This book was solidly in the middle ground for me. I definitely enjoyed reading it, but I was also glad to be finished.

The world itself was interesting, and I enjoyed the "magic" system that was used. I would have loved to see more depth into the development of this system and find out more about it and its history.

I do like a book that is told from multiple povs and this one did do that well. We get the story from three perspectives - the two heroes and the villain. I really enjoyed Mahzun's chapters (the villain) so much that I struggled to get into the povs of the two main characters.

What dropped it to 3 stars for me was the fact that the last 20% of this book was my favourite. The pacing got better, and I was starting to really get into the characters and the world. I would have loved to have less at the beginning and more development in the ending of this book. That would have most likely increased my rating from 3 to 4. But hey, it did end on a cliffhanger so maybe Book 2 will be even better!

Alright, hear me out. This book is actually really good. The plot is really good. The magical system is unique and interesting. The characters are likable, in their own unique ways. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives, especially Mahzun's. While he got a little annoying referring to himself as the "Savior of Man" (elevated ego much?), I really enjoyed getting the villain's twisted POV.

I wish there was more background into three MCs. At about halfway through the book, you start to learn small thing about each character. Like how Ekarath previously went to the cities to sell his wares. All we knew before that was he grew up in the northern area of this world and that he used to be a hunter/trapper. No familial background, nothing. Zahara we only know she’s an orphan. And her mom taught her to weave. But how long was she an orphan? How did she make her way to the academy? How did her family die? Her family must’ve had some money if they could afford her golf earring in order to weave. But she described herself from “low nobility”. Mahzun: all we know is he has some sort of special bond or power with the magical system. What is the origin of the dark blade? How’d he come upon it? What prompted him to decide he needed to become the “Savior of Man”?

I really think a chapter or two at the beginning of the book would've helped loop together everything and not left the reader confused about the characters and the world more than halfway through the book. At the end of it all, however, I did enjoy this book and would definitely read the next one!

This starts out pretty standard and then proceeds to twist and turn the traditional way such stories progress on its head. We meet Zahara and her best friend Ekarath as she's training to become a mage despite being better at it than most of the mages around her and he trains to become a member of the elite unit of fighters that defend the last living Heir during a war against a man deadset on destroying the Heirs and everything that their reign represents.
The action escalates quickly and Ekarath somehow ends up inheriting the power of the Heir instead of Zahara. So we have the prerequisite doubtful savior in the form of a warrior that knows nothing about magic, and the headstrong female so set on proving that she's capable despite not being chosen as the Heir that she's willing to risk too much. It makes for an interesting narrative as the best friends try to navigate their new reality as they're also trying to come to terms with how they really feel about each other.
As a backdrop to all this, we have the Mahzun The Usurper risking everything he is to bring an end to what he perceives as the tyranny of the Heirs by bringing the world to its knees and conquering all the kingdoms as he kills all the Heirs one by one. Monson does some of his best writing when it comes to the parts that deal with Mahzun, creating a character that is so straightforward in expressing the good he wants to bring about with his actions that you can't help but feel an affinity for what he wants to achieve. It's this part of the story that sets The Final Heir apart from the many other similarly plotted YA fantasy stories out there for me, further proving that a hero is nothing without a good villain.
My one gripe is that the reader is dropped in the middle of a very complex world and expected to understand how everything works and who everyone is without the benefit of at least a bit of explanation. Complicated, world-specific elements are mentioned in an offhand manner as if they were the most normal thing, which they're not, and the reader is fully expected to know what they are or mean. It's not a thing that breaks the book, but a pet peeve that I'm sorry to find in what is otherwise a wholly engaging read.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for the exciting read!

This book had somewhat of a rough beginning.

I spent a lot of time looking up whether or not this book was a sequel in the beginning. Readers are just plopped right into the thick of things without much explanation of what is going on and expected to pick things up as they go. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I was a bit confused on whether it was purposefully used to try and make readers want to learn more or if I had accidentally stumbled upon a book I wasn’t meant to read yet. And while Jon Monson has written books before, none of his earlier works seemed to be part of a series that included this book, so I hesitantly continued on.

One of the main reasons I wanted to read this book comes from the description. The “accidental hero” plot found from Ekarath mistakenly getting access to magic powerful enough to defeat the big bad seemed so interesting and pulled me into picking this up. However, I wasn’t quite a fan of just how far into the story I needed to get to even learn of what the description had already told me. Ekarath’s discovery that he has been chosen as the new heir doesn’t come until close to 50% of the way through the book. What I had assumed to be the main reason the plot exists and therefore something that would occur in the first 25% didn’t actually happen until much later, making the beginning section feel a bit like it dragged.

