"Teia would survive this, just as she had everything else. She would take her fear and wield it as a weapon."

Actual Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Tiffany Wang, and Blindery Books for the E-ARC!

If you liked The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller you need to pick up this book! A book filled with politics, heists, unlikely allies, and a morally grey FMC, this is a must-read.

Teia is a Princess without any of the bonuses, with assassination attempts done to her by her own half-brother, Jura. She's tired of living in his shadow, her hand promised in marriage by Jura to a man who's known to have killed his previous wives. That's why when Teia hears that Jura will give a favour to any person who brings him a key member of a rebel group called the Dawnbreakers, she knows what she has to do. When she finally finds this group though, her plans go out the window and she's forced to enact a heist she thinks is almost impossible to succeed.

This book was a bit slow going for me at the start (the fact I've been in a reading slump didn't help), but when it picks up, it's impossible to put down. I went from being only 17% in to finishing the rest in one sitting. Safe to say, I think it's gotten me out of the slump I was in. As you get into the book, there are so many things going on, mountains of schemes and alliances, new enemies and allies, and Teia is at the center of everything.

Speaking of Teia, I absolutely adored her as the protagonist. A morally grey character who just wants what's best for her. She doesn't care for the needs of other's and isn't afraid to use or even blackmail them if it helps her with her personal causes. She's intelligent, brutal and doesn't waiver from what she wants. I loved experiencing her journey throughout the story as she meets new people and takes on challenge after challenge.

I really hope there'll be a second book to this, because I really want to read more from these characters and the universe! I highly recommend picking this up if you enjoy fantasy, adventure, heists and plots upon plots.

~~Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Hachette for the ARC!~~

This book is so damn good. I've had quite a few delightful surprise favorites this year, and Inferno's Heir has rightfully earned its place amongst them.

The best quality about this book is definitely the characters, main and side cast alike. Teia is morally gray, but it's very easy to sympathize with her and understand why she is the way she is, despite the morally dubious decisions she makes over the course of the novel (Especially at the end, cuz, man, it really shows how ruthlessly ambitious Teia is). She's also very sarcastic and snarky, which makes excellent chemistry with the rest of the colorful cast of characters. It reminded me so much of Six of Crows with how heavily the story is carried by amazing dialogue and complex dynamics between all these characters (They also break into a prison-twice, even-but that's where the similarities end).

The worldbuilding was also very interesting. I wish there was a map so I could visualize the land better (All fantasy books need maps, dammit), but the descriptors given in test gave enough to understand the baselines of this world. It's highly implied that there will be a sequel at the end, and Teia will be exploring her mom's homeland. As interesting as Erisha was, I cannot wait to experience another country and its culture in this world. The story was also so engaging and had me guessing at every new reveal. I had some ideas in mind that were completely proven wrong, but the reveals that were made only enhanced my enjoyment.

All in al, this was such a great read. I hope the sequel will be so once this book is officially released, because I really want to know what happens next!