Inferno’s Heir is Six of Crows meets elemental magic with a dash of The Hunger Games. It has fire and water magic, political intrigue, a band of rebels, morally gray characters, and a heist or two.

I enjoyed the firebending vibes in the story. Wang doesn’t shy away from showing a brutal world, especially when it comes to Jura—and even Teia. Characters are forced to make decisions, whether they end up making the right one or not. But I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of the characters' banter alongside the darker plot.

I’m excited to see where the sequel takes us. There was an interesting bit of lore dropped near the end, and it will definitely be a major player in the next book. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the side characters better.

If you like elemental magic, political intrigue, and morally gray characters, then I recommend this one.

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 posted to GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6839530576

I really thought I predicted the ending of this book but it dis a complete detour on me. Like I thought Teia our main character was going to completely change how she viewed her path and she was going to join the rebels and be with them in the end. Let's just say it's really hard to change who you truly are. The sequel has to come as hard hitting as this one if it wants to live up to the hype of this book. I need to know if what happened in the end really happened and we get a whole new setting. Teia is probably one of my favorite unlikable characters I've ever read about. She's cunning and conniving and selfish but in all the right ways that a flames protagonist is. She feels real for this story. When betrayel and death are your companions you tend to have a different outlook on life and this book really goes with that. Really loved this one. Can't wait for the sequel. Or anything else Tiffany Wang writes.

A solid and promising YA fantasy debut. I love morally grey characters so Teia was pretty much written for me if I'm being honest. Pacing got a little off track in the latter quarter, but overall it was a great read. 4.5

Before I get into the story, I just want to say how much I absolutely adore the cover! Its what grabbed my attention, to give thisbook a go!!

Teia Carthan, an outcast princess with control over two elements, is constantly on the run, fearing for her life as her ruthless half-brother Jura hunts her down. Jura set to become king, Teia knows her days are numbered unless she makes a bold move. Desperately, she comes up with a plan to join the rebels and then betray them to secure her safety. But as she spends more time with them, forms bonds, and begins to understand their cause, her loyalty starts to waver. Maybe the rebels are right, and the monarchy she grew up with needs to be torn down.

*Inferno’s Heir* has an intriguing premise that pulls you in with its familiar yet enjoyable tropes. Although the pacing can be uneven and the characters could have used more depth, it’s still an entertaining read. The mix of modern elements—like guns and hotels—alongside swords and magic feels a little out of place at times, but the action, particularly the fight and heist scenes, keeps the momentum going.

Teia’s story is compelling, though her personal growth sometimes feels more told than shown. The chemistry between her and Tobias is one of the book’s highlights, and while their romance could be developed more, there’s definitely something there. I also loved Enna, a character I hope plays an even bigger role in the next book.

Overall, *Inferno’s Heir* sets up an exciting sequel, and despite a few first-book hiccups, Wang’s writing shows real promise. I’m excited to see where the story goes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books!

A solid YA fantasy debut, following a black-sheep princess (Teia) who becomes immersed in a duplicitous personal mission to dethrone her ruthless, soon-to-be-king brother (Jura), through deceitfully joining forces with an emerging rebel alliance, known as the Dawnbreakers.

It’s been said many times already that this story has similarities to Six of Crows, following a cast of multi-skilled, misfit teenagers, who join forces to pull-off an impossible heist (or two), each with their own varying motivations and personal levels of morality, and full of rousing dynamics and snappy banter. That’s about where the comparisons ended for me, though, because even with familiar story and character elements, Inferno's Heir still felt like a fresh, imaginative take on the genre at hand.

I’ll admit this was slow-going for me for a time, definitely finding the second half more engrossing and worthy of holding my attention for prolonged reading jaunts than the slower-paced first half of the story. I believe my biggest problem was that I had a disconnect with Teia as our morally-grey heroine. She felt a bit contradictory and fairly unlikable to me; I never really warmed to her personality, her methods, or her motives displayed throughout—at least, not in the way I assume I was meant to while the story progressed.