I did really enjoy the villain of this story, however. The author does a very good job of making the villain someone readers can understand and kind of root for. A few of the chapters are spent in the villain’s point of view, showing off not only what he is doing, but also why he is doing what he thinks is right. I ended up hoping there was a peaceful resolution or compromise to this story, and I still can’t really say which side is truly in the right.

The ending leaves readers with a lot of questions, yet doesn’t really feel like a dreaded cliffhanger. I’m definitely in need of a sequel after reading this, however, and will be awaiting whatever Jon Monson writes next in this world.

I'm honestly just so confused about this book. The world was lacking too much for me to get an idea of the setting, most of the characters spoke so aggressively to each other, barking, yelling, shouting, etc. I have no idea, roughly, how old the main characters are. I think Zahara and Ekarath are similar in age, I have no idea about Saren (who's fucking annoying, by the way), and Mahzun is... older, I guess? I don't know how much older, though, so who knows for certain.

I'm also confused as to why Mahzun is the villain when his motives for doing anything weren't even villainous. He was fighting to free his people, he was fighting against oppression, whereas Zahara and Ekarath were seemingly fighting to uphold it? How does that make sense? Are Zahara and Ekarath the true villains? Like I said, I'm so confused by this book.

And let's not get me started on the writing. Something about it was weirdly throwing me off, but I can't put my finger on why. Maybe it was the dialogue, I don't know, because a lot of the things people were saying sounded so... weird. Not in character almost. The dialogue, to me, in my personal opinion, was pretty cringe to read, not going to lie.

Also, Zahara... she's not my favorite character at all. She was unbelievably reckless, and for what? Every time she'd understand about not putting herself into unnecessary danger, but then someone (ahem, Saren) would encourage her to do the thing that she should not do and then it'd end up backfiring on her.

The story at least was interesting enough to keep me reading to see how it played out, but the ending was a bit of an anticlimax even though the big fight sequence was pretty damn cool to read. I just wish there had been more spells that Ekarath weaved instead of the lightning because it got pretty repetitive after a couple pages. I'm still not sure why he thinks he'll make a better ruler than Mahzun, but it is what it is at this point.

This is not the genre I typically read, but I thought I would try it. The cover was eye-catching and that's what tempted me.
I'm sure this story and the writing style is fine for people who enjoy this genre, but I found the writing tiresome to read. Dune was an easier read. In the first chapter, if Zahara's stomach turned or flipped one more time, I would have thrown my tablet across the room.

This was an enjoyable story with a few problems. My first real problem with the story is the lack of world building. I really feel that this is was a missed opportunity. The story has so many interesting elements that just need a little more explanation. My second real problem with this story is that I don’t really feel like one side was good and the other was bad. I know the author told us who the bad guy wis, but he had united the world to fight against the last tyrants. The “last tyrant” is who we are told is the good guy. I really feel like more world building and history was needed to make me feel strongly about either side. Despite these two complaints it, the story was still enjoyable and a quick read.

The final heir by Jon Morison.
Some call him the Usurper, the Destroyer of Worlds. Mahzun calls himself the Savior of Man. A decade of war has brought him to the precipice of victory. Zahara, a prodigious mage, is destined to wield the Power of Creation and put an end to the Usurper. But when that power mistakenly falls to Ekarath, her best friend and elite soldier incapable of casting the simplest of spells, destiny must be questioned. Will the Usurper complete his victory? Or will Ekarath find the strength to be the hero he wasn’t destined to be?
An ok read with good characters. Likeable story. 3*.

Despite a slow start, this is an exciting and fulfilling read.

The world of Einar has been in conflict for a decade. Mahzun, the Usurper, and his all-conquering army has been relentlessly destroying the old rulers, the Heirs and wreaking havoc on the land and its people. The remaining Heir is holed up in the last remaining stronghold and this is where it begins.

Zahara is an exceptionally talented mage, and her friend Ekarath is an equally talented soldier, and they are tasked to find ways to continue the fight against Mahzun once he triumphs. Unfortunately, the transfer of the power of the Heirs to Zahara goes wrong and it passes to Ekarath who has no ability for casting spells.

The question is whether Zahara can accept the loss of intended power and use her own considerable abilities and whether Ekarath can rise to wield the power he has been bequeathed. This makes for a thrilling, fast-paced and magical read.

