The Story Review

The Lost Heir by V.M. Winters

⭐⭐⭐⭐

My rating scale

Cara Monroe-Woods agreed to attend Silverbrook University for one reason only: respect her father’s last wish. Her priorities are straight: a cushy dorm, some studying, minimal responsibilities and enough time for pilates and coffee breaks. So when a foul-mouthed squirrel starts following her across campus insisting she’s the missing heir to an alien kingdom, Cara does the sensible thing and assumes she’s losing her mind, because honestly, who wouldn’t?

The hallucination theory falls apart when a dark creature attacks her in the university library. The squirrel is telling the truth: Cara is Celestia, heir to a kingdom on a distant planet waiting for her return. The problem? Cara has zero intention of leaving Earth for a place stuck under a magical veil that she doesn’t even remember. Her plan is simple: avoid the bigger problem, master just enough magic skills to not get killed and definitely don’t fall for Black, the broody post-doctoral researcher who keeps showing up exactly when she needs him, and is infuriatingly difficult to figure out.

Spoiler alert: things don’t go as planned. Somewhere between the magic lessons and the friends she wasn’t supposed to make, Silverbrook stopped feeling temporary. When the person she trusted most turns out to be the greatest threat of all, Cara has to make a choice: stay in her comfortable Earth life, or go to the kingdom that’s been waiting for her return.

Review

The Lost Heir by V.M. Winters is a cosy fantasy novel featuring a lost princess, magical kingdoms, a reluctant heroine, found family, and a little romantic tension. If you enjoy stories about ordinary girls discovering they’re destined for something extraordinary, this one might be worth adding to your TBR!

Cara Monroe-Woods has always felt like she needs to earn her place in the world. Adopted as a baby after being found under the stairs at a subway station, she’s grown up with a complicated relationship with her identity. After her father’s death, she decides it’s time to make something of herself. She enrols at Silverbrook University to study politics and history, gets her first job as a library assistant, and ends up sharing a flat with a group of students who quickly become her found family.

Her plans for a fresh start take an unexpected turn when a talking squirrel named Nyxos reveals that she’s actually the lost princess of Caeldora, a magical kingdom on another planet. With neighbouring kingdoms threatening her home, Cara must learn to use her magic, uncover the truth about her past, and decide whether she’s willing to leave her life on Earth behind to save her people.

One of the things I enjoyed about The Lost Heir was the combination of familiar fantasy tropes. We have the Chosen One, the Reluctant Heroine, Found Family, a magical animal companion, and a portal to another world. There’s also a romance with a mysterious teacher/library staff member who is definitely more than he initially appears to be.

I found Cara a little annoying and spoiled at first, and I was sometimes frustrated by her. She seemed to put up a big fight against accepting the truth about her identity, but at other times she seemed to accept it rather quickly. I wanted her to take more time to process everything she’d learned, especially considering how much her entire world had just changed.

On the other hand, I admired her willingness to return to Caeldora to save her friends and kingdom. It wasn’t an easy decision, knowing she’d be leaving behind the life she’d built on Earth, including her friends and her widowed mother. I was sad alongside her, for everything she would have to give up, even while understanding why she made that choice.

I was glad that Cara eventually came to terms with the two sides of her identity, rather than feeling she had to choose between being the person she’d grown up as and the princess she was born to be. I did find myself wondering how much of that reconciliation was possible when she still hadn’t recovered her memories of her original life, though. Perhaps we’ll find this out in book 2.

And then there’s Nyxos! Easily my favourite supporting character, he brought so much charm and life to the story. I loved having him around, and he added a welcome bit of personality to the fantasy elements.

The world-building was interesting, and I enjoyed learning about Caeldora and its politics. There was a fair amount of information to take in, and some of it felt like info dumping. However, I liked the way the author turned the history lessons into a podcast for Cara to listen to. It was a clever way of delivering the necessary information, even if I occasionally found myself skimming those sections.

I also enjoyed the romantic tension between Cara and Black. He’s a mysterious character, and while I suspected there was more to him than met the eye, I didn’t successfully guess the exact truth about his identity. The eventual reveal changes things between them and gives their relationship a new layer of complication, and just when it seems they might finally act on their feelings, politics and events back on their home planet threaten to get in the way again. By the end of the book, that romantic tension is very much alive, and I’m interested to see where things go in the next instalment!

One thing I would have liked more of was Cara discovering things for herself. Much of what she learns about Caeldora and her past comes from other characters explaining it to her. I would have enjoyed seeing her uncover more of the history, magic, and secrets on her own, rather than being told so much of it.

I also expected Silverbrook University to play a bigger role in the story. Despite the university setting, Cara’s experiences there didn’t have a huge impact on the main plot. The story could have taken place at another university, a high school, or even a workplace without changing very much. I would have liked to see the academic setting woven more deeply into the story.

Despite those criticisms, I enjoyed The Lost Heir. It didn’t blow me away, but it was a good read, and I’m glad I picked it up. There are plenty of interesting ideas here, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Should you read this book?

If you enjoy cosy fantasy stories with familiar tropes, a lost princess, a magical world, and a slow-burn romance, I’d definitely recommend giving The Lost Heir a go!

• For fans of Harry Potter: The Chosen One and Found Family tropes will feel familiar, alongside the magical discoveries and the journey of learning who you really are.
• For fans of Reign (TV show): Cara gives me Mary, Queen of Scots vibes. She’s a princess who has grown up away from her kingdom and must eventually return home to face her responsibilities and lead her people.
• For fans of Once Upon a Time (TV show): Cara’s journey reminded me of Emma Swan’s character arc: a girl from Earth who discovers she’s connected to a lost kingdom and must embrace her destiny to save her people.

One thing worth noting is that the romance is very low-spice, with just a few stolen kisses and plenty of romantic tension. If you prefer your fantasy romance without explicit scenes, or you’re looking for something suitable for older teens as well as adults, this could be a good fit.

Overall, I’m giving The Lost Heir 3.5 stars. It was very good, I really enjoyed it, and I definitely recommend it. I’m looking forward to returning to Caeldora in book two!

Disclaimer: I received a free Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Hawthorn & Aster, who provide publishing and marketing services to indie authors.

About the Author

V.M. Winters writes cosy fantasy peppered with a liberal dose of romance. Based in the UK, she is the author of The Lost Heir, the first book in the Celestial Tales series. When she’s not building magical worlds, or torturing her characters, she can usually be found reading, with a cup of coffee in hand and her dog curled up at her feet.

My rating scale