Audiobook Review: Heir of Secrets and Spectres by Rachanee Lumayno

I thought planning a wedding would be easy, but I was so wrong.

“Farrah … There are important matters that we must discuss. Please return home soon.”

The Fae part of my heritage demands that I need to get my estranged Fae father’s blessing before I wed. I haven’t seen him in years, and I don’t know where in Faerie he is, but if I don’t get his blessing, it will turn into a curse that will eventually poison my upcoming marriage.

But Faerie is no place for humans. For some unknown creature is creating havoc in Faerie, killing its citizens—and the chaos is spreading into the human world and my home country, Shonn.

The Seelie Court needs to elect a new king or queen. And to get that elusive blessing, the Seelie Court’s interim leader, High Chancellor Lord Chela, has made me his representative in the upcoming Trials to find their new ruler.

The hopefuls’ task? Find the creature responsible for the murders around Faerie.

Before it finds us.

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon | Audible

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

This book picks up from Heir of Crowns and Curses and even wraps up the Rhyss/Farrah storyline nicely since it's in Farrah's POV. It was nice to learn about her family and history, as well as this series' take on the Fae, which the previous book had left me very curious about. I still think these books stand alone pretty well, though these last two felt more like a back-to-back double feature. I'm certainly not complaining!

Heir of Secrets and Spectres retains the Kingdom Legacy series' signature elements: fast pace, an ensemble of interesting characters, a plot tied to one or two of the Gifted Lands, humor, and romance. This one even touches on the Gifted Lands' ancient history a bit more, which I enjoyed.

As usual, Rachanee did a superb job with the narration, showing off her acting chops!

If you like your fantasy as standalone quick reads that altogether paint a picture of a lush world brimming with magic and adventure, then check this series out. For my reviews of the other Kingdom Legacy books, see:

• Heir of Amber and Fire (Book 1)
• Heir of Memory and Shadow (Book 2)
• Heir of Magic and Mischance (Book 3)
• Heir of Crowns and Curses (Book 4)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH 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

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.