Heir of Storms Book Review 🦇

If you could see the past or future, would you look?❓

The very day Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. A Rain Singer, Blaze's birth summoned a devastating storm that left thousands dead. She's been hidden away ever since, until an unexpected invitation arrives for Blaze and her twin brother to compete as future rulers of the empire. Suddenly, she's thrust into the limelight again -- and into battle. Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and his dangerously alluring half-brother. As Blaze explores her untapped power, she discovers the throne may be within her grasp. But in order to take it, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her, and find the courage to write her own. 🦇

What a rush! SO much happens in the last few chapters and I'm still reeling. Let's break it down. 💜

✨ Characters (4/5): I absolutely adore watching Blaze not only come into her power, but HERSELF. Her confidence grows with every page as she learns not to let anyone else define who she is and what she's capable of.

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): I'm afraid a few readers will abandon this story while it's in the first act. Don't! Every puzzle piece builds until the end. If you're a fan of Chosen Ones seizing their destinies, you're gonna want to stick around for the entire trilogy.

✨ World-Building (4/5): There's SO much to this world-building that's left untapped until the third act. I'm intrigued and eager to learn more. Loved the Avatar the Last Airbender -like fight scenes, though (and hoping for more!).

✨ Romance (4/5): If you were a fan of the love triangles in Red Queen or TOG, this is the book for you. Unfortunately, anticipated a lot of what was to come the moment we met Blaze's love interest, but it's still all well executed. I'm DYING for more of Blaze's love story, but there's so much more going on that it's more icing than the cake!

✨ Mystery/Suspense (3/5): There's always some truth in legends and lore. A few clues were sprinkled throughout the story, allowing for a natural build, but too much was revealed in the last few chapters (those reveals should have been paced out).

✨ Tone/Prose (3/5): The story's best lines are in the dialogue, while some points of exposition are too long, causing snags in the pacing. Many quotes are repeated internally as Blaze puts puzzle pieces together, which is a bit excessive and unnecessary.

Recommended for fans of Red Queen, TOG, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Threads That Bind. 🦇

The Vibes ✨
Young Adult Romantasy
First in a Trilogy
Trials
Power Over the Elements
Royals
Grief and Loss
The Chosen One
Love Triangle (Between Brothers!)
Slow Burn

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #HeirofStorms

💬 Quotes
It hurts, knowing that they look at me and expect more. They expect cloudbursts and flash floods and downpours and rainstorms. But I am only drizzle.

"And I see you, Storm Weaver. I see all of you.”

The kiss. It’s better than before. Better than I could have imagined. Every nerve ending in my body is alive with it. Stars are born and burn and light up the sky with it.

“Oh, Storm Weaver. There’s just something about you holding a knife at my throat that makes my blood run hot.”

4.25 ⭐️

"Heir of Storms" is a captivating start to a new YA fantasy trilogy! It’s marketed as "Red Queen" meets "Shadow and Bone", and I can definitely see the similarities. However, as someone who’s read both (albeit a while ago) and didn’t love either series, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. To me, it felt like a blend of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (four nations with elemental powers and one individual who possesses all four), "Frozen" (a child hidden away to “protect” them and conceal their powers), and "Throne of Glass" (a competition + a prophecy involving a quest to locate three powerful objects) or any number of alternative YA fantasy stories with a competition aspect. It also includes a love triangle (with a twist!) featuring one love interest who’s very Cardan/Jacks-coded, which I loved.

I was hooked from the very beginning. Opening the story with Blaze’s introduction into society was a clever way to naturally bring new characters into the story, as the reader meets the key players and learns about the competition alongside the main character. I found the world fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about the intricacies of Blaze’s magic. I absolutely loved her relationship with her brothers. I was also invested in the romance (though I’d say "romantasy" is used a bit loosely here, since we only got a small taste of it in this first book). Blaze’s internal struggle with her powers and identity was a strong focus of the story, which I found authentic and engaging. Her whole life has been shaped by the tragedy caused by her magic which manifested at her birth, yet she’s still drawn to it as a way to discover who she truly is and what her purpose might be.

