Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang is a strong debut for those who enjoy morally complex characters, intricate world-building, and political intrigue. Teia’s journey as a conflicted princess navigating survival amidst betrayals and fragile alliances is compelling, especially as she’s torn between loyalty to her ruthless half-brother and the surprising bond she forms with the rebels. Wang does an excellent job creating a vividly immersive world, with rich descriptions that bring the Golden Palace and gritty streets of Erisia to life​.

The book’s pacing could lag due to overly detailed passages, which might detract slightly from the story's momentum. Despite this, Inferno’s Heir shines in its exploration of power dynamics and Teia's personal growth, making it an engaging read for fans of character-driven fantasy. With a promising setup for the sequel, Wang has established herself as a fresh voice in young adult fantasy.

I wanted to love this one. On paper it ticks so many of my fantasy reading preferences but unfortunately it just didn’t hit the mark for me. It started off strong but the pace and intrigue quickly fell away. I found most of the characters extremely unlikable and the plot was too monotonous. The main characters love story felt too insta lovey for me to really buy in to. The twists and turns really kicked in around the 80% mark and it did end on a really gripping cliffhanger but it was a little too late to save my overall interest in continuing the series.

Adored this book. It was unputdownable, and that ending! Looking forward to more from Kevin Norman’s imprint as well as Tiffany Wangs writing.

Inferno's Heir is such a unique and well written story, I'm very impressed with this debut author's work! I love the characters and the flow of the story, especially the heist and the way everything comes together. I think this author did a great job of taking a fairly common storytelling system and putting their own flare to it with their world building and magic system. It reads as something both familiar and easy to fall into.

I would have loved to see the magic system a bit more fleshed out, and to see more of what could be achieved with this world. I really enjoyed the humanity and realness of the characters, and I think this author could absolutely take this world to grand places with either a sequel or another story set in the same place. I'd be interested in reading either in a heartbeat!

Teia Carthan is the princess of Erisia, soon to be under the rule of her half-brother Jura. As a Halfling with Shaylani blood, she's willing to do anything to survive. Her plan? Join the rebels threatening her brother's rule and turn them in for her freedom. However, things do not go as expected.

As an outcast with mixed blood, she never fit in the Golden Palace but unexpectedly finds a family in the rebels. Speaking of, the side characters are complex with backstories of their own, uniting them through conflicting motives. The worldbuilding is developed thoroughly, but I would have loved a map - specifically the Blackgate, to refer to, which would've made it easier to follow the heist. The magic system was interesting, but I do wish it was explained more. It read more like a first book to a series, which I would love to see as Teia has more adventures awaiting her,

4 stars - would recommend

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. I kept attempting to start it and found no interest to continue. This is likely not an issue with the book itself, but with my own inability to pay attention. I am giving it 4 stars so as to not bring the star rating down since this is a debut author. Thank you so much Bindery and NetGalley for this ARC, I had been so excited to read it when I requested it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Fiery, Thrilling Debut with a Fierce Heroine

Inferno's Heir by Tiffany Wang is a captivating dark fantasy that had me hooked from the very first chapter. At the heart of this gripping tale is Teia, a powerful and morally gray heroine who is determined to survive in a world that constantly tries to strip her of her freedom. Teia is everything you want in a fierce female main character—relentless, driven, and willing to get her hands dirty to achieve her goals. Her ability to wield fire and water isn't just a cool magical twist, it reflects the internal fire that drives her forward through each complex decision she faces.

Teia's half-brother, Jura, the Golden Prince of Erisia, is the perfect royal villain. He’s manipulative, cruel, and easy to despise from the moment he steps onto the page. His smugness and iron grip on power make him a constant thorn in Teia’s side, and it's so satisfying to root against him. Jura isn't just your run-of-the-mill corrupt ruler; he’s a royally entitled, vindictive figure who stands as the perfect contrast to Teia’s fierce independence. Every scene with him makes you hope for his downfall.

The world-building is rich and intriguing, pulling you into a land of political machinations, rebellions, and dark court intrigue. While the pace stumbles in a few places, the nail-biting tension and dangerous stakes keep the story on track. If you’re a fan of strong, complex heroines and villains you love to hate, Inferno's Heir is definitely worth the read.

Highly recommended for fantasy lovers who enjoy a tale packed with scheming royals, ruthless power plays, and a protagonist who won’t go down without a fight.

Teia is everything you want in an anti-hero. For a debut novel, this is surprisingly good and I found the characters quite likable especially the females. The magic system was also quite interesting as well.

Inferno’s heir by Tiffany Wang is fantasy about a rebel princess who joins the rebellion against her own kingdom.
🫶Fire magic
🫶slow burn romance
🫶morally gray character heroine
🫶 TWO heist
🫶 found family
🫶betrayal
I hate to dnf books but as someone who is a mood reader. I just couldn’t bring myself to get past the first two chapters of this new fantasy world. And I even bought the book an audiobook version when the book came out to get it another chance. But it feel like it is best not the time to continue, which seems like it’s going to be an amazing book. Only because it’s the wrong time in my life to read it so I bought the audiobook and then I will give this book another go in the future. I could just sense that if I continued to reading, I wouldn’t give the book the rating it probably deserves.

I am really loving the books coming out of Bindery Books lately. This is the second one I have picked up from this publishing company this month and they are blowing me away.

This is a debut fantasy adventure with some romance and a bit of sci-fi vibes as well. There's lots of running around and trying to overthrow a monarchy (which is always pretty thrilling). I thought the cast of characters was fun if not a bit expected as they are all pretty skilled and fall into the standard trope of a band of misfits trying to pull off a heist.