For me, it was an interesting choice to write Teia this way. In a sense, I felt like I was following one of the villains of the story instead of one of the heroes, and I didn’t quite like how that made me feel (which is an odd reaction indeed, considering how much I generally love morally grey characters in my fantasy stories). However, this may have been a purposeful choice on the author’s behalf, in which case, it worked, and I felt exactly what I was meant to feel towards this fairly sociopathic, definitely traitorous, self-survivalist heroine.

Pushing back with some positives, I quite liked the side cast of female characters (especially Kyra and Alara, and master thief Enna), who I hoped get more page time to shine in possible sequels (because this was very much a series starter). Love interest Tobias was a little wooden for me, but not so poorly drawn that he’d be Mal-levels of unredeemable for me going forward (IYKYK). Big bad brother Jura was adequately menacing and I quite enjoyed the scenes he featured in because they gave the story a kick, even though he was absolutely a reprehensible excuse for a human being.

The writing quality was fairly remarkable for a debut fantasy tale, with clear and cohesive narrative styling and world-building that was simple yet effective, and very easy to comprehend. As someone who regularly becomes overwhelmed reading fantasy stories of this nature, often confused over dense detailing and heavy composition, I was pleased to find myself immediately in the story, following Teia’s (often questionable and treacherous) journey with ease and understanding, even if it took a while for me to get invested.

My favourite aspect of the story, however, was the idea of the elemental magics at play and the little tastes we got of the larger world’s myths and legends, that will clearly play-out in bigger, more comprehensive ways in future sequels. I mean, you can’t dangle the idea of dragons in front of me and not deliver them, right!? RIGHT?!!

This was my third official read from Bindery Books upcoming collection, and, although I’ve had mixed reactions so far (one I loved and the other… not so much), I can happily say I liked this one on a lot of levels—definitely enough to read future works from this promising author, including some much-needed sequels, that’ll surely expand this world and these characters in all the right ways!


***A special thanks to Bindery Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This really lacked likeable characters or a compelling plot. There were many inconsistencies about the world and magic. The whole plot was to get a favor from her evil brother? Seemed too low stakes for how high of stakes it was being made out to be. Not for me.

I loved it!!! I loved the whole setting of it, the magic elements, the world building and the characters. Teia is such a fierce and badass lead, I fell for her from the start and then the tension between her and Tobias left me wanting so much more. The whole heist thing was also very thrilling, and the end left me hanging. I can't wait for the next book, as I need all the characters to gather again.

Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that delves deep into themes of power, rebellion, and moral ambiguity. At its heart, the novel follows Teia, a morally grey, powerful protagonist who straddles the line between hero and anti-hero, reminiscent of characters like Jude from The Cruel Prince. As a disenchanted princess caught between her corrupt family and the rebels known as the Dawnbreakers, Teia’s journey is a gripping tale of loyalty, betrayal, and survival.

One of the strongest elements of Inferno’s Heir is its richly diverse cast of characters. Teia’s half-brother Jura, a villain with a twisted sense of amusement, and the cunning rebels seeking to dismantle Teia’s family’s legacy, all bring depth and intrigue to the narrative. Wang’s world-building is exquisite, transporting readers to the intricate settings of Erisia and beyond. The magical system—particularly Teia’s ability to control both fire and water—adds a unique twist to the plot and highlights her internal struggle.

The novel’s pacing, however, may divide readers. While the story picks up quickly, some parts felt a bit rushed, especially in the final third of the book where events unfold at breakneck speed. Despite this, the plot twists kept me engaged, and the morally complex characters added an extra layer of tension to the story. I appreciated that the novel avoided typical romantic subplots, instead focusing on the political intrigue and Teia’s growth as a character.

Wang’s handling of themes such as found family, betrayal, and the blurred lines between right and wrong elevates Inferno’s Heir beyond a typical fantasy novel. Though Teia’s character can be divisive—some may find her unlikable at times—her motivations and internal conflicts are well fleshed out, making her a compelling lead. The heist elements, prison breaks, and court politics provide enough excitement to keep readers turning the pages.