That being said, the story wasn’t groundbreaking or without flaws. The competition itself was fairly standard: three trials which involved conquering ones fears/insecurities, solving a riddle, and one-on-one magical combat. The structure of the book also felt a bit formulaic, alternating between daytime training sessions, evening balls or social events, and the interspersed trials. I also had a mixed reaction to the twist in the love triangle; it felt like the author pulled back from fully committing to it. At the very least, Blaze’s reaction should have been stronger, especially considering her supposed growing feelings. Finally, there were a few aspects that felt a bit cheesy to me (though this could also be a result of me being an adult reading a book for a young adult audience) such as the character names giving Disney/Pixar’s "Elemental" vibes, the YA-logic of all the divinely chosen candidates for the throne being teenagers aged 15–18, and the overuse of the “mean girls tripping the FMC to embarrass her” trope.

Overall, "Heir of Storms" is a solid start to a promising trilogy. It ends with a strong setup for a sequel that promises higher stakes and (hopefully!) a swoon-worthy romance. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment in the Storm Weaver trilogy.

Thank you to Roaring Book Press for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for allowing me access to an ARC through NetGalley.

Make no mistake, the real game begins when the winners take their thrones.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heir of Storms and can’t wait for book 2. The beginning of the book had a bit of an info dump regarding names of characters and world-building. The information was used throughout the book so I ended up writing stuff down so I didn’t get confused later on in the story. The world-building and element-based magic system was well done. It is hard to make element-based magic unique since it is used so often in fantasy books, but I felt that the author made it her own. I’m not always a fan of books that involve trials (I get stressed), but I found the trial aspect of the book enjoyable and not nerve-wracking. My main complaint about the book was sometimes the dialogue felt unnatural/forced, but as the story went I noticed that less so either I got used to the author’s writing style or the dialogue improved.

The world of YA is full of cocky main characters which I love but it was refreshing to have a main character (Blaze) who was unsure of herself and anxious without being whiny/annoying. Seeing her confidence grow throughout the book was one of my favorite parts of the story.

I’m a big fan of all things romance and the story went exactly how I wanted it to go (no spoilers 😉).

Heir of Storms was a solid base for a trilogy and I’m excited to see where the story goes from here.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an alright book, nothing particularly groundbreaking but a potentially good time if you're looking for an easy read. The first 40-50%, though addicting, was also kind of boring and cliche. The overall premise as well, of the country's wise rulers being replaced by 15-16 year olds who are taught pretty much nothing of actual governance in the training or trials they go through, is thoroughly silly but also definitely in the realm of YA. The story became much more interesting once Fox, the love interest, showed up, mainly by virtue of him being a more compelling character than anyone else, even the main character Blaze. I also liked that his relationship with Blaze didn't fully dominate the plot and developed more gradually than most YA romances do these days, especially considering the fact they aren't even together yet by the end of the book. I do wish there had been the same level of attention paid to developing Blaze's relationship with her supposed group of friends, as I found it slightly shallow. Considering Blaze's status as the feared Storm Weaver, it felt like a missed opportunity to have them accept her so easily and some struggle could have served to show deeper bonds. Things overall felt a bit convenient for Blaze, and there was lots of somewhat clumsy info-dumps throughout the story, but I see potential in how the sequel might develop and I'm not opposed to picking it up when it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for allowing me to read this book.

Heir of Storms is a story about Blaze, who on the day she was born summoned a storm so terrible it flooded the realm and killed people. Blaze was born into a family of fire wielders. So not only is she an outcast because of her actions as a baby, but also because her magic sets her apart in her family.

Magic is a big part of the political system in this world. A crowned ruler rules the magic wielders for each element: earth, air, fire and water. With the emperer having the ability to wield light, but also all other elemental magics. Every 25 years, 4 heirs for each element are chosen to compete in trails to be the next King or Queen of that element. And it just so happens that Blaze and her twin brother Flint are chosen.

What I really liked was how fast paced the story was. I never got bored, and always felt that the story was progressing. The action sequences were always engaging. I would say the romance feels more like a sub-plot than the main plot but that was fine with me. There are a lot of characters in the story, but I never felt lost or confused about who was who.

I was surprised at a few of the twists at the end. It was a fun read and I'm early awaiting the next book!

