A review by a_reader_obsessed
Inferno's Heir by Tiffany Wang

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Let me preface this first.  I’m all for supporting debut authors and indie presses, and I admire Bindery Books’s interesting platform in doing so. Inferno’s Heir is one of four in their first round of publishing, and I was intrigued by its premise.  

This starts off with beleaguered princess Teia, whose rights are infringed upon by sadist half brother Jura, who will soon take the throne and control every aspect of her life.  To subvert this, she approaches the common folk rebellion who has been mistreated over the years (made far worse with Jura’s influence) and agrees to steal a precious family jewel to prove her loyalty to their cause so she can betray them to win favor with her brother.  Sounds like a wonderful premise for a plot and character driven story with the prospect of action adventure, high risk drama, and the promise of new friendships, budding romance, and a changed-for-the-better Teia, right? Right?

I will say for the most part this delivers on each of these points, but personally for me, the connection of dots was just a bit off. As a warning, Princess Teia is pretty cutthroat.  It’s understandable since she has had no one in her corner for many years, and the hatred her brother directs towards her is immense.  It’s no wonder Teia will do anything for her survival and that unfortunately, shows in the best and worst ways. Also, there’s little we see of the actual rebellion and their leader, focusing on three other characters instead, characters who are just as young, impetuous, and self indulgently idealistic as Teia and one questions, is this the best the rebellion has at their disposal?  Granted, this is YA fiction, so I shouldn’t be surprised that the spotlight is on these underage people, but it just seemed too incongruent for my old brain.

What this has going for it is an interesting world full of conflict and antagonistic countries where I assume will be further expanded upon in the sequel.  The elemental magic too was compelling, and one knows that will feature more heavily as well.  Toss in two heists, an amazingly talented thief who’s for neither side, and a hint of chaste romance, and this will probably appeal very nicely to the overall masses who enjoy a YA magical dystopic fantasy.

  

However, I wanted more emotional stakes, more maturity, and more personal growth for Teia.  Surely, this will be forthcoming in the next book as this technically ends on a cliffhanger.  It remains to be seen if the sequel’s reception will pique my interest enough to check it out.

Thank you to the author and Bindery Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review