in particular was very upsetting/unfair, and I'm sure Chow knows exactly who it is. ;-;)
The story does have other flaws - again, it is SUPER violent for a YA book, especially compared to how chaste the romance is. I think our heroes share a single kiss at the end? Maybe a make-out session? But heads are rolling literally the entire series, and often they're characters who would be largely exempt from terrible violence in other series. And, again, it's also pretty generic. It does try to be a bit different with its magic system - three Heirs destined to stop the Big Bad over and over - but nothing about it or the world really hooked me.
Overall, though, this was a satisfying read. If you want something quick and well-paced with a cute romance in the background, this will hit the spot.
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
TW: This novel contains a surprisingly amount of violence for a YA book. We got people slittin their own throats, people being burned alive, child and animal murder, the whole 9 yards.
This novel isn't all that unique in terms of its content. Angsty YA heroine hated by society wants to protect it anyway. Has a kinda emo shadowy love interest. Befriends magical beings/animals, has a cool dog, develops her powers, saves the world from the shadowy big bad, etc. etc.
What really set this book apart for me is the pacing. This story isn't long (I think it's less than 300 pages) but it MOVES. I feel like a normal story like this would be drawn out into a whole trilogy, but Chow wastes literally none of our time. Our characters are zipping all over the place, meeting tons of new characters, making new friends, developing their powers/relationship, etc. etc., and somehow none of it seems rushed. There's a scene that would be the climax in a normal fantasy novel, where the hero has to really dig deep to save the day, sustains some losses, etc. etc...and it's only at the halfway point!! It's nuts, and as someone who struggles with writing bloat, genuinely impressive. At no point did the novel feel like it was dragging, but it never felt like the author was in too much of a hurry, either. It really was paced perfectly.
I also found myself endeared to a lot of the side characters. Again, none of them get too much screentime, because we're constantly moving to someone knew, but I feel like they were all deftly captured in the few scenes they had, and were varied/interesting enough that it did hurt when we had to let them go. (One in particular was very upsetting/unfair, and I'm sure Chow knows exactly who it is. ;-;)
The story does have other flaws - again, it is SUPER violent for a YA book, especially compared to how chaste the romance is. I think our heroes share a single kiss at the end? Maybe a make-out session? But heads are rolling literally the entire series, and often they're characters who would be largely exempt from terrible violence in other series. And, again, it's also pretty generic. It does try to be a bit different with its magic system - three Heirs destined to stop the Big Bad over and over - but nothing about it or the world really hooked me.
Overall, though, this was a satisfying read. If you want something quick and well-paced with a cute romance in the background, this will hit the spot.