3.5/5
heir of storms was a fun read full of action, teenage angst, and drama. it was easy to digest and i found myself invested in the storyline. i love elemental magic, and definitely felt like this book had a unique take on the passing of the throne, being that each heir earns their chance at the crown instead of inheriting by blood. but besides that, mostly everything about this book was predictable and formulaic— it was all so on the nose, from the names of the characters and places, to the essence of the trials, all full of archetypal YA tropes. example: the naming system in this book has each character and city named after the element they represent. our fmc is named blaze, her brother flint, and they are of the greatest fire wielding family. this added nothing to the storyline and just read as cheesy. it felt like a way for our author to remind the reader who these people are and what they represented, but if you were paying a single ounce of attention you wouldn’t need it. just because something is classified as YA doesn’t mean it can’t be complex. ultimately, i could see every turn coming before the book presented the pieces together and this was frustrating to me.

the last 30% was when the storyline took another direction, which in my opinion was the best part of the book. i didn’t care for either love interest and found most of the side characters to be petulant and immature, so i was really interested in exploring the story of the eyes of the three magi sisters and how they will come to play in the future. it seems this is where book two is fully taking us, which really piques my interest. i want the context, the world building, the discovery, the revelations. i will likely continue reading the series if it carry’s on in this direction.

So addicting & i need the next book asap bc what?! i usually haaattee love triangles but this one was unique! I also loved the elemental powers this book gave! Not a super unique plot but i think the presentation of execution really did it justice! i couldn’t put it down

This noval is a fantastic new voice in the YA romantasy landscape, carving its own exciting path while echoing some of the beloved elements found in mega-hits like Rebecca Yarros's "Fourth Wing" and Sarah J. Maas's "A Court of Thorns and Roses."

Fans who reveled in the intense trials and formidable heroine of "Fourth Wing" will find a similar thrill in the perilous challenges Blaze must face trying to win the throne for her lands while also navigating the complex social dynamics brought on by the tragedy that has defined her throughout her childhood. There's a raw, determined energy to Blaze that resonates with the spirit of heroines who fight against the odds.

What makes "Heir of Storms" shine is its heartfelt portrayal of Blaze's emotional struggles with her identity and its ability to blend familiar fantasy tropes with a fresh, exciting voice. While it shares the stage with giants of the genre, it confidently establishes its own identity with its unique magic, compelling character arcs, and a world that promises even greater adventures to come.

If you're seeking a new fantasy world to lose yourself in, complete with a dynamic heroine, thrilling stakes, a touch of romance, and a whole lot of heart, "Heir of Storms" is an electrifying read that deserves a read.

Elemental magic, trials and competition, a 'chosen one', secrets - what's not to love?

While the underlying concept of the story is not new, Lauryn Hamilton Murray put her own spin on them and gave us a unique story that sucked me in, right from the start.

The story focuses on the trials our main character, Blaze, is competing in to win, there is much more going on outside the trials. There is a mystery to figure out, world building to explore, characters to get to know and start to fall in love with. I'm not usually one for a love triangle, but the one that pops up in this first book is done well and, thankfully, doesn't last long.

There were some plot points that may have been a tad obvious, but they didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story or stop me from being shocked at the end. I felt the pacing was good and we didn't have too much "filler" between trials. Overall I really enjoyed this fast paced, YA fantasy.


Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The prologue is really promising and interesting, and had me looking forward to the rest! I'm in love with the descriptions of this story! The characters are all extremely interesting, I really like the diversity! Not even half way through, and I'm already excited for the rest of the series! It reminds me of a unique mix of basically every fantasy series ever written. I feel so attached to the characters, it's insane (especially that one green eyed menace, iykyk)

"Heir of Storms" has all of the elements I love most about YA Fantasy. A large canvas of distinct characters, a fun magic system (bonus points for being based on the elements), political intrigue, and lots of little twists and turns from start to finish. It's billed as "Red Queen" meets "Shadow and Bone", but I would add in some "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "The Hunger Games". The romance went in a different direction than I expected, and it honestly took a backseat to the main character's personal development and the competition for the crown. Best of all, we got a satisfying conclusion that also left me hungry to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy!

