⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six stars. Literally could not put this book down- I have been waiting for a fantasy book with magic tied to water. I love the idea of elemental magic having so many faucets, and the way the author shows just how destructive it can be not just to enemies, but unintentional innocent lives when used recklessly. As an adult fantasy reader, I didn’t even realize this was YA until after I read it. I think im going to spontaneously combust while waiting for the next one of this series to come out, truly

Heir of Storms, debut novel from Lauryn Hamilton Murray, is going to be the next big YA fantasy book… mark my words!! The comparison to Shadow and Bone truly piqued my interest, and this story did not disappoint.

There were moments that made me audibly gasp and giggle, and that is the best personal indicator of a fantastic story.

I cannot wait to see where this story takes us for book 2… but I’ll just have to (impatiently) wait to find out!!

Thank you to the Fierce Reads Team and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy!

4.25/5
Action packed, swoony romance, and trials that are interesting.
Blaze is a main character I can get behind. She has been put into a spot where she believes she's unworthy and unwanted by the court (not her family) because of the magic she was born with. The friendship dynamic is wonderful the side characters shine in the story and everyone is brought into light even though it's first person and in Blaze's pov. The book keeps you wanting more and is a very fun read. Absolutely recommend it to those who love YA fantasy!

This book is absolutely one of my favorite reads so far this year. I don’t know what Lauryn put in this but I absolutely ate it up. This books everything you’d want in a YA fantasy but there were some undercurrents of new adult. I have no doubt that this book will blow up. The unique magic system is fantastic the games/trials that were in this book were so unique. Lauryn has written a fantastic book for her first debut and I am just floored at her talent. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Read this book if you love these tropes:

-Games/Trials
-Elemental Magic System
-Love Triangle
-Forbidden Romance
-Dark YA Fantasy

I just wanted to thank Macmillan and NetGalley for the eARC this was absolutely jaw dropping for a debut novel.

Wow! What a unique and very captivating book! I was hooked from the very beginning and enjoyed every part of this book.

I thought the magic system was written really well. I liked that the magic was strictly elemental but there was different aspects to each element making them unique and interesting to learn about. I also really enjoyed having the lands and people separated by their magic.

I also really enjoyed the politics of this world. Having to compete for a specific role is starting to become very common in fantasy books so I was glad that this author was able to make the competition unique and interesting.

I thought Blaze’s character development was fun to read, to see her go from scared and isolated to confident and forming friendships and bonds was a fun journey to take.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like:
•Elemental Magic
•Political Competition
•Morally Grey MMC
•Weak to Strong FMC
•YA

4.5 ⭐️— I recently finished Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray and I’m OBSESSED. This YA romantasy that had everything I love—elemental magic, high-stakes trials, a delicious enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and a wee love triangle to keep things interesting!

Blaze is the kind of fierce, complex heroine I root for—born a Rain Singer in a fire-wielding family, feared for powers she no longer has, and suddenly thrust into a deadly competition.

The palace intrigue had me hooked, the trials were tense and creative, and the slow-burn tension? Chef’s kiss. I’m already desperate for book two.

If you love your fantasy with court drama, forbidden magic, and morally grey love interests, this one’s for you.

I’m really struggling to find much to say about this one because it just didn’t make me feel much of anything. It wasn’t terrible by any means and would probably make a great easy read for a lot of people, but I was never fully invested.

A large part of that was probably the pacing. For the first 40% of the book, nothing happens, genuinely almost nothing at all. Things eventually pick up, and the writing style is super easy to digest, but after almost half the book was over, I was just too checked out of it to really appreciate when things did start happening.

As for the romance, it’s not even really a love triangle like I thought it would be, more of a fake-out sort of set up. Honestly, I’m not that mad about it though since one of the “love interests” was super bland to me. The second love interest was probably the most interesting character, but he shows up halfway through and doesn’t get much page time. Still, if the sequel leans more into his character, I could see that being more engaging.

A lot of the characters, including the main cast at times, just felt flat. I couldn’t name a single one of the main character or her brother’s friends if I tried because they were all so surface level. And this might be a personal pet peeve, but the way the main character’s cousin kept calling her “cousin” every time they spoke drove me crazy. It was way too cartoonish for me to be able to take seriously because let’s face it, nobody talks like that.

Overall, it’s not that this book was bad—I just felt nothing. It had potential, but it just didn’t do enough with it to stand out. Still, though, if we get to see some more depth from the characters and some more of the world, I might want to check out the sequel when it comes along.


Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆~

Okay, this was a really good start to a new fantasy world. Blaze is a rain slinger which I think is so cool! I've never read a story with one in it, so that was pretty neat. It wasn't heavy on the romance, which is expected for a YA, so I think it's a really good introduction into fantasy romance for your teens.