For fans of YA fantasy, Inferno’s Heir will likely be a satisfying read, especially for those who enjoy morally ambiguous characters and intricate world-building. The novel’s twists and turns, combined with its fast-paced action and captivating protagonist, ensure it stands out in the crowded fantasy genre. I’m eager to see where Wang takes Teia and the Dawnbreakers next in the sequel.

Overall, Inferno’s Heir is a solid, enjoyable fantasy read with just enough intrigue, politics, and magic to leave readers wanting more. It’s a refreshing spin on the chosen-one narrative, offering a complex heroine who must navigate her own moral compass in a world filled with deception and power struggles. Highly recommended for fans of Tiffany Wang and lovers of fast-paced, character-driven fantasy.

🐴 4 Freaking STARS! 🐴

Well this is a story of a girl! What else it got !? EVERYTHING!!

Magic ✨
Slow burn romance ✨
Politically intrigued ✨
Heist✨
Morally gray✨

First of all, look at this amazing cover. Okay! I do have a weakness for awesome covers, that's why I decided to read this. And came across lots of great things about this one.So I picked this up. This book took my heart and crushed it like a wad of paper then tossed it in the trash. But was it worth it? Totally YES.

The author reigns the supremacy of fantasy for her debut novel ‘INFERNO HEIR’ which moves around Teia Carthan who will do anything to avoid that fate by abandoning her morals in the favour of survival. Even join the Dawnbreakers, a rebel group trying to overthrow the monarchy.

It felt like the author has listened to every cry of the fantasy reader and decided to write this perfect kind for us all. The characters are also so much better developed in the book. The side characters are brave enough here to allow the main characters to make mistakes, do the wrong things and test our ability to like them. Well, I don't know about you, but the new dimensions to their personalities, their faults and weaknesses, only served to make me like them more. The dual POV and the elevated emotions are going to be everyone’s new obsession.

This young adult fantasy can make you feel familiar in a refreshing way.

In Inferno's Heir by Tiffany Wang, Teia Carthan, a morally gray princess with the power to control two elements, battles for survival against her ruthless half-brother and the oppressive monarchy of Erisia. As she infiltrates a rebel group with plans to betray them, Teia’s complex decisions and shifting alliances create a tense and captivating narrative. The book's rich world-building and high-stakes drama make it a thrilling read, though some may find its pacing uneven and character development inconsistent. Overall, it's a promising start to a series that blends heists, political intrigue, and elemental magic.

I was intrigued by this book because of its description and blurb, but by 5% in, I had no idea what was going on. At this point in the book, I usually expect some world-building and character introductions, rather than being thrown into the story without any understanding of the world or the main character's role within it. The world-building was vague, and although I remembered that Teia was promised in marriage by her brother, the significance of this was unclear—I couldn’t grasp how important it was or what the overall stakes were. I initially planned to DNF at 10%, but ended up skimming through, hoping it would improve—unfortunately, it didn’t.

The pacing was off, and the relationships, especially the insta-love, felt rushed and unconvincing. Teia’s character was difficult to relate to—her motivations were unclear, and despite occasional mentions of fear, she came across as more manipulative than vulnerable. The world-building also lacked coherence, with confusing power dynamics and magical systems that were poorly explained.

I did enjoy the heist scenes, but overall, this felt like a YA fantasy with low stakes and none of the depth I expect from some of my favorite YA fantasy novels. It’s not one I’ll be revisiting or continuing with the sequels.

Rating: 3.5/5

This has a little bit of everything I want in a story: political intrigue, sibling rivalry, heists, found family, romance, banter, plot twists, and betrayal. The pacing was a bit choppy in the beginning, but the storyline began to gain momentum towards the middle and stayed steady until reaching the climax at the end. Some of the writing was a bit juvenile, but it is YA and not too distracting.
Teia is a refreshing character as she’s morally gray and willing to what it takes to get what she wants. When the story reached its climax, I was actually shocked by her decisions since it seemed like she was changing, but I’m excited to see how the story progress in the next book

this book was a really frustrating read. our main character has suffered a lot and has an abusive older brother who has full control over her, which is clearly not a pleasant situation to be in. however, she doesn’t actually want to take him out of power because of her family’s legacy? I guess? and so her brilliant plan is to infiltrate the rebel group and betray them to use that as a single, one-time piece of leverage over her brother????

