4.25⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s for the e-arc!

This was a big surprise to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this and ate it UP. I think the slow burn romance had me hooked and having 2 potential love interests enticed me.

The world building was simple but interesting. It’s basically a world with people that have Avatar powers but there’s an oppressed sector of magical people that we will discover more of in the next books.

The TWISTS! Oh my gosh I had no idea. I tried to guess but wow I was caught completely off guard for a couple of them.

For this being a YA novel, I was impressed since I’ve been leaning away from them cause of out growing them. But it was a great first book in a trilogy.

A big thanks to MacMillian and NetGalley for providing an eARC and advance audio book and YABC for providing a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me such nostalgia for when I red Red Queen and Shadow and Bone in High School, and I am all here for it.

Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray is YA fantasy novel that is best described as Red Queen meets Shadow and Bone meets Hunger Games. The very day Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. A Rain Singer born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire, Blaze's birth summoned a devastating storm that left thousands dead. She's been hidden away ever since with a dark secret: the same torrential power that branded her an outcast disappeared that fateful day. And she’s not sure she wants it back. When an unexpected invitation arrives for Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, to compete as future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly 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 a dangerously alluring newcomer at court. 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 I loved most about this book is the worldbuilding. Murray has this way of creating a world that is both so familiar and unique, that you almost can't help but to yearn for a way to join it. Though I most of this can be pinned down to the fact that it reads and resembles the likes of the good old beginnings of YA fantasy (ie. Cinder, The Selection, Shatter Me) in that it has a strong female voice that may not always be as fierce as the author was maybe intending, and often ends up quite doubtful and reliant on the male protagonists.

One thing I didn't quite like about this book, was the pacing. It felt like Murray either was too fast or too slow in her reveal of plot and backstory. In that the opening scene really sets the plot off with a brief narrative about Blaze's birth. But the actual book's start, is slogged down scenes that feel more like telling than showing. But blame this analysis on the fact that I too am writing a YA fantasy novel and often find myself struggling with what all needs to be crammed into the first 30 pages.

Regardless, Heir of Storms is a solid read and a solid start to Murray's YA romantasy trilogy. I can't wait to get my hands on book two, and see what else Murray has in store for Blaze and the rest of her loveable characters.

I really enjoyed this! I love a medieval tournament vibe and this delivered. Also, we’re here for a gold chain moment!! Lots of classic tropes that we’ve seen before but still worked- reluctant hero, secrets, love triangle, those in power rewriting history. The cliffhanger ending has me dying for book 2.

Unfortunately, this book was familiar in a way I did not enjoy. This book didn’t work for the same reasons Powerless did not.
There was not a lot of depth to anyone and the inability to have one single healthy female friend relationship was irritating.

Heir of Storms, which happens to be Book 1 of the Storm Weaver trilogy, left me yearning for MORE!
Fans of the Hunger Games, The Selection series, and Harry Potter will fall in love with this tale that weaves magic with a fierce competition for the crown.
Blaze, also known as Storm Weaver, finds herself thrust into a cutthroat competition for the crown; could she possibly become the Queen of the Aquatori? Blaze must navigate life at the Golden Palace and tap into her potential Rain Singer power all while juggling new feelings that arise towards the prince AND the boy who tore the world apart.

While the novel opens with a great amount of world, hierarchy, and character building, I found myself able to keep up as the plot unraveled. The second half of the novel became such a page turner for me. I was constantly on edge with questioning who to trust, especially Hal and Fox. As a reader that’s always thinking ahead and trying to catch any twists and turns before they happen, I was SHOCKED (multiple times I might add) by the twists towards the end of the book.

Heir of Storms may technically be a YA novel, but don’t let that keep you from what just might be your next favorite trilogy!

•••••••••••
Thank you Lauryn Hamilton Murray, Macmillan, and Roaring Book Press for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of Heir of Storms and share my honest feedback.

Holy cow, I absolutely loved this book! Took me less than a day to finish it because I was hooked. Blaze was a super likeable character with a power to destroy the world and yet, all she wants is to be liked. It was awesome watching her go from a socially awkward shy kid to a girl stepping in to her womanhood. And the twists! Don't even get me started. I'm sad this book just came out because that means I'm probably going to have to wait forever for the next one. Like I need to know what the heck is going to happen with everyone! Highly recommend, this is a must read if you love romantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mcmillan Publishing group for the ARC.

Thank you to netgalley for the advance copy. This book is perfectly readable but I wasn’t blown away. I think it’s a solid 3.5/5 stars.

This b0ok had me hooked right from the beginning and I stayed up super late because I could not put it down. If you enjoy YA fantasy genre I highly recommend you pickup this book. The author does an excellent job of describing each person and action so you see it clearly in your kind as you read each page. This is the first book in the Storm Weaver series and I cannot wait to read book number 2 when it comes out.