This book is targeted at the young adult market with Zahara and Ekarath being teenagers and the fantasy is filled with a quest, magic, danger, action, dilemmas, dead-ends, and twists to keep you guessing right up until the end.

The main characters of Zahara and Ekarath are well-rounded. They are best friends and while there is romantic attraction it is relegated to the background which is a nice approach. The other characters are interesting, but none have enough backstory to develop them. I felt that those who oppose Mahzun need their reasons fleshed out.

The settings are well realized, going from cities to forests and palaces to shacks. Einar is well described but the lack of why Mahzun seeks to overturn the Heirs is rather fuzzy – a generalized feeling of injustice doesn’t somehow work and sometimes I felt this book had a prequel I hadn’t read. The story is still good, though.

Mahzun himself is a problem in that he is weirdly likeable sometimes. Yes, he violent, intemperate, vicious, and power mad. However, he has a sister he loves, and a magnificent spirit animal to who he is bonded. He is aware of what he is and yet he continues. He has an intriguing character and is charismatic. It is interesting to read such a fleshed-out and rounded villain, but it is a change to the norm of the thoroughly evil and despicable baddie.

The ending is wonderful and perhaps hints there may be a sequel (please).

Despite the nit-picking, I recommend this book heartily.

I received an ARC of this book from The Book Whisperer and NetGalley #TheFinalHeir #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

This is a very interesting read and was very engaged in this story. However, I found that as the story progressed it seemed that Monson was trying to force a romance in what to me is a perfect platonic relationship. Unless this is something he intends to further develop in the next book... in which he could have slowly developed throughout further books.

However, despite this, I am interested in finding out how everything will be resolved/

Zahara is a mage in training, who is destined to wield the Power of Creation and stop the person who wants to take over the world. Unfortunately, the power goes to the wrong person and now they have to figure out what to do.

If you like strong male leads with supportive females in a fantasy setting, this book is for you. The author's style and story reminds me of Christopher Paolini's Eragon and the magical concepts vaguely of Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand. While I generally enjoyed the storyline, I think more background on the characters was needed for readers to truly connect with them, as well as more robust world building to understand what each of the main characters were fighting for. I thought Mahzun was the most developed character and even had compassion for him in the middle of the book but by the end my feelings had turned fully to distaste with how Zahara was treated. Zahara left me with mixed emotions. Monson goes back and forth between showing Zahara as a strong female lead who doesn't need a man to protect her and then having Ekarath protecting her or trying to control what she does. As for Ekarath… I was a little disappointed that he gets this magic and then can do complex weaves without practicing at all where Monson spends a great deal of stating Zahara had to train from birth to get as good as she is. The ending of the book was disjointed and felt rushed, which is unfortunate since it implies that this is the first in a series.

I 've enjoyed reading this and am happy to have "extended my family of novel characters ". These characters were developed well enough that I could relate to each one. I liked the way they were portrayed with enough definition to establish who they were, but vague enough so that I could inject my own ideas of how I thought they should be. The story line pulled me along looking forward to the next page. I like the way the story ended leaving room for a potential sequel. I'll be looking for additional works from Jon!

In a world at war and on the verge of a siege of the stronghold they inhabit, Zahara, a young mage, and her friend Ekarath, an elite warrior, are charged with a mission that might still save their way of life.
After a decade of war, Mahzun, the Usurper, Destroyer of Worlds or, as he calls himself, the Savior of Man, finally manages to kill the last Heir and is ready to make changes he believes will benefit people’s lives.
This story is filled with magic, adventure and suspense as you really don’t know which way the author will take it. What appears to be a straight battle of good vs. evil early on it’s much more than that following the premise that things are not always what they seem.
Though Mahzun is the “evil” character of this story, I couldn’t truly dislike him given the personal sacrifices he makes to achieve his goal. That said, there wasn’t a backstory to redeem him and it’s hard to see him as truly good either.
This was a book I really enjoyed. I liked the world, the characters and it isn’t boring in any way. My only criticism would be that there are gaps to be filled, but given the ending I expect the final chapter was not the ending of these characters’ saga and hopefully there will be a follow up to fill them.

The synopsis of The Final Heir sounds really good, I like the idea of an unlikely hero. However, the book fell a little flat for me. Jon Monson created a unique magic system. The world-building lacked a little though. The descriptions were good without being excessive, but the necessary history was missing. Why did people feel oppressed? What were they being saved from?