if this sounds not like a brilliant plan, much less a moral one, that’s my exact issue with it. I’d accept a morally grey MC, or an unintelligent one, but both is kinda much.

my other main complaint is that I’m SICK of this trope in fantasy where people are like “democracies are a terrible idea! we all know the best form of government is monarchies!” and all revolutions much have absolutely evil leaders and everyone else is mislead at best… it’s just tired!

overall, there just wasn’t much keeping me in the book. I think the side characters would have been more inspiring leads, but we didn’t get to know them well enough.

Thanks to the folks at Bindery Books for providing an Ebook!!!
***
3.4 stars

It's like both six of crows and grisha trilogy had a child with a darker shade of magic and legend of Korra !!!
That was very good, I enjoyed t quite a lot. I really liked the pacing and the characters and their dinamics.
I still felt the ending very very rushed but I enjoyed it quite a lot overall.
Cannot wait to see what's in store for Teia and the Dawn breakers
This book may have contents that could trigger sensitive readers like: physical abuse, violence, abuse of power, light sexual harassment, death and weapons/guns.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!🔥💧

This book promises a morally grey FMC, heists, and found family, and delivers on all counts.

Teia is legit morally grey; I find that sometimes YA novels with "morally grey" FMCs shy away from depicting them doing anything actually bad, but Teia hurts people and is unrepentant about it. Jura also serves as a fantastic antagonist for Teia; while Teia occasionally feels conflicted about her actions, Jura is completely ruthless. The conflict between them creates high stakes, with each of them willing to do just about anything to achieve their goals.

The heists are exciting and well-paced, although I feel that some of the escapes were a little too convenient, although the author does also show consequences for not succeeding, which kept me on the edge of my seat.

As for the found family... Teia certainly found them? This one is a little debatable, but the found family vibes are all there. The other characters all have their own tragic backstories and motivations, but I feel like they weren't as fleshed out as Teia, though I suppose that's fair, considering she's the protagonist.

I have to say I really did not care for Tobias at all. Like, he's okay I guess, but as Teia's love interest, he's just kind of... nothing-y. If I were feeling ungenerous, I would say he has all the personality and charm of plain white rice. IMO, Teia's love interest should have been Kyra, like their dynamic + the potential enemies to begrudging allies to lovers arc would have been amazing, but I guess since Kyra is maybe related to her it wouldn't work out.

This book was alright, but a bit slow to get going and not the most engaging. It was ok though and the ending was a bit of an improvement. Not sure I'd read a sequel though!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Bindrey for allowing me to read this early! This book has a very solid structure and characters. This is a fun and fast paced read with excellent heist scenes. I think this will be an excellent read for those who enjoy heist/found family/morally grey characters!

There are aspects of Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang that I enjoyed; but unfortunately, I did not end up enjoying this book.

Inferno’s Heir tells the story of Teia, a princess of the kingdom of Erisia and half-brother to the crown prince, Jura. Their father died some years ago, and Jura is weeks away from his coronation, having reached the age at which he can assume the throne. Rather than living in royal luxury as the sister of the crown prince, Teia is an enemy in her own home. She is of mixed blood, her mother being from the kingdom that rivals Erisa, making Teia an enemy, not to be trusted. Jura tolerates her presence for the sake of optics but arranges for Teia to be married off to an abusive man to be rid of her forever, sparking Teia to use any means necessary to change her fate and free herself from her brother’s rule. If lives or even the kingdom get in the way of her freedom—well, they should have gotten out of Teia’s way. The plot of the book revolves around Teia collaborating with a rebel organization which seeks to dismantle the crown, and a heist to steal a fabled jewel that may hold the key to the land’s greatest power.