Blaze was born wrong. And the entire world blames her for it.
Upon her birth, a terrible storm decimated the world around her, with thousands left dead. She is the Storm Weaver, inheriting a legacy of a people long thought lost. And despite her being a newborn when the storm came, everyone hates her for the destruction her birth caused. She's been hidden away for her entire life, when, shortly after the celebration of her and her twin brother Flint's 17th Name Day, they both get selected to become Heirs--candidates for royal leadership to serve the Emperor, sentenced to compete in three trials that could kill them, or condemn them.

I'm going to stop there, because there's so much incredible story that I don't want to risk giving away, but... holy crap. This was so good. I cannot wait for the next book.

I was enchanted with this book from the first sentence. The characters are fleshed out and grounded, and the magic of the world somehow feels both like old hat and entirely unexpected. There are a lot of fantasy books out there that feature games or trials, and plenty with elemental powers, as well. Somehow this book made both tropes feel new again. The nuances to the elemental courts' powers, which I'm sure we'll get further into with the books to come in the series, are really interesting. The lore of the world itself is so clearly full of mystery and there is so much more to learn. I feel like I can anticipate some of what's to come, but we only get teases of possibilities. It's both the best and the worst, as all I want to do is read the next installment.

I'm so excited to delve into this world more with the next book. Even with a young protagonist, she's been through enough that it's clear she has a more mature angle on the world around her, and I think is as prepared as anyone can be for whatever insanity is waiting around the corner. I'm so excited to be waiting with her.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for an digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 5 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph: May 23, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/61f4e04e-df53-4640-92ee-34b89ad37054?redirect=true)
Review posted to Instagram: June 12, 2025 (https://www.instagram.com/seekayread/p/DKzc19HxC1v/)

I really, really liked this one!

Heir of Storms is a delightfully fun YA fantasy that I ate right up. It had an interesting magic system, a heroine that turns into quite the badass, and a slow-burn romance. There are trials for them to compete in to win their royal titles. The world building never slows things down, and the pace kept at a pretty steady rate for me.

While there was always the possibility that someone could die during the trials, it wasn’t very cut-throat. It made it more of a cozy read- not worrying that a favorite character was going to die a gruesome death, but it probably took out some of the stakes for me. This makes it an easier recommendation for the younger side of YA readers, though.

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Readers of YA fantasy and romantasy (whether or not they’re actually YA themselves) but fitting for younger YAs

4.5/5 rounded up

**Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Posted to: NetGalley and The StoryGraph 
Posted on: 11 June 2025

2 out of 5 stars.

(Okay I know I’m mildly late posting this, I’m sorry. Life happens and then illness happens, sometimes all at once. Anyways, here is my belated review.)

I’m not gonna lie, I struggled to rate this. I had lots of issues with this and upon finishing it, I looked at other reviews and saw others noticed similar things. I wanted to enjoy this though, because lots of others did too! There was just so much I couldn’t overlook when reading it. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t DNF it, which is probably the only reason it gets 2 stars over 1. It has potential, but it could’ve gone further if certain things were addressed better or even just left out? I really just think it could’ve used more eyes on it to not make it seem so… out of touch.

Immediately, I knew I would like the writing. Not one of my favorites, however, but it was still enjoyable. There’s a few choice quotes that do stick and a very powerful opening that hooked me almost immediately. I enjoy a good magic system and I think ‘Heir of Storms’ had one-albeit a bit familiar, but as I’ve said before in other reviews, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Sometimes familiar tropes scratch a nice itch in the brain. However, I also feel like some of these tropes were just that to characters. The love interests are literally just good boy with a secret/bad boy with a secret and I feel like that’s all that’s lent to them sometimes. Or some characters were mean to be mean or nice to be a voice of reason- very singularly built ya know?

To slowly stray from the positives, I want to talk about the character portrayals throughout the novel. I feel like I’ll never be able to eloquently describe my feelings like some people do, so stay with me as I try to explain my thoughts.
One of the love interests is Prince Haldyn Castellion whom is described with pale skin and dark eyes. The other love interest is Fox Calloway Castellion, who is described with golden skin and green eyes. I’m gonna let you guess who is the bad boy and who is the good boy…. Got your guesses? The painted out good guy is the pale love interest while the world renowned bad boy is the love interest with golden skin…. I dunno, just doesn’t sit right with me? Not to mention that Fox is also depicted as dressing with more revealing clothes in that he has low-cut tops/tunics or low rise bottoms that show more stomach/hip… like okay, let the more POC-coded character be the promiscuously dressed one…
Banking off that idea of promiscuousness, while he isn’t specifically stated as being bisexual, there is another character who is queer coded (having been, in-text, stated to be romantic somehow with both male and female guests at the galas) and is given a very stereotypical party-goer, flirty, and multiple flings sort of presence. He’s often seen at these parties just having a good time, unbothered by the coming events of trials and such, and making out with one person and another while having his own potential romantic love interest. Polyamorous people exist, yes, and I don’t mean to speak over them when I say this, but it feels almost… like a harmful and/or stereotypical depiction of the lgbt+ community because you have this queer boy (they’re like- 17 iirc) who is just an amalgamation of ideals that people have spoken up about before? There’s another character who almost fits this similar image and she is this character’s love interest too! Oh- she’s also another dark skinned character.. Like I dunno, just very stereotypical? This second character isn’t as flirty with many people though, just the love interest she has iirc, but I still just find a lot of themes involved here… wrong?

