3.5 Stars

The Last Great Heir is an upper middle-grade fantasy adventure that has a lot of promise but doesn’t live up to its full potential.

There’s a lot to love about The Last Great Heir. Merri and Rue are enjoyable protagonists who grow throughout the novel. Both of the girls only know what their families have told them, and when they discover there’s more to the story, they start to question the very foundation upon which they’ve been raised.

Where the book isn’t as successful is timing and pacing. Parts of it feel disjointed, and it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on at times. The magical system is also a bit confusing. There were elements I didn’t understand even after completion.

Criticisms aside, The Last Great Heir is a fantasy with compelling mystery components that do move the story forward. It will be interesting to see how things come together in the next book.

What a fun, well-imagined middle grade book! Finn is a food writer and that shows in the lucious descriptions of food in her world! I adored the world building here and the dynamics between our two main characters and that ENDING! Suffice it to say I can't wait to put this in the hands of kids (and fellow adults!) and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel!

The general concept and structure of this book is truly very very good. I really enjoyed Rues personality and story arch but the other characters felt very underdeveloped at times. The pacing of the book is the main issue a lot is happening in just a few days and so it feels very muddled and rushed. This would bother some of my older students.

Feast and Famine, the last great heirs, don't want to duel and as they set out they find what life is like in their town. Famine needs to find out why they duel, how to stop it. Feast learns how bad the people live because they hog all the money. Together they travel to a different world and learn they and Bun are sisters and determine to stop the duel. This is a scary but fun story as Feast and Famine team together to try to understand the world.

Overall, I enjoyed this story! The families of feast and famine were so interesting and definitely a fresh idea. I wasn’t super thrilled with the climatic end scene. It felt a little disjointed. But I will absolutely read the next book because I really liked Merri, Rue, Wort, and Sage.

he Last Great Heir is the debut novel from Carina Finn. It's a light middle grade fantasy that focuses on classism, familial ties, and the aspirations of being a kind and just heir who "understands the world beyond the confines of one's inheritance." Rue and Merri have two very different lived experiences yet have more in common than they even know. Both families have been keeping secrets from them, and I enjoyed watching how their shared hidden past lead them closer and closer toward one another and a final understanding of how and why the duel began in the first place. Through the alternating narratives of Merri and Rue the author fills in some of the key details and helps the reader to understand these girls better. What motivates them and who is most important to them. Fauret is an interesting world of demons, ancient magic, talking cats, an adorable puppy and two houses that have long been divided by their social class disparities. The story includes LGBTQIA+ representation with Rue having two mothers and two gay uncles and that final twist will have the reader eager for the next book in the series. **A huge thank you to Sourcebooks for Young Readers for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

A great read! This is a brilliant fantasy adventure book, a fantastic read from start to finish- and one that can be finished in one sitting. The Last Great Heir is full of heart and strength, making this a truly atmospheric and enchanting book.

In this fantasy novel, rival families must duel at 13 years old for control of their kingdom. Feast won the last duel and Famine's hope rests on Rue to win. Each family believes that they are what is best for the people. Both Merriment and Rue only understand what their families have told them about each other and the history of why they must duel. When Merriment and Rue meet and find out family secrets, their lives will be forever changed. They have lots of help from friends made along the way and a friendly demon that lives in the library. A good book for middle schoolers.