Royal Heirs Academy (Royal Heirs Academy, #1)

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Author(s)

Lindsey Duga

Publisher

Christy Ottaviano Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

14+

Release Date

January 07, 2025

ISBN

978-0316578691

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In this story filled with “romantic tension, royal drama, and family secrets” (Kristy Boyce), four teens living in a glamorous boarding school must compete in order to inherit a European kingdom. Perfect for fans of Elite and Maxton Hall—The World Between Us.

For fifty years, King Leander Eldana has ruled Ashland without naming an heir to the crown. After sending away his grandchildren to be raised out of the public eye, it’s finally time to secure his nation’s future by appointing one definitive heir. The best way to appraise his successor? In the halls of Almus Terra Academy, a boarding school infamous for breeding the world’s next generation of leaders—and liars.

Titus Eldana has always known he’d inherit Ashland’s future. Now he must prove he has what it takes. Alaric Eldana was not raised with a silver spoon. His secondhand clothes might not be fit for a king, but he knows how to rule: with his fist. Emmeline Eldana only wants to please her neglectful parents. If that means securing the crown, she won’t hesitate to destroy anyone in her way. Sadie Aurelia has no idea why she’s been given a chance to bring new blood to the throne. With nothing left to lose back home, she’s ready to take it.

Filled with competition, secret alliances, enemies-to-lovers romance, and cunning revenge, Royal Heirs Academy is a breathless, entertaining read set in modern-day. This gossip-filled school for the global elite is inspired by UWC of the Atlantic, which Vanity Fair has described as "Hippie Hogwarts."

For fans of the breakout television hits Elite and Maxton Hall—The World Between Us.

Editor review

1 review

intriguing YA contemporary

January 18, 2025 (Updated: June 15, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

ROYAL HEIRS ACADEMY is an intriguing YA contemporary that follows four teens who are in the running to become the heir to the kingdom of Ashland. Unwilling to allow his children to inherit, the king has devised a test for his three grandchildren and a meritorious citizen to compete for the crown. The grandchildren, Titus, Alaric, and Emmeline have been raised away from their parents and were supposed to have only found out about their ties to the crown upon their admission to the prestigious academy. The fourth, Sadie, received a scholarship and was likewise shocked to find herself in the running. As they attend the school and compete for the crown, anything could happen.

While the story took a little while to really get into it, each of the four was really compelling and unique with their own personalities and styles. This helped to tell the four perspectives apart and sink into the stories. While readers will form their early favorites, they all became sympathetic or understandable characters through watching each of their stories unfold. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the story surprising, and the boarding school setting works so well for this.

There are some interesting themes around family, merit, power, and trust that were quite thought-provoking throughout. As they compete, the four will need to look within as well as between themselves to examine what the tests mean and what makes a good ruler. This underlying premise was quite clever, and I appreciated the twisty way the drama unfolded. The school and other students were also interesting, but the main four were really the focus, and I appreciated that the readers get insights into each. A dash of mystery and the unexpected keep readers hooked and turning pages.

Overall, ROYAL HEIRS ACADEMY was an intriguing YA contemporary with a clever premise and compelling characters that kept the twists and drama flowing.