Welp, this was a little disappointing. Heir of Storms starts out strong with a unique and interesting magic system and a world I couldn't wait to learn more about. Unfortunately, the FMC, Blaze, would be better off just not existing in this book. Blaze was woefully underdeveloped and underutilized. What seems to be the main dilemma is solved fairly easily, yet is then never properly relied on when needed. The only character that piqued any remote interest from me was Fox, and he wasn't even introduced until the 40% mark. Not only that, but Fox begins showing interest in Blaze BUT THERE'S NO REAL REASON. Blaze has zero personality, zero grit, and basically flops around in her pity the whole book when she's supposedly this all powerful water magic user. I think this book would've been better if essentially all of the characters except Fox were scrapped and we just got the story told from his POV. Even though the bones of Heir of Storms had potential, the plot ended up being boring and so cliché it was cringe worthy. The only saving grace was the small plot twist involving a kiss (can't give away too much or it'll be a spoiler) and the very eventful ending. I most likely won't be continuing this series. Overall, there's definitely an audience for this out there - I mean just look at the other reviews, there's plenty of people who loved this, I just wasn't one of them.

Thank you to Macmillan, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy.

4-4.5⭐️

‘Heir of Storms’ follows Blaze, a Rain Singer, upon her birth almost drowned the world. She has spent the next seventeen years of her life in her home hidden from the world. But on the day of the eclipse that happens every quarter century to choose new rulers, her mark glows showing she is an Heir.

Thrust to the imperial palace she begins to unlock the abilities she thought were long gone as she traverses trials to claim a crown.

I was NOT expecting to like this as much as I did. It reminded me a lot of ‘The Raven Scholar’ just more YA, and that book is INSANE. like a must read.

Blaze (which her name really threw me off) turned into a character that you’re rooting for, that you get to see grow and face her past, and powers. I liked how whilst this is labeled as romantasy, the romance (or two? lol) never overshadow the plot or the story we get of her coming into her own. I was pleasantly very surprised and cannot wait for book 2.

I had so much fun reading this YA debut! The first book in the new Storm Weaver trilogy, it is filled with elemental magic, court intrigue and a deadly competition for the throne 👑

While the pacing started as a slow drizzle and sputtered just a bit through the middle, it grew into a fast-paced torrential downpour in the last 100 pages 🤯 I could not turn the pages fast enough with all the twists!

Our FMC Blaze struggles with stepping into her power and knowing who she is as a person, which I think will be relatable to teens reading her story ⛈️ She’s navigating shame, fear, grief and the heavy burden of responsibility for events in her past as well as her future as she’s chosen by the Gods to fight for a seat on the throne.

I love a good deadly trials trope, and it was well-done in my opinion! While I know there are plenty of books out there that focus on elemental magic, I personally haven’t read many of them yet. So I found this world-building and magic system to be a really fun one, but I wish we’d seen more of the trials and Blaze’s training as she honed and tapped into her power. I think there’s a lot more to be seen though, and I’m hoping the author can build on it and reveal more complexities as the trilogy continues!

There’s a more unique love triangle, which had a resolution I did not see coming! I wish we’d gotten to know more about each of the men involved; however, I think we were kept at arms length on purpose. I think a certain green-eyed book boyfriend has a lot of walls up and is hiding behind his cocky bravado, and I’m looking forward to seeing his character depth in future books!

This series has been described as Red Queen meets Shadow and Bone, and while I haven’t personally read either of those yet, I wanted to include the comparisons if that helps you decide whether or not to pick this one up! It’s a book about weathering the storm and finding the strength in yourself to keep going no matter what obstacles you face. I can’t wait to see where the story goes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

This YA romantasy was a page turner! Each chapter had me asking more questions, wanting to know more or what was going to happen. Not to mention the cliff hanger it ends on!

Definitely will be reading the duo when it comes out because I NEED to know what happens next and honestly am hoping for a little more spice.

-love triangle
-four elements
-magic
-enemies to lovers?
-lovers to allies
-best friend siblings
-playful banter
-grief and loss
-morally grey character


Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

many thanks to netgalley for sending me this arc. and even more thanks to miss lauryn for writing this actual masterpiece. i love elemental powers, and i love deadly trials!! combining the two?? chef’s kiss! the world of ostacre is so interesting, the powers and hierarchy and everything is just UGH so good. please read this book!! that’s all i can say.

Heir of Storms bursts onto the YA fantasy scene with elemental magic, deadly trials, royal intrigue, and a fierce heroine with the power of a storm in her veins. Blaze has spent her life hidden away after triggering a deadly storm at birth—but when she’s thrust into a high-stakes competition to claim one of four crowns, she has no choice but to step into the light… and into the court that fears her.

