Inferno is Heir, by Tiffany's Wang is destined to be a classic! This book is so well written and the pacing is perfect throughout. The story is so full and rich with interesting characters, and I liked it so much that I actually read it twice. Grab this book!

I truly enjoyed the magic system within the book. It reminded me of the Wheel of Time in that they deploy the use of threads and weaving things into existence. However, the wheel of time has different materials for different genders and one is invisible to the other. In the Inferno's Heir, they weave the threads of heat in the air and change the rhythm of the water as they force the elements to their will. The protagonist does have some downsides as she is a little more selfish and is willing to sacrifice people to her individual needs. She betrays the ideals that she finds in the beginning of the book. She also assassinates her brother before making a play for the throne that is politically unavailable in Erisia's current set of laws. She bends politicians to her will and is a common user of blackmail.

4.5 stars. Princess Teia, supernumerary daughter of the deceased king of Erisia and his foreign second wife, dreads the coronation of her rotten half-brother Jura and relegation to chattel status through a politically expedient marriage. She plots and schemes and connives her way into the Dawnbreakers, a rebel group seeking to overturn the monarchy... but nothing is as it seems, including Teia herself.

The world of Erisia is well crafted, with enough political depth, background history, and underlying mythology to feel full while not bogging down in world-building. The strength of the story is the complexity of Teia's character, combining an altruistic belief in the responsibility of the monarch to govern well, rebellion against the seemingly inevitable roles of society, a desire for friendship and connection, and a healthy interest in self-preservation. The pacing of the plot begins slowly and steadily builds to multiple climactic moments, with multiple twists along the way.

The ending provides resolution of the immediate story, yet leaves tantalizing threads of future stories. I would gladly read more of Teia's ongoing adventures.

And special props for the eye-catching cover artwork!

Thanks to the author, Bindery Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an arc of this book. This book was a decent read through for a YA Fantasy debut. The main character, Teia, forms an alliance with the rebel forces the Dawn Breakers to try to overthrow her in succession for the crown brother. There are heists, deceits, and morally gray characters throughout this story. However, I found a lot of the first half of the book to be very tedious to get through. Many conversations are fine for world building and character development, which this story is very character driven, but there needs to be more action to hold attention, especially seeing as this is YA. It does pick up a bit towards the end. The main character was not very likable and leaned more towards a self preserving persona, which is an interesting twist of character. I'm hoping that in the next book, the author expands a little more on the magic system and some more fantastical elements as well. All in all, it was a good read, and I'm definitely interested in the second when it comes out.

Immediate thoughts are just WOW and I immediately need a sequel here because I need to figure out what happens next.

This was a really masterful debut!

Princess Teia lives a precarious life. Attempting to improve her situation, Teia finds herself tuck between her ruthless half-brother (and soon to be King) and the rebel Daybreakers. As she attempts to play both sides, Teia begins to wonder if there's a better future possible for everyone.

The beginning was a little slow, but once I was in, BOY was I in. This was a really incredible story! At first, it felt like a lot of other fantasy stories weaved together but once it continued, there was a lot of really exciting and interesting aspects. I REALLY do feel like I need the second book right now because I want SO MUCH MORE. I can't wait to learn even more about the history and the magical systems in particular.

I also loved loved loved the found family aspect (which make the ending even MORE killer HOLYYYY). Alara and Enna might be some of my favourite characters ever. I'm also desperate to find out what happens with Tobias (the last words, my heart!!!)

Love love loved this and can't wait to read more from Tiffany Wang and especially from this story!

Thank you to Tiffany Wang, Bindery Books, and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will admit that, at first, I had a hard time really getting into this. Especially when it felt as if the relationship between Tobias and Teia was moving too quickly. But, it took a turn for the better and I found myself totally absorbed in the plot. I absolutely adore the fact that Teia is not the perfect princess with nothing but pure intentions. She is driven by her own desires and not simply by love and friendship. I felt her struggle with her decisions even when in the end she did what I wasn’t expecting even though I was actually hoping she would. I am very excited for the next one already.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-book copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Overall, I think it's a good YA fantasy book. It has plot twists and heists, a hint of romance, action, scheming, and playful banter. (And a great potential for a sequel).

I went into this book with a bit of hesitation because I don't read a lot of YA anymore. But it worked for me. The book follows Teisa, who is one of my favorite parts of the book. Within the first few pages, she kills someone quite ruthlessly, and it seems her main difference from other main female characters in this category (at least the ones that I read) is that she's not perfect, she can be cruel and manipulative, and I actually found that I joyed a lot of those scenes. Another thing that I really liked about the book is her relationship with Enna, who is her thief. I found their dynamic to be fun when it wasn't intriguing because Teia usually uses Enna for scheming (and to be honest I ship them together).