I never felt connected to the characters and I really didn't know who to side with. The Usurper is portrayed as the "bad guy", but there are chapters in his POV that make him not feel evil. Zahara and Ekarath were portrayed as the "good guys", but I didn't find them very likeable.

The Final Heir seemed to be a standalone novel, but the ending set it up to be the beginning of a series. I feel there should be a prequel too to fill in the gaps and provide backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this advance reader copy.

Description from NetGalley:
The world is free. The world is mine.

Some call him the Usurper, the Destroyer of Worlds. Mahzun calls himself the Savior of Man. A decade of war has brought him to the precipice of victory.

Zahara, a prodigious mage, is destined to wield the Power of Creation and put an end to the Usurper. But when that power mistakenly falls to Ekarath, her best friend and elite soldier incapable of casting the simplest of spells, destiny must be questioned.

Will the Usurper complete his victory? Or will Ekarath find the strength to be the hero he wasn’t destined to be?

This book just starts right off. The world building is focused around what the characters know/explain to each other, including the magic system based off of weaving together different kinds of magic into patterns and knots. I found the magic system pretty interesting, especially how it is used later in the book.

I enjoyed the characters. You get the POVs of Zahara, Ekarath, and Mahzun. At first the jump between the different POVs was a little jarring; however, I enjoyed hearing from Zahara and Ekarath as the story progressed. Their friendship with a bit of attraction but not a full romance was refreshing in a YA fantasy. Mahzun’s POV was a little confusing. He’s the big bad who sees himself as the good guy. I think this was not done as well. And I think that’s because the book is very fast paced and on the shorter side. I think that some readers might be happier if it was clearer.

Overall it was a fun, fast paced adventure, and I enjoyed it. 3.5/5

Overall, the story was good and kept me engaged. I did feel like I was missing a good portion of the story that came before this book. Thanks for the opportunity to preview.

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book, and because of that I rounded the rating up to 4 since half stars are not an option. I will go into more detail below, but I very much enjoyed the character developement and world building . I found the story line to be fast paced and the battle scenes were not overdone.

Characters:
The character development was well done, again for the first 2/3, and even some of the characters in the last portion of the book were well developed. I do not want to give too much away, so I am being intentionally vague. There were a few characters within the city who seemed to be just there. They did play a role in the storyline, but there was not much background information on them and I wanted to know who they were and what they stood for. This plays into my overall lack of enjoyment of the end of this book.

Story Flow:
"The Final Heir" was a perfect mix of a little bit of world building, with a little bit of character development. At no time was there too much of one thing at any given time. The information was spread out and broken up with a little bit of each. This is my favorite type of story. Some books will go on and on about the color of the leaves on the trees, Jon Monson did not do that at all. He got my attention and he held it. I loved the world, I loved the magic, and I absolutely loved the two protagonists. The storyline flowed very niely until that ending. The ending was good, don't get me wrong, but it felt rushed and some of it seemed unexplained. This remined me a bit of an editor saying, "oh let's cut this out and this and maybe a little of this". Given how Monson wrote the first 2/3 of the story I cannot reasonably believe that he would cut the ending into pieces.

Overall:
The entire story was built so smooth and then end seemed choppy. Now the ending, like I previously mentioned, was a good ending. I very much liked how the battle scene played out and the concept of how it came to fruition. I loved the weaving of the threads and how they were able to be untied. I loved the visuals and how Monson described them. I even have compassion for the villain, and that rarely happens unless the author can write a good villain. I would absolutely recommend this to quite a few people, and if this becomes a series I will continue on with the series.

I love this story!! The world created by Monson is so rich that you live it as you read it. The characters are well written. I really enjoyed the twist about the chosen heir. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down! Now I am very anxiously awaiting the sequel. I can see this book being made into a movie - it is along the lines of The Wheel of Time series. I very much recommend this book to any fantasy or medieval story fan - You will be swept up by this world like I was!

I found "The Final Heir" a bit disjointed. The story had promise, but was somewhat redundant for me in that the two main characters, Ekarath and Zahara find themselves assigned the task of leaving the town where they were entrenched to go find a hermit, and deliver the key to defeating the self titled, "Savior of the World". The thing is that those who are being "saved" are fighting and defending the very man, one of the Heirs, who has supposedly put the world under oppression.
The story has a powerful blade, used by the Usurper, that drains his life and leaves him scarred every time he uses it, griffin that is bonded to the Usurper, a girl who is a weaver of threads that supposedly made up the world, magic and even some hints of romance. But much was left unexplained and there are so many loose ends by the end of the book that it left me wondering where the author was trying to go with it.