Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Red Heir
AUTHORS: Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 234 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 30, 2020
BLURB:
Imprisoned pickpocket Loth isn’t sure why a bunch of idiots just broke into his cell claiming they’re here to rescue the lost prince of Aguillon, and he doesn’t really care. They’re looking for a redheaded prince, and he’s more than happy to play along if it means freedom. Then his cranky cellmate Grub complicates things by claiming to be the prince as well.
Now they’re fleeing across the country and Loth’s stuck sharing a horse and a bedroll with Grub while imitating royalty, eating eel porridge, and dodging swamp monsters and bandits.
Along the way, Loth discovers that there’s more to Grub than meets the eye. Under the dirt and bad attitude, Grub’s not completely awful. He might even be attractive. In fact, Loth has a terrible suspicion that he’s developing feelings, and he’s not sure what to do about that. He’d probably have more luck figuring it out if people would just stop trying to kill them.
Still, at least they’ve got a dragon, right?
REVIEW:
Red Heir is an amusing and entertaining fairy tale full of “spectacular nonsense” and good fun. It begins with a band of merry, mythical misfits being paid to rescue the imprisoned, redheaded Crown Prince of Aguollon, the rightful heir to the throne. The group is comprised of Calarian, a collective anarchist elf too beautiful to be fair; Ada, a female bearded dwarf concerned only with fulfilling the contact and getting paid; Dave, the sweet seven-foot green orc and his fingerdragon, Pie, whose diminutive size belies his ferocity; and their “leader” Scott, a human idiot.
When they arrive at the prison, they are dismayed to discover not one, but two, red haired young men in the cell – Loth and Grub who both claim to be Prince Tarquin so that they can be freed. The real prince has been jailed so long no one knows what he looks like anymore, other than the red hair. The rescue party, therefore, must take both young men with them, and adventure ensures as the group travels across the kingdom on horseback. But is the benefactor offering the reward for the rescue and return of Prince Tarquin a good guy or a bad man? Is it all an evil set up?
I was very much looking forward to reading this fantastical tale but sadly it didn’t fully capture my attention until about one-third of the way into the book. Initially, I didn’t find many of the characters overly likable, particularly Loth, one of the two protagonists. He’s self-absorbed and constantly making snide remarks about Grub. The derisive comments and repetitive jokes grow stale. Grub is inoffensive, unlike Loth, but he doesn’t have many redeeming qualities to his bristly personality. That soon changes, though.
As Loth finds himself attracted to Grub/Cue/Quinn, he focuses less on himself and begins to show the growth and maturity he needs to be worthy of Quinn. As Loth softens, Quinn responds in kind and both become favorable characters. Loth eventually steps up as courageous, honorable, and loyal to Quinn.
I particularly enjoyed the sprinkling of anachronisms in what appears to be a medieval time period. One moment they’re sleeping on straw mattresses and filling the tub with buckets, and the next they’re greeting each other with fist bumps. Then there’s the Bring Your Child to Work Day mishap which resulted in Loth and Grub being jailed in the same cell.
The visit to Loth’s family home is a highlight of the book. His mum and dad are precious and fully play up the farce they are presented with. It’s heartwarming to see how they gather orphaned Quinn to themselves with welcoming arms and hearts.
I recommend Red Heir to those who enjoy fantasy with a good dose of comedy. Enjoy!
RATING: 
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