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An Heir Comes To Rise (AHCTR) is the first in an ongoing Epic Fantasy Series by Chole C. Peñaranda, a Scottish writer with a love for storytelling. So far, four books have been released as part of the series, with a fifth book due in January 2023.
Have you been searching for your next Fantasy series fix full of ancient magic, Fae with a young, headstrong and orphaned main character? Slightly morbid at the end there, but this is the book for you!
An Heir Comes To Rise follows 19-year-old Faythe, a poor but perfectly normal human with a love for swordplay, living in the Outer City of Farrowhold, Urngardia. Under the watch of the fierce and merciless Fae Patrol, Faythe tries to make the best of her situation. One day while working in a small bakery, everything changes when she is sent on a delivery to an old friend’s home.
Faythe is thrown into a world of secrecy, magic and myths as she is caught between two worlds, human and fae. With the help of her unlikely new friend Nik, she discovers more about her life than she knew.
With the fifth book in this series coming out in January, it is the perfect time to binge-reading. At least, that is what I’m attempting to do. We will see how well I do!
EVALUATION
Genre
An Heir Comes To Rise reminds me of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. AHCTR instantly felt like home, a common aspect between the Shadow World and Wizarding World. However, it also reminds me of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince series (which I am currently reading).
Like the series mentioned, AHCTR has expansive worldbuilding, which pulls you in completely. From the second you start reading, you are in Urngardia with Faythe! This pulls the book to be on the same level as other Fantasy worlds.
Characters
The characters were brilliant! Each stood entirely on their own and felt like a natural person. Throughout the book, I could feel the depth of each character.
My favourite book characters were Faythe (obviously!) and Nik. I like Faythe because she seems to have her heart in the right place and is full of mystery! She is like a never-ending parcel that I need to unravel!
Faythe
I could understand that Faythe was the right amount of sassy and shaky bravery. Her love for her friends came first, which I loved, but she also showed the awkwardness that made her more life-like. I wasn’t left feeling like she was this incredible being. Especially since her power seems to set her apart from others.
I love her cunningness at the end of the book! Something I love to see.
Nik
Now, Nik. He was such a mystery, and I love it! He had the right amount of mystery mixed with his kind personality that, in the end, I could feel my heart breaking for him.
Jakon
Ahh! This loveable dude! He is the perfect big brother character, especially for Faythe! They are a perfect match—pure sibling energy in some scenes.
He is a good match for Faythe (and Marlowe). Plus, he and Marlowe are so cute!! I love their chemistry. Jakon’s awkwardness when spending time with Marlowe alone is a brilliant contrast to his tough and stern ways when trying to ground Faythe.
Marlowe
I loved how Marlowe complimented Faythe and gave Faythe an unbiased friend into her new reality. Marlowe was willing to be there for anything Faythe needed to know or help with.
She was a beautiful compliment to Jakon as well. Her sweet and airy nature, combined with her strong nature, was perfect for getting Jakon to lighten up a little.
Tauria
THIS WOMAN IS BRILLIANT!
She is barely in the first book, like only a couple of times she shows up. HOWEVER, I love her! Her confidence is immaculate, and she is so lovely!
Tauria seems like she will be so much fun as the series continues!
The fourth book in this series (A Clash of Three Courts) is mainly Tauria’s POV. It’s just come out (6th of September 2022), so I am excited to catch up on the series and read it.
Orlon
Again, like Tauria, he doesn’t show up much in the book. More near the end. However, once he does, he’s good. A fantastic mixture of “I don’t trust you”, “Prick”, and “why were you nice?”
I think he will play much more with Faythe and our minds in the series. I can’t wait!
Reuben
I’ll be honest: I forgot about Reuben like Faythe! I know, I know! How could I?! I was so caught up in the story that I forgot about him!
I hope he appears more in the following few books. He means a lot to Faythe, and her past and ending in An Heir Comes To Rise was completely out of nowhere. I want to know what happened there so bad!! I don’t want to spoil much, but it was so interesting!
Ferris
This man is the resident nutter (in a loving way). You can see he cares about Faythe and her friends, they are his friends too.
I love how he has this hard exterior, but his soft and gentle side shines through the cracks a few times, showing how he does care.
Varis
This man! I love how he is written! He is just pure evil. Truly well done! He is ruthless and cunning, someone to truly hate in the series.
Plot & Theme
Within a few pages, I was hooked. You go from following Faythe in her tedious, mundane job to, holy shit, we need to move fast. It completely fits into the Epic Fantasy theme, if I do say so. Urngardia is so rich with lore that you can quickly immerse in it!
I read most of An Heir Comes To Rise while I was away on a family holiday and constantly craving more. In each chapter, I fought not to put the book down. I needed to know what happened next.
There were two moments in An Heir Comes To Rise where I knew this was a series and author I would instantly buy from.
The first moment was near the start of the book. It was the Solstice celebration. This moment resonated with me; I love celebrating times that link back to Celtic Celebrations (Pagan Celebrations). It felt like Celebrating Guy Fawkes Night, but on a grander scale.
As for the second moment, it was near the end of the book. This moment was a big moment between Nik and Faythe. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it was a powerful moment between them. I understood where both were coming from, and my heart broke for Nik.
This moment leads perfectly into the ending, allowing some unanswered questions to be answered and opening up more questions for the following books.
I felt the ending was satisfying for the story. It left an interesting allure to the scene, ready for the next book with some characters ready to be explored more and hopefully new ones to meet.
Pacing
I never thought there was a point where the story dragged. It was nicely paced throughout and kept me interested the entire time.
The story lulled in some places, but never to the point where I found myself forcing myself through the pages. It was lulled in a way that fit and showed a break in the characters’ fast-paced lives for casual times.
Prose
I enjoyed the writing style and voice. Chole C. Peñaranda did wonderfully at switching between Faythe and Nik’s POV, which makes me even more excited for the other books as I know there is more switching POV’s to come!
The writing wasn’t overly complicated, making it easy for me to read and get into quickly. This kept me hooked on the story and never pulled me from the illusion of having to think over-complicated sentence structure or wording.
Impact
Upon finishing An Heir Comes To Rise, my primary emotion was, “WHY DIDN’T I BRING THE NEXT BOOK WITH ME?! I was still on holiday with A Queen Comes To Power (Book 2 in the An Heir Comes To Rise series) in my bedroom at home, about three hours away.
RECOMMENDATION
This book is for you if you’re a fantasy lover and found family tropes with lore-rich worlds! The writing is brilliant and pulls you into the world, completely captivating you.
An Heir Comes To Rise pulled me in and hasn’t let go! I plan on reading the entire series with an auto-buy anytime Chole releases a new book. She truly deserves so much for this fantastic world she has created!
Rating & Info
Rating: 7/7
Author Website: Chole C. Peñaranda
Edition I Read: Hardback
Genre: Young adult fiction, Fantasy Fiction
Series/Standalone Name: AHCTR
