THE LAST GREAT HEIR, by Carina Finn, Sourcebooks Young Readers, Jan. 28, 2025, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 10 and up)
The female heirs of two opposing families must duel for guardianship of the land in The Last Great Heir, by Carina Finn.
Merriment Feast’s life is one constant party, complete with dazzling gowns and delicious pastries. Everything is perfect…except for her aunt’s physically grueling training. Merri believes it’s her responsibility to protect her family’s traditions and the power they’ve held for generations.
Rue Famine knows that only Feasts benefit from Feast rule. As the heir of House Famine, she spends her days studying potion-making in an enormous, dusty library and learning how to use her magic to help others.
Custom dictates that the heirs of Feast and Famine must duel on their thirteenth birthday. Only one family can rule the land of Fauret, and Merri and Rue have been raised as rivals.
But as the contest draws near and dangers escalate, their true enemy may be a shared one… —Synopsis provided by Sourcebooks Young Readers
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.
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