“Royal Heirs Academy” by Lindsay Duga came out on Jan. 7 and already is captivating readers with the brilliant wording and excellent imagery within characters.
This book has incredibly creative writing and structure, Duga was able to write about all these amazing characters and made it possible for the readers to see from each character’s perspective. Her writing made each chapter flow together, and from past books I’ve read, it seemed like this was a task, however, Duga made it flow exceptionally and beautifully.
In the beginning of the book, we get introduced to the main characters. We first get to know about the king, Leander Eldana, who reserved four spots for the future heirs of the kingdom sixteen years prior to the heirs attending the academy.
Sixteen years after the king reserved the spots at the academy, we get introduced to the new heirs of the kingdom. First, we get to know Alaric Eldana. Alaric has a very broad frame and is taller than most people his age. He has dark brown choppy hair and a scar from the side of his face down to his jaw. When he got to his apartment, he found some men awaiting his arrival outside his apartment door and they held a letter from Almus Terra Academy.
Next, we get to learn about Emmeline Eldana. Emmeline is rather tall and is built like a model. She has light brown hair that curls into waves ending at the end of her back. The chapter starts with Emmeline in her private jet, we learn about her past and how her parents were forced out of the picture to not interfere with the heir process.
Thirdly, we get to learn about Titus Eldana. Titus has a leaner frame and is shorter compared to Alaric but looks like a celebrity and has beautiful blond hair, and iron eyes. Titus has known about this whole situation since childhood and has put effort into exceeding in all his classes and extracurricular activities so he can get on the top of the pedestal for becoming an heir.
Finally, we get to learn about Sadie Aurelia, the outcast in this heir competition. Aurelia has a very petite frame and is shorter than girls her age. She has light red hair with ginger and strawberry tones, and bangs that framed her face. The new chapter of her life begins when she gets to the open ceremony for Almus Terra Academy, however, she gets pulled off to the side and taken to the headmistresses’ office.
When the four heirs get to the headmistress office of Almus Terra Academy, we find out that three of the four heirs are King Eldana’s grandchildren that got roped into the contest to become the heir. However, Aurelia is not a part of his family, as she’s there because she earned her way into the school by her above average grades and nature to exceed expectations.
On the first day of school, Aurelia was enjoying her history class and answering questions, but when she was answering one of the questions, Alaric decided to interfere which led them into a heated argument about historical figures.
In the conclusion of the argument, both Aurelia and Alaric got Sunday detention together for the next few weeks. Within those few weeks, Alaric and Aurelia have gotten closer, but they aren’t the only ones. Titus and Aurelia have gotten close as well, maybe too close.
Emmeline on the other hand doesn’t like Aurelia, she believes she shouldn’t be in the running because she isn’t in the family and only got there by luck. Throughout the book, she always tried to sabotage Aurelia and her schoolwork, which was shown when she threw her laptop into the ocean and ruined all her school assignments.
At this point in the book, I did not like Emmeline, she was trying to cheat the system and win without putting in the work the other students had. However, I did like how the others handled Emmeline bullying Aurelia.
Later in the book, the heirs finally go to the palace to have a ball that determines who will be heir. A few days before the ball, Alaric took Aurelia to the beach to watch the sunrise, but the plan to watch the sunrise got sidetracked when they found Titus. Titus was crying after he got in a fight with his parents about him not wanting to be king. Aurelia ran over to help him, leaving Alaric behind, foreshadowing how she chose Titus over Alaric in the future.
Aurelia and Titus got together as a couple and hung out together always. They would study together, go to the beach, watch movies together, but when it was all going great, Emmeline had to get involved.
Emmeline blackmailed Titus into breaking up with Aurelia with a voice recording and posting it all over social media. He said how he only dated her to get her out of the competition, which left Aurelia heartbroken.
The day of the ball arrives, and everyone’s nervous but excited to see who the new heir will be. There were people from all over the world, kings, queens, nobles, students, everyone to witness the future.
Aurelia was chosen as the heir to the throne, and everyone was shocked and overjoyed by the pick. There were news stories everywhere about the new heir and at the very end, Titus told Aurelia he loved her. It was so cute and heartwarming, and it’s a good palate cleanser if you need a break in between genres.
Overall, I would give this book 5/5 stars, as it was the perfect combination of suspense, mystery, romance, and a little fantasy. I would recommend this book to readers who love any of these categories and who might love “The Princess Trials” by Cordelia Castel, “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard, or “The Selection” by Kiera Cass.
