Hayley Reese Chow

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, 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!
… (altro)

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 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.… (altro)

This book was exciting to read. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The pacing was spot on with a mix of fast and medium, but not too slow to pull you out of the story. This is the second out of three middle grade stories I have read, and I am thinking I may have to add more in the future. Where were these when I was in school?

Porter is the main character and well-round. Instead of having a character that does not know who he is and is discovering himself through his journey, this character was a little different. Porter knows who he is and the significance of his power, but he does not. Instead, he envies his sister and cousin because they do not have the same burden. Porter has his mother who understands, but he is a kid. Throughout this journey, he is discovering his significant power and what others in this world expect of him. His power scares him, but again, this is a lot to ask from someone his age.

Aimes, Porter’s cousin, what can I say about him? I enjoyed this little guy. He made me laugh with his Star Wars references (and everyone here should know I am a big SW fan), comparing Porter to Luke Skywalker and his magic as the Force. Aimes is the comic relief in this book and the one who helps ground Porter. I think he is as well-rounded as one could get. For someone running for his life and getting injured, Aimes is optimistic. He tries to see the good side of the bad because good magic was on their side.

Now there are the sisters Fira and Conri. Both are important to Porter’s journey. Each of them has different expectations for Porter. They knew the importance of their journey, but they still second guessed themselves even though they went head first into everything. I like how they were not perfect and how the flaws showed throughout the book. They are both strong characters in their own right. I enjoyed them as much as I did with Aimes.

There was some great world building for this story. I wished there would have been more, but understanding the age group and length, I think there was enough. Everyone seems to know the importance of Porter, which makes him uncomfortable. The world seems to be cruel no matter what time of the day, worse at night with creepy beasts and trees running through the forest. The magic is the spirits of the nature and I like the intake on this. They can decide if they want to help and for how long until they were told differently by a more powerful spirit.

I enjoyed this book. It was well written, the world was understandable, and the characters play their parts. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a fantasy adventure, dark fantasy, and magic.

*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.… (altro)

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 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… (altro)