This debut blends court politics, magical trials, and a romantic triangle with real emotional stakes, all wrapped in a fast-paced, engaging narrative. The magic system is well-drawn, the world feels rich without overwhelming the reader, and the story surprises with layered twists that hint at darker mysteries brewing beneath the surface.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story wrapped in intrigue, with Blaze discovering not just how to wield her powers—but how to claim her place in a world that tried to hide her. With compelling sibling dynamics, a large but balanced cast, and two swoon-worthy princes, this is a series opener that promises even greater things to come.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the e-arc!
This book has a lot of promise but it took very long to get there. I was at 50 % in and not much was happening. The friendships were superficial, the chemistry wasn’t there between the fmc and mmc and then another possible love interest is thrown in there. The world building needed to be built up more too. There was a lot of telling vs showing us in the book too which didn’t keep me engaged unfortunately.

A great start to a fun & exciting new YA fantasy series! Heir of Storms has elemental magic, a deadly competition to become one of four Crowns, and two handsome princes vying for the FMC’s affection. Blaze has the power of storms and triggered a deadly one upon her birth, which has turned her into a pariah hidden away for her whole life. When she’s chosen to compete, she must face not only the trials but also an entire court who either hates or fears her.

I don’t love a love triangle situation, but one of them did remind me of Cardan so naturally I was rooting for him. It’s fairly obvious who she’ll end up with but some unexpected things happen along the way and things are still a bit up in the air. The trials were really fun and things were pretty fast paced. The ending was really exciting and lots of information was revealed that definitely makes me want to read the next one.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has everything you love in a YA fantasy:
- Elemental magic meets deadly trials
- A heroine with a troubled past who learns to find both her power and her confidence
- A handsome golden boy prince (and his dark, brooding and dangerous half brother)
- Secrets hiding deep within the walls of a castle begging to be uncovered

In an empire with four realms, each blessed with magic to control one of the elements, Blaze Harglade is born with the power to call the rain and create deadly storms. But here's the thing–she comes from one of the most powerful fire-wielding families. After spending her entire life holding back her magic, she finds herself called to compete to become a future ruler of the empire, alongside her twin brother Flint, and she’s forced to confront her power, and her past.

This was a great entry into a new series, and I'm really looking forward to the future books. We got a great introduction to the magic system, as well as the politics of this world. There were some good twists that surprised me, and I enjoyed how Blaze grew her power throughout the trials. As the trials went on, there was a deeper magical mystery happening under the surface, which set things up really well for the next book. I'm also very excited to see how the potential romance develops, which I'm hoping will come into play even more as the story continues.

"Fate has many faces, my darling one," she says. "Make sure you look them all in the eye."

A big thank you to Macmillan and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review!

An emotional YA fantasy debut featuring elemental magic, trials for the crown, sibling dynamics, and two hot boys. The story juggles a large cast of characters easily and uses them to great effect in the FMC's coming of age story. The world and narrative drew me right in, I look forward to the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this read. It was pretty fast pace with the world building and introductions. We have a 17 years old FMC who has lived behind closed doors her entire life due to the strong powers she was born with. Which took out entire villages. Crowns are won, not earned in this world. When Blaze gets called up to the challenge she is forced to leave her closed quarters and be in the real world. Meet new people, form friendships, find love? The magic system is easy to follow and understand which I found intriguing along with the Easter eggs. Let’s just say that the cover of the book makes more sense once you finish this book. Also, we got a really good set up for the next book. Not so much of a cliffhanger but more of a question. Book 2 is definitely going to be even better. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Heir of Storms
by Lauryn Hamilton Murray
Storm Weaver #1
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jun 3, 2025
Macmillan
Ages: 14+

Born into the most powerful fire-wielding family, Blaze is an outcast. Instead of summoning fire, the day she was born, she brought a storm that almost drowned the world. For seventeen years, she has been hidden away at her grandmother's home to protect her from those who wish revenge for the deaths she caused as a newborn.

Her twin brother, though, is expected to become the next king of the fire wielders. Blaze, on the other hand, plans to escape into the other worlds on her eighteenth name day, but a day after her first public appearance, her storm singer mark glows, and with her brother, who's fire mark also glows, are whisked away to the Golden Palace to compete against others to claim the throne of the element they wield. But the power she almost destroyed the world with is gone; only a drizzle of rain remains.


This book is similar to other 'game show' type books, and it grabs the reader really quickly. There are a lot of backstories/history drops, but most of them flow with the story, integrating smoothly with what is going on and why certain things are important. The only things I think are missing are a little more of Blaze's childhood and a little more depth to the world.

This did remind me of the Hunger Games and H.P., but this had its own spin, and I enjoyed it. There was action, suspense, but the 'twist(s) at the end; one I had already guessed, and the other, I had the feeling something was off...

Blaze is a great character, one who struggles with everyday life because of one event that she had no control over, which condemned her. Who can't relate to that!?

There is violence and blood, but it's not that gory, and some other things that some may find offensive if they take it out of context. There is romance, but it is age-appropriate and not explicit, so it's suitable for readers fourteen and older.

I liked the book and can't wait for the next.

4 Stars