Odriel’s Heirs
Odriel’s Heirs (Odriel’s Heirs #1)
By: Hayley Reese Chow
“Light the darkness, Dragon.”
I read the third book in this series (Time’s Orphan) a couple years ago and liked it so much I planned to go back and read the earlier books. I probably should have read this one sooner than now because I already forgot most of book three… it ended up not spoiling anything I guess!
Odriel’s Heirs is a compelling young adult fantasy series full of magic and courage and sacrifice. It’s a classic story of good vs evil.
I loved the depth and distinctness of the characters. The danger was real and the enemies formidable, and the character development was great! The epilogue nicely sets up the next book and I think you’ll want to race through the whole series once you read one.
Plot Summary
Okarria is protected by the Dragon Heir, the Shadow Heir, and the Time Heir— the heirs of Odriel (the spirit guide, God-type figure).
“To the bravest, he gave the power of the Dragon— of fire… He cloaked the cunning in shadow— to walk unseen. And to the kind, he gave his healing touch.”
Their role is to work in tandem to fend off the necromancer (Nifras) who is the commander of a ‘dead’ army (think zombie-like) who has his sights set on conquering Okarria.
“‘Don’t underestimate the Lost. When a body is raised, the darkest part of that person’s soul is also raised to inhabit it.’”
Kaia is a seventeen-year-old training under her father to be the next Dragon Heir. The power is a gift inherited by the eldest child of each heir.
Though she has not mastered her power yet, her training is cut short when the yanaa (think energy) shield, the barrier keeping the necromancer out, is fading and the heirs have not returned from their quest. She and Klaus (the Shadow Heir) must go looking for her father (the Dragon Heir) and Jago (the Time Heir) to join forces and fend off the inevitable attack.
Their journey, chaperoned by a cursed, talking cat (Shad), takes them through all kinds of danger from cheeky, killer cave goblins to ambushes of rebirthed zombie armies to distracting griegals (all the irritating parts of “an imp, a pixie, and a fairy” mixed together) to a shape-shifting necromancer.
But they also build up their own army with allies from around their country including the bear-men (Maldibor), the half-reptilians (Dracour), a boy who can communicate with plants and animals, and the mage brothers (Everard & Dorinar)— the former who is a more crotchety version of Gandalf, the latter a lovesick, bookish hermit who wants nothing to do with humans.
“Tomorrow, in the heat of battle, the eyes of the army would be on Kaia— looking for hope and strength. If the Heirs won, it would be everyone’s victory, but if they lost, the failure would be theirs alone.”
Do they have what it takes to protect the ones they love?
Comments
Hayley Reese Chow does a great job of creating unique and distinct characters. We don’t get a lot of time with all of them, but you still get this sense of depth to them that makes you want to learn about all of their backstories.
While this is book one, you do feel like you’ve been dropped partway through the story. The Heirs are already off fighting the bad guy you’re not entirely sure where it came from. One of the heirs is already dead. And there is history with her parents’ past that seems significant but is not told. Regardless, you know enough to get started and HRC fills in some of the gaps as you go.
One thing I really like about HRC’s writing is that she is not afraid to kill off her characters— I mean in one battle scene they start with 600 fighters and end with 88! It’s bittersweet because you like the characters and you don’t want to see them go, but at the same time it makes you realize you can’t necessarily predict how things are going to end up. Anyone could die next. It keeps the high levels of tension and the danger.
Kaia, herself, encounters some tragic deaths that reminds you that this isn’t some happy little adventure but truly a quest against evil and all that it tries to corrupt.
I enjoyed Kaia’s personal journey with honing and harnessing her fire power gift. It reminded me a lot of Avatar: The Last Air Bender. When Aang enters the ‘avatar state’ because of his rage, he defeats the bad army, but he also hurts innocent people. He then struggles with using his powers against people.
Likewise, Kaia’s use of her fire power stems from anger and rage and when it’s triggered, she loses control. When her doubt and fears cause her to lose her ability to draw out her power altogether, she goes to find Odriel, hoping he will help her restore her powers. I won’t give all the details, but she comes to find out that her gift is more powerful when it is anchored in love rather than rage.
Great character development for Kaia. I also like how she has to come to terms with her identity as an Heir, into this gift she was given. Her twin brother, Bram, born just minutes after her, believes he should have been the one to get the gift, that he would have done a better job. Kaia has to wrestle with self-doubt and confidence and acceptance of her gift.
“She had been born the Dragon Heir, but she had yet to earn it.”
“She tried her best. But what did you do when you your best wasn’t good enough?”
Added to that is the persecution she experiences from many of the villages who fear her and blame her for hardship.
“If ever you need a light, just remember the one that burns within you never goes out.”
I don’t think this was intended to be a Christian book but I see a lot of parallels that I enjoyed.
HRC has created some formiddable villains in this book. One of them is Mogens whose appearance gives off witchy Voldemort vibes. He also seems to be the villain that just never dies. You keep thinking ‘no one could survive that’ and yet, here he is, back again. A villain you love to hate.
Of course another element to this layered story is a smidge bit of romance between Kaia and Klaus (the Shadow Heir). Classic trauma bonding, but when they’re risking their lives together, you don’t mind that they are simultaneously falling in love. They need each other! I’m cool with it.
“I would rather fight beside you in darkness than live without you in the sun.”
I do wonder though— if they eventually have a child together, does that child inherit the dragon powers or the shadow powers? Or is it one ultimate heir with double the powers?!
Pronunciation Guide:
(the author provided me a list of words and how to pronounce them so I included a few of the most used words here if you’re interested!)
Austerden: aw-ster-den
Carceroc: car-sir-rock
Dorinar: door-in-ar
Dracour: dray-core
Idriel: eye-dree-uhl
Jago: Jay-go
Kaia Dashul: Ky-ah Dash-ul
Klaus: Klows
Nifras: Niff-ras
Odriel: oh-dree-uhl
Okarria: oh-car-ree-ah
Yanaa: yah-nah
Recommendation
If you enjoy fantasy books or books with magic or books with courageous and dangerous quests to save humanity, then definitely give this series a try!
While it is marketed as young adult, I would say given some of the descriptions of the dead army and the villains and some of the more gruesome deaths, this may be more for the older side of young adults.
Looks like the series is not just about Kaia and Klaus but also the heirs that come after them. There are three primary books in the series with half books in between. Having read the third book first and then this one, I would recommend reading them in order for the most cohesive experience.
[Content Advisory: dark magic, some creepy creatures, some violence and gruesome deaths; no swearing or sexual content]
**Recieved a copy of this book via the author in exchange for an honest review**
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