The Heirs

The Heirs has a compelling whodunit premise with intriguing characters and a secretive, atmospheric setting, similar to Knives Out. However, the plot moves too quickly, particularly toward the rushed ending, leaving little room for the rich character development that elevated Àbíké-Íyímídé's previous work. It's a fast-paced and entertaining YA mystery, but ultimately lacks the depth to be truly memorable.

Do you like the party-death who-done-its? Enjoy the Knives Out movies? Or perhaps The Westing Game? Then The Heirs is the perfect novel for you, a murder mystery strung together for a young adult audience.An innocent Prodigy Ball hosted by a billionaire. Five adopted genius heirs. One murder. Many suspects.The Button children, all adopted, are experiments leading to the grand monetary gain of Leontes Button. His science experiments push genius into people, hence his five genius children: Octavius, Fola, Bilal, Perdita, and Romeo. Each has a unique talent tied to their genius, deeming them prodigies. Each has money to gain from the death of their father. Each harbors secrets. But only Romeo is considered a failure.All who attended the ball, as well as the five heirs, are considered suspects. While money may be a motive, Leontes Button was also well-known for not exactly being a people pleaser. Even the people who work for him see no reward for their loyalty. That doesn't mean Leontes had his own secrets to hide from his children and employees. The mystery thickens as the secrets of the heirs and those close to Leontes unfold.I am not a huge murder mystery fan, but find myself drawn in every time there is a new Knives Out film. This novel has a similar allure, keeping the reader guessing: is it one of the heirs or somebody else? When there are so many different people with various potential motives, it is hard to be a sleuth as the reader. This amount of presented information keeps the mystery alive, and the best mysteries are definitely the most unpredictable ones. Yet the reveal was rather disappointing. It certainly doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the novel. And the end...just keeps going and going and going...and going! In a wholesome way that leaves the reader feeling content.I received a copy of this book from the publisher.This is a review of the audiobook.

“…Henry would come to regret not stepping in sooner, not questioning whether this was at all moral, subjecting children to this, making the children choose who they would be for the rest of their lives without understanding what it would mean for any of them, to be unwilling science experiments, chess pieces, to live out the Orwellian fantasy of a billionaire.”*I have been a fan of Clue—both the board game and the movie—since I was a child. How the events are pieced together in this book and how what really happened is revealed remind me of the feeling of playing that game and watching that movie. I loved seeing the snippets of time leading up to the death play out, watching how everyone responds afterward, and trying to piece everything together.This book is also great for fans of The Inheritance Games, The Brothers Hawthorne, and Knives Out.Five children, adopted by a billionaire, who wanted to prove that he could create child prodigies using his “Button Method,” come together again for the annual Prodigy Ball.These young adults have been under stress and pressure and pushed to their limits by their father figure their whole lives. Octavius the Maestro. Fola the Brain. Bilal the Olympian. Perdita the Artist. Romeo the Failure.And now their father has turned up dead.At a glance:- Locked room mystery (The murder takes place on a yacht.)- All guests locked together at the Button estate afterwards for questioning- Extreme wealth- Family drama- Genius- Queer rep- Multiple POVs- Dual timeline + flashbacksKudos to narrator Torian Brackett for juggling all of the perspectives and maintaining the vast cast of characters’ voices consistently throughout the entire audiobook. I was easily able to keep up with all the twists, turns, reveals, and POVs.I highly recommend sticking around to read the author’s note at the end of the book.4.25 starsI received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.*I listened to the audiobook. Quote may not be exact.This is a review of the audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I really enjoyed "The Heirs". The mystery was suspenseful, the pacing was good, and I was invested from the beginning. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé does a great job keeping the tension high and making you question everyone's motives. My only real issue was that the characters often felt very much like 17-year-olds, but they were given a level of freedom and independence that didn't always feel believable. At times, that disconnect pulled me out of the story.The murder reveal itself was a little anticlimactic after all the buildup, but the ending more than made up for it. Overall, this is a fast-paced YA mystery full of secrets and drama that kept me turning the pages.

The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!This story kept me on my toes from start to finish. Told through multiple points of view, The Heirs follows five teens attending their adoptive father’s annual Prodigy Ball—an elite event where attendance is mandatory for his children.Each sibling carries a nickname tied to their talents: Octavius, “the Maestro,” for his musical brilliance; Fola, “the Brain,” for her chess mastery; Bilal, “the Olympian,” for his fencing skills; and Perdita, “the Artist,” known for her acclaimed paintings. Then there’s Romeo… labeled “the Failure,” as he doesn’t seem to measure up to the others.The night of the Prodigy Ball unfolds as expected—at least as “normal” as a gathering of geniuses can be. But the next morning, during brunch, everything changes when the siblings learn their father has been murdered.I really enjoyed the shifting perspectives and seeing the story through each sibling’s eyes. The pressure they place on themselves—and the way their labels shape their identities—adds an emotional layer to the mystery. At times, it reminded me of The Umbrella Academy (minus the superpowers), but with even more secrets, tension, and twists.The plot kept surprising me, and just when I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Overall, this was a compelling YA mystery and a very enjoyable read.