The positives: The world building did a good job of being interesting while also being fairly straightforward. There are five kingdoms, each with an elemental power; in all other kingdoms, that power has been dispersed through the kingdom, though in Erisa, the power is held to just the royal bloodline. Teia is a Halfblood, possessing water powers through her mother. The backstory of Teia’s upbringing is very well built, especially in her relationship with her parents and how it shaped her powers in adulthood. The book is very readable, and while I did not enjoy the overall book a ton, I always found it compelling enough to keep reading just to see what would happen next. There is also interesting political intrigue that motivates much of the book.

The negatives:
- Teia’s characterization: The book paints her out to be someone who always had to do all she had to survive; someone desperate, clever, and willing to do anything if it means saving herself. However, the tone of the book disconnected from this characterization. She does some blackmail and other evil deeds, but there’s always an asterisk—she could have done worse, she could have been more evil, as though the goal is never to paint her too poorly. She never really comes across as fiercely self-motivated, but she also never really comes off as nice. She works with a rebel group and has a sort of found friendship with them almost immediately despite her ulterior motives. Yet, she also does pull some awful actions out of nowhere, and it catches you off guard. The whole thing makes it really difficult to figure out what her actual motivations are, and there is a lack of consistency with how she is characterized. I couldn’t connect with her, but I also couldn’t see her as the plotting morally gray protagonist that the book tries to paint her to be.
- The threat: Jura is the big bad of the book, a cartoonishly evil prince who has said to have spent his entire childhood burning animals alive or trying to kill his sister (as in, apparently, assassination attempts are so common as to no longer scare Teia). He tortures prisoners using a card deck to decide their fates, he schemes and lies and smirks his way out of everything. Yet he also talks to his sister a lot to share important details of his plan. Teia is described to be terrified of him, but their conversations never really show this—she always has some quips ready, and he never really pulls his punches. As the reader, its hard to take him seriously.
- The dialogue: There is a sarcastic quip in every. single. line. I swear, every exchange had at least one (though statistically many) sarcastic one-liner. I had trouble feeling as though any conversation was deep or impactful because I just couldn’t take it seriously. Tense conversation with an enemy? Have some quips. Lighthearted exchanges to show budding friendships? Have a few sarcastic one-liners. Middle of a tense action scene where time is of the essence? Let’s pause for an entire conversation of back-and-forth one-liners. I don’t mind similar quips used well; I found their presence in a book like Six of Crows to really add to the overall story and help color the relationships between the characters. In this book, though, I felt that they were just so overused to have just lost all impact.
- The logic: Too much of the plot of this book falls apart under any scrutiny. For example, Teia gets her information for blackmail by sneaking around the palace’s many secret hallways. Apparently, her brother was also taught about the hallways, but he never seems to catch on that she’s using them because he…forgot? Didn’t think about it? Many things had that level of depth—secret plans are discovered because they’re written out in full on a hidden document, characters miss important clues because they assume someone had a random psychotic break rather than actual reasons to believe what they do. The good plot elements that were present in this book are less impactful when what they’re built on doesn’t hold up to critical thinking.

In conclusion, I just didn’t find this book that enjoyable. However, I also can see that my opinions are in the minority, and that plenty of people have really liked it—and that’s great! I can see why someone would enjoy this book, as many of the twists are interesting, there’s a lot of good in the worldbuilding, and it is fun to have a protagonist who you are never really sure if you can trust. If this all sounds good to you, I do recommend this book. The book did not work well for me, but it was still a quick, compelling read with some interesting plot twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

What a debut! Inferno's Heir is an immensely fun read that has everything I look for in a YA fantasy. It's fast-paced and action-packed. The characters are diverse and all bring a unique voice and backstory to the table - no one is left feeling like a cardboard cutout or a walking trope. Everyone is painted in a different shade of morally grey, so you never quite know how far you can trust them, which makes for excellent reading. As for the writing, the descriptions are vibrant and immersive, while the dialogue has a natural flow and is packed with quiet humor. The plot feels high-stakes and compelling and the twists are effectively twisty.

I had so much fun with this read and can't wait to check out the sequel. I really can't believe that this is a debut author. Highly recommend without reservation, but especially if you're into heists, found family, political intrigue, secret rebellions, and elemental magic.

Very special thanks to Bindery and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for review.