There’s also the topic of slaves brought up quite a few times in the book that overall felt gross for the fact that literally nobody else seems to have an issue with slaves (sorry, ‘serfs’ as they’re known here) being used as attendants despite actual attendants being around (as in- there’s people forced here as some crude form of ‘freedom’ from the war their ancestors lost years and years ago vs people who get paid at least with a few coins here and there or a roof over their heads…). Nobody but the main character seems to care. The MC also is one of the only ones who treats her own assigned serf ‘kindly’ and tries to befriend her in some very loose feeling white savior-esque energy scenes… I dunno, maybe I just read too much into it. I feel like you can’t look at this enslaved girl and feel bad for her, but also suddenly think that she’s a good well of information about the Otherlands though (because, I dunno, the library filled with books couldn’t tell you more without prying into this poor girl’s life who could get in serious trouble if she’s found out to be talking about her home with you?) Like… wow, go off girl, pretend to care about the serfs until their presence suits your needs??

Two more things I didn’t enjoy and I’m done, I swear. I’m a professional hater though, what can I say. Anyways, the first is the usage of the term ‘savages’ and how it’s describing more indigenous seeming people… I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s not my place at all to say yay or nay to this term considering I am not Native American, but I have seen Native Americans disagree with the usage of this word and how its harmful stereotype and term towards them. Seeing it in 2025 still is jarring to me (yet it’s not the first 2025 book I’ve seen it in) and it’s just… tiring that people have said before to please stop using this word yet its so causally tossed in here when talking about very Indigenous-esque peoples of the Otherlands.
There’s also a scene towards the end where a character receives an injury that impairs their vision. The MC, when monologuing about it, calls this person ‘damaged’ and like… how did that terminology slip by editors?? I really wanna ask if there were any sensitivity readers used for this. I feel like it’s such a minor mention too, but it just made me feel icky reading the way this disabled character is described? That’s such a harmful view of disability and people with disabilities, the act of calling them ‘damaged’ as if they are suddenly flawed and broken? I dunno, I didn’t enjoy any of it at all. Even if the MC is supposed to be naive to the world, I feel like she shouldn’t look at this injured person and think about how she is ‘horrified’ and ‘unsettled’ to see this other person ‘damaged’…

I think this about sums up a lot of what I felt about the book. I really wanted to love it, but there were multiple times where I wanted to drop it. I was hoping for character development somehow too, though. Maybe that’s why I ended up finishing it. I wanted, so badly, to believe that it would get better but alas… I’ve seen other people compare it to 2010s YA novels and… yeah, I see it. I just think that a lot of these issues could’ve been avoided somehow? I dunno. I was left disappointed. So many people were hyping this read up, yet I feel like it fell short. Either I thought too much into this or y’all are lying to yourselves about enjoying it (or you’re glossing over issues with the narrative). But anyways, to each their own, I suppose. I was just left wanting and wondering.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
Past war mention, slavery, enslavement, blood, fighting, injury, derogatory words towards characters (namely ‘bitch’ used multiple times), bullying, death of a parent, death, strangling (done so by vines down the throat, described on page but not overly detailed), vomit, alcohol, inebriation, violence due to inebriation, fire, fire injury, near-drowning, death of a child by asphyxiation (not really detailed, more-so mentioned on page and alluded to)

This one was just okay for me. It felt like something was missing, and I never fully connected with the main character. She was fine, but I didn’t really click with her. I wasn’t a big fan of the love triangle either, but I’m glad it eventually got resolved. What I did enjoy were the trials. Those scenes were definitely the highlight for me. The story started to pick up around the 60% mark, and from there I found myself getting more into the storyline. At this point I’m very invested and eagerly waiting to see what happens next. I enjoyed the elemental powers, and powerless FMC. The narrator, Isis Hainsworth did a great job bringing the main character and the rest of the cast to life. She kept me engaged all the way. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for her performance I might have given up on the book.