If I were to give it a critique, I think it would be that the story does feel as though it follows a fairly common formula but it is fun and the adventure is easy to follow and the main character was a bit unlikeable which seemed intentional. It's always an interesting writing choice for the author, to write a main character where the reader isn't certain they want the main to actually succeed. I does give the story an dynamic I wasn't expecting. The pacing was good, if just a bit slow at times, it does move along and ultimately read pretty quickly.

Nevertheless, I am interested in seeing where this story may go and how it may play out. This certainly isn't the last time we visit this world or these characters.

The writing style took me a while to get use to and a while for me to get into the story. But I enjoyed the story and the characters.

the cover was enough to get me with this book and the story itself was great! I really liked how this story played out even though I think that the ending felt a bit rushed. Still an amazing read overall.

Inferno’s Heir was a satisfying first entry into a new series. I love a good heist, even more so when it’s set in a fantasy world, and this delivered. I applaud an author who has the courage to have her main character make genuinely unlikable, selfish decisions. I’m excited to see where things go in the next book!

I did find it a little uneven at times- the Teia at the beginning felt a little disjointed from the Teia of the rest of the book, and the ending was a bit rushed. But overall, a very enjoyable read. Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for providing me an ARC!

very interesting rebel drama, and i absolutely love all the characters? the vibes are immaculate, and the heist scenes had me nervous for them. tysm for the arc

This book follows a princess that cannot get away from the outcast role in her family. After her parents are killed, her half brother and will be king, has taken it into his own hands to deal with his sister after a botched attempt on her life. The main character then goes on to join a group of rebels to try to stop her brother from gaining the kingdom. Also did I mention that she can control elements!? Overall this book is a fun, refreshing read on some tried and true themes that are known and beloved.

While I absolutely loved the premise, the writing style was not my cup of tea. It was so cut and dry. I found myself uninterested in the character’s lives. The world building was confusing to me.
Congrats to the author on her debut and I hope her book does well- it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

Inferno's Heir by Tiffany Wang

Genre: High Fantasy

...

Teia Carthan's life is a mess not only for being a princess, the only having royal blood other than her psychopatic and sadistic older half-brother Jura.

What about being daughter to two enemy countries, the late Erisian king and the Shaylani witch?
What about being able to bend both fire and water?

Jura's coronation is approaching, and news of a possible firebender in the Dawnbreakers rebels are frightening the Erisian court, prompting Jura to repress even more people.

Her name is Kyra Medoh, and Teia Carthan is getting involved in it.

She will try everything to prevent Jura from seizing the throne and finally destroying her country.

Even siding with the rebels: pure Kyra, witty Alara and dangerously charming Tobias are growing on her every minute, even if Dawnbreakers leader Cornelius Lehm seems as reliable as a striking viper involved in plots that seem darker by every minute.

If they succeed in their mission, Teia's mind is thinking on a possible outcome: her on the throne.
She needs to choose now: their trust... or their security.

...

Inferno's Heir is an interesting debut, with a weaker start but a really strong ending (with a terrible cliffhanger).

We are in a fantasy world with many countries: the history is set in Erisia, with the royal family being the only ones to bend fire (Teia is half Shaylani, the country with whom Erisia was at war), in some ways similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I found the characters to be really interesting, probably the gemstones of the books: I'd have wanted to see more the Dawnbreakers and their relationships with Teia (yes, I'm talking about two couples).

The plot kept me hooked until the last page (I screamed, yes). I sensed there was something wrong, but Wang threw a genius move in the end!

I honestly can't wait to read the sequel.

...

Rating: ★★★★

...

I want to thank Bindery Books for the digital ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) via Netgalley. I'm not affiliated to the author, to the publishing house or any other person/agency. My review is honest and based only on my thoughts/feeling while reading the book.

Anais by The Bookish Scorpio

Inferno's Heir takes a long time to really get going, but once it does, phew! I found myself unable to put this book down. Genuinely fantastic stuff here. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I saw the author post this on Tik Tok and immediately ran to NetGalley to request an ARC. Overall, this was a decent read. I would have liked a bit more editing for some parts of the book - just to make it a bit more cohesive and seamless. I do think this has a lot of good potential and I do look forward to the second book. I am particularly intrigued to see where the relationship with Tobias goes. That relationship looks like it will be a great example of enemies to lovers so I look forward to that.

Inferno's Heir is an exciting debut that pulls you into a world filled with elemental magic, political intrigue, and a morally complex protagonist. Teia Carthan, a princess-turned-outcast, has survived by being ruthless in a kingdom where loyalty means nothing and betrayal is around every corner. Tiffany Wang’s writing is immersive and makes you feel like you’re standing alongside Teia, making impossible choices just to stay alive.

What I loved most about this book is how it plays with shades of gray. Teia’s decisions are messy, and while she’s trying to survive her brother Jura’s rise to power, her alliances and intentions are never black and white. Her connection with the rebellion, the growing friendships, and the gradual realization that maybe the system she's grown up in should be torn down really hooks you in. The tension between choosing self-preservation or standing for something bigger makes her character both relatable and compelling.

That said, there are times when the pacing stumbles, especially as Teia wavers between loyalty to her bloodline and the rebels. But when the action picks up, it really delivers. The mix of magic, rebellion, and Teia's internal conflict kept me flipping pages until the end.

If you’re a fan of morally gray heroines, elemental magic, and high-stakes power plays, Inferno’s Heir is definitely worth the read! Can't wait to see where Teia’s story goes next.