This book has a plot twist around the end and a heist (more than one actually), and while I quite enjoyed most of the book, these two things did pull me in deeper and make me go through the second half quickly. In a way, some small parts of this book reminded me of Six of Crows, but in very general things and I wouldn't compare the two. However, at times when I was reading, Teia did make me think of Kaz, but they're still entirely different. They both scheme and have their pawns on the political chessboard, but something that stood out to me a lot when I tried to make connections in my head, is that Teia puts herself first and anyone else is several spots below, unlike Kaz.

For me, the parts where the book lacked a little was the side characters. I felt like there was something lacking in the characters of Kyra, Alara and Tobias. Out of the three I do like Tobias the most, but these three characters did feel a bit "classic" for a fantasy book and I was hoping they would have depths that would add something unique to them, like I felt with Teia. But maybe it's just me, and I think that if Inferno's Heir will have a sequel, it would be interesting to explore these characters a bit more and maybe I'll end up feeling more connected to them.

On this note, I really hope this book will have a sequel and I'm going to keep an eye out for more books by Tiffany Wang in general.

I mean this one turned out to be very average. It definitely has its pros and cons but the overall result turns out to be a watered down Six of Crows-ish story.

Though the book has some great moments with actually funny banter, I found it soooo boring in some parts that I had to convince myself to pick it up.

I might give this book another chance in some time, but right now, it was an okayish experience.

4⭐️- This ia a YA fantasy, morally grey FMC, unique magic system, rebel uprising, slow burn//zero spice romance. Inferno’s Heir follows Teia Carthan as she navigates her older half-brother, Jura, as he ascends the throne. The Carthan line is made of fire welder’s, because TEia’s mother was from a neighboring empire, she has the ability to not only wield fire, but water as well. Jura requests Teia infiltrate the Danbreakers, a rebellian organization who has a fire weirder themselves. While Teia agrees to infiltrate the Dawnbreakers, she has ulterior motives herself for the infiltration. The last 20% will have you on the edge of your seat! It is released on October 15, 2024!!

Inferno's Heir follows Teia, the Princess of Erisia, who is somewhat of an outsider due to her deceased mother's status as a foreigner. This is a highly political fantasy and the scheming and backstabbing definitely keeps things interesting. That said, even though Teia is meant to be a morally grey character, I never really managed to connect with her. Although she is a fierce female lead, some of her actions at times seemed downright sociopathic. Overall if you enjoy morally gray heroines and political fantasy I think you will enjoy Inferno's Heir!

To preface, I'm incredibly picky with my books; I'm a hater against my will and I tend to scrutinize what I read to the last detail. That being said, I really liked Inferno's Heir. The writing was gorgeous and easy to absorb, and the worldbuilding was wonderfully dispersed throughout the novel to avoid info-dumping expositions or long stretches of fantasy jargon. I thought the plot was thought out incredibly well; the narrative built upon itself in a satisfying way where all details were important and referred back to appropriately. And of, course, the characters carried the story. I really felt for Teia and didn't think she fell into the "edgy badass snarky main character who's way cooler than all of the normies" trap that many stories of the same genre do. I could feel the humanity beneath her exterior.

I generally enjoyed the pacing--it wasn't too slow or too fast until the last quarter, where I feel like there was a pretty major tonal shift and the pacing picked up pretty quickly. However, I feel like that didn't take away from the other sections of the book and I still enjoyed it the whole way through.

What a debut!!

I want to thank the author and netgalley for this ARC.
This book exceeded all my expectations. The story was fascinating and de FMC amazing. I loved the plot and magic-system. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Inferno’s Heir! I feel like it took the typical tropes of fantasy and spun them in such a unique way. And that twist at the end! My jaw literally dropped. If you’re a fan of fantasy, definitely pick this up! 4.5⭐️

“‘We’re Carthans,’ Teia’s father said. ‘And Carthans have never been afraid of fire.’”

From the opening line I liked this book! What an incredible debut.

Princess Teia is an outcast within her own kingdom, and is willing to do anything to maintain some control over her own life. Her half-brother and soon to be king, Jura, rules with terror and an iron fist. Teia joins the underground rebels with her own plans of betraying them to Jura to guarantee her safety. However, upon working with the rebels, the lines between enemy and friend become blurred, and everyone involved has their own motivations and plans for the rebellion and kingdom.

I loved this so much; I laughed, I cried, I was angry, I was anxious, this book took me through it all. I really enjoyed the political intrigue, there are plots within plots. The world building was seamless, consistent and easy to understand. I felt connected to the main cast of characters, and had a sense of understanding for their ambitions and desires.
Teia is interesting as a main character; she’s morally grey and ruthless in getting what she needs, but her circumstances are difficult, and I understand her actions. The story raises lots of questions about morality. Where do we draw the line in pursuit of change? How many people are we willing to sacrifice to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe? How far are we willing to go for vengeance and for power?

