Audiobook Review: Heir of Crowns and Curses by Rachanee Lumayno

Kidnapping. Curses. Trying to stop a magical cult from taking over the world. No one told me this was what being a godparent would be like.

No one is more surprised than me when I get the request: "Rhyss, we would be honored if you would stand as Coran's godfather."

For this happy-go-lucky mercenary, it's not the sort of thing I get asked often. Or would even want to do.

But you don't say no to your best friends, who also happen to be the King and Queen of Calia. Even if saying yes means pledging my life and protection to their newborn son, the Crown Prince Coran.

At the dedication, my new vow is immediately tested when the baby is stolen away by a secret society. Now I, along with Farrah, another dear friend, must cross a haunted forest and deal with pirates in the seedy kingdom of Bomora.

My former home.

Where I have to face the demons of my past. Before they unleash an ancient magic that could destroy all of the Gifted Lands.

Should be easy.

Right?

Journey to the Gifted Lands, a fantasy world of seven kingdoms, each known for their own unique power or ability. Heir of Crowns and Curses is the fourth book in the Kingdom Legacy series set in this magical world. Each book features a character from one of the kingdoms, with appearances from beloved characters from previous novels.

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rachanee was born on a snowy day in Michigan. She was always playing let's pretend and creating things; at her 4th grade birthday party she wrote a play and made all her friends participate in it. (No performance = no cake.) She pursued a degree in photojournalism but took a detour into an independent music career. Four albums, over 1000 shows, lots of car miles and a few awards later, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in... acting.

She trained in comedy (sketch writing classes, and improv at Upright Citizens Brigade), honing her witty and whimsical style for her work in TV, film, and voiceovers. On-camera work includes Stevie TV (VH1), Buzzfeed, College Humor, and online sketches for Things Get Dicey and for ​dating coach Matthew Hussey. Voiceover clients include Google, HBO, TizZ Tutor, Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research, and Embr Wave. Character VO work includes the voice of Yu Yan in Swan Princess 10: A Royal Wedding; video games; the scripted podcasts Ex Pat, Georgie Romero is Done For, and The Soft-Boiled Detective; and the webcomics The Glove and Criminal King. She's also narrated over 40 audiobooks in the Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Historical Fiction, and Romance genres. If you're a K-pop fan, you may have heard her on J-Hope (of BTS)'s album, Jack in the Box, on the first track.

And her journalism roots run deep - she stills write, mostly romantic comedies and sketches. Her scripted comedy podcast, Ex Pat, debuted in March 2020 on all major podcast platforms.

Review

The Kingdom Legacy series comes full circle with this installment, as we're back with the OG party! A lot has changed since, of course, but I was really stoked to find out that Heir of Crowns and Curses was in Rhyss' POV — he's one of my favorites, along with Farrah. And this book didn't disappoint! It still has all the elements I enjoy about this series: the quick pace, the likeable characters, the feel-good vibes while still having real stakes, the humor, and the dash of romance.

I also just really love the setup of this series, how each book focuses on a kingdom in the Gifted Lands. This time the kingdom in question is Bomora, Rhyss's birth country, which has a history of... well, piracy. We're also introduced to the Fae, and that's gotten me very intrigued. Do I dare hope the next book will have more about them?

I jumped at the opportunity to enjoy this book via audio as I absolutely love Rachanee's voice work, and that didn't disappoint either.

If you like your fantasy as standalone quick reads but with a larger world that you can later explore at a time of your choosing, check this series out!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino fantasy author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

Also check out my upcoming release, Among Thorns and Stardust ✨