Thieving Heir

by Kelsey Forster

500 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2026

About the author

Hi! My names Kelsey and I am the author of Burning Heir and Soul Splinter! Thanks for the follow!

Growing up I was the girl with the books, and it's always been a dream to write one! I love all things fantasy and romance!

Reviews

[123_Romantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
2.5🌶️

Thank you to the author for an e-arc of this book

So this is a tough one for me…

I’m going to start this off saying the writing of this book is MUCH more concise and less confusing than books 1&2 of the Serpent Heir series. I’ve enjoyed these books but you can definitely tell that the author’s writing has gotten better as she’s gone.

Here is why I just didn’t enjoy this story as much as I hoped and reasoning behind my rating….

I’m reading this after books 1&2, Burning Heir and Severed Heir. This book, Thieving Heir, is a prequel story to those 2 books and follows Fallon’s story (the mother of the FMC of the main series) at the Serpent Academy.

This is a fake dating, rivals to lovers story. And honestly, the story itself is good.

But it’s REALLY hard for me to dive into the love story after the revelations we get in book 2, Severed Heir, in the main series…..

Do we get more of an in-depth look into Fallon’s decisions from those books and why? Yes, and I sympathize. But I just can’t read about the love story and really be happy about it because I know what happens after and it’s always been a big plot point of the main series that I’m just not a fan of…

If you read this book FIRST before the main series, I think you can enjoy the romance story more. But at the same time, reading it THIRD gives you a lot of context that I think is best read third…

I’m interested to see where book 3 of the series takes us from here and overall the writing and story is good, I just couldn’t attach myself to it because of the plot twists we got in book 2 ☹️ maybe it’s just me 🤷‍♀️

There is a few different scenes of spice 🌶️ which were well written.

Again, thank you to the author for a copy of this. I AM still intrigued to continue reading the series moving forward but this book didn’t hit the way I was hoping it would.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Edited to add I received this book as an advance copy from the author.


This book was absolutely great. I have not read the other books in the series yet, but I truly enjoyed this book.

The main character, Fallon, is just a girl living on the streets or sneaking into her best friends hotel. During the city's festival, trouble arrives. I don't want to post any spoilers, but let's just say the entire trajectory of her life changes.

Fallon ends up enrolled in the prestigious school: Serpent Academy, with a special mission from the king: determine which of the Legacy's is worthy of the title "heir" and make sure only the right one is chosen. Add in some romance and you don't know what to expect. But, plot twist, no one can touch her or they die, and if anyone finds out, she could be sentenced to death.

With twists and turns I was hooked right away!
Fallon is a character in found myself rooting for from the first page. Kind spirited and sincere, though jaded from her experiences, Fallon had many choices to make, and each time I fully agreed with her.

The writing of the book was very easy to read. I was easily enveloped into the world of Verdonia. I didn't feel overwhelmed with information or character names.

I definitely would (and have) recommend this book to readers who enjoy fantasy and romance. I have already started reading the next book and am hooked!

[Ansune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come for the forbidden death magic. Stay because you're desperately trying to figure out who the main love interest actually is.

The overall plot was engaging, and I was invested enough to finish and even want to continue the series. But I struggled with the execution. Several scenes felt contradictory or under-explained, the rules of the magic and dragons weren't always clear, and some romantic developments seemed to appear out of nowhere.

More than once I genuinely wondered if I'd accidentally skipped a chapter.
The side plots, particularly the romance, often felt like they distracted from the stronger political storyline. By the time the book ended with another major relationship reveal, my main reaction wasn't shock—it was confusion.

Despite all that, the world itself is intriguing, and knowing this is a prequel makes me curious to see where Fallon, Andri, and Hadrian's story eventually leads. So while this wasn't a perfect read for me, I'm still interested enough to pick up book one....yeah maybe i should have started there!

This book had so many elements I normally love—dragons, forbidden magic, political intrigue, rival courts, fake dating, deadly academy trials—and somehow still managed to leave me saying "wait... what?" every few chapters.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, thank you so much to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It truly means a lot.

Burning Heir and Severed Heir have been some of my biggest surprises and easily my favorite discoveries of this year. I completely fell in love with this world and these characters, so getting the chance to read this prequel early was incredibly special. Knowing where this story is ultimately headed made some moments incredibly emotional, and it honestly broke my heart in the best way.

I also think that the writing has grown so much. I already loved her previous books, but with every release her storytelling feels even stronger and more immersive. More than anything, this book made me even more excited to return to the world of Burning Heir and be reunited with those characters again. I already can’t wait for what’s next!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a great romantasy, this is it! I love that you get to understand Fallon more in this book. I’m also a sucker for a good enemies to lovers trope. Overall, this whole series is a must read! Highly recommend! 🩷

[ToniReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in its grasp from the moment I started reading. Adrenaline pumping, enemies to lovers, betrayal, magic, dragons, griffins and more! All set in an academia. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book in this series I’m infatuated!

[Mariska Myburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much for giving me an ARC

Wow! What a story. This one had me pulled in, give up sleep from page one. Fallon os the type of FMC that goes hard. She is strength in every aspect of her life. She is what I want to be when I grow up!!

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC!

I loved the first two books so I knew I would love the prequal. Its a romantasy with all my favorite tropes and I loved getting to know Fallon better.
I cant wait for the next book!

[Liz B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC reader

Absolutely loved seeing Fallon’s POV. Made the series really come together so far. I had to go back and read Burning Heir and Severed Heir. So many puzzle pieces fell together. Fantastic book by Kelsey Forster. Can’t wait to finish the series.

[Samantha Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Kelsey for allowing me to read this arc copy.

I was excited about the build up with Thieving Heir. The author had said it was her favourite one to write and I can clearly see that.
I had really enjoyed the first 2 in this series and this one completely blew them out the window.

Reading Fallon’s story answered so many questions I had but does still leave more so I’m hoping so continue more with Fallon’s story.

This was very well written and so hard to put down.

Now I don’t know if this belongs as book 3 or read first making it a 0.5. I have enjoyed reading this as book 3 however I think reading it first may spoil abit for the first 2 books.

Happy reading!
Congratulations Kelsey on this fantastic series.

[Jemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thankful to have recieved this book as an arc. It was so good to finally read about fallon's story. Im constantly thinking about this series and cant wait for the next book!