DNF at 50% in.

The plot was pretty good. It had trials, and everyone loves a good trial. I could tell the MC had something special about her when she got through her first task.

There’s a bad boy love interest, and that’s always exciting.

Unfortunately, at 50% in, not enough had happened for me to be pulled in. The plot was a little too slow, and there wasn’t enough character development for me

Heir of Storms is the perfect title for this book as it was a total whirlwind of a story with an excellent plot, interesting characters, and an amazing world with mythology, magic, and politics. I don't always expect a YA book to be this heavy, but am happy when it does turn out to be complex and full of unexpected twists. It pulls you in from the start and keeps you in the story, making it oh so hard to put down. Absolutely loved this book and I cannot recommend this book enough to people who love this genre, or anyone starting to get into the fantasy/romantasy genres.

A solid debut. It definitely held my interest. I liked Blaze’s growth and journey to finding herself and exploring a world/society beyond her home and family. I would continue on with the series.

Heir of Storms delivered what was promised. It was quite predictable; however I don’t see that as a negative. Familiar isn’t always a bad thing and I think that the comfort of familiarity worked for this book. I knew what I was getting into and because of that I had a great time. Blaze was a relatable character. We got to see her grow into her relationship with her power and earn her strength. Nothing was handed to her and her perseverance kept me cheering for her. The trials were so well done and were easily my favorite part of the book.

What I loved:

* elemental magic
* deadly trials
* forbidden love
* political intrigue
* morally grey love interest

Lauryn Hamilton Murray has me hooked, and I can't wait to read the next book (hopefully sooner than later because I NEED to know what’s coming next.)

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group & Roaring Brook Press for providing me an early copy to review.

When Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it.

Blaze is a Rain Singer who was born into a powerful fire-wielding family but gifted with water magic that's feared across the empire. Her birth caused a storm so destructive it killed thousands, and she's spent her whole life being treated like a curse. Feared. Hated. Always on the outside looking in.

But when she and her twin brother, Flint, are chosen to compete in the Choosing Rite. Blaze is suddenly at the center of everything.

Now, onto the review part: I never start a series that isn't finished. Like, ever. I haven't even read Fourth Wing yet because of that. But the moment I read the summary for Heir of Storms, I knew I had to break my rule, and I'm honestly so glad I did.

The world-building is incredibly vivid and interesting, yet not overwhelming. It gave me just enough to feel immersed without needing a spreadsheet to keep track of everything. I loved the whole vibe of the palace competition, the elemental magic system, and the way Blaze's inner conflict felt really personal and real. Sure, she has a few angsty teen moments, but she is a teen, and those scenes actually made her feel more authentic, not annoying.

Also, if you're like me and hate cliffhanger endings, don't worry. It wraps up in a way that feels complete, but still leaves room for more in the next book. No major emotional whiplash, no screaming into the void, just a satisfying "okay, I'm ready for more" feeling. And for those wondering: no spice in this one, so it's very character- and plot-focused without anything explicit.

Highly recommend if you're into elemental magic, palace drama, and underdog heroines with something to prove.

This book completely 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. I ended up staying up until 2am (def past my bedtime) because I had to know what happened next! The world building and magic system were rich and immersive. The characters were so easy to love and relate to. Lauryn Hamilton Murray nailed it with this debut! It’s packed with deadly trials, political intrigue, elemental magic, secrets that unravel at just the right moments, and a romance that keeps you on your toes (in the best way). I especially loved how the story emphasizes the power of feeling your emotions instead of hiding them. Watching Blaze, the FMC, grow and lean into her power was so satisfying.

I had so much fun reading this, and I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book (and hoping it gives us more time with the side characters) because there’s so much potential here! If you love YA fantasy that delivers heart, high stakes, and magic, definitely add this to your TBR.

MORE MORE I want MORE!! Absolutely devoured this book, could not put it down. If anything, this world and characters have so much potential I wish it could be adult instead of YA; because it’s YA there are parts that are simplified or explained easily/predictably instead of earned but that is the only critique I have. So invested, so good- I need book two immediately. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I really wanted to be blown away by this book, but unfortunately, the spark just wasn't there. (Hehe, see what I did there?) It just felt like there was something missing, though I'm not sure I could put my finger on exactly what it was. The plot itself was very predictable. I normally love a magical competition, but this just felt rote and just like any other book with a similar premise.

Blaze unfortunately also didn't stand out to me. And her treatment of Fox seemed to incongruous to how she herself was treated growing up, it just felt as though there was conflict for the sake of conflict even if it didn't make sense in the characters' lives or personalities.

I'm not sure if I'll continue the series, as everything just felt very sub par to me. I can see where there would be an audience for the book, but unfortunately it just did not work the magic on me.