I love a good trials book and this one delivered!
elemental magic is also top tier and this one was uniquely done

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Blaze is a rain singer who almost drowned the world with her birth. She has hidden away from the world her entire 17 years. When an invitation comes to compete for a future as a ruler, she and her brother join the games. Blaze is forced to explore her untapped power. But there are threats to the palace and Blaze must forge her own path to write a new story for herself.
I must first comment on the beautiful cover of this book. I'm admitting to judging a book by it's cover. This one drew me right in and I don't think I even read the blurb before I requested it. But then I read the blurb and it sounded intriguing. While the blurb talks about The Red Queen and Shadow and Bone, it fails to mention The Hunger Games or even Avatar. While it's not quite the same, the story definitely has these vibes with the way the potential rulers go through challenges, challenge each other, and use elements as their power. However, this one is unique: people taking their powers from the elements of fire, water, wind, and earth. While I know it's been done before, the author really did give this story it's own unique twists and turns. And there is an added elements of being all seeing and knowing the future added in.
I enjoyed Blaze. She was, for me, a quite typical YA fantasy heroine. One who doesn't really know what power she holds until she begins to explore it and see what she can really do. I liked how she learned to control her water wielding. The emotion attached to her being able to rein in her power was an interesting twist. She is not fearless at all, but definitely becomes determined to prove herself. What I didn't love was not having the other characters fleshed out. The author just barely skimmed the surface with making us understand them. I feel like the first person point of view truly limited the character development.
The romance didn't hit me well. I just didn't feel the chemistry to author was trying to create with the Crown Prince. It seemed too superficial. Though, when I think about what was revealed later, this makes a bit of sense. But still, Blaze definitely fell into things a bit harder than I would have thought given the limited interactions with the Crown Prince before she was pining for him. The addition of a bit of a love triangle definitely made things more interesting. The romance scene with said third party was probably the best part of the romance in the book. I will say the romance is not the crux of the story. But if you're going to introduce this trope, I need it to work well and it just didn't really do that for me. I honestly think it could have been left out and just been a fantasy and left at that.
As for the pacing, it was all over the place. Some scenes were super fast and I had to actually back track to make sure I understood what was happening. But other parts of the book were so slow, I found myself skimming at times to just get to the next chapter. The final chapters of the book did explode, though, and I found my rating increase just because of how they were structured and where they took the story. There were some unexpected twists thrown in, which definitely helped keep me in the story.
Is the story totally unique? No, not at all. I definitely saw elements from pretty much every YA fantasy I have read. But the author does do a good job with keeping the reader engaged. I have seen some talk of racism and slavery and it not being handled well. I did not find this to be the case, personally but I can see where others may have felt this way. The politics of the story definitely lend themselves to this fact.
Overall, this one was just ok for me, nothing new and exciting and nothing that kept me wanting to truly turn the pages. I'm not sure if I will continue on with this series. I wanted to be more surprised by what was happening because that is exciting to me, but that just didn't happen. I wanted to love it but the plot was predictable and the creativity was lacking.

This book gave me all the nostalgic fantasy feels while still feeling totally fresh and original.

Blaze has spent her life hiding after a storm she summoned as a baby destroyed everything in its path. When she’s pulled back into the empire’s spotlight to compete for the throne, secrets unfold and two unexpected love interests make things even more complicated.

The trials to win the throne were so clever and creative!

Blaze was such a strong lead, and I loved her determination.

The story flew by, kept me hooked, and the ending was absolutely wild. I did not see it coming.

If you miss the traditional YA fantasy, you should read this!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children for the gifted copy!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Macmillan for an eARC copy. This was a title that I was very excited about. The plot seemed fairly unique and I adore elemental magic, trials, court intrigue so it seemed like a recipe for success. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. While I think the writing is very well done, my biggest gripe is that I could not connect to the FMC at all and I couldn’t believe any of the relationships that she was supposedly forming. There was no real depth or development that allowed for any chemistry between the characters, especially with the supposed main love interests. Also, the FMC was annoying to me because I feel like she just existed in the story and was on the receiving end of the plot as opposed to making decisions for herself that would push her character development forward. She was also a bit of a hypocrite with Fox which frustrated me. Regarding the plot, it didn’t feel like anything new as I read this genre a lot and so I found myself skimming some passages after the 60% mark because nothing seemed to be happening. All in all, it was a fine read and I think readers newer to the YA fantasy romance genre will enjoy this story.