“She learned that every person had a breaking point, no matter how well hidden it might be. And if Teia needed to hit that spot with a mallet, if she had to shatter someone completely to get what she needed, then so be it.”

The witty prose and inner musings of Teia had me cackling the whole way through. The dark humour and sarcasm was great. The friendship and found family was beautiful. I also loved the sprinkle of romance too, it helped break up the largely political plot.

I came into this thinking it was a standalone, but that surely can’t be the end of the journey? If there is going to be a book 2 (I sincerely hope so), I will most definitely be reading it. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Teia and co.

Thank you Netgalley and Bindery Books for this ARC.

I received this e-ARC from Netgalley, and the review I'm leaving here is voluntary 😊

Now that that's out of the way: what a book! I've become a regular reader of YA/NA books over the last year or so, as I have students who read this age range, and I like to be able to recommend stuff to them. This, wholeheartedly, will be a recommendation.

Ms. Wang weaves an expert fantasy full of intrigued, politicking, rebellion, and subterfuge alongside a strong cast and a wonderful protagonist. Teia's strain with her cruel half-brother, her concerns about being shipped away or killed, and her interactions with the Dawnbreakers had me utterly captivated throughout the novel.

However, what truly drew me in was when Teia's plans shifted, and when she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could dethrone her venomous sibling.....

A wonderful read and an author I'll certainly be looking out for more from.

Wow, where to start. Inferno's Heir was such a fun read. I really liked the concept of the story, including the magic only being welded by the royal family. I loved Jura as a villan, he was perfect, the right about of sadistic and evil. And I really enjoyed Teia as our MC and her battle with what to do throughout the book. Enna was also another fund character that I liked. I will say Kyra for me... I understand why she was that way, but she was so annoying. And I liked the light chemistry between Teia and Tobias, it didn't feel rushed or forced and I like that we're left waiting to see what happens next and to see if their situationship is savable.

The ending through me off a little, but I did assume once she started having thoughts of the throne that she would try and make it happen. The ending was a little too fast paced, especially compared with the rest of the book. It felt a little rushed, but I still liked how the story ended.

Inferno's Heir was easy to read, I literally binged most of it in one day. It was different and not your typical fantasy style novel. I actually liked that it was very light on the romance, it worked for this story.

Give me some good characters and I will follow your story anywhere - and I was thrilled to meet Teia, half-sister to the murdery, soon-to-be-king Jura. Teia is morally charcoal, but she has to be, because with her parents already gone and Jura almost on the throne, she knows that her life is in severe danger.

An opportunity appears and Teia is ready to seize it and trade it for her safety, but it is not that easy. As a determined Teia realizes that this is not as clear as choice as she initially thought, there are choices to be made that will impact not just Teia but the rest of the kingdom.

I was Team Teia from the moment I met her - and I loved her journey from the first page to the last.

3.5 Stars
I want to start by saying that this book was by no means bad, just not necessarily what I am looking for.

Let's start with the positives. I am a sucker for any kind of elemental magic system and I think this one was well-developed for its fantasy world. The world building was great; not too much info dumping even though it is a first book. The characters were intriguing and I appreciate that a character that was marketed as morally grey was actually morally grey and not just a moody teenager. Writing a debut fantasy novel is no small feat and I absolutely applaud Tiffany Wang for her hard work.

However, there was a few issues that I couldn't really get past. The pacing was great for me until about 60% of the way through. Past there it felt like the author maybe had to keep the book to a certain minimum word count because it felt like we were really rushing through the ending. Building on this, I feel like large chunks of the plot were left out. For example, later on we hear a lot about what has happened in the previous two days without actually living through them; the main character just recaps the events for the reader (which I'm not really a fan of).

Overall, if you're looking for a fast-paced fantasy, found family, determined fmc story, I recommend giving this a shot!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Inferno’s Heir is a solid debut. Although, I disagree with others comparing it with Six of Crows, that’s not fair.

Tiffany Wang did a beautiful job with writing this one, I loved how it was written, truly.
The cover is stunning and immediately captured my interest.

The story itself is fun, witty and engaging. Books with heists have a very special place in my heart and Inferno’s Heir made its way in to my heart as well.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, Bindery Books and Tiffany Wang for the opportunity to read Inferno’s Heir.

🔥First, I have to mention the stunning cover—it's what drew me in initially to this book, and after I read the synopsis I had to request it.

🔥In “Inferno’s Heir,” we follow Teia, the king's half-sister, who is embroiled in a deadly struggle for survival as her brother seeks to get rid of her. Teia allies with a group of rebels aiming for the throne, and the adventure, complete with two thrilling heists, that made me think of Six of Crows.

🔥While I found some plot points lacking in logic, which prevented me from giving it a full five stars, the writing style and character depth were impressive.

🔥The ending hints at a potential series, and I’m eager to see where Teia's journey will lead next.