Hayley Reese Chow

Odriel’s Heirs is a fast-paced story about Kaia’s quest to defeat Nifras, a demon necromancer who wants to take over the world. Kaia is the Dragon Heir, one of three of Odriel’s Heirs. Klaus is the Shadow Heir, able to turn invisible when he wants, and Jago is the Time Heir, able to heal anyone. They’ve been told that the only way Nifras can be defeated is if they work together, but when the story begins, we learn that Jago is missing. Throughout the book, Kaia and Klaus have to make show more do with what they have in order to succeed against Nifras’s undead army.

I give this book a 4.5/5 because it’s a pretty solid read for a debut book! I really liked Kaia’s character development. As the story progresses, we see her transform from a scared, doubtful girl into a confident warrior who was willing to die to the people she loves. I usually don’t like it when romance is included in fantasy novels because they feel insta-lovey, but I like how the romance between Kaia and Klaus developed from their bickering childhood arguments into more soft, caring words. They supported one another no matter what came between them.

My favorite character was Gus, Kaia’s ragehound, whose task was to bring Kaia back to her normal state of mind when she was too consumed by her dragon rage. He was so sweet and was always looking after Kaia, reassuring her when she doubted herself and telling her everything will be okay when she was sad :( I love Gus show less

Book source ~ BBNYA

Okarria has three of Odriel’s Heirs who protect it from the Lost, Idriel and his Children. Kaia Dashul is the Dragon Heir and at 17, she is not yet Guardian. That’s her father’s job. But when her mother gets a letter that her father and the Shadow Heir, Klaus, are looking for Jago the Time Heir, and the Lost are starting to walk the lands, she knows she has to leave home, find them, and help. She thinks she’s grown and can handle her duties. However, she has no show more idea what is coming. But she’s about to find out.

Like any 17-yr-old, Kaia is overconfident and yet doubtful. She’s emotional and despite training all her life, she’s not quite mastered the Dragon Fire. I blame her dad for some of that, but Kaia herself is her own worst enemy. She needs to get her shit together quick or all will be lost. That’s a lot of pressure. Yikes.

The secondary characters are great. Klaus is a bit annoying to me at first, but he grows on me. My favorite is Gus, Kaia’s ragehound. Because doggie! The plot moves along at a decent clip without getting bogged down. My only complaint is the battle scenes. They seem a bit far fetched, if that makes sense. I mean, I know this is fantasy, but I still like it to be a tad believable. It’s possible Kaia and Klaus could keep fighting with all their injuries by sheer willpower alone, but I’m not feeling it. Just my opinion.

If you like your Fantasy with an epic quest to save the world and characters who are worth following then do not pass this up. show less

Apparently, this is a short book. But it has so much action and so much development I felt like a full 500 pages novel. The world is amazing and the magic is fantastic. I love the legends, the fights, the worries, the everything.

Kaia has longed for the time when she can have the approval of her people. Her powers are scary not only for the others, but also for her. She has trained to become the Dragon Heir and she has trained to fight for the innocent. As a new danger approaches and their show more world is about to be conquered by a necromancer, Kaia has to find allies in strange places and learn to herness her powers.

There is so much to learn about this world. There are many strange creatures and some complicated names and places. I read the book as an e-copy (kindly provided by the amazing author), but I strongly suggest you have a physical copy. I found myself going back to the map (yes, it has a map!) to visualize where the battles were held or where each territory was located. It was a great experience.

Kaia fights alongside the Shadow Heir Klaus Thane, the person who always provoked her in her childhood, the one who encouraged her rage, the one who always bested her. They complement each other beautifully and their interactions slowly reveal their true feelings. But it happens slowly, and everything develops for that particular point. Nothing is random.

An interesting aspect is how our main characters evolve. Kaia learns to harness her power and have control over her fears, while Klaus easily brings forward his emotions. A Dragon Heir learns to control the fire within, while the Shadow Heir learns not to keep his feeling in the shadows. Interesting, I would say!

Definitely is a series that must be continued. The ending leaves a lot of options open and I cannot wait to read more. It’s indeed a beautiful book, with lots of action and a lot of political facts. There are animal companions loyal to their human counterparts that play a role from time to time, there is fire, necromancers, an army of dead guys and magic! Cool! show less

For background, I am a high school teacher working with kiddos ranging from a 3rd - 11th grade reading level, so I’m looking at this book through the lens of an educator wanting to recommend books to students that meet their needs/wants.

This book jumps right into the world of Pericael, with different lingo and the reader needs to be able to immerse themself and suspend disbelief--definitely would recommend for fantasy lovers. I appreciated that the magic in this book (creatures, show more spellbooks, rituals) were described without being overly explanatory for a middle grade audience.

As someone who values a balance between battle scenes, dialogue, and solid character development, I enjoyed the book and its flow between common non-magical reality (primarily at the start and end of the book with one quick snippet in the middle) and magical world. The protagonist, Porter, is likable and relatable to the reader. He feels isolated with his secret responsibilities and power, and is reluctant to take on his role in Pericael. Ultimately he grows alongside his cousin, Ames, and a group of powerful individuals, and comes into his full self.

I would recommend this book to my students, but I would not teach the book necessarily (in Guided Reading), if only because many of the characters' feelings and motivations are directly stated rather than just implied--but it makes for a great bit of light reading! show less