The plot is a slow burn, focusing on character development and political maneuvering as much as action, which might be a plus or minus depending on your taste. The magic system is well-thought-out, adding a layer of complexity to the conflicts and alliances.

The characters are multi-dimensional, each with their own motivations and flaws, making them relatable despite the fantastical setting. The female lead is particularly strong, driving much of the narrative with her decisions and growth. However, some readers have pointed out that the pacing can be uneven, with moments of intense action followed by lengthy exposition.

Overall, "Heir of Storms" is a complex and immersive read that rewards patience and attention to detail. If you enjoy getting lost in a fully realized fantasy world with compelling characters and intricate plots, this might be right up your alley. Just be prepared for a slower pace and a lot of information!

This was the most unique way I have seen a love triangle done and I was obsessed. I loved every plot twist, and was able to guess a lot of them correctly. Blaze was a brave, caring, and underestimated FMC that I loved immediately. Her relationship with her siblings, especially her twin Flint, was AMAZING. Their banter was the best. Fox is EVERYTHINGGGGG and I can't wait to see more of him in book 2!!!!

Summary:
Blaze is born a Rain Singer, the last of her kind, to a family of Fire wielders. Rain Singers have been known to go insane, Blaze hasn’t felt her power since she was born-when she made a storm so powerful it killed hundreds of people and houses.
She’s 17 making her debut on her and her twin’s name day and people still talk about her like she did it on purpose.
An eclipse arrives a few days later and both her and her twin are deemed Heirs of the next throne by the Gods. Blaze of the Aquatori throne and Flint, her twin brother, of the Ignitia throne.
They will have to compete against 3 other heirs to earn the throne.
They have more in store for them than just the competitions 👀

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heir of Storms is a revert back to the 2012 Dystopian genre. It’s well written, especially for 12-13 year olds.
The comparison titles well represent the novel in its complexity and structure. The world building was my favorite part as it has depth and a well built history with a solid creation myth.
I gave it 4 stars as it wasn’t entirely unpredictable, but still had a satisfying ending.

I loved this! I was hooked from the jump. This book has an air of Avatar the Last Airbender with its elemental magic but it also feels like it's own magic system. It also feature a kind of love triangle but in an interesting way and has so many twists and turns to the plot. I am itching for the next in the series already.

𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ~ 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐒 ~ by Lauryn Hamilton Murray ~ A Thanks To Roaring Brook Press, and Netgalley for and ARC of this YA Fantasy/Romantasy that will release on June 3rd 2025. The cover drew my interest for this book and I have been hoping for a YA fantasy that would pull me in and be just unique enough to amuse me and hold my interest….. Well …I found it!!!
If you are a fan of YA fantasy and are tired of formulaic or copycat stories get this on your TBR or preorder now. This is a genre that follows a format and it can be hard to be different… but I felt that this was refreshing in so many ways. There is a lot to like about this book but one of the best parts was the FMC. She is naive, curious, devoted to her family, apprehensive, unsure all while becoming who she is “Chosen’ to become. The way she processes to find her strength reminded me of Katniss (HGames/Collins), in that they were unwitting participants, but through trial, disappointment, abuse, or even sadness, she digs in and finds her power little by little. Also, she reads to discover, which, let’s be honest, a reader… ummm hell yeah!! Lol. I enjoyed the use of the Elements for the set up of the society and the way the names played into it. Remember, this has a target audience and absorbing some inspired play with syntax is all about learning while reading for pleasure! I loved the familial relationships… her interactions with her brothers were honest. The trials were fun and not dragged out, the magic system was easy to understand and well applied, the castle setting was well written, there are a few fun twists and Blaze is genuinely likable. I am ready for this storm to rage on and will absolutely be ready and waiting for Book 2!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (rare) YA fantasy genre fitting stars for me.. I had a great time with this!
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐥! 📚♥️